R334 A Guarantee for the Future, Pt.1

Is there such thing as a guarantee for the future? Let's go to God's Word to Nehemiah with Dr. Don Wilton and find out. Welcome to The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton as we head to Nehemiah chapter 7 for this powerful message, A Guarantee for the Future. We'll be talking about that, studying God's Word over the next couple of days, and we're here for you at TEWonline.org.

Now today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Is it possible to guarantee the future? I want you to think about that question.

Is it possible to guarantee the future? A guarantee for the future. Here in the book of Nehemiah, God had given to His servant and to His people an unbelievable job of work to do. God said to Nehemiah, Nehemiah, I want you to go back to Jerusalem. I want you to gather a people that had been exiled, had been split apart. I want you to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. I want you to bring back my promises and place them in the center of my people. And so it was that Nehemiah, under command from God Himself, set about to do what God had commanded him to do. When we come to chapter 6 and verse 15 and on, we are going to read the words, so the war was rebuilt.

The work was complete. I love the end of May, the middle to the end of May of every year, for a lot of reasons. It's the beginning of summer, and I just love the summer.

But it also signals a lot of other things. The warmth, vacations, outings, family time, I mean it has a lot of significance, the summertime. And I should imagine it particularly educators and students are delighted when the summer rolls around. But you know there are many, many of our own number and probably hundreds upon hundreds of others for whom this time represents graduation. Graduation is a special time. Graduation in essence means that the walls have been built. Graduation means that everything is in place. Consider someone beginning a new ministry, and they come to that point at which they say, I know that God has spoken.

I know that God has commanded, God has sent, God has instructed, and here I am. And the walls are built. Consider a marriage for a moment. Consider a couple who fall in love with one another.

If I can pick on the men for a while, the man falls in love with a young lady and he travels all over the countryside and does the most unbelievable things to gain her attention and her affection. And finally that day comes and he wins her hand and and eventually there's the day that they get married and it's a wonderful day and it's a marvelous ceremony and God just blesses them and it's as though the walls have been set in place. And so that man says, well I have now won her hand. The graduate says I have now graduated. The ministry says I have begun. The church says it's in place.

What about tomorrow? Does the completion of the rebuilding of walls signify the end of God's action? Maybe it is just the beginning. I want us to consider in Nehemiah a guarantee for the future. So let's read the Word of God together because I have nothing to say to you outside of God's Word. Nehemiah chapter 7 and verse 1. After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers. This is the most marvelous period as we go into Nehemiah because I found that the singers and the choir and the orchestra just keeps popping up. There is something that God seems to know about the importance of the choir and you know what I've discovered what it is?

It's called faithfulness. There is something about singing. There is something about praising God through music.

Now listen what happens. The gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites. The Levites were the priestly class. They were the preachers and the ministers were appointed and I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hananiah along with Hananiah the commander of the Citadel. This man had obviously been to Charleston because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do. I said to them the gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot.

While the gatekeepers are still on duty have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as gods some at their posts and some near their own houses. Now the city was large and spacious but there were few people in it and the houses had not yet been rebuilt so my God put into my heart to assemble the nobles the officials and the common people for registration by families.

