R1681 Starting for the Finish Line

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message called Starting for the Finish Line. We're on the way to 1 Chronicles beginning in chapter 28 in just a moment with Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, seminary professor, and pastor.

And today as he takes us starting for the finish line, we understand that faith is the key factor in finishing well. As we open God's Word together, we want to challenge you not just to enjoy this one broadcast but connect with God's Word every day. If you haven't been to our website, drop by www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org. And while you're there, sign up for the daily encouraging word email from Dr. Don. A nugget of God's Word, a powerful application in time of prayer, it will launch your day in a wonderful way online at www.tewonline.org.

Now, Dr. Don Wilton. I just want to tell you a snippet of where your pastor's heart is today. And this, what I say to us today, applies to every church and you may be worshiping today.

This is for you. This is where you are. You're not where you are by mistake. You're where you are because God has you where you are. Where you are are the people God has placed around you.

I will never quite be able to figure it out. For me, it's extraordinary and for many people. For me and for Karen, it's an amazing thing because of where we came from and the journey we've traveled. We cannot figure it out, but what an amazing thing that all these years God's given us you as our closest friends. That we've been the recipient of this kind of love.

That we've stood on the shoulders, many people we never met who did what they did. I was not here when this church burned to the ground. But they were congregating masses of people just like you that gave to build even the buildings we're in. Look at Genesis.

Look at you in Genesis right now. Take a look around. Look at the place. Look at the platform.

Look at the stage area. Look at the seating. Look at it. Look at the potential. Look at our young people. Look at our children.

Look at this community. God's placed us here. Years ago, people even told us that this city was being emptied. The great movement, the migration away from the cities. And people in this church made a decision to remain downtown because they believe God spoke to us.

And God's people came together and look what God's done. Now the whole trend everywhere, people are moving into the cities. Hundreds, thousands of people, buildings are going up, families are coming in. People love it. And they love it in your city and they love it in my city. And there are young people and there are young families. God's placed us strategically.

I cannot say to you enough what God has done to me. I'm just one drop in the bucket. This is where I've been able to bring up my sons and my daughter. These schools, this community among these people. And I'm a person who has a heart for the world. I go every time I can possibly get.

I travel to Israel, I preach in Africa, I go to Europe, whatever it is. But this is where my soul food is. This is where God makes a difference. So we come to a time like this, my beloved friends. And I invite you, I invite you to have a heart of thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus today.

That's what this is all about because he carries us through. And I will be perfectly right up front and bear my heart to you today. As your pastor, I've even struggled about a day like today. I have. I'm being honest with you.

I'm going to be honest with you. I struggle. I struggle about wheelbarrows in the worship service.

You know, what has a wheelbarrow got to do with worshiping the Lord? There's some people here today, I just want to tell you because I believe so much. Guys, I'm a person that's engaged. I'm deeply concerned about our world. I believe you need to be involved in the politics of our world.

Don't you ever misunderstand what I'm saying. God is raising up people. Speak up. Use the means you've got. Stand against. Stand firm. Get involved in legislation. Get involved in the election of people. Don't settle for it. Don't settle for the onslaught that's coming against us. Get involved.

I want you to know as a pastor, my role, my responsibility is to understand that everything you and I do, if we are not united as God's people around Jesus, all of that is a waste of time. You've got to know where to begin. If your family is not strong, you will go through life having traumas and issues in your life. Parents, give time to your sons and daughters. It's worth it. Take time off.

Go to those ball games. Sacrifice that extra thing you do. Make sure you get home a little bit earlier because your family is important. Your home is important. So what about the church?

Where does that leave us? God has taken me through this journey. I want to speak to you today for a few moments about starting for the finish because God has spoken to this church. That's done, done. This church overwhelmingly, massively spoke, said, this we will do. We've answered the call. You've said yes. Now it's our turn.

This is where we now step in because God uses us. Dads, look at me. Don't just keep talking about how much you need to love your children. Actually do it. Don't keep saying one of these days I'm going to get home early enough so that I can go to my daughter's game.

Actually get home early enough. You'll talk about it until the cows come home and the next minute your kids are grown and gone. And you'll live a life of regret over that. I want to tell you God took me into his word. And what we're about to do comes from the Lord. So I want to share with you what God says. And I want to say a couple of words and I want you to get ready. And every person worshiping today in every seat, every hymn book, in Genesis on every step, there is a card that looks like this.

