God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton on today's edition of The Encouraging Word. Today we're headed to both John 16 and Romans 8 as Dr. Don Wilton continues discussing and teaching about the impact of the Spirit.
There's more details on our website as well at www.tewonline.org. Now, Dr. Don Wilton. I want you to just think something very negative with me for a moment, just very negative. I want you to imagine with me for just one moment that God made a decision. And the decision that God made was to take His hand off America, to abandon us.
I want you to just imagine as difficult it is for us to do so. I want you to just think for a moment what would happen to this country if the Spirit of God was no longer present, if we were just left to our own destiny, to our own wisdom, in our families, our lives, our businesses, bringing up our children, sending our troops overseas, all the things that we do, no spirit, no God. I want to speak to you today on the impact of the Spirit. I'm going to read three passages of Scripture and I urge you to follow along with me in your Bible because I do not believe that there is a more significant subject. John's Gospel, chapter 16 and verse 8, which was where we were last week, John 16 and verse 8. Jesus said that when the Spirit comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.
Now, I can still hear those pages turning and I beg your pardon, but I must move on. Romans chapter 8, where we will resume our study when God gives me permission to do it. Romans chapter 8 and verse 9, turn there with me. Book of Romans chapter 8 and verse 9.
Listen to what God says. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your Spirit is alive because of God's righteousness.
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Jesus Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who lives in you. Now, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 2. You must turn to this passage.
This is absolutely critical. 1 Corinthians and the second chapter. Listen to what God says. Verse 1 of 1 Corinthians chapter 2. When I came to you, Paul said, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you, accepting Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling my message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might rest not on men's wisdom but on God's power. We do not, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age who come to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it.
For if they had, they would not have crucified Christ, the Lord of glory. However, as it is written, no eye has seen nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God, for who among men knows the thoughts of man accepting the man's spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto Him. And He cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment, for who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him? But we, because of the Spirit, have the mind of Christ. Take the Spirit of God away, we're in trouble.
And our lives impact 2,000 in America, our families. Why the Spirit? Number one, because without the Spirit, there will be no conviction. We understand that.
We looked at that last week. You take the Spirit of God out, no conviction, no conviction concerning our specific sin of unbelief, no conviction concerning our standard of righteousness, no conviction concerning our pending judgment according to John chapter 14. John chapter 16. Remember, it is the Holy Spirit who confirms to us the lies of Satan. It's the Holy Spirit who teaches us and corrects us concerning the opinions of man. It's the Holy Spirit that conveys the truth of God to us. Well, you take the Spirit of God away, no conviction. We're in trouble.
Number two, because without the Spirit, there will be no power, no power. You know, we live in a can-do generation, don't we? Even this week, I have met with wonderful people who were desperate. At the end of their line, I looked at them and said, you can do it. You know, when we have little children that are just beginning to walk, and we love that stage, don't we? And boy, they get up and their legs are doing this and wobbling around, they're looking out for something and we say, you can do it, you can do it, you can do it.
We even use that for potty training. You can do it. I don't know how I got onto potty training, but folks, we all know you can do it.
You don't need those diapers. You can do it. We live in a you can do it generation. And in America today, folks, we have become so impressed with our own ability that we just don't seem to get it. Without the Spirit of God, we have no power.
We cannot do it. We have no power to speak. Paul spoke about that. He said, I've got no power to speak, no power to preach. All I'm going to be doing is just saying things to you.
They're just going to be words. And no power to witness, Acts chapter one and verse eight. God said that after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will receive power to be my witnesses. First the Spirit, then the power.
Let me tell you, folks, what happened this week. It's the power of God. The power of God. The power to speak and the power to witness. The power to be who we are. You can do it because Christ lives in you. Number three.
Number three. Why the Spirit? Because without the Spirit there will be no understanding. No understanding.
Now, folks, listen carefully. You take the Spirit of God out of America. We cannot know the mind of God.
And we will not know what to do. Why does the Spirit of God give us spiritual understanding? Well, there are three very clear things in the Bible. John chapter 14 and verse 26 says because he reminds us about the Lord Jesus. Remember Jesus was talking to his disciples and he was telling them that he was about to leave and go to heaven.
He said, I'm going to send the Comforter to you. And then he showed all the things that the Spirit was going to do and one of those in John's gospel, he said, listen, he said, I want you to know that the Spirit will remind you about me. One of the things that I love about this marvelous weekend that we celebrate America. Sometimes we grow up as generations. We don't know what's going on and when things do happen, we get away from it. We're already forgetting about 911. Just a year or two or three ago, our people stood up together as one nation under God and made a public declaration concerning our attitude to terrorism and to freedom.
