Facing a big decision, that's today's sermon topic from Dr. Don Wilton as we head to Nehemiah Chapter 2 on The Encouraging Word. As we open God's Word together, know that we're connecting 24 hours a day on our website at www.tewonline.org, sharing prayer requests and more.
That's online at www.tewonline.org. Now today's message from Dr. Don Wilton. Here's what I want to speak to you about today. You ready for this? I'm going to speak to you today about making big decisions.
You got that? Making big decisions. So, I'm a Christian man, so I'm dad, I'm granddad, I've got a lovely family, and man I'm amongst a lot of friends and I love ball games of any kind. I love to play golf, football, you name it, excepting I no longer try to play some of those because I take one look at some of those other guys that play the game, they'd flatten me in an instant.
But I just love, I love athletics. I'm going to tell you as a Christian man, now I just want to define that, I'm a Christian man, that means that I've given my heart to Jesus. I follow Jesus. I do everything like everybody else, but I'm a follower of the Lord Jesus. So he came into my heart and he forgave me for all my sin. I've got lots of them and he gave me an inner joy and an inner peace and an inner strength and he did something for me that I don't think I could have done for myself.
A lot of things I try to do, I try to be successful and go to school and do my work and be among my friends and play ball hard, but I'm telling you, without Jesus he's made all the difference, so now you get why. Probably the most important thing I'm going to tell you about making big decisions is I'm going to tell you when you give your heart to Jesus, Jesus, God, is involved in every decision you make, everything. And there are no less decisions than others, all decisions.
God knows about, he loves you, and he's going to help you. But you and I know there's some decisions that are just big decisions, right? I mean they're big decisions, like I'm speaking to someone here right now and you've already gone through high school and you may be in college or thereabouts and you started falling in love with somebody and you think they're the best thing since chewing gum and you are absolutely in love and you're starting to think marriage. Let me tell you, marriage is a big decision. It's a big decision, guys.
Now why am I saying that? Because marriage is a big decision. You are going to live with that person for the rest of your life. You're going to be together.
You're going to, God willing, you're going to have children playing in the basketball leagues. You're going to go together, live together. You're going to worship together. You're going to earn money together. You're going to spend together.
You're going to buy houses together. It's a big decision. And I'm telling you, if you don't get God involved in that, if you want to know how big a decision is, look at the end result of it. What does your decision produce? If you did this, what does it bring?
So let me give you an easy one, okay? Somebody here today, you're thinking about buying a house. And everybody wants to have a house and you're a couple, you might have had a house, I don't know what stage you're in and maybe your first house and you're looking at buying a house. And you know that you can buy that house there for so much, that house there for so much and that house there for so much. Why is that a big decision? Well, we all know because houses cost money.
Any questions? Right? So let's just say your house that you want to buy costs, you know, it's going to cost you $1500 a month to pay the mortgage loan or whatever it is, however you financed and you know that that is going to put a serious strain on your income. Your income.
So the money you're getting in, before you get it in, in your pocket, you know you've already got to pay out $1500 a month on your house. That's a big decision. And God will help you make that decision. I want you to listen because you've got some big decisions to make and God's going to speak to you. So the place I always go is to the Bible. So I want you to turn in your Bible in the Old Testament to the book of Nehemiah. Okay, we're going to be in Nehemiah. And by the way, I'm going to put it up there on the screen just in case you want to read it on the screen, okay?
But it's very important for you to see this. And this man, Nehemiah, God got a hold of his life. He loved God. He was a God follower.
And God put something in his heart. Okay, it was big, guys. It was huge.
Big, big, big, big, big, big. And I'm not going into details. He didn't live where he was talking about. He lived in Persia.
This was going on in Jerusalem. He didn't have the influence. He didn't have the position. He didn't have the money. He didn't have the power.
And he didn't have a motor home to get him there. I mean, he had virtually and God put in his heart and the people's heart to go back to Jerusalem where the people of God were gathering and to rebuild that city. Rebuild the walls. Bring back people together. Minister to the people and hold high the name of Jesus. There was not a single thing about what God was telling him to do that was not big.
Let me just read you a little bit about it, okay? So I'm going to be in Nehemiah chapter 2. In the month of Nisan in the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, great name, eh? When wine was before him, I took up the wine and I gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, why is your face so sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart. Then 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. So the king said to me, what are you requesting? So I prayed to God in 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 Jerusalem, 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 and 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, it's very important to the governors of the provinces beyond the river in this place, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah. And a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, so that he may give me timber, building materials to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house that I shall occupy. And the king granted me what I had asked him and the gracious good hand of the Lord was on this big decision. So then I came to the governors of the province beyond the river and gave them the king's letters. Now the king also had sent with me officers of the army and the horsemen. 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 I spent at least three days there. How did Nehemiah make a big decision? Ready for this? What did Nehemiah do?
