R313 Experiencing God Through the New Year, Pt.2

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton on this edition of The Encouraging Word.

Well, here we are, wrapping up 2021, and already Dr. Don is preaching and teaching and helping us know how we can move through this new year to experience in God with even greater fervor and passion and effectiveness as a follower of Jesus Christ. We'll be headed to II Chronicles 7 to complete the message Dr. Wilton began yesterday, and as we study the Word, know that we're ready to be with you and pray for you any time. Our prayer line is 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673, and as a matter of fact, that's also a great place to order resources like the Daily Devotional from Dr. Wilton and more.

You can see it online at www.tewonline.org. And now today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. We need to be reminded as a church and as a nation and as a community that God never changes, that He will never leave us and He will never forsake us, that God never moves, that God's covenant is absolutely sure and steadfast, and that God tells us, my friend, if we disobey Him, we are the ones who are going to suffer, not God. So what did this have to do with Solomon? Well, you see, Solomon, if you went and studied Solomon, we don't have time to do a real exegesis of his life, but there were three things about Solomon's life that stood head and shoulders above everything. He had three great successes. The first of all was political success.

You can go and look at chapter 8 verses 1-11. He was politically successful. Secondly, he was religiously successful, and I'm going to use that word religiously. This was a man of deep devotion to God.

The third way in which he was successful was economically. This man was a wealthy man. Now, folks, if you want to talk about a multi, multi-billionaire, take a look at Solomon. Go and have a look through the Chronicles and see what he had. The Bible says that he had tons and tons of gold.

Everything that he had was built out of the finest cedars from Lebanon. Everything that he did turned to gold. This man understood the stock market. I tell you what, he made the best investments. He had people coming to consult with him. He understood gold shares and the rise and fall of economic indicators. He understood budgets.

He understood everything about economics, and he was a tremendous success, but he failed God. Think of the United States. If you were to talk about three characteristics of our beloved United States of America that stand head and shoulders above most other things, this country is a success politically.

You say, how can that be, pastor? I'm going to say to you, my friend, there is no nation upon the earth that has a constitution finer than the United States of America. There is no greater light or beacon of hope for the world's population than the political situation and dispensation in the United States of America with its system of checks and balances. Consider the United States religiously. This is a religious nation, folks.

There are churches behind every bush, preachers all over the place, bibles on every pew rack, deacons in every church. We've got men and women and boys and girls doing the work of God unhindered. We can tell our children about Jesus.

Then think about the economic success of the United States. We are a blessed people. No matter which way we wash it, we've got more than anybody else does. We're blessed. Our children are blessed.

Our forefathers were blessed. We've been blessed beyond our wildest imagination, but I'm going to say to you, beloved friends, that as we experience God through the new year, we must pay attention to what happened to this man called Solomon. You see, this man failed God, folks, and God took those blessings away from him for a time.

Listen to what happened. What did he do? He began to worship other gods in 1 Kings 11 and the nation was exiled. The Bible tells us about that in 2 Chronicles and chapter 36. They were exiled to Babylon and the temple was totally destroyed and everybody who stood and observed and witnessed the desolation of the land and the temple, they would know that this was the ultimate mark of God's judgment upon these people because of their sin. What a tragedy.

What a tragedy. But you know what happened? Do you know what happened to Solomon? Solomon repented and the people repented and one of the most remarkable stories of experiencing God into the new year began to take place because the result was, based upon his repentance, Solomon ends his reign as he had begun it as a perfectly faithful king. Gone, no more, are all the references to foreign women who turned away his heart to follow after foreign gods. Gone is all the negative evaluation such of which we find in 1 Kings 11 and verse 6 which reads, Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord as David his father had done.

Gone are all the references to Yahweh's anger, to God's anger in 1 Kings 11 and verse 9 and God's resulting decision to tear the kingdom apart from Solomon. Gone is all the opposition. Gone is all the backbiting. Gone is all the hostility. Gone is all the pain.

Gone is all the dashed dreams and the hopes. And when you come to the end of the chronicles and you find King Solomon upon his bed, he is presented to you and to me as one of those who upon whose name God rests. He is presented as a faithful king. He is presented as one of God's chosen servants. You see if you go back into verse 14, my people who are called by my name, literally in the Hebrew text this reads, my friends, if my people upon whose name I rest, my name.