It says vision 2020. I'm going to ask that everybody get a copy of that. You may be a family.

If you're a family, just get one. Everybody, you've got to have one of these. Can you hold them up? Can I see them? Genesis, look at you. There they go, all up. I want you to just keep that in mind. See vision 2020. That's a pledge card. Where does all this, what do you mean? What is start, what are you talking about? How does this affect every believer in the church of the living God?

Where does it come from? Open your Bibles to 1 Chronicles chapter 28, 1 Chronicles chapter 28. By God's grace and only by God's grace, I want to read this to you without interrupting what God is saying. Just listen and you'll hear and see yourself and God will speak to you. In this passage, David begins what God had told the people of God to do. This is starting for the finish. They hadn't done hardly a single thing yet except say yes to God.

That's where we are. This is starting in order to finish and I'm going to begin reading in verse 19 of 1 Chronicles 28. All of this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord.

All the work to be done according to the plan. Then David said to Solomon his son, be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid, do not be dismayed for the Lord God, even my God is with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished. And behold the divisions of the priests and Levites for all the service of the house of God and with you in all the work will be every willing person who has skill for any kind of service. Also the officers and all the people will be holy at your command.

And David and the king said to all the assembly Solomon my son whom alone God has chosen as young and inexperienced and the work is great. For the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God. So I have provided for the house of my God as far as I was able, the gold for things of gold, silver for things of silver, bronze for the things of bronze, iron for the things of iron, wood for the things of wood.

And beside great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones and all sorts of precious stones and marble. Moreover in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house. I have a treasure of my own gold and silver because of my devotion to the house of God. I give it to the house of my God. Three thousand talents of gold of gold of offer seven thousand talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the house and for all the work to be done by the craftsman.

Gold for the things of gold and silver for the things of silver. Who then will offer willingly consecrating himself today to the Lord? Then the leaders of the father's houses made their free will offerings. As did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands of hundreds and the officers over the king's work. They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darricks of gold and ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron.

And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord and the care of Jehiel, the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly for with a whole heart they'd offered freely to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced. Therefore, David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said, blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel, our father forever and forever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord. You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you and you rule overall in your hand of power and might and in your hand is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and we praise your glorious name.

But who am I? And what is my people? That we should be able to thus offer willingly. For all things come from you and of your own we have given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners as all our fathers were.

Our days on earth are like a shadow and there is no abiding. O Lord, our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and you have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things and now I've seen your people who are present here offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, your statutes, performing all that he may build the palace for which I made provision. Then David said to all the congregation, bless the Lord your God and all the assembly bless the Lord.

The God of their fathers and they bowed their heads and they paid homage to the Lord and to the king. It seems to me that there were eight words. God gripped my heart with just eight words out of all of this that happened in God's word.

Let me give them to you. First word, the word hand. Everything about what they were doing had to do with the hand of God. Beloved friend, unless the hand of God be on you, you're not even listening right now. Unless the hand be upon us, we labor in vain. The gracious hand of God.

Second word is the word carried. Look at verse 20. God's word says throughout this journey from start to finish, I will never leave you.

I got you. Bible says without faith, my friends, it's impossible to please God. And helping you grow your faith so that we might all please God is a part of our mission here at The Encouraging Word.

Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of Dr. Wilton's message in just a moment. But Dr. Don wants me to remind you, we're here to pray you through any situation you're in to encourage you on the phone at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or online as well. We have wonderful, encouraging resources you'll discover at TEWonline.org.

Resources like this. Generations are lost. The desire to be popular and accepted is an attractive lure. It's a huge challenge to live in a way that is pleasing to our Lord.

It's so easy to get off track. But remember, God is in control. There is power in prayer. For your gift of support to The Encouraging Word this month, you will receive Dr. Wilton's message, Train Up a Child, along with the bonus book, The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children.

I look forward to receiving your testimony of how God used you to change the precious generations in your family. That's just one of many powerful resources, especially on The Power of Prayer, available on our website at TEWonline.org. That's TEWonline.org. And while you are there, be sure and sign up for that daily Encouraging Word email I mentioned earlier. Just click on Devotion and we'd love to send that out to you every morning on behalf of Dr. Don Wilton. That's all online at TEWonline.org.

Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Verse 20, God's Word says, throughout this journey, from start to finish, I will never leave you. I got you. The Bible says, without faith, my friends, it's impossible to please God. If any of us can figure out how, when, who, and what, down to the absolute letter notwithstanding all our best efforts, then we're not pleasing God because we have to have faith.

You are thinking right now about what you're going to give. If you can do it, you're not pleasing the Lord. You've got to have faith. People, let's try God.

Let's take Him at His Word. Word number three, everyone, it's right there in verse 21. Right at the beginning of this, every willing person, that there speaks not to their giving, but to the willingness of their heart. When our church so amazingly said, we bless this, what we were saying is, Lord, we willingly do what you tell us to do.

We're going to follow you. It's a willing heart. If you don't have a willing heart before the Lord, a willingness is a release to the Lord.

It's a trust statement. Word number four, leaders, starting in verse six and prior to that. You can't avoid the word leaders, leaders. Verse six, then the leaders of the houses made their freewill offerings. I'm just telling you as your pastor, among the hundreds of really amazing blessings that I have experienced is watching the leaders of this church. You've led with time, discipline, action, men and women. I see you in Genesis right now sitting there.

I see you in celebration. I see you on television worshiping by way of telling your leaders. We need spiritual leaders to stand up and lead. It has literally, I am so surrounded by godly spiritual leaders.

We are. The men and women in this church, our young people that are leading. Guys, you listen to those daily video prayer in our 52, some of the everybody, it's just taken my breath away.

Listening to some of our young people. You talk about spiritual leadership. Word number five, willing, willingly. Verse nine, then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly. God's not asking you to give reluctantly. He's asking you to give willingly. That word willingly means to entrust.

Word number six, thanks. You know when you get into verse 10, therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly and he just began to pour out his heart of thankfulness. Our friend Tony Wright, Tony and Mary Ellen Wright, Tony Wright is very sick. I sat in his house this last week. The doctors have told him that there's nothing more they can do for him.

I sat with a brother who has sat there for years and his precious wife. He must have said, pastor, I'm so thankful for in the hour and something that he poured his heart out to me. He must have used the word I'm thankful for a hundred times.

The doctors have told him there's nothing more they can do for him. I'm just so thankful for. Word number seven is humility. I'll tell you that little verse there in verse 14, but who am I and what is my people? Who are we, folks?

Who are you? Who are we? You know, David says, you know, our lives are just, we're not going to be here forever. And we're just mere mortal humanity and we're sinners only saved by God's grace.

Who, who are we? Isn't it an amazing thing that God would bless us like this? And the final word, there's the word homage.

Out of this humility, verse 20 just got all over me. Then David said to the gathering of all of God's people, bless the Lord, your God. And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed their heads and they paid homage to the Lord.

Back in their time and going all through the Middle Ages. And even today, if you were to go to Buckingham Palace in a symbolic way, you would be taken in your role to pay homage to Her Majesty, the Queen. In Solomon's day, when you paid homage to your Lord, you didn't do it remotely.

You did it actively, practically, physically, seeingly. Lord Jesus, this is one precious group of people. I'm so grateful to you, Lord Jesus. May the blessings of God and the praise of our God fill the hearts of every precious person today. In Jesus' name, we pray together.

And God's people said, God bless you. What a powerful message from Dr. Don Wilton. May we grow actively, practically, physically in each of these areas in our walk with Jesus Christ. Our prayer is that you've heard not just Dr. Don Wilton, God's messenger, but you've heard God's message and God's voice reminding you that God loves you.

He has a plan for your life. As a matter of fact, in stepping out in faith, God can provide you forgiveness for your sins, a reason for living right now, a purpose for living and a place in heaven. But it all starts by saying yes to Jesus Christ. Would you like to pray to give your life to Christ? I'd love to lead you in that prayer. You can just say me too as I lead you in the prayer or repeat along. Lord God, I realize my sin has separated me from you, so I turn my back on my sin. And God, I ask you to help me to live for you. I ask you to be the CEO of my life, to be in charge. Lord, I love you. I believe you are the Son of God and died for my sins. So save me. In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen. It really is as straightforward and simple as saying yes to Jesus Christ. We would love to talk with you and pray with you and give you some resources Dr. Don wants you to have absolutely free if you'll call us. Our number is 866-899-WORD. Again that is 866-899-9673 or let's connect on our website at www.tewonline.org. We'd love to put these resources in your hands and to encourage you. That's online at www.tewonline.org.