So let's just ask about him, okay? I'm not asking this about you or about me, but I want you in your heart right now, God's already told you what's facing you. Some of you got a huge decision about your health, don't you?
Not asking you to stand up. The doctors have told you that something's going on. And you got a big decision to make. You got a big decision to make about a job.
And maybe you've got an offer of two jobs. You don't know which one to go. Maybe you've got a big decision about you. Maybe right now you're one of our great students and you're about to graduate. And you say, man, I don't know whether to go to this college or this college.
And they're all wonderful colleges. But that's a big decision because it's going to carry with you for the rest of your lives. Look at the consequences of what you do. That's a hard thing for us to do, right?
That is a tough thing to do. And sometimes it can be pretty bad. I'm not trying to give you something negative. But I know a man, a medical doctor.
I mean, this guy's a doctor. Wonderful man. Great guy. And he went on a business trip with three of his buddies. They had like a high school reunion trip. You say, well, isn't that fine?
Yeah, we do that all the time. It wasn't the going on the trip. It's what they did on their trip. They were away from their family, away from their wives. And they went to this place, four of them. They grew up together, graduated together, went to college together. And, man, they got this great idea.
Wonderful, man, nothing wrong with that. And on the second night they were together, those four guys said, let's go to that place and let's go rock the world and let's let it out, man. And they went to a place that I don't think, in fact, this man told me. He said, my wife would have been very unhappy with me. He said, I've never done that.
I don't do that at home. But when I got with my friends, all four of us said, let's go to that place. Big decision. They went. You know what happened?
Had nothing to do with them. A fight broke out. And they were in that place and they were all drinking. And whether that man wanted to or not, the cameras told a story. He got involved and one man got killed. You want me to tell you the end of that story?
That doctor, as I talk to you right now, is in jail. He didn't intend, want his track record, but he was there. He made a decision.
What decision are you making right now? So what did Nehemiah do? Nehemiah looks at all his people and God begins to speak to him and to the people that were with him. And he knows the people are in trouble. He knows their city's broken down. Knows the buildings are in dispute. He knows there are families.
They've got no protection. He knows all of this and they've got to make a big decision. Here's what he did.
I'll just give it to you. A couple of things. Number one, he humbled himself. He humbled himself. Guys, listen. You want to make a big decision before God? Humble yourself. What does that mean?
You've got to ask God to help you not run interference on the decision from your perspective. Forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message. A big decision from Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. But there's a big opportunity to connect with a powerful book from Dr. Wilton. If you haven't heard about Saturdays with Billy, you need to consider visiting our website at www.tewonline.org. My book, Saturdays with Billy, is about an extraordinary relationship with a precious man who impacted lives across the world. You don't want to miss this opportunity to be inspired by his life too. Again, the details are on our website, www.tewonline.org, or call for your copy at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673.
Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. That's tough. It's tough. You know, the Bible says God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble. You will accomplish far more in the decision you need to make if you've got a humble spirit about going about trying to accomplish that.
And especially when it comes to God. Number two, he approached the throne. Bible tells us very clearly then, verse three, he approached the throne. By the way, the word approach there speaks to his attitude. The attitude with which he came before the king.
The attitude. You know sometimes when we ask God to help us with a big decision, that's how we approach God. But you know how we approach God sometimes? Like, hey, God, this is me, man.
You know who I am? God don't do that. He approached the throne. Number three, he prayed to the Lord. He prayed to the Lord.
I mean, Bible tells us, he prayed. By the way, if approach speaks to our attitude, praying speaks to our speech. Have you ever had your son or daughter come up to you, mom, dad, and you've looked at them and you've said, well, let me tell you what my answer is. You go and think about that a little bit and then you come back here to talk to your mama and you say it in the right way. And then I'll give you an answer. Come on now, right?
That's what we do. Sometimes it's not what we ask, it's how we ask. So he prayed. Number four, he faced the facts. He faced the facts.
The Bible says there's the facts. The city's broken. People are divided.
They got no protection. He said everything's destroyed. He said these are God's people.
These are my people, man. And God's telling me what to do. He faced the facts.
Can I use a little phrase here? Facts is facts. Facts is facts.
Sometimes, guys, listen to this. When you're trying to settle a big decision, face the facts. It's no good trying to make a decision about a big decision if you are tiptoeing and doing doggy paddle around the facts of your decision.
So going back to my little illustration about buying a house with a $1500 note, what are the facts? What are the facts? What are the facts of your decision in relation to your decision?
Are you able to pay for that related to your income, to your life, to your wellbeing? Those are the facts. A sub-fact, not an insignificant fact, is whether or not you like a four-bedroom or a three-bedroom house.
