R1677 Making A Big Decision

God is interested in every decision we make, large and small. But today's topic from Dr. Wilton is about the big decisions. We're headed to the book of Nehemiah chapter 2 in just a minute with Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, pastor. And today as he brings us to this message, Making a Big Decision, we want you to know we're here for you, here to pray with you 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD.

You may be in the middle of a big decision. We'd like to have a prayer partner agreeing together with you. There is power when we agree together in prayer. Feel free to call us at 866-899-9673, or if you'd rather, we'd love to connect with you on our website at www.tewonline.org. While you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily encouraging email from Dr. Don that's online at www.tewonline.org.

We would love to connect with you. And now today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. When we began to embark on what God has put in our heart, I went to my knees, Lord, what do we say? What do you want to say to us from the pulpit? What is it?

What is the centerpiece on the mantelpiece? God took me to Nehemiah. Nehemiah chapter 2, in the month of Nissen in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I'd not been sad in his presence and the king said to me, Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart. And then I was very much afraid. And I said to the king, Let the king live forever. Why should not my face be sad when the city, the place of my father's graves lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? Then the king said to me, What are you requesting?

So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight that you send me to Judah, to the city of my father's graves, that I may rebuild it. And the king said to me with the queen sitting beside him, How long will you be gone?

When will you return? So it pleased the king to send me when I'd given him a time. And I said to the king, If it pleases the king, let letters be given to me to the governors of the province beyond the river, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah. A letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple and for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted me what I asked, for the good gracious hand of my God was upon me. Then I came to the governors of the province beyond the river and I gave them the king's letters.

Now the king had sent me, accompanied by officers of the army and horsemen of the cavalry. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel. So I went to Jerusalem and was there for three days, making a big, big decision. Look, does anybody need any further explanation about Nehemiah's big decision? So what did Nehemiah do? Let's just put this in front of us. Number one, he humbled himself.

We will never stop talking about that. In other words, I've searched and searched and searched. It's very clear that Nehemiah did everything he could to make certain that he himself did not run interference on God. He humbled himself. And James tells us very clearly, he says, God resists the proud.

If you are going before the Lord with a big decision, be it your church, be it that decision with that job, be it what you are going to give, how you're going to operate. This starting point of our absolute humility, God, it's all you. You are everything. You have everything.

Nothing I have belongs to you. How can you be prideful? God resists the proud. If you are holding back on God with your service, with your love, with your giving, with your attitude, God will resist you. But he gives grace to the humble. And by the way, the word grace, among the many expressions of this marvelous attribute that lies at the heart of God's holiness, is the overabundance, overflowing of God's total blessings upon you. God will give you the overflowing, abundant blessings of himself upon you when you are humble. God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. Number two, he approached the throne. Verse three. And by the way, the word there is approach.

The word approach, when he came to the throne, it spoke very much of his attitude, the manner with which he approached God. You know, Jesus in his ministry, and you and I love reading these, Jesus often shows us, he shows us pictures of the Pharisee walking into the presence of God and saying, Hey, God, just consider me for a minute. Do you know who I am? I have done this and I've done that.

And you know what? I'm this and I can preach and I can say, Oh, listen, God, Jesus shows us this. He approached the throne. Number three, he prayed.

Has this theme come up before? He prayed to the Lord. He prayed. If approaching the throne speaks to the manner with which we come before God, praying is what we say to God. He prayed. Prayer is a conversation. It's a dialogue between mortal, sinful man, holy and righteous God. Can you imagine that?

Can you get a hold of that? Number four, he faced the facts. Oh, he faced the facts. All right.

You know, I wanted to put as my point there, if you're seeing the note up there on the screen, I wanted to write it. He considered the facts. Listen, you can consider facts until the cow comes home. Face them. You got a big decision to make? Face the facts.

There comes a time, stop considering. You keep considering the facts, they'll grow whiskers and you'll forget which sides up. It's like ideas. You can float ideas all day. Eventually, an idea will just vaporize. If you can't write it down and set it in stone, it's just an idea.

People who succeed in life don't just have good ideas. They face it. They come to terms with it. What big decision have you got to make? Face the facts of your decision. If I keep going back to this issue of who you marry as an illustration of that, because it's big.

Face the facts of you marrying and then living with that person for the rest of your life under the covenant of God. Excuse me, for better, for worse. It's lovely to talk about the better, for richer, for poorer. We love talking in marriage about all the things we're going to be able to do.

We don't like to talk about the things we may not be able to do. What did he do? Number five, he surrounded himself with officers. You know, I love that little part there in verse nine.

The Bible says, now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of the home calling of Dr. Billy Graham. So I think about him a lot. He was a member of our church for the last 10, 12 years of his life and we loved him and everybody knows him and he's left an amazing legacy.

