R1069A The Roaring Lion, Pt.1

The Bible talks about the enemy as the roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but there is no need for you to fear. The Encouraging Word Welcome to The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, pastor, and today as he takes us both to the book of Genesis and 1 Peter, we're going to understand how God's Word empowers us to push back against the enemy, to push back against the roaring lion. While we're studying the Word together, know that we're here for you connecting 24 hours a day on our website, www.tewonline.org. It's a place you'll discover a myriad of resources, that's www.tewonline.org. We'll talk more about this special resource, combating loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely.

That's all on our website www.tewonline.org. But first, today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. The Encouraging Word Now folks, you're going to need your Bibles today because Jesus Christ has an encouraging Word just for you. So I want you to just turn in your Bibles to two places. First Peter, that's in the New Testament, 1 Peter, get your Bibles, get the sword, get the Word of God, turn to 1 Peter 5, and then I want you to be in Genesis 4. We're going to go back to the beginning. Now friends, before I read one word to you today, I want to say something.

I don't even know how to say why or how I want to say this. But I'm telling you, parents, I want you to really listen. I'm not going to single out, this is not directed at students, at young people, because we older folks are very much, very much in focus here. But parents, I want you to really listen. Grandparents, really listen today. You got to understand what God is saying. Our world is in crisis, folks. That's why I believe in God's encouraging Word.

This is absolute truth. I'm a parent. I'm a grandfather as well.

I have friends who are parents and grandparents. But I'm also a man just like you. You and I, men and women together, we're people. God made us. When you go back to the beginning, God's Word tells us a lot about where we came from, how it all started.

We've been looking at these things. But God's Word tells us what it is that we need to watch out for, take note of. So what I'm going to do today is I'm going to start in 1 Peter 5, and you're going to see why I'm going to do this.

Because I'm going to speak to you for a moment about the roaring lion. 1 Peter 5, verse 8. This is in the New Testament.

This is a long time after the beginning. God's Word says, be self-controlled and alert because your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. That's you. That's me. That's the children of America. It's our students.

It's all of us. And I'm going to come back to it, but verse 9 is going to tell us some of the things that we can do. Africa is an incredible continent. You go to Africa, one of the things that you will love to do is to go out on safari.

I've done many. I've been out there in the middle of nowhere. When I was a boy, 14, 15, I would hitchhike across Africa. I'd disappear for five, six, eight weeks at a time.

I'd be in places where I don't think my mother would have sent me. When you go into Africa today, the animals are magnificent. Just observe the lion.

It happens every day. A lion is an incredibly huge, stealthy, crafty, sly, slick, extremely hungry creature. And he doesn't care. He is not interested. You got blood flowing in your veins, he'll eat you alive.

He couldn't care whether you came from this side or from that side, whether you up, down, male, female, whether you got money or you don't. He'll eat you alive, folks, literally. You don't mess around with a lion. That's why people stay in their motor cars. And the scene is always the same. You will always see fields of deer, buck, every description you can imagine. All kinds of animals, zebras, giraffes, buck.

You'll see them all. And all of them mind their own business. And those little deer can look as cute as you've ever seen. I mean, big old beady eyes, ears that trade with each other.

One ear lies down and then after another one says, now it's your turn, so they trade ears. And if you watch those deer, it is amazing how they go about their business. You and I pay all kinds of money to go and take pictures of them. Just watch, you can tell American tourists from 100 miles away, zoom lenses, and they take 70,000 pictures of the same dear little deer. And there he is, two of them in a field minding their own business. Now let me ask you something, what have they done to hurt anybody?

Nothing. So here's Humphrey and Fred. Humphrey turns to Fred and says, isn't this a great day? Fred says, Jolly, right on you Humphrey. They're just eating, minding their own business, cute as a button. Humphrey says, Fred, look at all of them taking pictures of us, aren't we darling?

Aren't we just the best in the world? Nobody compliments dear little deer more than everybody. Meanwhile, right there on the edge in the thicket is this huge cat. He doesn't care. And he begins to prowl, a lion is an amazing thing because he's such a big animal and yet he can move through the thick bush and the grass without cracking a twig. It's just, how does it happen in Africa? Because there are twigs everywhere.