In the Hebrew text it means literally this, that God was saying to these people as He was saying to Solomon, if you are my people upon whom I have vested my sovereign grace, nothing is going to ever be able to take you from within the grasp of my hand because the Davidic Covenant, I am with you. I will never leave you. I'm always there. But you've got to do what I'm instructing you to do. I wonder if there's anyone here this morning, please don't stand up or raise your hand.

I wonder if there's anyone here today who might have messed up in 1995. You know if you read about Solomon, this is such a wonderful message of hope. This is what experiencing God into the new year is all about, my friends. Do you know what it's all about? The only difference between the best of us in here and the worst of them out there is the grace of God. That's what it's all about.

What it's all about is that we are sinners saved by the grace of God. I want to tell you something, friend. You might have been discouraged. You might have been let down.

You might have been struggling. I wonder if there's someone here today that you've been running from God your entire life. You've just been running.

There's no other way to describe it. People have prayed for you. Oh, they've loved you. You've heard the Word of God. You've been around Christian people. You've seen what's taken place.

You've seen the joy. You've seen what Jesus Christ has done to families when He's brought them together. You've seen the new love that He's kindled in the hearts of those who have come to know Him. You've seen people rescued from divorce courts. You've seen people who have been at the worst parts of their lives through sorrow and tragedy, having to say, I know in whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep me against that day. He's able to guard me and garrison me with His fortress and with everything that God has given to me. And you say today, Pastor, is there any hope in 1996?

Yes, sir. Look at what happened to Solomon. And so what does this passage teach us?

There are five things here that I want us to consider briefly this morning. From this particular encounter that Solomon had, what was it that God was trying to tell Solomon? What was He saying to this king? I mean, what more could a king have? He had everything. I mean, what more could a man want in life? This guy had it all.

Just click his finger, he got it. It's funny that he had wisdom. Can you imagine having just wisdom? God gave it to him. God poured out His Spirit upon him.

It was the most marvelous thing. And yet God appeared to him at night when Solomon thought that experiencing God was a terminal experience. God appeared to him and He said to him, amongst many others, five things. Number one, he hears our prayers. He says, Solomon, I hear your prayers. Look at verse 12, verse 11 with me. The Lord appeared to him at night and said, I have heard your prayer.

Isn't that the most wonderful thing to think about in 1996? I have heard your prayer. You mean to tell me that God actually hears our prayer? Look, would you just drop down with me just quickly down to verse 15? I want to show you something.

It's remarkable. Listen, now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. Now folks, God is everywhere but never discount the house of God.

There is something singularly significant about being in the house of God according to God's Word. God can answer prayer everywhere and He does. Whether you're in the bathtub singing as beautifully as me, whether you're driving down the road praying, I just hope you don't close your eyes, whether you are out there playing with your children with a Frisbee in the backyard or burning some chicken on your favorite barbecue, God is going to hear you.

But the Bible says that when I come into my house of sacrifice, there it is that my eyes are open and my ears are open and I hear your prayer. What a tremendous privilege. Forgive the interruption.

We'll be back in just a moment. But as Dr. Don reminds us that God will hear our prayers anytime and anywhere, you need to know that when we began the ministry, Dr. Don immediately said we must have an opportunity for this to be a conversation, not just a presentation. Meaning you can talk to us and let us pray with you and for you on the phone at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. We'd love to connect with you on our website as well at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org.

We'd love to pray with you and for you and connect you with resources that will help you grow in your faith. As you're on our website www.tewonline.org, you'll also know that here we are on the final day of a remarkable matching challenge. A couple has provided $200,000 as a matching challenge gift. And so if you give before the end of day today, before midnight tonight, then your gift will be included in that challenge and will be multiplied to help us lift up the name of Christ with biblically based teaching like you hear from Dr. Wilton every single day. If you'd like to get involved, visit us online at www.tewonline.org to give your gift right now. You can do it at www.tewonline.org or you can share your gift by calling us, 866-899, word is the number.

That's 866-899-9673. Now back to today's message with Dr. Don Wilton. You know in Africa, they have a tradition still there today in tribal Africa.

It's wonderful. It's a pagan tradition. It's called Lebola.

I'll ask you to all repeat that during 1996. Now the word Lebola literally means bride price. You know what bride prices? It means that if a man wants to marry a woman, he has to go and he has to buy her from her family. And the first thing he does, he goes to the brothers and he gives the brothers cattle and sheep, et cetera, to get their attention. When he's given them enough, they go to the father and they get the father's permission for the potential groom to come and to talk to him about marrying their daughter.