I won't ever, for the rest of my life, forget his funeral and all the things. And I've watched this testimony like so many faithful people in our own church and others that just lives on. You know, every now and again I think of things and when I was studying this, I remembered one of those many occasions, just he and me. And I remember him telling me, Don, man, you know what I love about your church? What, Mr. Graham? He said, you know, I'm not able to be there in person, but I'm a member of yours.

He said, it just seems to me that you're just surrounded by incredible people. On one occasion, I took his Sunday school teacher. Now, I'd like to give you his name, but he would not be pleased because it sounds like, but I took Mr. Graham's Sunday school teacher. He was a member of the old boys of the new boys.

I forget what the name of the site. He loved the thought that he was a member of a Sunday school class. So, yeah, he was kind of remote and he couldn't be here in person, but boy, he had to know every week what was being taught. So I carried his Sunday school teacher, who I think is listening to me right now, up to see Mr. Graham. And the next time I went up there, he said to me, oh, you are so blessed.

I said, about what? I knew he was going to tell me I was blessed because of me. He said, man, that man, those two men that you brought up here, you mean you've got men like that who are counseling you and advising you, loving you? See this thing about the officers of the army?

Did you see the second part? The cavalry, the cavalry, Genesis, celebration, the cavalry. This guy had, these people had a big decision to make. He surrounded himself with officers. God did it for him. Number six, wish I didn't have to mention this, he encountered the enemy. He did. He encountered the enemy. It's not the questions he encountered. It's not the construction.

It's not the better color over this color. That's not what he's talking about. There were three people, Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem, I don't have time to get into all of this. Who were they? They were three governors who served directly and under the Persian King. Hello, the Persian King. Their allegiance was not to God. It was to the Persian King.

Besides that, there's not a single thing that the devil ever likes about what the church does, let alone whom we represent. He encountered the enemy and then number seven, he activated his faith. He activated his faith. Verse 11, I love verse 11.

We'll probably come back to it next week. So I went to Jerusalem. I love that. That's like, you know, get on with it. Got a big decision? God's told you what to do. Get on with it.

Forgive the interruption, but haven't we all been caught in that analysis paralysis? When the Lord leads, we've got to obey. My dad used to remind me, delayed obedience is disobedience. If God's told you to do something, we'd love to pray with you about that. You can reach us at the 866-899 word number anytime. Again, that number is 866-899-9673 or connect with us online at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org where you'll discover wonderful resources 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. Again, that's one of many, many resources on our website at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Got a big decision? God's told you what to do? Get on with it.

Canoes that go in circles never get down the river. So what does this teach us? Can I just give you a couple of things to think about?

All right, ready? A couple of things to think about, making big decisions. Number one, there are big decisions to make. In your life as a believer, we all have huge decisions. Now you're the one who's going to determine whether they fall into the category of big because all decisions are important. Everything we do as believers, as we live out our lives, occupies number one focus.

God is interested in the smallest detail of your life, but there are some that are big. Does anybody think poorly of me saying that? So you're going to college next year. I'm just going to say to you because I'm just going to tell you this. So you're trying to choose this college, this college. That, my friend, is a big decision. You better make sure if you're a believer, you've got God in the center of these decisions. That's a big decision.

And it can have long term consequences. There are big decisions. Number two, I've got to say this, some decisions need to be big decisions. Perhaps today you're treating a decision that you have to make as a not so very important big decision. Some decisions need to be big decisions. Number three, have a pure heart when you deal with big decisions. The nature of a big decision will run interference on your human heart.

Make sure you've got a pure heart. You can all look at me and say, man, we get so tired of you saying this. I want you to get tired of this. This morning when I left my study to walk into this sanctuary to be caught up in the Spirit of God, I, because I'm trying to impress you, obviously, I got my Bible and I got on my kneeling bench and I said, Lord Jesus, just please forgive me of my sin. I've got no right to say anything. I'm the worst sinner among anybody.

I've failed you on so many of my big decisions. What qualifies me to say something? I'm just telling you, as simplistic as that may sound, I beg God that when I walk in here and open the Bible, that I have a pure heart.

How does that happen? It's through the Spirit of God, by the power of God, taking hold of the righteousness of God in us. Our blamelessness is not, it's the imputed righteousness of Christ. We always say, what can I do for the Lord? No, no, no, it's what the Lord does for us. It's not what we do for him. Make sure you've got a pure heart, got a big decision.

Number four, this is about what this teaches us. Always remember that prayer is not seeking an option. You've got a big decision, you pray to God. You're not asking God for options. By the way, you can eliminate that little word option as far as God, like you're saying to God, Lord, would you kind of give me and consider what you might think you might do? You don't ask you, God, prayer is not an option seeking means. Prayer is a direct request, because God is all knowing.

