R946 Dynamic Testimonies, PT.1

Testimony in a court of law can change everything, and our testimony can too. Welcome to The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton. Today we begin a two-part series on dynamic testimonies with Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, pastor, and today as he takes us to First Thessalonians, we'll understand even better how our testimony can change the world around us. As we study God's Word, know that we're available for you, praying together right now on our phone line at 866-899-WORD. 24 hours a day, we're here for you at 866-899-9673 and on our website at www.tewonline.org. Today's the last day for that wonderful 31 days of prayer from a husband and 31 days of prayer from a wife.

Check it out on our website right now at www.tewonline.org. Now, Dr. Don Wilton. I am going to ask you to open your Bibles this morning to First Thessalonians and Chapter 1. First Thessalonians and Chapter 1.

Someone very close to me, a good friend of mine, made a statement to me this week and it was rather an intriguing statement and it was simply this. You know, I wonder, pastor, how many people know and understand what you do when you prepare a sermon on Sunday mornings? How do you get there? What do you go through?

What do you do? Well, the same question, of course, is so important for our Sunday school teachers and for our weekday Bible study leaders and discipleship leaders. How do you get to where you need to be? And so I want to, with your Bibles open to First Thessalonians, I want to just share with you today how I prepared this sermon. First of all, I sat down and I prayed. So would you bow your heads with me this morning as we pray together? Father, right now we are about to embark on an impossible undertaking because we could never know nor understand God. You're too big.

You're too majestic. And Father, we just can in no way even touch the hymn of our God and Father. But right now we want to humble ourselves in your presence. Lord, I just want to ask you today if you would help me to catch a little glimpse of what it is that you want to say to me first and all of us. I need you.

I cannot live without you. I don't know what to do. And I'm not capable enough to be able to speak with the authority of God. And besides, I get in the way too much. I'm up one minute and down the next.

And I get sick and I get mad and I get bent out of shape and I hurt my knee when I fall and I get hungry and tired and all of these things just get in the way. So Lord, would you help me to be your channel? Would you just take this instrument this person, this body, this feeble person? Would you just speak through me? Would you use me? Just use me as a bucket of garbage to be tossed out.

Would you use me as a container to be emptied out? Would you just use me to be the voice, the voice that people understand? Because Lord, we find it hard to believe in spirits and things that we think we hear and we don't. And Lord, you decided a long time ago that you were going to raise up preachers to be the voice of God.

So I don't want to say anything that comes from me. So Lord, I just pray now and I just ask you to help me. Because when it comes to Sunday, I just want to stand there and I want to flow with the voice of God. But that I would be hidden behind the cross. In Jesus' name, we pray. I pray.

Amen. The second thing I do is that I take the Bible and I have in my hands a copy of the Bible, my preaching Bible, and I read the passage. I read what I am proposing to be about preaching the next time I get an opportunity to preach.

I'm reading in my preparation. We are reading for what we're about to receive. From 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and verse 2, we always thank God for all of you mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you. Because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power and with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with joy given you by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, your faith in God has become known everywhere.

Therefore we do not need to say anything about it for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turn to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. Now may the Lord Jesus Christ alone bless the reading of his word. The third thing I do is I get out a pen and a piece of paper. My wife will tell you that I fill up screeds of paper.

No, I hate to tell you I don't do it on a computer. That's just my style. I get out of, I have pads of paper and I long hand. And I get out a pen and I get a paper and all I have in front of me is my Bible, I have my God, I have his Holy Spirit, and I have his word. That's all I've got in front of me. Nothing else. I don't want to see anything else and I don't want to hear from anyone else. I don't want to hear what somebody else had to say. I'm asking God to tell me what he says.

I don't want to go and read a commentary or a book or what Max Lucado said or what this person said, not yet. Right now I want to know what God is saying to me, through me. So I get out my pen and what I do is I write down the main points of this passage. I write down points that I'm reading, looking at that, if you understand what I'm saying, jump out at me.