All right? Those are sub-facts. But the fact of the fact is, and Nehemiah got to that point, and the fact of the fact is the walls were broken down. So here's number five. He surrounded himself with officers. You know, I don't have to read it to you again, but in chapter nine, the Bible says that the king had sent with me officers of the army and the cavalry.
They all came. Here's what's going to happen to you. When you have to make decisions in life, God will always surround you with the right coaches. Boys and girls, can I tell you something? Listen to your coaches. Listen to your mom. Listen to your dad. Listen to the people that God puts in your pathway. That person at work, that person at church, that person there that's instructing, that older person, that close friend. God always accompanies his children with officers of the army and the cavalry.
He surrounds us with amazing people. I look around here, man alive. Am I surrounded? Mom and dad, you're not alone. My friend, you might have gone through a divorce.
You've got a heavy heart today. You have more decisions to make than you've ever made. You're not on your own. You're not abandoned. You know, you made that mistake, didn't you? You sinned against God.
You really disappointed your family. And you belong to Jesus. You're not on your own. God's got you surrounded, man. Let me show you what the Bible says.
He not only surround himself with officers, but he encountered the enemy. By the way, the Bible says in verse 10, when Sanballad and Tobiah heard of these things, it displeased them greatly that someone would be looking out for the people. Guys, listen to this. There's not a single thing the devil likes about you doing what God wants you to do.
Not one thing. You make a decision to start coming to church. You've never had more things thrown in your way to stop you to come. You make a decision.
You're a Christian and you make a decision that you are going to train like you've never trained before so that you can go and you can play ball, you can be fit, you've got the right moves and you know all the time. Watch out. I mean, it'll come in every form, including just suddenly your toes don't feel too good. I mean, that devil will throw time in your face. He'll throw pain in your face. He'll throw obstacles in your face. He'll put people in your face. Listen, these guys, you know who these guys were? Sanballad, Tobiah, all of these guys, they were all governors who were governors working under the authority of the Persian king.
Their allegiance was to the Persians, not to the God of Israel. Well, Bible tells us he encountered the enemy. When you've got a big decision to make, don't go, ah, I cannot believe this because the devil is like a roaring lion. He doesn't want you to be happily married.
Do you know that? He wants you to cuss your wife out. He wants you to slip back into that addiction. He wants you to pick up that glass, take that shot. He wants you to go to that place that you know you shouldn't go. He wants you to actually, that's what the devil wants, but there's a final thing there. He activated his faith. Bible says when all was said and done, he knew God had spoken.
I love verse 11, he said he went to Jerusalem. Watch this. What does this teach us? Can I just give this to you?
Guys, put this in your heart. This is about making big decisions, right? All right, so number one, there are big decisions to be made.
And you already are identifying those in your life. There are big decisions. Number two, some decisions need to be big decisions.
I'm just asking a question. That thing that you're dealing with, have you put it in the box of this is just a small decision? Maybe God wants you to identify the significance of what you're doing. You know, sometimes, guys, we can go through life and we've got all these decisions. Every decision is important.
Everything we do, whether to turn left or right, up or down. But sometimes, and maybe today, God's telling you, you need to take a lot more seriously the decision you're about to make. Can I say this in a loving way?
You may be treating this thing too lightly. Number three, have a pure heart when you ask God to help you make big decisions. Have a pure heart, man. If you don't have a pure heart like Nehemiah, you know who's going to be your number one enemy? You.
You are. You and I many times are our biggest enemies. Why are we the biggest enemies? Because we all have opinions, guys. We all have personalities. We all have ways of doing things.
How do you ever get past yourself? Have a pure heart. Number four, always remember that prayer is not an opinion. Prayer is not an opinion.
I just want to share this with you. When you pray to God, you're not asking God for his opinion. Now, when we talk to each other, we'll say, what's your opinion? Dad, what's your mom, what's your coach, what's your opinion? Sometimes coach will look at you and say, I'm not asking you for your opinion, get in the game.
Right? God, you're not asking God for his opinion because he's God. Guys, you don't think that God knows? God loves you. Prayer is not our opportunity to consult with God about his opinion.
Prayer is our opportunity to speak to God about his authority. What do you want me to do? Opinions are like ideas. You ever had a good idea? And when you think about it, you've had a good idea for the last 15 years, haven't you? If you don't turn your idea into an action, it's going to float around there and it's eventually going to fizzle and pop. Do you know, I've discovered something about a lot of successful people. They don't spend a lot of time with ideas.
They get the idea and they settle on the authority and they make the decision and they do it. Perhaps the Lord has stirred a decision in your heart. Welcome to Dr. Wilton as he's been teaching from the pulpit.
Now as he steps into the studio, open your heart to what he wants to share next. 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 with Dr. Wilton moments ago to give your life to Christ or rededicate your life to Christ, Dr. Wilton has free resources he wants you to have if you'll call 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or meet us online. We'd love to connect with you at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. We are here to encourage you.
