R1043A Looking Ahead With Confidence

We all could use some encouragement, and we'll find it together today in the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton. The Encouraging Word In just a moment, Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher, a well-known author and pastor and seminary professor and more, is going to take us to Acts chapter 2 about this topic, Looking Ahead with Confidence.

Oh, there's so much confidence-building material in this book we call the Bible itself God's Encouraging Word, and we'll start with Acts chapter 2 today. While we do so, know that we're available to connect with you in a couple of ways, both on our website, www.tewonline.org, and this phone number, 866-899-WORD. We'll connect with one of us 24 hours a day.

That's 866-899-9673 or tewonline.org. Now today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. The Encouraging Word Seek God's face in prayer together. Let us pray. Our most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, what a wonderful, wonderful privilege it is to bow our heads before you today and to worship you. We have so much to be thankful for. You have blessed us and you have poured out your Spirit upon us.

And you have been so gracious to us. We thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. And we thank you that Jesus came to this world so that we might have life, so that we might know what it means to forgive and to be forgiven. So that we might be reconciled to our Father, which is in heaven. So that we might know that we know that we know that one day when we die, or if the Lord Jesus were to come back to this earth before that time, that we would go instantly into your presence and join all of our loved ones who have already found themselves seated at the feast table of the King.

What a reunion that will be. And how grateful we are today for the gift of life in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, we are here today, people worshiping you, seeking your face. Some Lord in the deepest of valleys, some whose hearts are so hurt. Some Lord who are going through the greatest struggles they've ever gone through.

And yet you are there. And so today we pray for people who are in desperate need of a special touch. Father in heaven, reach down. Touch people today whose hearts are hurting, people who are struggling.

Those who have nothing to eat. Those Lord who are cold and need a shelter and a warm blanket. Bless them today, Father. Lord, we come to you as well as a people who find ourselves on a mountaintop. There are so many who have every reason today to smile and rejoice. This season has been a time of great joy.

Families that have come together, celebrations, gift giving. Lord, we thank you for the blessings of life. We thank you, Lord, for the provision of our needs, for the roofs over our heads, the motor cars that we drive, the tables at which we sit, the future that we contemplate.

And so we give you thanks today. We're praying too for those who suffer greatly with a reverberating witness for Christ. Lord, there are so many today who are mourning, suffering loss. Lord, bless people today who mourn.

There are many homes this season, Lord, where there was an empty seat at the table. We pray for people who are deployed overseas. And we thank you for them.

We thank you for their sacrifice. And we bless them in the name of the Lord today. Father, we want to pray so much for our president and for his wife and family, even as they are on vacation, which must be so hard to do, occupying a seat in which there are so many things around the world to deal with. We pray for members of Congress, for governors of states, mayors of cities, chiefs of police, for people in positions of leadership and authority. We pray that your hedge of protection would be upon them.

You'd watch over them. Lord, above all, for the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this, our beloved nation, these United States of America, so desperately needed, Lord, our hearts cry out today in the world in which we live, that we might be bold and resolute because we have a message to share.

We've got work to do. Help us to lay aside the things that so easily beset us, the weights that weigh us down. Lord, because the devil is as a roaring lion seeking whom he made of our. Help us, Lord, to be steadfast, to show unconditional love toward one another. And so bless this time together, our Father. Thank you for this most for these dear people, for thousands upon thousands who listen and worship through the encouraging word broadcast ministry. This word, this lamp, this light, we bless the name of the Lord together today, praying these things in Jesus' name. Amen.

Hello, everybody. Top of the day to you, and I trust that you've had a wonderful weekend. Goes by so quickly, doesn't it? But it does, it goes by, and we're here today and we're worshiping the Lord. I just want you to know how much I love you today.

You are a precious people. Even this weekend, there have been many, many needs. And it just amazes me. It absolutely blesses my heart to encounter the numbers of people who are there long before.

The Salbarone's and the Don Wilton's and the Steve Wise's and the Greg Dreyer's get anywhere near people. There are already scores of people who are ministering to others, and I love you for that. You know that holidays and particularly Christmas and New Year does not mean that people suddenly stop hurting. In fact, it intensifies.

It always happens that way. And you and I become aware of the things that touch our own lives, but there are 100 others. And today we are here to celebrate the Lord Jesus together. And I just want to say to you as a group of people, as your pastor that I love you and I thank God for you and for your faithfulness and for your ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus. And I just bless you today. And I know that God is going to bless you and your life in every regard. Unfortunately, we've just been reminded that the tragedies related to terrorism are not gone. Some who would say, you know, this was the decade in which I lost my job.