I found the genealogical record of those who had been the first to return and this is what I found written and I know you will pardon me if I do not read you the list of all of these brethren please do so for yourself it'll be a wonderful experience. Near my chapter 8 and verse 1 when the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns all the people assembled here it is as one man in the square before the water gate they told Ezra the scribe to bring out the book of the law of Moses which the law had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand he read it aloud from day break till noon as he faced the square before the water gate in the presence of the men women and others who could understand and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform isn't this interesting you ever wondered why I stand up here on a high wooden platform the it's biblical biblical for the pastor to stand on a wooden platform and listen it listen it's right here in the Bible it's amazing what the Bible tells us Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion for what for the preaching of the word the reading of the law the exposition of Scripture. Beside him on his right stood Mattitya, Shema, Ananias, Uriah, Hilkiah and Messiah and on his left were Padiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashim, Hash, Badanah, Zechariah and Meshelim. Ezra opened the book and all the people could see him because he was standing above them and as he opened it the people all stood up Ezra praised the Lord the great God and all the people lifted their hands and responded amen amen then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground may the Lord write his word upon our hearts this morning so you've graduated so you have just recently become married what kind of guarantee do we have for the future I want to share with you more than several of God's principles related to a guarantee for the future number one set the doors in place look with me at chapter 7 and verse 1 after the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place it seems to me rather interesting that Nehemiah went to great lengths to inform us under the inspiration of God's spirit that it wasn't just good enough to build a wall but it was vitally critical to set the doors in place but I'm going to submit to you today beloved friends that doors keep out those you don't want in and doors keep in those things you don't want out let me run that by again doors are very important you see doors keep those things you don't want to get out inside and doors keep those things that are on the outside that you don't want to get in on the inside I want to submit to you today that unless you and I are willing to pay the price and to resolve to set doors in place that under God we are never going to have a guarantee for the future now graduates I've said I'm going to use you and students often in the next couple of weeks but this really applies to all of us myself included there are many doors that you need to put in place in your life if you are ever going to come to the point of time that you're going to know that God is guaranteeing your future consider them for a moment first of all there is the door of discipline you show me an undisciplined person and I'm going to show you a very unhappy person now one of our proverbial struggles in life revolves around this issue of discipline getting on and doing the things that we have to do doing them on time without procrastinating getting the job done putting parameters in place with regard to our own lives that enable us to keep on keeping on you take in the local church for example our mandate is to keep the main thing the main thing my beloved friends in this congregation we will never keep the main thing the main thing unless we have doors of discipline in place unless we have drawn a line unless we have determined with our own hearts what it is that God has laid upon our heart so it is in a community a community is going to crumble from within unless those doors have been placed unless those parameters have been drawn unless there has been a line drawn in the sand I'm convinced more today than I've ever been before that in the United States of America that God is separating the sheep from the goats he is drawing a line in the sand he is saying as for me and my house we are going to serve the Lord and are you prepared to put doors in place young people are you willing to put the doors of discipline in place what about the doors of morality and standards of behavior today over the next two to three weeks in America there are going to be more teenagers who are going to be on the beaches of Myrtle Beach South Carolina and the beaches of America who are going to be making more mistakes that are going to impact them more in their lives than any other time in their existence and I'm going to guarantee you with all the love in my heart if you are not prepared to put the doors in place with regard to your moral principles and your standards of behavior you are going to become a statistic you are going to become like thousands of other people whose lives are in tragic ruins who live their entire lives under the shadow of mistakes that they made just because of their exuberance at graduating from high school without any doors or standards of moral behavior and discipline are you prepared to do that I'm talking to the teenagers here this morning I'm talking to the college students I've met many a college student my friend whose life is in absolute ruins because they refused to put in the doors in place they refused to draw the line they refused to stand tall they refused to call a spade a spade they refused to stand up and say as for me and my house we will serve the Lord are you prepared to put the doors in place the doors of discipline the doors of morality and standards of behavior how about the doors of doctrine the doors of doctrine you say pastor what do you mean the doors of doctrine you want to guarantee for the future you need to put the doors of doctrine in place in your life what is doctrine doctrine my friends is what the Bible teaches about God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and his church and giftedness and service and love and grace and justification and sanctification and glorification and the preciousness of his word and his moral principles this is the doctrine of the word of the living God and we are living in a day and age today where people scoff at doctrine where people say I don't want to hear doctrine I don't want to hear the Word of God I don't care what the Word of God says and I'm going to say to you today with all the love of my heart put in your life the doors of doctrine set a seal upon it study the Word of God come to know the Word of God subject yourself to the Word of God understand what it is that God is trying to teach in his word and when you put into your heart the doors of doctrine my friend you are going to have a foundation that is going to be unbelievable it is going to be unbelievable in what God will do through you you're listening to dr. Don Wilton our teacher here on the encouraging word don't go away he'll be back with more of this exciting insight on how we can see what God can do through us as we open those doors of doctrine in our heart we also want you to know we're here all the time at TEW online.org not just during the broadcast that's TEW online.org it's a place you'll discover great resources like this when Jesus comes every eye will see him even those who crucified Jesus and those who mocked the name of Jesus do not be shocked or surprised at what's going on in America today we had better wake up America Jesus is coming again this month for your gift of support of the encouraging word you will receive dr. Wilton's powerful and timely message trusting God along with the bonus DVD movie on celebrating Ruth Bell Graham a life marked by the faithfulness of God call us at eight six six eight nine nine word to request trusting God and the bonus DVD movie today for a gift of $20 or more thank you for standing with us two great resources I hope you'll call about eight six six eight nine nine word is the number that's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three or online at TEW online dot o RG now back to today's great teaching with dr. Don Wilton you want to stand firm at Myrtle Beach know what you believe you want to stand firm at college know what you believe a diploma on a wall does not guarantee your future an education in a good high school does not guarantee your future a good job does not guarantee your future your good looks does not guarantee your future wealthy parents will never guarantee your future a preacher will never guarantee your future membership of a local church will never will never guarantee your future.

