R840A The Meaning Of Salvation

We all could use some encouragement, and we'll find it together today in the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on Righteousness. This is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, and today his topic is the meaning of salvation, understanding righteousness. We'll head to the book of Romans chapter 3 in just a moment, but before that Dr. Don wants you to know that we're here for you. We'd love to pray with you and for you anytime, and we can connect in a couple of ways. Our phone number is 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673, available 24 hours a day to talk and listen and pray, but we can also connect on our website as well at www.tewonline.org.

That's www.tewonline.org. Now today's great teaching from Romans chapter 3 with Dr. Don Wilton. Our Father, what a wonderful privilege it is to gather like this together.

So many of us listening, looking, hoping, praying. What a joy it is to be gathered around the Word of God. And Father, I pray today that everyone within the sound of this preacher's voice might not hear a preacher's voice, but would rather hear the Master's voice. Hide me behind the cross, O Lord, that on this Lord's day that we might see the Lord Jesus Christ, that your fragrance might fill your temple, and that we as a people might never be the same again, because we pray these things together in Jesus' name.

Amen. Now, my dear friends, we're going to be looking at something of singular significance, and I've entitled this theme, The Meaning of Our Salvation. Now, we're going to be looking at this together, because God's Word tells us that there is nothing that can be more significant than the fact that people like you and me have been forgiven of our sin, and that we have been granted access into the presence of a righteous and a holy God.

How can we understand this together? What can the Bible teach us? And today we're going to look no further than righteousness. I just want to say to you that that word righteousness is a big word.

If you want to understand it, really the best way to do it is look at the first part of it. The word righteousness, the first part is spelt R-I-G-H-T. Have you ever said to somebody when you're in conversation with them, well, I know what you've said, and I've listened to what you've said, but I want you to know that I'm right. Quite frankly, in my humble but very accurate opinion, what I'm telling you is correct. I'm right. I know this to be correct.

We know what the word right is. Steve, for example, the Iceman is probably one of the best free-throw shooters I've ever seen. You could see it in that presentation of Steve Skinner just a little while ago.

It was amazing. I nearly fell off the step ladder trying to get the ball through the hoop, but Steve is a tremendous free-throw shooter. He does it right. We know what right means. Now, the matter of righteousness is the condition that I find myself in relationship to God. Everything related to me can only be measured in terms of God. Now, let's read about this in Romans chapter 3, and I'm going to begin at verse 21 and see how far we can get.

The Bible says, but now a righteousness from God is a righteousness, but now a righteousness from God, which is apart from the law, has been made known. Let's stop right there. God wouldn't let me get past that first part of one sentence. I tried. I tried to prepare past it. I couldn't get past that statement because the Bible tells me that God who is righteous has made himself known to the likes of me.

How can that be? How can I have any kind of fellowship or communion or connection with God who is perfectly right? That's what salvation is. Salvation is bringing that which is perfectly wrong together with that which is perfectly right. Bringing that which is broken together with that which is completely whole, and the whole makes the broken whole.

The wrong becomes right, not because of the wrong, but because of the right. I wonder if you've ever wanted to meet somebody who is well-known. I'm sure we all have. Maybe that person is Oprah Winfrey or Dr. Phil, or maybe a great athlete that you've admired. Maybe you've always wanted to meet somebody. It's been your heart's desire.

You've said, if I could just meet that person. A number of weeks ago, my wife and I were walking across a parking lot. We were holding hands, and all of a sudden, I heard a voice.

That's all I heard. I didn't see anybody. I heard a voice, and I want you to know, I immediately recognized that voice, and I turned to my left, and there he was. Gary Player, world-famous golfer, commonly known by many people as the ambassador to golf, a man of imminent grace, the heart of a gentleman, a statesman, known as much for his golf as the manner with which he conducts himself, a household name. When you mention the name of Gary Player, you mention in the same sentence people like Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, one of the few people who have won all the majors in golf, traveled the world, around about 70 years of age, looks like he's 30, has kept himself in immaculate condition, my wife and I walking across a parking lot, and he's a man of imminent grace, walking across a parking lot. Unexpectedly, I hear a voice, and I look, and it's Gary Player. I was immediately presented with a situation. Quite frankly, I wanted to talk to Gary Player. I needed to. I admire him. I wanted to be able to tell you about it, quite frankly.

I don't know where Brit was, but I would have given anything for Brit Dillard to be there with a camera, with me being greeted. I really wanted Gary Player to say, it's Don Wilton. Don, come over here and talk to me. But I heard his voice, and so I made a split decision.

Going through the whole gamut of my human emotion were real questions. What if I do talk to him? How is this man going to respond to me? He's famous. I'm not. He's everybody.

I'm nobody. What's he going to do? Is he going to fog me off? Am I going to be made to look foolish in front of my wife?

What should I do? And so I just walked across the parking lot, went over to him, and I said to him, Mr. Player, I'm Don Wilton.