And yet today, our people are forgetting left and right. I said to you a moment ago that I was on my way to the convention when this thing happened to me in Atlanta, it was another occasion because I was by myself. There was a group of men sitting around this table at the airport in uniform. And I remember over the past three or four years, I've been at the airport on occasions and here in Spartanburg and somebody in uniform would get off the plane and people standing around would just break out and would applaud and say folks might have chills running up and down my back.
Go to the airport today and people don't do a single thing. I'm not telling you what I'm telling you to impress you about Don Wilton. I walked up to that table with those men of high rank and I reached over and I grabbed their checks. They didn't know me from a bar of soap.
This guy was probably special forces. He was going to take me out. And I grabbed it and I said, sir.
He said, what are you doing? I said, sir, would you mind? I haven't had the privilege of being able to do what you're doing for my country. But one thing I can do is I can pay for your meal. And just as an expression of my gratitude, I'd like to pick up the tab for all four of you around this table.
Thank you very much and God bless you. Let me tell you, that colonel stood up and I'm sure I detected moisture in his eyes and he looked at me and he said, sir. He said, I've done a lot of things in my life.
He said, that is the kindest thing that's ever been done for me and it's an honor to serve my country. Now folks, listen to me, listen to me. The Spirit of God reminds us of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. You take the Spirit of God out, you've got no means to be reminded of what God has done.
Number two, not only does he remind us, but he reveals to us. 1 Corinthians 2 verse nine. Look at verse nine with me. The Bible says, no eye has seen nor ear heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed this to us by his Spirit. So what does the Spirit of God do? The Spirit of God not only reminds me about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, but the Spirit of God reveals to me all that pertains to the mind of Christ. And at the end of this chapter, Paul comes to a climactic experience and he says, guess what? You have the capability and the capacity to operate within the context of the mind of Christ.
You can be partnered into the mind of Christ because God, by his Spirit, will make known to you the mind of Christ. He reveals it to us. He throws the light switch.
He pulls back the darkness. He makes known to us the things of God. How desperately in America today we need to know the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ because if we don't know the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ, this nation is doomed. I'm going to submit to you, if we don't know the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ, God is going to take his hand from among us. And if he takes his hand from among us, you and I, albeit in our own human brilliance, we have nothing in America outside of the Spirit of God. And number three, he relates to us all of this. You see, folks, the Spirit of God gives us understanding by reminding us, by revealing to us, and by relating it all to us.
What does that mean? Well, he tells us here, for example, in verse 14 that the man without the Spirit does not accept the things of God. They are foolishness to him.
He cannot understand them. You see, the Spirit of God, folks, takes what God says and applies it to each individual heart. That little word there to relate means that God by his Spirit makes the application necessary for me. You know, I've said many times before from this pulpit, I can get up here and preach about oranges and the apples get blessed. What is meant by that? I will guarantee you today that worshiping with us, everyone, that I may be preaching about the Spirit, but I'll guarantee you there are many of us today, you've got thoughts, challenges, encouragements, blessings related to subjects I'm not even preaching about.
How does that happen? God's speaking to you right now about your family, about your income, your health, about the problems that you have, the joys, your children. I'm not preaching about children right now. How come you're thinking about it? God is relating it to you. That's what the Spirit of God does.
He makes application. All right, you take the Spirit of God out. Without him, there is no understanding.
Number four, because without him, there is no representation. You go back, turn with me to Romans very, very quickly, folks. Romans chapter eight and verse 26. You've got to see this verse. Romans 8, 26. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he searches our hearts, knows the mind of Christ, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with the will of God.
Now watch this. You take the Spirit of God out, you've got no representation. That little word there means you have no representative. You've got nobody who has been elected by the only person who can elect him, nominate him, and elect him to go to heaven. You see, he's not representing you in the United States of America. He's representing you before the throne of God. Please forgive the interruption, but what a joy to know that we have a representation in Jesus Christ. Oh, my goodness. More great insight from Dr. Wilton to come in just a moment, but we take a break to remind you of some wonderful points of connection, both on our phone at 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673, but also on our website at tewonline.org, where you'll discover great 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.
Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Now, how does he do that? Three ways. Number one, Bible tells us, yeah, he helps you. So he represents you, very much like someone comes alongside of you and helps you to walk up the steps, helps you to do something. He helps you. He gets alongside. He gives you a shoulder to lean on. Number two, number two, he interprets for us.
He interprets for us. Folks, I've spent hours, even this week, with people, precious people who have needs. You know people. You are in need. Have you ever met someone who is in such need? You've gone through so many physical ailments. You have struggled so many times. You visited so many doctors. And quite frankly, you just don't know what else to say to God.
You ever been there before? Maybe you have been treated terribly. Your family's broken up. Maybe your whole world has been turned upside down and you've got so much hurt and pain in your heart. Quite frankly, folks, let's just take the gloves off.