Your citizenship will never guarantee your future if you want God to bless you in your future. You need to be prepared to make some decisions, my friends, that you gained a right upon your heart as God wrote his commandments upon the heart of his servant, Moses, and he came down and he held them high and he wrote them in the annals of antiquity so that men and women and boys and girls throughout the ages can hold firm to the fact that God says, thou shalt have no other gods before me. That's a door, that's a door that's in place because it's a door to the heart. What did Jesus say? Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door and I knock. Why did he call our heart a door? Do you know why, my friends?

Because it's a passageway. Things can go in and things can go out. And what Jesus said is that whatever goes through the door of your heart is going to have a direct impact on your behaviour.

It is no misquoted statement that has been said right throughout America today. Simply this, that your behaviour is going to match what you believe. You have a loose theology, you're gonna have a loose lifestyle.

Let me tell you something, folks, why there's so many people who are not in the least bit of concern about the moral decay in our society and in our community. The reason why they're not willing to even think about it, the reason why the key phrases today are tolerance and all those other kinds of catchphrases is because there is no theology. People have nothing to believe in. They don't understand who God is. Who is this God?

Who is this God of the Bible? Doors of discipline, doors of moral behaviour, doors of doctrine. What about doors of communication? Well, communication and education so important. I wonder how many students here today say, well, pastor, I've done it.

That's it, no more for me. Well, I'm going to submit to you that you never stop learning. Doesn't matter how many degrees you've got, you never stop learning. Doesn't matter how old you are, you never stop learning. Some of the saddest people you will ever meet are people, my friends, who do not have the doors of education and communication in their hearts. They refuse to learn.

They refuse to grow. What about the doors of happiness? Now, I want you to think with me for just a moment. Do you know that I'm convinced today under God that you can decide to be happy?

Ha ha ha, that's right. Listen to me, I have met many a person over the years who I'm absolutely convinced somewhere down the road, they made a decision. They said, from now on, I'm gonna be unhappy.

That's right, I'm gonna be unhappy. You meet them, they're all over the place. They're the first ones to stand up in meetings. They're the first ones to gripe about what's going on. If classic Coke comes out, they want the old Coke. If it's Diet Coke, they want Pepsi.

I mean, it doesn't matter what happens, folks. They are unhappy. They've decided they're going to be unhappy.

You can look at them. You can see the hookworms are getting restless. It doesn't matter what happens, they're unhappy. They're everywhere in society. They're in government, they're in churches, they're in schools, they're in colleges, they're your next door neighbors, they're everywhere. They are unhappy people.