And I said, I'm from Spartanburg, South Carolina. And that man's face lit up. He began to talk to me. He was so gracious to me. And right there as he was talking to me, he looked right through me and with his hand just moved me aside because I had forgotten to introduce my wife. And Gary Player said, and you must be this gentleman's wife. I said, yes, I was just about to introduce you.

She is the love of my life. And I don't know where my manners went. I don't know what had happened to me.

I was just the rudest person to my wife. I just got up there, became full of myself. Everything became centered in me and my conversation and the person who's more important to me than life outside of Jesus Christ.

I just blanked her out. And so my wife Karen was drawn into the conversation. We just had a wonderful conversation with Gary Player and his two grandsons. And when the conversation was over, he went off and we turned around, walked back to our motor car, which was parked in a parking lot over there.

And sitting in that motor car were my two sons, my daughter and my daughter-in-law. And with a smile on my face, I said to them, guess who I just met? They said who? I said, Gary Player. No. I said, yes.

See the top of that vehicle over there? That's him. Bye, Gary. And my family, who means so much to me, were in the presence and the precincts of this person.

And at that moment, the only person who had the capacity to introduce my family to Gary Player didn't do it. And they missed the blessing. Listen to what Job had to say. Job tells us in Job chapter 9 and verse 2, how can a man be righteous before God? You see, my dear friends, man has three great needs. All of these needs, you and I, as mere mortal sinful mankind, share these three needs in common.

I believe these are three of the greatest needs known to man. Number one, the need to approach God. All we hear about God, we actually even watch God. We, particularly in the United States of America, have a consciousness of God. But we have a spiritual purpose within our lives. The reason why God created us was for the very express purpose of being able to come into the presence of God. We need to approach God. We want to approach God.

Number two, our greatest need is not only to approach God, but it is to engage God. Now, friends, when I saw Gary Player in that parking lot, it was one thing to approach him, but it was another thing entirely to engage him. I've approached a lot of famous people. Steve, who's that man that did the Passion of the Christ? Mel Gibson. Mel Gibson. I want you to know. I know Mel Gibson. You didn't know that, did you? I have been around Mel Gibson.

I'm telling you within touching distance. I've even heard him speak, but I've never engaged him. And the need to engage God is the need not only to talk to God, but to listen to what God has to say.

It's the need not just for a monologue, which is very, very important, but it's the need for a dialogue. You can sign up on our website right now for it at tewonline.org, and you'll receive an email about six o'clock every morning that literally will jumpstart your day with the power of God's Word and an application so that we can apply it to the way we live in our lives and a prayer to launch you through the day. Again, sign up on our website at tewonline.org for the daily devotion from Dr. Don Wilton. It will bless you greatly.

And while you're there, be sure and check out the wonderful new resource called Fear Not and Loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely. Both of those resources are on our website right now at tewonline.org. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Because I cannot be sustained without God. So here's my number one greatest need, is to approach God. I want you to think about all the religions of the world for just a moment. All of them, Christianity, you name every religion in the world. I will guarantee you what you will find written into the law of every religion of the world, are the mandates set before man that are designed to give a person like me an approachable access to God. You're going to find codes of conduct, covenants, rules, regulations. We're going to get into this next week, folks.

Point number one for next week, write it down. God's righteousness is apart from the law. It stands on its own.

It is not accompanied by any code of conduct on the part of man. Right now we've got to focus squarely in the throne room of God himself upon the face of the one who is holy and righteous. And Job said, how can a man come into the presence of God in his unrighteousness?

So what is my need? It's not just to approach God, but it is to engage God. Number three, the third greatest need known to man is to be accepted by God.

Now listen carefully. That is one of the greatest needs known to man is just to be accepted. All of us want to be accepted. That's why probably the single biggest issue facing our teenagers today is the matter of popularity. Go to a school dining hall and just observe. Let me tell you, in every school dining hall across America, at every lunch hour, in every school you'll see tables. And sitting around every table are going to be circles of young people. Many of those circles are defined by virtue of popularity.

Who's in and who's out? There's the popular group. Here comes Miss Unpopular.

She gets her tray of food and she presents herself in the dining hall. Why is she unpopular? Well, maybe she just doesn't measure up to the standards of the popular group. She doesn't have boys hanging all over her.

She's not in the first team. She maybe doesn't wear the right clothes. Maybe her parents just don't have the right connections. Maybe they're unable to have the party at her house every second Friday. Maybe dad's not the chairman of the booster club. Maybe she just doesn't have the right looks. Can't have someone in here that the boys don't like. You want to be in the popular group? Man, one boy falls by the wayside.

Here's another 10 waiting in line. Maybe she has an inability to speak. Maybe somewhere down the line she got hurt. Maybe she was abused. Maybe she comes from a broken family. Maybe she's carrying in her heart things that are so difficult. Maybe it's the problem with her eyesight. Maybe she carries a little bit more weight than usual. Maybe she just doesn't seem to fit. And here she comes, Miss Unpopularity, and she walks in and all it takes for her to be included is for Miss Popularity to stand up and turn around and say, Susan, come and sit next to me.