There are some who would talk about things nobody else will talk about. I went through a terrible divorce, I lost a loved one, I suffered a tragedy. I graduated and thought I could get a job and here I am and I still don't have a job.

I was diagnosed with this disease and there still seems to be no solution to my problem. There are a lot of people who would say, well, that hasn't been my experience. I want to do something today, folks, and the Lord has really put this in my heart. I'm going to ask you, first of all, to open your Bibles to the Book of Acts and Chapter 2, the Book of Acts and Chapter 2. And I want to speak to you today about looking ahead with confidence. Looking ahead with confidence. Some of you might say, Pastor, who exactly are you speaking to?

I believe that God by His Spirit through His Word wants to speak to you and to me. This is a word just for you. It's a word for the church. It's a word for the family. It's a word for the individual. It's a word for a husband, for a wife, for a son, for a daughter.

It's a word for each one of us. God will apply His Word and I'm going to be right down the line with you. But as you open your Bible to Acts Chapter 2, I want everybody to, if you don't mind, just look in my direction. And I'm going to just tell you something very quickly, OK?

This is very important. After Jesus rose from the dead. And then after He ascended, He went back into heaven. There was a period of devastating nothingness spiritually.

One of these days I'll show you exactly what that meant. But from the time that Jesus went up into heaven to be with God, went back to heaven. Until the time of Acts Chapter 2 is the deadest time ever.

Nothing happened. It was a time of powerlessness. Have you ever felt as though you just can't do another thing? You just draw the line, you say, that's it. I can't even get out of bed in the morning.

I don't know where to turn to. And in the beginning of the Book of Acts and Chapter 2, we have what is called Pentecost. And at Pentecost, God sent down His Spirit. The Spirit of God came down upon this earth. Remember that God is three in one. He's God the Father. He's God the Son. And He's God the Holy Spirit.

God is three in one. So when God sent His Spirit to this earth, just listen carefully, He sent Himself again. Remember He sent Jesus.

He sent Himself because God was in Christ reconciling the world Himself. And then Jesus lived on the earth and He was crucified. And then on the third day, by the power of God, He was raised from the dead.

Then He appeared to over 500 people, including His disciples, right on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And then He ascended from the Mount of Olives and He went back up into heaven. And God sent Himself back again in the form of His Spirit and His Spirit is still on this earth.

His Spirit is here. Now in February, I'm going to get back into the Book of Revelation. And we know that when the rapture of the church takes place and Jesus comes in the clouds and all believers are taken up out of this earth, an Antichrist rises up and says, peace, don't worry about a thing.

I actually am God. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 2 that God is going to withdraw His Spirit from the earth. He's going to withdraw His Spirit again from the earth. And He's going to send a powerful delusion upon the world so that the world, all those who are left behind will believe the lie. What is the lie? Not a lie, the lie. The lie is the lie of Antichrist who says, well, don't worry about a thing. I know all the believers have gone and I know there's been catastrophe and I know something's going on, but don't worry about a thing because I am God. The lie is Antichrist setting himself up as God. And some people say, well, how's everybody going to believe such rubbish?

Two reasons why. Number one, because God's going to withdraw His Spirit. So there's going to be no means for people to be able to believe what truth is. And number two, God is going to send a powerful delusion upon the earth. That means God is going to cause man to become deluded in his thinking. Not so in Acts chapter 2. In Acts chapter 2, God sends down His Spirit.

God gives to us Himself. And all of a sudden power comes upon the world. And so you've got the beginning of the New Testament church.

So Peter, I love Peter. Peter takes the disciples and he goes to the southern end of the temple mound in Jerusalem. Now, if you can picture the temple mound, okay? On the southern side of the temple mound was the main entrance to the temple. In fact, it had two entrance ways kind of under the temple. And it came up from the city of David. And so all the people of the world would gather together at the southern end of the temple. That's where you would find all the nations of the world. All kinds of people would gather there at the entrance to the temple.

They would come from everywhere, from all over the world, these people. Guess what Peter did? Peter said, wow, I got a congregation. I got all the people of the world gathered here. And Peter stood up and he preached the very first sermon that was ever preached.

That's what I'm doing right now. Have you ever wondered where all this preaching comes from? Right here, Acts chapter 2, this is where it began.