Are you still with me? But when the groom comes to say, I want to marry your daughter, the father says, I'm sorry, I can't talk. My tongue is sealed. So he says, well, what's it going to take to loosen your tongue? He says, well, that'll be five head of cattle. So he gives him five head of cattle and now he can talk. He says, man, there's still a problem. I can't hear a thing.

My ears are stopped up. And so the groom sitting there says, well, how much is that going to take? And the future father-in-law says, well, that'll be 25 sheep and three goats. So he goes off, doesn't matter how long it takes him to get them, and he pays 25 sheep and three, ah, all of a sudden his ear pops open. He says, man, now I've got a real problem. I can't see a thing.

It's amazing how many ailments I'm going to develop when my daughter wants to get married, folks. And he says, man, I can't see. That'll be another 30 head of cattle. So now he's got to go and find 30 head of cattle and finally his eyes are open and his tongue's loosened and his ears are open. And he can finally talk and negotiate about the future marriage of his daughter.

Did you notice something significant? Do you know that God in verse 12 says, this house is the house of sacrifice. And when you come into the house of sacrifice, I will hear your prayers. Why will I hear your prayers? Because what I demand of you based upon the condition of the Davidic covenant is that my eyes and my ears and my mouth is opened all because of the sovereign grace of who I am, God Jehovah. And I'm going to hear you and I'm never going to leave you and I'm never going to forsake you. And you can take me to the bank because I alone am God and the gates of hell will never prevail against my church.

I hear your prayers. But number two, he acts before we do. Number one, he hears our prayers, but number two, he told Solomon that he acts before we do. Look at verse 12.

He said right there, he said, not any of I heard your prayer, but I have chosen this place for myself. Oh, can you imagine Solomon? Solomon thought he had made all the right decisions until he encountered God. God said to him, no, no, Solomon, you didn't make that decision.

I made it long before you even thought about it. How does God act, folks? Does God come to us and say, would you do thus, thus and thus? And if you do that, then I'll come and bless you.

I'll act based upon what you do in response. God says, I act and you join me because I give you permission. God makes the decision, not ourselves. That is why it is so important, my friend, that as a house of prayer, we subject ourselves to who God is. We don't tell God to subject himself to who we are. God forbid, my beloved friends, that we ever come to a point in our lives that we tell God to conform to what we determine God ought or ought not to do. Our sole purpose is to prostrate ourselves before the throne of grace and say, not my will, but thine be done.

God, it is not what I want to do. It's what you want to do and anything that you want to do, I want to do because you are the captain of my ship. What does the Bible teach? He hears our prayers. He acts before we do. But thirdly, he reminds us of his purposes. Verse 13, the Bible says, when I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain when I command the locust to devour.

When I do this, when I do that, when I send a plague, no matter what happens. That's what God was telling Solomon. God was giving Solomon a peep into Romans 8, verse 28. All things work together for the good of those that love God and to those who are the called according to his purpose. See, it's hard to understand the purposes of God, but friends, God reminds us that he does everything for a purpose. And in the fourth place, he demands conditions.

Oh yeah, he told Solomon that. He is the God of condition. There are four conditions here in verse 14. Humble yourselves, pray, seek my face, turn from your wicked way. What does God do in response? Three responses from God. I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin.

I will heal their land. God hears our prayers. God acts before we do. God reminds us of his purposes. God demands conditions, but there's one more. God guarantees his presence forever. He says it in verse 16. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my name may be there forever.

My eyes and my heart will always be there. What, what a promise for the new year. Would you bow your heads with me this morning? Has God spoken to you, my friend?

Every head is bowed and every eye closed. Do you know this God of whom we speak? Do you know him today?

Do you really know him? Are you willing to turn your life over to Jesus? Are you willing to say, Lord, on this new year I'm tired of running? I'm tired of it, Lord. I'm tired of running away from you. I know that you died upon the cross.

I know you gave your life for me. Maybe there's someone here today and you'd say, Pastor, I need Jesus. This is what Jesus said. He said, come unto me. All ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

That's what he said. You say, Pastor, but wait a minute. If you take your entire life away from God, it's not too late. Do you know that there is not one sin that God will not forgive? Accepting one, which is the sin of saying no to God. You see, he cannot forgive that because if you say no to God, you can never be forgiven. You can never be admitted into his presence because God who is holy cannot accept into his presence anyone less than those who have been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You'd say to me today, Pastor, how can I trust Jesus?

Would you allow me to do something today? It doesn't matter if you're a Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian. You haven't been to church in years.