Come on now, let's be honest with each other. You're just mad with God. You look around and you say, why God? Why would God allow this to happen to me?
Where are you? Here's what the Spirit of God does. The Spirit of God takes my groanings and interprets them before Almighty God.
That means that I believe with all my heart, I can cry out in my human frustration. I can say, man, listen, I'm so tired of talking to God. I don't know what to say anymore.
I cannot keep up. I'm at the end of my rope. The Spirit of God walks up to Almighty God at the throne of God and says, Lord God, let me just tell you something about Don Wilton. He's crying out to you right now. And the Spirit takes even my innermost frustrations as a believer and presents it to God. Folks, he is my interpreter. He speaks for me when I cannot speak. And the third thing that he does, he not only helps us and interprets for us, but he intercedes for us. What an incredible thought. That the Spirit of God intercedes for me. That word there, you wanna remember the word intercede. Just think of the word interception. Our football players and basketball players and baseball players, you all understand that. You know, I've had that happen to me many times, folks, when I've stepped up to the plate and boy, the crowds are going wild and they're all shouting at the top of their voice, Don, Don, Don.
And they're 300,000 people out there. And my name is being flashed up on the screen and we're at the bottom of the eighth. We've got bases loaded, two outs, and I'm at bat. And I step up and I switch a little bit two times just to make me feel better.
I spit like all the rest of them. And I wait and I wait and boy, that fastball comes down at me. Steve's seen me do this and pow, I hit that ball.
It is like a bullet. I mean, this thing go, the crowd stands up and the man on first base, I have no idea what he thinks he's doing. He dives out to his right. I mean, he is stretched out there.
You ask Chris Goethe, he knows about these things. He just stretches out there with a big bucket on his hand and he catches the ball. You know what just happened, folks? I got intercepted. I didn't score a grand slam.
My team lost. Now watch this. The Spirit of God intercepts for me. He catches the ball. He makes the plays. He does the impossible. That's what intercession is.
It means that here I am, I am incapable. I've hurt so much, I don't know what to say. I don't know how I'm going to say it and the Spirit of God gently and lovingly picks me up and intercedes for me before my Savior, my God, my King. Let me tell you about dawn. Do you take the Spirit out?
We're in bad shape. Yep, Spirit of God, the impact of the Spirit. Let me close with this. Without the Spirit, there's no hope.
Why? Because the Spirit of God convicts me of my sin. Folks, you don't convict yourself of sin. God by His Spirit convicts you of your unbelief.
And number two, because He raises you from the dead. Here's what it is. I'm going to close with this. Listen to this, my dear friend. This is marvelous.
This is unbelievable. All of us are going to die, folks. If Jesus doesn't come, we're going to die.
No question about it. The Bible says that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same Spirit that raises me from the dead. Folks, the resurrection is about the shared partnership that I have with Jesus Christ. And the Bible says that if I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and watch this, and I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, I will be saved.
Why? Because when I do that, the Spirit of God comes into me and what Jesus said about the abundant life becomes my life. I am not only convicted of my sin under salvation, but I am raised from the dead according to eternal salvation.
It means that I will never die because the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead raises me from the dead and presents me before the throne of grace. Isn't that marvelous? All right, let's come back to my original statement. Can you imagine? If the Spirit of God was removed from us, what would we have, folks? That's why here at First Baptist Church, we've always got to be very, very careful that we keep the main thing the main thing. We've always got to do what Paul said, save to know nothing among you excepting Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And friend, if today you are finding yourself in circumstances that are difficult, I want you to know that I love you. And some of you are suffering greatly today, I know that. Some of you are hurting, hurting greatly, I know that.
And it seems like it just doesn't want to go away. Remember that God loves you and that the Spirit of God dwells in you and He is doing for you and for me what we cannot do for ourselves. What powerful teaching from Dr. Don Wilton.
And now he steps into the studio to share what's on his heart 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 along with Dr. Wilton to give your life to Christ or rededicate your life to Jesus, Dr. Don wants to pray for you and put some free resources in your hands right away if you'll call us at 866-899-WORD. We'll get this into the mail right away. 866-899-9673 will connect with us, but you can also meet us on our website at www.tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, Dr. Don would love to hear from you and pray for you if you email Dr. Don at www.tewonline.org. He will pray for you and then give us the information so we can make sure you receive all of the information that will help you grow in your faith absolutely free. Again, Don, D-O-N, at www.tewonline.org is the email address we would love to hear from you. Now, next time on The Encouraging Word, we're opening God's Word to Luke 17 with a unique message called When Jesus Shows Up. Oh, what power there is when Jesus is in the house. Until the next time, thank you so much for being a both prayerful and financial supporter of The Encouraging Word ministry. The Encouraging Word
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