We all could use some encouragement, and we'll find it together today on the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, all about saluting the sacrifice. We'll be opening God's Word together at Hebrews chapter 4 with Dr. Wilton, but he wants you to know we're open to pray with you right now. Our phone number is 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673. Let's connect. And now today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. What an inestimable privilege it is for each one of us to be able to salute the sacrifice together. Over the past century, more than 35 million men and women have answered the call to arms in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless unnamed military engagements. More than half a million of these men and women never came home.
Some died in battle, others died in captivity, but all died too soon. Recent military action in Iraq and Afghanistan has offered us fresh reminders of the human reality of war. Ordinary men and women leaving homes and families, and all that they love and honor, all that they know to risk their lives for an ideal of honor or for duty or just to protect the soldier next to them. People of patriotism and extreme goodwill may debate the merits of any given war, police action, or humanitarian mission, but there should be no debate, America, about our debt to the hundreds of thousands of our citizens who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, heeding the nation's call to service. General John Logan, General Order Number 11, on May 5th, 1868 said the following, we should guard our graves with sacred vigilance, all that the consecrated taste and wealth of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute of her slain defenders. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverend mourners and visitors. Let no vandalism or avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the coming present generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.
If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep at will, as long as the light and warmth of life remains to us. Ladies and gentlemen, on this Memorial Day worship occasion and opportunity, I believe that we have three purposes that we are here for today. Number one, to let freedom ring. Number two, to salute every patriot. And number three, to worship our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Dennis Jernigan has led us so marvelously as have our choir and orchestra and Scott. What a blessing to be in the house of God. We've been reminded of some incredible truths. I stand before you today as one of millions of people who can testify to unbelievable blessings in life because of this beloved nation, the United States of America. If our first purpose is to let freedom ring, I submit to you today that there are three things that we need to remember and hide in our hearts. When we let freedom ring, number one, we must remember the pursuit of justice. If we were to go back into our history books and find the records of countless millions of people who call themselves Americans today and in days gone by, who have fled persecution and who have come to this land flowing in milk and honey from sea to shining sea in the pursuit of justice, a country where individual value is placed on such a high premium. When we let freedom ring, we celebrate the right to think. Just think of Afghanistan for a moment. So many people just think of war. They think of tribalism, factionalism, terrorism, but I want you to think of one of the basic tenants of freedom. And that is the right and the ability to think for yourself.
That's a sacred trust. Did you know, by the way, that in Afghanistan, prior to their liberation, that no girls were permitted to go to school and to educate themselves, even in the basic fundamentals of even elementary education. The right to think was stymied. It was cut off. It was decapitated.
It was amputated. People were not allowed to think. And when freedom rings, we not only celebrate the pursuit of justice, but the right to think. And then number three, when we let freedom ring, we guarantee the capacity to grow. I'm so grateful that I'm not the same person that I was a year ago.
Aren't you? Parents, isn't it an amazing thing to watch as our sons and daughters grow? Most of us think growth is just simply physical growth, growing in years. But in America today, we have the capacity, the right, the inalienable right to grow as individuals in a free society, all of us in the same pursuit of liberty and justice for all. Yep, we're here today to let freedom ring, but we're also here today to salute every patriot. I want you to think for just a moment about the countless millions of people who have flown the flag of true patriotism. Who are they exactly?
I think we have defined them a lot more clearly today. These are those who have said goodbye for a distant land. These are those who have laid down their lives for somebody that they never knew. Do you know that there are people right now who are giving their lives for somebody like me and they've never met me.
They don't know me from a bar of soap. Who are these patriots? These are those who have said goodbye for a distant land. These are those who have laid down their lives for somebody they never knew. These are those who have gone away and have never returned. I've met many families like that.
I've held many a hand. These are those who have given up life and limb and family. These are those who have risked all for liberty. I'm going to submit to you today, ladies and gentlemen, when we salute every patriot, we salute those who have paid freedom's greatest sacrifice.
Go to Webster. Find out what Webster had to say about sacrifice. Here's Webster's definition of sacrifice. Sacrifice is the surrender.
That word surrender literally means to give up. Sacrifice is the surrender or the destruction, the breaking down of something valued for the sake of something having a higher value or a more pressing claim. Sacrifice, my beloved friends, is not giving up something that you don't have. Sacrifice is giving up the very value of something that you value for the sake of something that you value on an even higher plane or that is accompanied by a far greater pressing value. And so the question begs today, these heroes of which we speak, what did they sacrifice? What was it that was something of a greater value or something that was more pressing? When I look at my life and I consider my family and my country, when I consider the blessings of my life, what am I willing to give up?
When you answer those questions, you come to a greater understanding of the true meaning of American patriotism. What did these heroes sacrifice? They sacrificed their own families.