Have you made a decision to put the door of happiness into your life? Have you ever played golf with somebody and you've got to the third hole and wondered why that person bothers to play golf? I mean, it doesn't matter, folks. If they are not shooting like the pros shoot, I mean, they are blessing everything from the golf ball to the golf cart. They infect everybody else. They take much longer to line up their putts so that everybody else has to stand and wait for his lordship to putt while everybody else is waiting. They're these people who turn their golf clubs into helicopter wings. And you get to the third hole and you say, you know, when we started this this morning, man, they were so fresh, we went in the locker room, they sat down and boy, they, oh, isn't this great? And they got under the first tee, you get to the third hole and they miserable. And you wanna walk up to them and say to them, hey, listen, buddy, what do you play golf for? You're unhappy.

It just kills you. Now, let me tell you something, folks. I wish that I could shoot golf like the pros. And I try, man, I try. I try so hard. I mean, I'm so convinced that I'm gonna play in the Masters one day.

I mean, it's there in my system. But you know something, folks? It doesn't matter really. I just love to be out there with my brothers and my sisters. Love to go out with my wife. Whoever's there just love to be out there.

Who cares? Let me ask you a question today, young people. Have you put a door of happiness into your life? Have you made a decision that your happiness is not going to be dependent upon the color of the carpet? Your happiness is not going to be dependent on whether you get invited to sing or not. Your happiness is not whether or not you get selected to be a cheerleader. Your happiness is not going to be dependent on whether you get selected to play for the varsity team at high school or not. Your happiness is not dependent on whether or not your dad is willing to buy you a motor car. Your happiness is not dependent upon whether you have a motorbike or you don't have a motorbike. Your happiness is not dependent on whether or not you catch fish when you go fishing.

Your happiness is not dependent upon whether you go to McDonald's or to Wendy's. Your happiness is rooted in the doors, the parameters that you have set in your own life according to the grace of almighty God in Christ Jesus. Put the doors in place. Put the doors in place.

You know, people all over the world struggle just like you and me. Put the doors in place. What about the door of resolve? You see, you've got to resolve, my friend, as to what you're gonna do.

You've got to make a decision. And some of you are sitting here today and you're looking at me and you're saying to me, Pastor, I hear what you're saying, but I'm not interested in resolving it. There's some young people sitting here, you're about to go to Myrtle Beach, and in the back of your mind you're saying, Pastor, you just wait until I get into that motor car with my friends. Man, am I gonna let my hair down. I wish we could parade in front of you here today. All the aborted babies and all the unwanted pregnancies and all the drugs and all the alcohol and all the ruined lives in South Carolina alone, my friend, that could stand here today and say it all began when I graduated from high school and I refused to put the doors in place.

I was a loose cannon out of control. Put the doors in place. Put the doors in place. But the greatest door that you can ever put into place is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus put it like this, He said, I am the door. I am the door. And if you want life, you need to put the door in place. You need to enter in through the door. I am the door. And when you enter in through me, the door, the Lord Jesus Christ, I'll do for you what nobody else can do. And if you're not willing to make a resolution today and say I am putting the door of life in place, precious friend, you do not have a guarantee for the future. What tremendous teaching from Dr. Wilton.

Do you have that guarantee for the future? I pray that you would open your heart not just to what Dr. Don is preaching, as he's from the pulpit, but now as he steps into the studio to share his heart. 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. Did you just give your life to Christ, praying along with Dr. Wilton, or maybe rededicate your life? I pray that we all would never hear God's word without being somewhat changed. If you've made a new beginning, we'd love to pray with you. And Dr. Don has wonderful free resources if you gave your life to Christ or rededicated your life to Jesus today. You just need to call and ask for them at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. We'd love to put these resources in your hands and encourage you to other great resources on our website at tewonline.org. That's tewonline.org. I especially recommend you signing up for the daily encouraging word email every morning. It'll drop into your email box with a word of encouragement, insight about God's word, and a way to apply it to your daily life. Thank you so much for joining us. The Encouraging Word is brought to you and sponsored by The Encouraging Word and your generous financial support. Thank you so very much. ["The Encouraging Word"]