He's there so much longer before you and I even thought we'd get there. Got us in the palm of his hand, prayer is not an option. Don't go to God and say to him, Lord, would you give me options here? Now we could open up a wonderful discussion on God's permissive will and God's divine will, because these are very pertinent questions. But don't pray to God with options in mind, pray to God because he's God.

Ask him what it is he wants you to do. Number five, what does this teach us? God will always provide the cavalry.

You got a big decision, you go, maybe you don't need to look any further than your mom or dad right now. God will provide the cavalry. God will place those elders, those leaders, those men and women around you, those godly people, those teachers. Listen, this today, we've got all these incredible families, parents, I mean the FCA basketball leagues. Do you know that with baseball coming up in this church, we've got record responses going on right now. And the bottom line of this is, I look at all those coaches. I see all these boys and girls and God's providing the cavalry, the teachers, the coaches.

Wow, you're never alone, you're not alone in what you're doing. Your aloneness, if you take hold of that, translates into your own foolishness, because God loves you too much. And God has raised up mighty men and women of God.

They're your officers of the army and the cavalry that accompany you, every step of the way. Number six, the enemy is alive. There's not a single thing about Satan, about Antichrist, that has anything that pleases him about any facet of God Jehovah, through the Lord Jesus Christ, his Son, and by his Spirit.

Are you kidding me? God doesn't want you to marry the right person. Satan doesn't want you to marry the right person. Satan doesn't want you to go to the right school. Satan doesn't want you to make that purchase in the right place. Satan doesn't want you to succeed the way he designs for you. Satan doesn't want you to open your heart and give.

He doesn't want you to do that. And he's going to bring into your life sand ballots, they're going to whisper in your ear. They're going to walk around and they're going to try to get a company of committed people to join with them. They're going to raise up armies. They're going to legislate.

They're going to infiltrate everything from the White House to the State House. They're going to tell you you're horrible and you're bad and you've left out and you're in the rear view mirror. But my God has spoken and as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Making a big decision.

Number seven, seventh point, when God says go, go. Don't dilly dally for the next 10 years. Sometimes in making big decisions, you've done doggy paddle now for how long?

How long has it been since you've made the decision? You know you need to make it. What more do you want to do? What more has God got to say to you? You love the Lord Jesus. Your counselors are telling you, affirming what's going on.

You've been honorable in every way. Even in the context of your human and to the best of your spiritual understanding, God's told you what to do. Do it. The more you dither on that big decision, the quicker you'll fall off your log. You'll end up at the end of your life saying, I wish I could. If only I had. God's got such great plans for you.

And one more. Big decisions bring huge blessings. Just got to look at the end of the line. You know, you go right throughout the scriptures. Big decisions bring big blessings.

So would you bow your heads with me? Let me tell you about the biggest decision anybody at any time in their entire life has to make. Biggest decision ever. Is to put their faith and trust in Jesus. God loves you.

Gave his life for you. And it's time. Why is that the biggest decision? Because this issue of conversion, this salvation, when Jesus lives in your heart, you receive the abundant life of Christ. Everything becomes brand new.

It's the biggest decision. Such a powerful challenge and such tremendous teaching from God's word from God's servant, Dr. Don Wilton. You've heard him as he's been teaching from the pulpit, as he's been leading us through the book of Nehemiah. But right now, I pray you'd open your heart to what he wants to share next.

Well, hello again, my friends. Are you ready to give your life to Christ? You know, you've been listening like this and God has been speaking like this, hasn't he?

And he's speaking to your heart. I'd love to help you give your life to Christ right now. Why don't you pray this prayer? We'll make this your prayer because you know that God not only hears our prayer, but he answers our prayer too. Pray this prayer with me. Dear God, I know that you love me very much.

I believe Jesus came and died on a cross just for me and that he gave his life for me. Right now, I confess my sin to you and by faith, I receive you into my heart and into my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Well, if you've prayed that prayer right now, in just a moment we're going to send you some information.

I want you to listen real carefully because you can take note of that. We've got the means by which we can connect together and I want to connect with you because you're part of my family. You're part of the family of God. You are my brother, my sister in Christ.

God bless you today. If you've been doing business with God, perhaps even praying along with Dr. Wilton moments ago to give your life to Jesus or rededicate your life to Christ, Dr. Wilton wants to pray for you and put resources in your hands that will help you grow in your faith. You can call us right now at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Dr. Don would love to have us send you these resources and he would love to pray for you. He'd also love to hear your story. You can feel free to email him, Don, D-O-N, at T-E-W online dot O-R-G every day. It's a blessing to hear how God is using the encouraging word in your life.