Talk about value, never to be loved by their families again. These true heroes sacrificed even their own values, never to be experienced by them again. These patriots, these true American heroes, they sacrificed their own country. We confuse the issue with patriotism. We say they fight for country. These American patriots are sacrificing their own country because they will never enjoy their own country when they give up their lives.
These American patriots, they sacrifice, yes, their own future, never to be lived. We just simply want to say thank you to you. Every person within the sound of my voice today has within their hearts the memories of people more precious than you could ever imagine.
Our history books are filled with them from one page to the next. True American heroes, we just simply want to say thank you. We've got true heroes even in the upstate of this beautiful state of South Carolina.
In every state of the United States of America, our pages and our books and our hearts are filled with them. We just want simply to say thank you. As Americans, we want you to know we are proud of you for the red, white, and blue. We salute you. Ladies and gentlemen, would you join me today in saluting our true patriots.
Thank you so much. How do you say thank you? But I submit to you today that our primary reason for gathering in the house of God as we do all across this free land in which we live is not just to let freedom ring and to salute every patriot, but to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I want you to open your Bibles with me to the letter to the Hebrews in chapter four. The letter to the Hebrews in chapter four, a marvelous, marvelous passage of Scripture. Those of you that went through our three plus years of study in this great epistle will understand the first word in verse 14. The Bible says therefore.
There's not a single therefore in the Bible that's not there for a reason. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus Christ the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are.
Watch this. Yet without sin, let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. I submit to you today that the sacrifice of so many men and women draws our attention to the greatest sacrifice of all because through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, number one, what do we discover? That our Savior was supremely selected. That's what verse 14 tells us.
This great high priest who has gone through the heavens, the one who is from heaven himself, was supremely selected. Did you know that a man by the name of Taylor was selected by over 63 million Americans who went to vote for their American Idol? I want you to listen to that for a moment.
I don't claim to know a lot about American Idol. Everything I know comes from Steve Skinner and my daughter, but I want you to know one thing I do know is that this young man Taylor from Birmingham, Alabama. Is that right, Steve?
All right. Loves Auburn University. I mean, sorry, Alabama. Was elected, selected. Watch this, folks. Sixty-three million people voted for their American Idol. More votes were cast for an American Idol.
I want to say something about that. I want to tell you, my friends, that you and I might go and vote and we might elevate people to positions of idolship, but I want to tell you something about Almighty God, the supreme commander of the universe. From before the foundation of the world, Jesus Christ was supremely selected to pay the ultimate sacrifice for the likes of people like you and me.
And all it took was one vote. God never took an opinion poll. He never took a telephone survey. He never even put himself up on public display.
God never even grabbed a microphone and tried to impress the crowds. He just simply made an announcement from before the foundation of the world that this is He. I select Him because I salute Him. He is the Son of the living God. What an incredible thing to think about.
Jesus Christ, supremely selected. When I think about the sacrifice of so many men and women, I think about the fact that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Savior was solely situated. Bible says in the second part of verse 14, that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, the only one who came from God because He is God. John chapter one and verse one, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Remember how Jesus looked into the face of His disciples and He said to them, tell me, gentlemen, who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?
Well, they looked around, they gave a truthful answer. They said, well, master, some people say you're Elijah. Some people say you're Taylor Hicks. Some people say you're President Bush. Some people say you're the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Some people say that you're Mohammed the Prophet. Some people say that you're this. Some people say that you're Don Wilton. Some people say that you're my mother. Some people say that you're my father.
Some people say you're a great American patriot. And then Jesus looked into their hearts and He said, but who do you say that I am? And Peter looked at our Savior and he said, truly thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God, solely situated.
Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back in just a moment with more of today's message on saluting the sacrifice with Dr. Don Wilton. Dr. Don wants you to know we're here connecting 24 hours a day on our website at www.tewonline.org.
That's www.tewonline.org where you'll discover 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 from Dr. Don Wilton on our website www.tewonline.org.
That's www.tewonline.org. While you're there, sign up for the daily encouraging word email. It will bless you for sure.
Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Jesus Christ, number three, through His sacrifice was specifically sympathetic. I love verse 15. Bible says we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Consider the context of Hebrews, and I'm not going to go into that. We spent over three years dealing with that subject, but for the sake of our guests, in this particular context, these people who were struggling with who Jesus Christ is, they were battling to come to grips with the fact that Jesus Christ could set them free. They had spent a lifetime grappling with the issue of their sin. They went to their priest. The priest would look at them, but the priest was limited because he had the capacity to do only two things. Number one, forgive his own sin, and number two, to forgive the sin of the people one sin at a time. Boy, I look around this place, some of you would spend a long time visiting your priest.