Move up, girls. Susan's here. Come and sit down. We can make room for you. And when Miss Unpopularity sits down, Miss Popularity turns to her and says, goodness, Susan, that is the prettiest sweater I've ever seen in my life. Where did you get that?

I love that color. And just one word from Miss Popularity will completely transform the life of one single person forever. Let me tell you what happens in discipleship groups at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg. We don't want that girl in our group. We don't want that boy to be a part of this group. They don't suit us.

They don't measure up to our standard. And throughout the experience of a person's growing up years from elementary school to middle school to junior high to high school, eventually Miss Unpopularity graduates and she goes off to college and all of a sudden Miss Unpopularity is willing to accept and do anything they throw at her just to be accepted. She'll give herself, do herself, subject herself, submit herself, and throw it away on the altar of acceptance. And God looks down on the heart of Don Wilton and he says, because of my righteousness, come sit next to me. My, oh my, what an incredible sweater you wear. You know, that just looks like the same sweater that my son wears. You mean the Lord Jesus Christ, Father? Yes, my son.

That in fact looks like his sweater. I'm so glad you've got one just like my son. Really, Father? Oh yes, what you don't seem to understand is that my son is accepted in my presence. He is the righteousness of God.

His atoning sacrifice was completely satisfying to me. And I want you to know, I want you to know, Unpopularity, in your sin and in your lostness, I want you to know that when you came and took a seat beside me, you sat beside me, clothed in the righteousness of God, the Heavenly Father, through and by means of my son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Somebody say amen this morning. Woo! Is there somebody in this place who's willing to give up their seat at the lunch table?

Are there a group of young people at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg who are willing to stand up and say, come and sit beside me? Man's greatest need to approach God, to engage God, to be accepted by God. This, my beloved friends, is the very cry of humanity. It is the sob of the human soul.

It is the agony of the human heart. Dr. Billy Graham wrote that great classic work, How to Have Peace with God, and millions of people bought it. He wrote The Keys to Personal Peace and Happiness. You write to me here at First Baptist Church, I'll send you a copy of Dr. Graham's book. It's a booklet, I'll send it to you. People require it, they want it. They want it.

Why? Because people want to know, how can I approach God? How can I engage God?

How can I be accepted by God? Beloved friends, no man is capable of coming to God in his own power, not with all the religions of the world, all the human effort, not all the moral standards and the ideologies and the codes of conduct and the covenants. Only God's grace can do something like that.

Only God's grace. Isaiah the prophet perhaps said it better than any one of us in 64 and verse 6, Man's righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Wow, what a powerful statement from Dr. Wilton about the prophet Isaiah and that quote that men's righteousness and deeds are like filthy rags. When we look at any of our goodness, no matter how good we strive to be, all of that is like filthy rags. But the good news is, it's not our righteousness that's going to matter at all. It's God's righteousness. When you and I say yes to Jesus Christ, it changes everything. All of a sudden when God looks at our sin, he doesn't even see it because he sees Jesus standing in the gap, protecting us, standing up for us. But it all starts by saying yes to Jesus Christ. You've listened as Dr. Don has been teaching and preaching from Romans 3, and there's more of that to come tomorrow. But right now, as Dr. Wilton 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?

I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today? Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much. And I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on a cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin. I confess my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith. In Jesus' name I pray. If you prayed that prayer, let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God.

This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey. If you just prayed along with Dr. Wilton moments ago to give your life to Jesus Christ or rededicate your life to Christ, we're so excited. We want to rejoice with you, pray for you, and Dr. Don wants to pray for you. He's also prepared some free resources he wants you to have if you'll call and ask for them at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Or you can connect on our website as well at tewonline.org. These resources will help you build your relationship, strengthen your relationship, and watch God grow as He empowers you to do more than you ever thought possible. Again, the resources are available by calling 866-899-9673 or meet us on our website at tewonline.org.

That's tewonline.org where you'll find great resources like this. Have you ever felt lonely, isolated, or abandoned? No one escapes the feelings of loneliness caused by separation, grief, loss, or isolation.

It can strike anyone. But God has placed within each of us a basic need for relationship with Him. This month, with your gift to the encouraging word, you will receive Dr. Don Wilton's powerful message, Fear Not, along with the bonus book, Loneliness, How to be Alone but Not Lonely. These powerful resources will help you overcome your loneliness and find comfort, security, and companionship in God. That's just one of many great resources on our website at tewonline.org. That's tewonline.org. While you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily email from Dr. Wilton. Literally thousands upon thousands of people around the world every day. Get that in their email box and together we open God's Word and watch God empower us through the living Word of God, the Bible itself. Again, you can sign up at tewonline.org or perhaps as you invest in that resource we mentioned a while ago, that gift of $25 or more, or if you buy one of Dr. Wilton's books, Dr. Wilton doesn't receive a dime. It all goes to share the love of Christ here on The Encouraging Word.