All kinds of things that can break. He even knows which way the wind is blowing, folks. Who told him that? He will always stalk his prey against the wind. He knows how to position himself. But one thing in mind, you're going to eat that dear little deer. He wants to make a meal out of it.

He wants to turn something really magnificent into a carcass. So he stalks, he'll put down one of those big old paws down like this and the other one will just sit there. And it doesn't matter how long it needs to, he will stand dead still. He'll stand like that for an hour if he needs to. And then after a while he'll say, you know, it's time to take another step. He'll take another step. Put this paw down and this one comes up. And he knows exactly the right moment.

And all of a sudden, boom! He'll jump out of that thicket, pounce on the back of that dear little deer, sink his fangs into its neck. He knows exactly where to strike. He knows the vulnerable point of every animal. Lions will bring down the biggest animals you've ever seen, folks. They will bring down ostriches. They will bring down zebras, wildebeest, kudu, eolant. They'll bring down the biggest buck you have ever seen in your life.

They know exactly when to strike, how to strike, and where to strike. Now let's turn to Genesis chapter 4. Genesis chapter 4. Let's go back to the beginning. Just one verse, verse 7. Now this is God speaking to Cain. Remember there were two brothers, both sons of Adam and Eve. This is way back in the beginning. This is when it all began. And this is what God said to Cain in verse 7. If you do what is right, you will not be accepted. But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door.

It desires to have you, but you must master it. Now watch this, folks. This is as simple as it gets. Here's God speaking to Cain. You've got two brothers raised in the same family, and both want to have a relationship with God. I dare say both of these people, both of these young men, recognized that God was the number one consideration. They both recognized you take God out of the scheme of things, the lion gets you. You're on your own. And so Cain decided to offer vegetables.

God said, not good enough. I'm not interested in your vegetable. I'm only interested in a blood sacrifice. I'm only interested in what I determined to be right.

It's my way or the highway. Doesn't matter how cute you are. Doesn't matter how good your vegetables are. Doesn't matter how brilliant you are.

It actually doesn't even matter what you think. God said, I'm going to provide for you a sacrifice through my son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the only way. Do it my way or you're on your own. Bible says there are two roads. There's a broad road that leads to destruction. Why broad?

Because broadness incorporates your opinion. America is in trouble today because all of us have an opinion about what God has already settled. And God has not asked any of us for our opinion.

He's absolutely clear. And folks, it is an amazing thing as we watch this journey as to what became of Cain. But the question that I began to ask was, what happened to him immediately?

What took place? You see, Cain was no different to your son, no different to your daughter. He was no different to you and to me. Cain is everywhere in America today. Cain decided that he was going to decide.

Cain decided that he would not listen to what God was saying. And the lion got him. There's no need for that. We have wonderful resources, again, on our website, to push back against that, to see how God can empower us to sometimes be alone but not lonely. Again, you'll discover all the resources on our website or call about getting your copy at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. So what did sin do to Cain? Four things right here in this passage. Number one, it caused him to become devious in his mind. That's what the Bible says in verse 8.

Now, folks, watch this. Cain immediately, having defied God's plan, Cain immediately went to his brother and said, hey, buddy, let's go out into the field together. Folks, look at that in that verse there, verse 8.

Now Cain said to his brother, let's go out into the field. God gave to him immediately a devious mind. You say God gave it to him? God allowed that to happen because sin took over. Here's what happens, folks, when you and I determine we're gonna do it our way.

God gives us over to a devious mind. Parents, watch out for that. All across America today people are saying, come on, let's go out in the field and play together. What's wrong with a little fun? Just take one sip. Get serious.

What's wrong with alcohol? Just come on. Just know when to say when.

Just get a designated driver. Come on, you can't be serious. I mean, get real, you know.

Come on over, let's go out into the field together. All across America today we see devious minds. A devious mind is a very subtle thing because a devious mind is a mind that is couched.

It's a masquerading mind. God gave him over, happened immediately. There's nothing wrong with these vegetables.

