We all could use some encouragement and we'll find it together today in the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton about Well-Done Faithful Servants.
Today we're heading to 1 Samuel Chapter 12 with Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, seminary professor, and pastor as he talks to us about these four powerful words, Well-Done Faithful Servant. As we open the word together, know that we're open to pray with you, not just now, but 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673, and we're connecting on our website as well at www.tewonline.org.
I'll tell you more about it later, but there's a remarkable piece of encouragement you'll find on our website about loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely. Again, that's online at www.tewonline.org. Now today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. We got a lot to do. We got a lot of work ahead of us. And above all, we have the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I want you to know that Jesus Christ has an encouraging word for you today. And I'm going to invite you to open your Bibles in the Old Testament to 1 Samuel 12.
1 Samuel 12. From time to time, people ask me, as I know they will ask you, what is it that we can do? Today we are honoring our senior adults. And when I think of this, the greatest generation, I think of individual men and ladies, many of whom I have just spent the past week, every day, all day. I'm blessed because I have a mother and father who fall into this category. And I have parents in law.
My wife and I call them the octogenarians because all of our parents are in their 80s and we love them so much. And we are blessed to still have them with us. Did you know that God, right from the beginning, has chosen to use people?
Now I want to just run that by again. From the beginning, God has always used people to bring great blessing upon people. First of all, that's God's chosen method of evangelism. You'll remember in Luke chapter 16, Jesus himself said, when the rich man had died and gone to hell and realized he was in an eternal predicament, that Jesus said, I'm not going to send another person back from the dead because I've already sent Jesus, but they have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.
God has always used people. Here in the United States of America, where would we be? I'm going to ask you, where would we be without this, the greatest generation of people? Oh, I see battalions and I see ranks.
I see boats filled with men traveling across the English Channel, many of whom to a certain day. I see great sacrifices, but I cannot help but see individual men and women, acts of great heroism, sacrifice unsurpassed. God has always used people. And the Lord has taken me today to the life of Samuel in the last moments of his life. And I want to speak to you just briefly this morning on well done, faithful servant. Well done, faithful servant.
I'm going to ask you another question today. What do you suppose it is that you and I need to do and be about in order for God to say to us, well done, faithful servant. What are others going to say about us when our time comes?
What are you and I building today? I want to read to you just a few verses from 1 Samuel Chapter 12. Samuel said to all Israel, I've listened to everything you said to me. And I've said a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader, as for me, I am old and gray. And my sons are here with you.
I have been your leader from my youth until this day. So here I stand, testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Let's go down to verse 16. Now then, stand still and see this great thing that the Lord is about to do before your eyes. Verse 18, then Samuel called upon the Lord.
And that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. And so all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel. The people all said to Samuel, pray to the Lord your God for your servant so that we will not die. For we have added to all other sins the evil of asking for a king to which Samuel replied, Do not be afraid because even though you have done this evil, do not turn away from the Lord, but rather serve the Lord with all of your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols.
They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you because they are useless. For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not reject these people because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. As for me, Samuel said, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you.
And I will teach you the way that is good and right. And so you people be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart, considering what great things he has done for you. Do you know that one day when you and I come into the presence, when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be, do you know the Bible tells us that what Jesus Christ will say to us is well done, good and faithful. So here's Samuel. We know a lot about his life. I should dare say that if Samuel lived in our day and age, we would call him part of the greatest generation. He was most certainly of the greatest of his generation.
I think we would have seen him doing extraordinary things. And I think at this stage of his life, he had risen to a point at which God was adorning him with his grace like never before. I want you to notice a couple of things that the Lord showed me in this passage. That folks, I want you to know have really spoken to my own heart in a very personal way.
I don't mind telling you, I've asked the Lord if he would some way just allow me when I get to that stage in my life. I've asked the Lord that if there is just some way in which some of these things could be said of me. As I studied this passage of scripture, you know that as your pastor that I pray for you. You might say to me, pastor, what is it that you're praying about? This is what I pray for you. It's what I pray for us.
It's what I want to pray for my children, my grandchildren. You know that it's not too late. In the next few minutes, God is going to take you somewhere. You're going to need to reevaluate where you are.
You're going to have to reevaluate your value system. Where are you putting your energy? By the way, what did you do yesterday? Where was your heart?
Where is it now? You know, the Bible says that where your heart is, that's where your treasure is. It's what you value. And then the Bible says, lay not any treasure on earth because moth and seed will corrupt it. But rather place your treasure in heaven. Father, in just a little moment here, I don't know why I'm stopping to pray, but I'm just stopping to pray for my people. Lord, some people would think that's awfully cheeky for me to pray for my people. But Lord, you've given to me these people. They're not my people in that I own them or control them. But they're my people because you called me to be their shepherd.