This has nothing to do with a Baptist church. If you were here today and you'd say, Pastor, I want to give my life to Christ today. Would you pray this prayer in your own heart? If you're a believer, would you pray for the person next to you?

Would you do that right now on the eve of this new year? You pray this prayer in your own heart. Dear God, I know that Jesus died for me upon that cross. I don't deserve to be saved. Right now, I ask you to forgive me for all of my sin. Come into my heart. Save me once and for all.

Make me a new person. Lord Jesus, I have given my life to you with no strings attached in Jesus' name. With every head bowed, every eye closed, nobody looking around. Is there anyone here today who would say, Pastor, before God and you, I want you to know that I've given my heart to Jesus. Would you raise your hand? Would you put it up right where you are?

Would you just do that? God bless you, ma'am. God bless you. Here in the middle, is there anyone here in the middle?

Would you just put up your hand? God bless you, buddy. Anyone here in the middle, just put it up.

Just put it up like that. Don't fight it. Just say, I've given my life to Jesus today. Is there anyone here today? Put up your hand. What about over here on my left?

You're right. God bless you, sir. I love you in the Lord Jesus Christ, my brother, and I thank God for you. Now, what about up there in the balcony? Is there someone who would put up their hand today and say, I've trusted Jesus Christ?

Is there anyone? There was a famous preacher one day. His name was the Reverend Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday preached all over the world. Everywhere he went, he preached. He was the sawdust preacher.

He would hit the sawdust trail all over the Northwest and Chicago and have these great crusades and thousands of people would come to know Christ. You know, on his deathbed, Ma Sunday made this statement. She said, Billy and I have spent our entire life preaching the gospel, telling others about the Lord Jesus Christ, while at the same time our five sons were going to hell. It's a blessing, you know, to experience God with a church family like this because you complete our lives and you are so precious. Perhaps moments ago, as Dr. Don was leading in the pulpit and preaching and praying that prayer of salvation to give your life to Christ, you agreed with him. You prayed along with him. Or perhaps as Dr. Don would say, it was just time for you and your spirit to say, me too, God, I need to give my life to Jesus. Or perhaps your heart's prayer today was, as we wrap up this year and look ahead into an exciting 2022, it's time for you to make God first.

You have given your life to Christ, but it's time to rededicate your life to Jesus Christ. We stand ready to pray with you, to support you with wonderful resources. Dr. Don has created a packet of resources for you.

If you've given your life to Jesus Christ or rededicate your life, he wants you to have them absolutely free if you'll call us at 866-899-WORD. Again, that number is 866-899-9673 where you'll find that number and other ways to connect on our website, TEWONLINE.ORG. That's TEWONLINE.ORG. Dr. Don would love to hear from you as well. Don't forget his email.

It's simple. His first name, Don, D-O-N, at TEWONLINE.ORG each and every day. It's really, it's fuel for his soul when he reads what God's doing in your story through the power of God's word and the encouraging word ministry. Again, write to him anytime, Don, D-O-N, at TEWONLINE.ORG. And of course, on this last day, if you give to the ministry of the encouraging word before midnight tonight, you could be a part of a remarkable matching challenge.

Here's Dr. Don with the details. Wow, God has done incredible things again this year through the encouraging word broadcast ministry. Do you know that over 135,000 people have called us telling us what this ministry means to them in their spiritual life.

And so many are coming to know Jesus. A friend has just given a $200,000 challenge gift to this ministry. And we are asking, as he is asking, that our listeners will give an additional $300,000 to this ministry by December 31st so that God's word can continue to go out across the world.

In London recently, someone came up to me and said, thank you for the encouraging word and for what it means. Would you help me do this? If all of us participated, even a $2 to $3 to $4 each, God will help us to reach this goal together.

Yes, we can do it. If God's leading you to give, why don't you call us with your gift at 866-899-9673. That's 866-899-9673. Or, meet us online. You can give online at our website, tewonline.org.

That's tewonline.org. If you give any time in the coming year, it would be a great blessing, and God will use that. But if you're giving today, before midnight tonight, it'll be a part of that matching challenge and be multiplied in a remarkable way.

Oh, now, before we get away, Dr. Don has one more closing thought to wrap things up. 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. Next time on The Encouraging Word, we dive into John chapter 5 with Dr. Wilton's message called Understanding Judgment. I hope you'll join us and bring a friend. Between now and then, remember you can stay connected on our website at tewonline.org. The Encouraging Word