Just consider Sam Davis. It would take him at least one month just to get through one morning. Folks, I want you to know, if I had to go and ask for forgiveness for every single sin that I had committed, how long do you suppose that would take you? Here's what Jesus Christ did. He was specifically sympathetic. That word there, specific, speaks to the specificity of our singular sin in the presence of God, and because Jesus Christ is our Saviour and Lord, through his sacrifice, he wipes the slate clean, and he casts our sin as far as the east is from the west, and he remembers it no more. Somebody say amen.
Whoo! Isn't that incredible? Can you imagine that God would do something like that? How is he specifically sympathetic? Because he knows us, he identifies with us, and he encourages us. Well, not only through his sacrifice was our Saviour supremely selected, was he not only solely situated and specifically sympathetic, but he was significantly seated. I love this one, folks. Look at verse 16. The Bible says, let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence. Can you imagine that?
That because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, supremely selected by God himself as God to become the sacrifice for our sin, that after he rose from the grave, he ascended to watch, to be seated at the right hand of the Father, which is in heaven, having been exalted at his right hand, now making intercession for you and for me. I remember many years ago being in Edinburgh, Scotland, where a lot of my family comes from. I was downtown Edinburgh, right off Princess Street, for those of you that have been there. And all of a sudden there was noise and people running around and people with earphones on and secret service agents. And I was standing next to the shop.
I was just walking down the street, minding my own business. And I was trapped. I couldn't move. And somebody said, you stand right there.
Yes, sir. I just stood right there. Next minute, a big old black car pulled up, flag on the front. Guess who popped out of there? Princess Diana. She just walked out right in front of me. I said, hey, Diana. She said, hey, Don, how you doing? I tell you folks, I thought my heart was going to attack me. I said, my wife is going to kill me, knowing that I've been sitting here having a good cup of tea with Diana.
One incredible, beautiful lady. Well, she walked straight toward me. When she came up to me, a secret service agent came up and he said, you sir, into the shop.
I said, yes, sir. And I walked into the shop. It was the weirdest shop I've ever been.
My wife loves it. Had all kinds of white stuff, frilly stuff, lace stuff, boring. I didn't know what to look at. But Diana came in there, folks, and I stood there right there against the window in the shop for about 20 minutes as Princess Diana shopped around. She touched this, looked at that, picked up this. Finally, she bought one or two things.
She was very gracious, greeted the shopkeepers, spoke a little, and then she walked out, got in a motor car and she was gone. Do you know that I felt like I was in the throne room? I felt that I was in the presence of somebody.
I want to tell you something today, folks. When you talk about the seating of Jesus Christ, God tells us, watch this, that you and I, having been forgiven of our sin, have been given access, watch this, right into the throne room of God. Look at that verse with me. It's an amazing verse. The Bible says, let us then approach the throne of grace with what?
What does it say? Confidence. Not sniveling in the corner, not with your heart going at 100 miles an hour, not worrying about whether someone's going to arrest you, but we can approach the throne of grace with confidence. And when we approach the throne of grace, we receive mercy and we find grace.
Why? Because mercy is given, grace is found. Mercy is the power of God's love and grace is the product of God's love. When I approach the throne of grace, I receive the mercy of God, which is translated into the power of God's love in and through my heart and life. Such is the sacrifice of our Saviour, supremely selected, solely situated, specifically sympathetic, significantly seated. And finally, but not conclusively, our Saviour was sacrificially sent. Look at verse 16, the last part of verse 16. So that, that means in order that.
This is the by-product. This is what results from the fact that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you and I can with confidence come into the very presence of a God who is absolutely holy and righteous. He helps us in our time of need.
Just think about that, folks. Jesus Christ, the Son of God became man, specifically sacrificially sent. To do what? He looks out for us. He encourages us. He calls us. He loves us.
He draws alongside us. He blesses us. He lifts us up. He listens to us. He answers our prayer.
That's what He does for you. That's who this Jesus is, the greatest sacrifice of all. Indeed, the greatest sacrifice of all. You've been listening to Dr. Don Wilton as he's been teaching and preaching today from Hebrews, chapter four. I pray that as we've studied God's Word together, you've heard more than the wonderful South African vogue of our pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, but you've heard the voice of God, reminding you that He loves you.
He has a special plan for your life and a way for you to enjoy heaven and eternity with Him. Before we get away, closing thoughts from our pastor from inside the studio as he just shares his heart. 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 to receive Jesus, praying along with Dr. Wilton or perhaps even early in the program, you know it's time for you to turn things around, to rededicate your life to Jesus Christ. If so, Dr. Wilton has free resources he wants you to have and he wants to pray for you. If you'll contact us at 866-899-WORD, we'll commit to do both those things. Send you the free resources he's prepared for you and we will pray for you. That's 866-899-9673 or you can meet us on our website as well at www.tewonline.org. It's filled with not only today's teaching, you can see it in video form or hear it in audio form, but you can also gain resources like loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely. It's all on our website www.tewonline.org.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-04-19 17:52:31 / 2023-04-19 18:01:41 / 9