And Lord, before you, I take that very seriously. And I ask you to help me to pray for my people. Because they are your people.
Because we are your people. We are your children. Lord, if you would have allowed Samuel to really live out what it means to be a faithful servant. Surely, Lord, by your grace, you would let us be the same.
So speak to us, Lord. When Samuel became a senior adult, I want you to notice four things. Number one, he was able to look back with a sense of accomplishment. He was able to look back.
That's what I want you to see is he was able to look back. That's what senior adults do. Senior adults do that better than any of us. They can look back. The younger you are, the less you can look back. You know, I was with a little kid just recently and the little kid did something. And the little kid was about eight years of age and made this comment.
Said, you know, this is the worst day I've had in my entire life. And I thought to myself, well, I guess it's true. Samuel was able to look back with a sense of great accomplishment. Look at verse one and two for two reasons. Number one, because he had listened to God's people. What an accomplishment.
Look what he says here. I have listened to everything you said to me. Now that's an accomplishment. By the way, did you know if there's anything that someone like Samuel would have taught us today, is that God always surrounds God's people with God's people.
I tried to make a commitment to the Lord when I became your pastor many years ago, that I would never, ever make a decision in this church without listening to God's godly people. That's an accomplishment for Samuel to be able to do that. But that was not just the only thing. He not only had listened to God's people, but he had led God's people. It's what he says in verse two. He said, I've been your leader from my youth until this day. So there are two issues here that are fundamentally important in the manner with which Samuel in his old age was able to look back with a sense of accomplishment. He not only listened to God's people, but he led God's people. Now folks, there is a difference between listening and leading. Listening, you be quiet and let others talk.
Leading, others be quiet and you talk. And when it comes down to a relationship with Jesus Christ, if you and I in fact claim that God by His Spirit lives in our hearts and He has called us to stand up straight in a dark and a crooked world, there are countless numbers of times where we need to garner and harness the godly counsel of godly people. But there comes a time when you stand up and when you speak up and you lead according to the way in which God has told you to lead. Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message. Well done, faithful servant by Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. But at the beginning of the broadcast, we mentioned a glorious resource by Dr. Wilton and Dr. Johnny Hunt that we're providing on our website, www.tewonline.org, called Loneliness, How to be Alone but Not Lonely.
With the message from Dr. Wilton called Fear Not, combined with the book from Johnny Hunt about loneliness, you will have resources, biblical resources, that will help you push through the overwhelming feeling that we all feel at times about being alone. Again, the details are on our website, www.tewonline.org, or you can call about getting your copy at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or online at www.tewonline.org for your gift of $25 or more. You'll have these wonderful resources that will help you grow in your faith. And know this, that as you invest in the ministry of the encouraging Word, you're empowering people every single day to come to know Jesus as their Lord and their Savior.
It's what we live for, and you are fueling that as you invest in that great resource on loneliness. Again, it's on our website right now at www.tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Are you listening? Love to read about history and particularly about the Second World War, and I'm constantly amazed at the heroism of men and women. If you picture with me those little dingy boats that crossed the English Channel, filled with so many heroes of the greatest generation when the flaps were dropped and they were facing the gunfire of the German might on the other side, on the beaches of Omaha.
There was always one man who stood up and said, I'll go first. Listening and leading are hallmarks of great spiritual leadership accomplishment. Samuel was able to look back with a sense of accomplishment. Number two, he was able to look in with a sense of achievement. Look at verse three, here I stand.
Now folks, just watch this, watch this. He was not only looking back with a sense of accomplishment, he was able to look in with a great sense of achievement. Can you imagine standing before an entire nation and saying, here I stand, who would like to testify against me?
Tiger Woods may win the Masters, but he cannot say that probably ever again. President Clinton became president of the United States of America, but in his old age, he can never stand and look in and say, is there anyone who can testify against me? There are two reasons why Samuel evidently was able to look in with a sense of achievement. First, because he had stood strong.
That's what verse three and following is all about. Said, whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes?
If I've done any of these things, somebody stand up and speak up against me. Wow, well done faithful servant. He had stood strong in his integrity, but he was also able to look in with a sense of achievement, not only because he had stood strong, but because he had stayed the course. I wasn't able to read that verse, but in verse five, Samuel said to him, the Lord has witness against you and also his anointed has witnessed this day that you have not found anything in my hand. Watch my hand you folks. Back in Samuel's day, as it was in Moses' day, remember when God confronted Moses and said to Moses, Moses, what's that in your hand? And he said, you mean the staff? The stick? He said, yes.
He wasn't talking about a stick. Back in Samuel's day, symbolically anything that was in their hand represented everything that God had given to them to do and to be. It was their assignment, if you please. It was God's plan for them.