We all understand that term. They just, I notice them. I've asked God to help me notice what I need to notice. So I write down the main points that I see in this passage.

So this is what I wrote down. I wrote down these 10 points and I'm writing them down not about me, but about what he's saying about them, because he's talking about a group of people, not unlike ourselves, in Thessalonica, the church at Thessalonica. We've already understood that in verse one. We know who he's talking about. A group of people who call themselves Christians, believers, in a place called Thessalonica.

And what is he saying about them and why is he saying it? I don't know, but I wrote down these points. So if you've got a pen this morning or a piece of paper or something to scribble on the back, write these 10 things down. These are the 10 things that jumped out to me. Verse two, I noticed that they were receivers. I noticed that they were receivers.

There's your first word. They were receivers. And notice I'm not explaining anything.

In fact, I'm not even sure if I understand what that means. And some of you are going to say, well, where do you get that from verse two? I'm just telling you, that's what jumped out at me. They were receivers. Number two, they were workers. So write down the word workers. You can see it right there in verse three, your work produced by faith. That word work for me just jumped out at me for some reason. And I believe it's the Lord because I've asked him to bless his word.

For some reason, I'm focusing on that. Now you might be focusing on the word produced or faith, but for me, as I was preparing for some reason, God made that word jump out to me. So I wrote down, they were workers. Number three, third thing I wrote down, they were laborers. Well, it's also in verse three, your labor prompted by love. Well, I wrote down the word laborer.

Of course, immediately I wrote it down. I said, well, why am I writing that down? Because I just wrote down the word workers.

Aren't workers and laborers the same thing? I don't know. Not at that stage. I don't know. But is God trying to show me something? And it turned out he was, but I haven't got there yet.

It just jumped out. So number three, they were laborers. Number four, write this down. They were endures. Endures. Look at the third part of verse three and your endures. Evidently they were endures.

Why? What that meant, I don't know, but God's word says. So I wrote the word, they were endures. I've got four words there, receivers, workers, laborers, endures. Here's number five.

This is the fifth word that I wrote down. They were imitators. Imitators.

Look at verse six. You became what? Imitators.

Do you see it there? You became imitators. I just somehow couldn't get around that word. I said, well, there it is. He called them imitators. These believers at Thessalonica, this church, this group of people called them imitators. I wrote down, they were imitators.

All right. Number seven. I wrote down, what am I? Number five, six, seven, wherever I am. I wrote down, they were welcomers.

Number six, they were welcomers. Well, where did that come from? Well, it's right there. Look there in verse six. He says, in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed. And what did that mean?

Why is the Lord highlighting that? So I wrote down, they were welcomers. All right. Number seven. They were role models. Role models. Look in verse seven. And so you became a model to all these people. I didn't have any problem with that one.

I thought, wait a minute. He's saying this about Christian people. They were what? Role models.

Now I haven't studied it, asked why, what it means, but it jumped out at me. So I wrote down the word role model and I'm asking the Lord, Lord, are you trying to tell me something? I wrote down, they were role models. Number seven. Number eight, they were bell ringers. They were bell ringers.

Well, look at verse eight. The Lord's message rang out from you. At the moment I saw that word rang out, it just jumped out at me.

I'd asked the Lord to show me what he wants to say, to me and to us. And so the word rang out. I thought of bell ringers. I wrote down bell ringers. Not to be cute or anything, but that's what came because a bell rings. I wrote down, they were bell ringers. Number nine. They were decision makers.

So there's your ninth word, phrase that you need to write down. They were decision makers. Well, where did that come from?

Bible says in the second part of verse nine, they tell how you turned to God from idols. They made a decision. They were decision makers. Evidently that was something that was very important.

They made a decision. And then number 10, they were believers. Well, I looked at verse 10. I saw a whole series in verse 10. Death, burial, resurrection, the second coming of Jesus, eternal life, eternal separations, all right there.

To wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who rescues us from the coming rot. They were, evidently they were believers. They believed in something. What was it and why was that important?

They were believers. So I wrote that down. So I ended up with 10 major subjects. So I said to myself, now, what is this? Why are these 10 and what are these 10 things? You know what? It just jumped in my mind.

I said, these are 10 dynamic testimonies. So what I did next was I prayed again. I prayed again. And I studied. I immediately began to put these things down and I began to study. And as I studied, I prayed again. And as I prayed again, I studied. My work began.

I hadn't started working yet. And so I go into however long, hours, days, weeks, and I begin to study what this means. Every one of these things that I've written down. Well, how do I study? Oh, man, I go to Christian Supply and I load down on every book I can find on the subject. My work began. My work began. My wife will tell you, I have so many books around me when I'm studying, you can't even find my desk.

Besides that, a tidy study is the sign of a very sick mind. And I'll have books, commentaries. I go to my Greek New Testament and I'll get out my Greek New Testament because I've studied the Greek language. And I'll look at words and I'll find out whether the word in the Greek, in the original language, the way it was written, whether it is accurately portrayed here. I'll go to parallel studies. I'll try and discover what this person has said, what Warren Wiersbe has said, John MacArthur's said. I'll go to Tyndale and I'll go to these different commentaries.

I'll get special things. I'll look at what Max Lucado might have said if he had written a book about this passage. I'm not saying I do all of that every time. I'm saying study involves jolly hard work. That's getting down and going and having a look. Oh, I even get out Webster's dictionary. When I get out Webster's dictionary, I'll look up a word and I'll say, well, what does the dictionary say about this? That word there.

Now, is that really an accurate portrayal of that word as we understand it in our English culture? Many times I'll find that actually it's not quite what I think about it. And then I'll match it up and I'll start to construct this thing.

And I begin to ask God to just help put meat on the bones. You see those 10 points that I gave you, all that is is a sermon outline. It's just a house. It's a house. Do you know what you did when you moved into your home? You didn't move into a home. You moved into a house. A house has walls and door frames and windows. A house has a stairway and a house has a roof. But what happens in order to make a house a home? Got to put carpets down, a warm bed, a television set, a dog running around, a refrigerator full of food.

That's what makes a house a home. The message which you and I need to hear must begin with the house. It begins with the framework.

The framework is number one, number two, number three, whatever number, whatever it jumps out at you, that's your framework. Now go and put the meat on the bones. But here's the difference is that as you put the meat on the bones, as God begins to show you what it is that he's saying there, he fills up the house with the warmth of the children running around. Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message from Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment, but if you just tuned in, maybe missed part of today's message, or want to catch up with some of the other great teaching of Dr. Wilton, come to our website. It's all there on demand at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. You can also sign up for the daily encouraging word email from Dr. Don, a powerful insight to God's word. Just click on the Devotion tab at the top of the website at www.tewonline.org.

Again, you can sign up and have it physically sent to you. We have a quarterly edition we would love to put in your hands, absolutely free, or you can have it emailed to you every single day by signing up on our website www.tewonline.org. And while you're at the website, I pray that you'll look into some of the great resources from Dr. Don like this. I cannot begin to describe to you how incredible, what a privilege and an honor to sit at the feet of Dr. Billy Graham as his friend and pastor for so many years, right there at his home every Saturday. I've put that down in Saturdays with Billy. My thoughts, this relationship never violating any confidences, just sharing the life of this extraordinary man that God touched and used across the world to reach so many people for Christ, friends of presidents and prime ministers.

You don't want to miss this opportunity. It is filled with personal anecdotes, but above all, the blessings that flow from the heart of God's servant, Dr. Billy Graham. It's such a powerful book.

It's also available on audio form. Again, if you'll visit our website www.tewonline.org, I pray that you'll consider getting a copy if you haven't gotten one yet of Saturdays with Billy by Dr. Don Wilton. Now let's dive back into today's two part series on dynamic testimonies. Again, here's our teacher, Dr. Don Wilton. And the stove and the kettle boiling for a cup of tea, he puts the meat on the bones.