Please forgive the interruption. We'll be back with more of Dr. Don Wilton's message, looking ahead with confidence in just a moment. But Dr. Don wants me to remind you, we're here for you, connecting in a number of ways, especially on our website, TEWonline.org. You're going to find a resource that could be just what you or someone close to you needs. Again, you'll find all of our resources for the encouraging word at TEWonline.org.

That's TEWonline.org right now. This particular two-part element, a book and a message from Dr. Wilton on loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely. Oh, it's such great insight and such valuable teaching from God's word. Again, how to be alone but not lonely, just one of the many resources you'll find on our website right now at TEWonline.org. Or if you'd like to invest in that copy and order a copy, you can call right now at 866-899-WORD and order your copy. That's 866-899-9673.

Order your copy of loneliness, how to be alone but not lonely. As you invest in that particular resource, you'll be investing in the ministry of the encouraging word. Now back to today's great teaching, Dr. Don Wilton. So I want to read to you some of what he preached, and then I'm going to just extrapolate. I'm going to take seven foundations out of that, and I'm just going to give them to you.

We're not going to camp on them because they're very important as we look ahead with confidence. Here is Peter, folks. Listen to me. Here's Peter. God has revealed Himself to them through His Spirit. He's given them the message. He's told them what to do. Peter's making the announcement before anything else has happened, and he puts everything onto these seven foundations.

Here's what we're going to do today. We're just going to tell one another from God's word what these seven foundations are. And folks, let me tell you, if we make a commitment in our hearts, in our church, individually, to stand on these seven solid foundations, you can look ahead with confidence. All right, verse 14. Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and he addressed the crowd. Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you. Listen carefully to what I have to say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose.

It's only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken of by the prophet Joel, that in the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions.

Your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord, and everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Men of Israel, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs which God did among you through him as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge, and you, with the help of wicked men, you put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death because it is impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Let's skip over to verse 32. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to that fact.

All right, let's go down to verse 36. Therefore, let all of Israel be assured of this, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. Now when the people heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they said, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter replied, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promises for you and your children, and for all who are afar, or for all whom the Lord our God will call.

And with many other words, he warned them saying, and he pleaded with them saying, save yourselves from this corrupt generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day. And so they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, and to fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods. They gave to anyone as he had need, and every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.

They broke bread in their homes, and they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising and enjoying the favor of all the people, and the Lord added to their number daily, those who were being saved. Now you've heard the first message ever preached. Here's the issue. How can we look ahead with confidence? Folks, I don't know what the next year holds, do you? I don't know what the year 2015 holds, 2018. I don't know what the next decade holds. I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I can look ahead with confidence.

So the issue is this. What was it that Peter said that provided a solid foundation on which to stand? You know, I've got children just like you, raising children in today's world's tough work. Jolly hard.

Somebody can say amen, it's quite all right. Jolly hard. Do you know what parents do? When our kids are just two bricks and a ticky high, about that big, we start teaching them. Such powerful insight from today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton, Looking Ahead with Confidence. We're looking ahead to the next broadcast to complete today's message, but maybe in the midst of this moment, you realize that when God is tracing in our own lives our level of confidence and increasing that on a daily basis, it all starts with the first most important decision, and that's the decision to give our life to Jesus Christ, for us to stop taking control but to surrender to Jesus. You've heard Dr. Wilton as he's been teaching and preaching.

Now as he 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? 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 rededicate your life to Christ or to give your life to Jesus for the very first time, we want to rejoice with you. Dr. Wilton wants to pray for you. Once you let us know about your decision, you can call us at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. We'd love to send these resources to you. You can also email Dr. Wilton.

Tell him about your decision for Christ. His email is simply Don, D-O-N, at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. That's Don, D-O-N, at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. You can also connect with us directly on our website at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. Have you joined the Encouraging Words email community? As a member of our email community, you will receive exclusive teaching letters from Dr. Wilton and information about his newest messages. You will also receive periodic updates on how the Encouraging Word is working to share God's truth with a searching world. You can even sign up to receive the daily Encouraging Word directly to your inbox. Subscribe today by visiting our website at T-E-W online dot O-R-G forward slash email. That's T-E-W online dot O-R-G forward slash email. The Encouraging Word is a viewer and listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today. Tomorrow, join us for the conclusion of this powerful message, Looking Ahead with Confidence, with Dr. Don Wilton Between now and then let's stay connected on our website at T-E-W online dot O-R-G.