There was nothing wrong with that, but God was not willing to accept Cain's offering because it was not what God required. And all across America today in this wonderful nation in which we live, there are parents, listen up folks, listen to me, there are parents all across America that are saying to their sons and daughters, it's okay. You'll grow up, just get over it. Nah, what? Don't worry about it.

Sure man, go and have fun while you're young. The lion will get him. The lion will get him. So what happened to him? What did sin do to Cain, folks? It caused him to have a devious mind. But number two, it caused him to become deadly in his actions. Not only to become devious in his mind, but to become deadly in his actions.

What happened after that is horrific. He killed his own brother. When sin takes reign, death is the consequence. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Do you know that the Bible tells us in Proverbs chapter 18 that the tongue has the power to speak life and or death? In fact, in Proverbs 18, the writer tells us that what is in your heart is going to come out as life or death.

Can't tell you the number of people that I meet who say to me, Pastor, if I could just roll the clock back. This man became deadly in his actions. It was a severe consequence. In his case, in Cain's case, he went out and killed his brother. Can you imagine that? Where does sin end?

Well, come with us into the prisons, folks, and look into the faces of a lot of these people. Out in the streets and the highways and the byways of life, what did sin do to Cain? It caused him to become devious in his mind.

It caused him to become deadly in his actions, but number three, it caused him to become deceitful in his honesty. God came to him and said to him, Cain, where is your brother? And he immediately began to lie to God.

Now, folks, just think about that. He began to lie to God. Let me tell you what happens when you make your vegetables your religion. False religion always breeds a person who will lie in the face of God himself. When Satan gets a hold of a person's heart, a sure casualty is going to be that relationship with God. I don't care what God says, but just in case, I will lie my way even in his face.

The Bible says that Satan is the father of lies. Parents, listen to your sons and daughters. Check out their honesty. Leave no stone unturned. Never settle for what you don't know.

Make it your business. What a challenge from Dr. Don Wilton. There's so much more to study on the way that we can combat the roaring lion, how we can have victory in our life over the enemy, and Dr. Wilton will be discussing that more tomorrow on the next edition of The Encouraging Word. But before we leave today and this moment, as you've been studying along with the Word, as you have been not only hearing our pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, but hearing the power of God call out to you and remind you that God loves you and God has a plan for your life, I pray that not only you've heard from Dr. Wilton as our teacher and preacher, but now as he steps into the studio, I pray you'd 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've prayed that prayer, 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.

Perhaps you just gave your life to Christ, praying along with Dr. Wilton moments ago, or perhaps rededicated your life today. You need to know Dr. Wilton has wonderful resources that he wants you to have absolutely free and we would love to pray with you and for you. If you'll call us at 866-899-WORD and share your decision, we'll get these resources in the mail right away. Our number again is 866-899-9673 and we'd love to walk alongside you. And again, these resources Dr. Wilton has prepared are uniquely designed to help you as you begin a new life with Christ or rededicate your life to Christ to get success and to gain an opportunity to see God multiply what he's doing in your life today as you grow in your faith.

We'd also love to connect with you on our website, tewonline.org. Earlier today we mentioned this remarkable resource of how at times we find ourselves alone, but yet not lonely. God's word can give us that.

As a matter of fact, here are details on how you can get your copy of this very special resource. 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 available on our website at tewonline.org.

And let me make this suggestion. As you're on our website taking a look at some of the books Dr. Wilton has written, there's one in particular called See You at the Finish Line. It's a powerful, insightful book about making good choices, about kind of planning with the end in mind. It's just a perfect resource for young students who are either graduating from high school or college.

A perfect gift, and I would suggest maybe put a dollar or two, maybe a larger bill than that, as a bookmark inside it as an incentive to read it. And you'll find it'll bring great dividends in the lives of students that will take time to read it. Again, the book is called See You at the Finish Line, and you'll find it on our website among many great resources at tewonline.org. Again, you'll also find more information about who we are. The Encouraging Word exists to share Christ with those not only around the country, but around the globe that need to know the saving power of Jesus. If you'd like to get involved, you'll discover details at tewonline.org. The Encouraging Word