That's what he does. And so I begin to study and I pray and I study and I pray and I pray and I study. Well, this is some of the things that I discovered.

Number one, they were receivers. I immediately realized that this whole group here was nothing more than a dynamic testimony. It is the 10 dynamic testimonies of the believer, of every Christian.

That's what this is. It's 10 dynamic testimonies. What Paul is doing here is he's saying, this is what every Christian looks like. This is your testimony. And as I began to study, I had these 10 points there and I went, uh-oh, you mean to tell me what you're saying to me, Lord, is this ought to be my testimony. This is what I should look like because I'm actually a believer. I'm a Christian.

I'm a part of God's church. And so I, in fear and trepidation, I began to study these 10 dynamic testimonies. Well, number one, they were receivers. And I began to ask myself, am I a receiver? Why were they receivers? Well, if you look at verse two, they were receivers in two regards. Number one, because they received thanks from those whose lives had been impacted by them. And number two, they received the prayers of those who were partnered with them.

That's a receiver. Do you know what part of my testimony is? Part of my testimony as a believer is that there are or ought to be numerous people who thank God for me and thank God for you and thank God for us because of our service to our fellow man as believers.

Nothing wrong with that. That hurricane that hit New Orleans a couple of years ago, folks, you won't see it on secular news, but do you know that the majority of the work that has been done in the city of New Orleans has been done by Christian people. They deserve thanks. Not in a human way will I need someone to thank me. It's a spiritual sense of thanksgiving.

Are you listening to what I'm saying? As a Christian, you are the receiver of thanks. Paul was thanking them.

I'm your Paul right now, so I'll just go and get it out the way. I thank you as a church. Number two, you receive the prayers of others. One of the testimonies of believers is that we receive prayer.

What an incredible thing. That's part of my testimony. I am prayed for. I receive the prayers of others.

Thank you for praying for me. We pray for one another. Indeed, we do receive and pray for one another. As a matter of fact, we have an opportunity to do that 24 hours a day here on The Encouraging Word. When we first began the ministry years and years ago, Dr. Wilton said we must, we must have the opportunity to bathe this ministry in prayer and be available to pray for anyone who needs encouragement. We're here at 866-899-WORD anytime, day or night, 24 hours a day. If you need to speak with someone, you need someone to listen and to pray with you.

We are here at 866-899-9673. Perhaps as the Lord has been stirring your heart during the teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, you would be open to not only what he has taught you from 1 Thessalonians chapter two, but also what he wants to share next as he steps in the studio with us. 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. If you just prayed along with Dr. Don Wilton moments ago to give your life to Jesus Christ or perhaps to rededicate your life, or maybe even now, you know the Lord is convicting you and you have some questions about what it is to say yes to Jesus Christ. We stand ready to speak with you, to pray with you, not just now, but 24 hours a day if you will call us at 866-899-WORD. Now jot the number down, store it in your cell.

We are here 24 hours a day at 866-899-9673. You know, as we think about these dynamic testimonies, the messages that Dr. Wilton's doing both today and tomorrow, we think about the power of our testimony. And the question that we often have to ask ourselves is, do we have a testimony? Now it doesn't have to be one of those, oh, Hollywood testimonies where you've gone from this particular extreme to another. God, in my own life, changed my life from the testimony of a simple young boy who grew up in the church and did all the right things, said all the right things, but my testimony is this. I was pretending. I was just going through the motions. I didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ until that day that I said yes to Him, and my life changed forever. Perhaps that's your testimony.

We would love to speak with you, pray with you, and again, Dr. Wilton has resources that will help you grow in your faith absolutely free if you'll call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. And of course, I know some of us are a little more comfortable online and rather go keyboard to keyboard. We'll meet you on our website as well at tewonline.org. That's 24 hours a day of well online at tewonline.org.