It was God's will for their lives. And in Moses' time, God said to him, well, Moses, take whatever that is in your hand and throw it down. And he threw it down and it became a hissing snake. And God said to Moses, you see, when you hold in your hand anything other than what I've put there, all you're holding in your hand is a hissing snake.
It'll bite you. Now pick it up. And so he picked it up at God's command and that very same hissing snake turned back into something that Moses could not have turned it back into, which was none other than the rod of God. And when he held that rod in his hand, he was able to say, with this rod, I can set the people free. Not because he amounted to anything, but because he held in his hand the very expressed will of a sovereign God, who in and through Jesus Christ gave his life for him. I've not found anything.
We have found nothing in your hand. What was Samuel doing? He was able to look in with a sense of achievement because he had stood strong as a man of integrity, something that no money could buy. Because he had stayed the course, he took what God had given to him and he never changed.
You're on the verge of giving up or altering your course, backing down, changing your plans. Well done faithful servant. He was able to look back with a sense of accomplishment. He was able to look in with a sense of achievement. Number three, he was able to look up with a sense of contentment.
I love this. He was able to look up with a sense of contentment. Look at verse 16, now then stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes. He just looked up. It seems to me that right throughout the fabric of this man's life and ministry, his career, that he continually and constantly was able to look up with a sense of contentment. Number one, because he continually called personally out to God. Right through the fabric of Samuel's life, he constantly and continually called out to God. When did he call out to God? Even in this passage, he called out to God when things were real good. He called out to God, but he also called out to God when things were real bad. He wasn't a fair-weather Christian, if you please.
Now that's a challenge to many of us. You notice how many people come to church when the weather's good, but as soon as there's a drop of rain, they don't come. Have you noticed how many people in America flood the hallways of God's church when hurricanes blow through our states and our neighborhoods?
Have you noticed how many people no longer come when the hurricane stops blowing? I want to ask you something today. He called personally out to God and number two, he had counseled the people to turn to God. Right throughout his fabric of his ministry and his career, he constantly counseled people to turn to God.
It was a two-sided edge. It's not only what Samuel did himself, but it's what he led his people to do. It's all about him, it's all about him, it's all about him, it's all about him. How many times do we try and say to each other, church, it's about keeping the main thing, the main thing. Actually, nothing else matters. Is there anybody today who would declare anything other than Jesus Christ in this church to be relevant? That's what he's saying, well done faithful servant.
Why? He was able to look back with a sense of accomplishment. He was able to look in with a sense of achievement.
He was able to look up with a sense of contentment, but he was also able to look forward with a sense of anticipation. That's from verse 22 following his great passage. He says, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. Verse 24, be sure to fear the Lord. He was able to look forward with a sense of anticipation because he had pointed the people to serve God faithfully. Samuel understood that if there was anything that would cause him to anticipate tomorrow, was that he would continually, constantly point people to serve God faithfully. And secondly, he had personally himself served God faithfully. I love verse 24 folks, I can't get enough. I think that should be a life verse. Be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all of your heart because of the great things he has done for you.
How about you today? Sometimes it's overwhelming to think of all the great things God has done for each and every one of us today. But the most important thing he's done is give us the opportunity to have our sins forgiven, to have a reason for living and a place in heaven.
All three of those start with one simple decision. Have you made the decision to give your life to Jesus Christ? You've been listening to Dr. Don teaching from 1st Samuel 12 all this time, but I pray that you'd open your heart to this opportunity he wants to share with you 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 gave your heart to Jesus Christ, maybe praying along with Dr. Wilton or even earlier in the broadcast, or maybe today God has stirred your heart and you know it's time to rededicate your life to Christ, to begin again with a fresh start. Oh, how we'd love to not only rejoice with you and pray for you, but also put some free resources in your hands that Dr. Don has prepared for you. You can call us right now at 866-899-9673 and tell us about your decision for Christ and let us put these resources in your hands. You can also meet with us keyboard to keyboard on our website at www.tewonline.org.
That's www.tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, each and every week we gather together as a team and pray over some of the wonderful letters that have come in and emails to Dr. Wilton. If you haven't, you can email Dr. Don at don at tewonline.org and share with him your story of how God is working in your life.
He would love to pray for you. And again, if you've given your life to Christ through the ministry of the encouraging word, he wants you to have these resources right away. So call us at 866-899-9673 or meet us online at tewonline.org. Did you know the Encouraging Word has a YouTube channel? On this channel you can watch over 100 of Dr. Wilton's sermons. You can also listen to the weekly Words of Encouragement, a devotional series written by Dr. Wilton. Visit us on our YouTube channel today. Our time's gone for today, but don't forget we're always available to pray with you 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or online at tewonline.org. .
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-04-22 17:37:43 / 2023-04-22 17:47:07 / 9