R863A When God Speaks Before, Pt.1

We all face storms at time. How are we going to be in them, through them? Dr. Wilton takes us to God's Word for those answers today. The Encouraging Word! This is The Encouraging Word, featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, seminary professor, and pastor.

And today we head to Matthew chapter 8 with this concept of understanding how God does speak to us, not only before, but also during and after the storm. That's today's message as we open God's Word, know that we're here for you as we launch this time together, and we'd love to connect with you. We can do so in a couple of ways, both on our website, www.tewonline.org, and on the phone 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673 or www.tewonline.org. We are here to encourage you! The Encouraging Word!

And now today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. As I began to study and ask the Lord what is it that He would want me to say, and what is it that the Lord would want to say to my own heart, He began to draw my attention to Matthew's Gospel in chapter 8. And I want you to turn there in your Bibles. You will need your Bibles as always. I want you to listen to the subject this morning when God speaks, watch this, before, during, and after the storm.

I'm going to run that by again. When God speaks to us, number one, before the storms of life hit us. Is it possible that He does? Number two, when God speaks to us during a storm. Now watch this folks, there are hundreds of us today that it may not yet have happened. Two weeks ago a man called me up and he said to me, pastor, when I went to bed last night life could not have been better. About two o'clock in the morning I was awakened and I didn't feel too good.

He said it's now 10 o'clock and you're standing here at my bedside and my whole life has changed. When God speaks before the storm, when God speaks during the storm, now watch this, does God have anything to say after the storm? We're going to be in Matthew chapter eight because Jesus Christ encountered a massive storm together with his disciples. And a remarkable series of events happened and I want to show you some things in God's word that I truly believe with all of my heart. I'm going to bless you this morning. You will be encouraged. God will bless your heart and he'll equip you and strengthen you, give you grace and strength for the journey. I'm in Matthew chapter eight and beginning at verse 23 and I might stop once or twice. Bible says that then Jesus got into the boat and then his disciples followed him.

There's a good place to stop. Did you know by the way that God is the God of order? He's not the God of chaos.

Now I want you to think about this just for a moment. Everything that God does and everything that God did and everything that God will do is ordered according to his sovereign grace. It's why I love the book of Genesis. I believe in the events of creation just as God ordered them.

And by the way while I'm on that subject and we'll go back to it one of these days. I want to go back and preach all the way through the book of Revelation again because when you do you discover that the victory of God was established that it is established and it always will be established. God is the God of order. In fact I'm going to be so forward as to submit to you today that were the Lord Jesus Christ in person standing here in the flesh. I really believe that he too would say now number one.

Number two. And just to make me feel better I'll bet you he'd have 10 points at least this morning. God is the God of order. God gives us a system to live by. Now I want you to hold on to that today because the Lord Jesus Christ loves us to the extent at which you and I can follow God's order. There is a step by step process that he will invite us to take with him a journey. He does that with salvation and he does that concerning the walk of our salvation. So watch this. The Bible says in verse 23 that Jesus got into the boat and then the disciples followed him.

Without warning a furious storm came up on the lake so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. Uh oh. We've got a problem.

I tell you this leaves me flabbergasted. This is one of those well thank you very much types of passages. I'm just asking questions. But I'm asking questions in the context of the pain of the storms of life.

One of the full outs or one of the consequences of pain and hurt is what? That we will literally believe that God has fallen asleep. Now folks what is the point at which you and I will most likely begin to think that God is not listening?

You got it. When the storms are crashing over your ship. Now why? Because of panic, pain, fear. It's not the easiest of things to just turn around and say well you know I believe in God. Bring on the pain.

You know I'm really enjoying suffering like this. You know it's just wonderful to know that my marriage is having problems you know because I know that God's wide awake. I want you to think about this just for a moment. Bible says that Jesus was sleeping. Was he? Is there a discrepancy at this point between Jesus the Son of Man and Jesus the Son of God? And so in verse 25 the disciples went and they woke him up. You know like you have to wake up God? So why did the disciples have to go and wake up a God who cannot sleep but was asleep? And they said to him Lord save us we're going to drown. Jesus replied you of little faith.

Why are you so afraid? Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves. Note God's order here.

And it was completely calm. Verse 27, the men were amazed at this and they asked a question. They said what kind of, what is that word? Someone tell me. What kind of?

You're not with me. Everybody. What did the disciples say? What kind of? So why didn't they say what kind of God is this?

What kind of? Man is this. Who was sleeping? Jesus.

Now I want you to just hang on to this for a minute. And so the disciples said what kind of man is this that even the winds and the waves obey his voice? Let me begin as we try to hear what God would say to us before, during and after the storm. Let me share with you four major principles. Now if you were going to build a house, you would build the foundation first, would you not? This is the foundation.

I'm going to give you four principles. They are huge. They are massive.

They are extensive. We cannot do justice to them this morning. But I do not believe that we can understand what it is that God is saying to us before, during and after a storm if we don't base what we are hearing on these four principles. Principle number one, God is.

Now that's quite a principle. If you are willing to accept the fact that God is, you are willing to accept the fact that God is Sovereign Lord. Now the is-ness of God's existence establishes the timelessness of the eternal nature of a sovereign God.

Let me run that by again. The is-ness of who Jesus Christ and of who God is establishes the eternal timelessness of the nature and the character of an eternal sovereign God. God is. Now what do we mean by the fact that God is? Well the Bible teaches us the significance of the is-ness of God. God is in that He was, He is and that He always will be. The word timelessness here or eternal means forever. It encapsulates the beginning and the end of God of which there is no beginning and there is no end.

So that the words beginning and end can never be applied to God in that God has no beginning and He has no end. So if God is, it means that God is there even before whatever it is that is going to happen to me has happened to me. But He is there when whatever it is that is going to happen to me is happening to me. And if God is, He's already arrived wherever it is that I'm going to be after it is and has happened to me.

Now don't ask me to go through all of this again. All right, principle number one, God is. Principle number two, God knows. Now we've got a logical consequence here, God knows, God is all knowing. What does God know? Does God know before whatever it is sweeps over your boat?

Whatever it is before you, yes, God knows. He knows exactly the circumstances in which you find yourself and God knows exactly what is going to happen and where you're going to end up. Principle number three, God loves. Now if you talk about the love of God, you're talking about the fundamental attribute that emanates or comes forth or out of the character of a God who is. If God is holy it means that His love is absolutely pure.

God loves us. The other day I was walking down a corridor just out the corner of my eye. I saw someone sitting in a seat near a window.

I know that the Lord allowed me to do this, but I was busy. I was headed out to find my wife and my family and I saw this person sitting there and I just turned, made a little detour and went over and they were sitting in a seat. An elderly lady in fact, she was about 90 years of age, a very senior lady.

Well I walked up behind her on the side of her and I didn't know who she was, still don't know really where she comes from or what her name is. And I put my arm on her shoulder and she looked over her shoulder and I said to her, hello ma'am, I said, just wanted to come and see how are you doing today? She just burst into tears. I mean she just burst into tears. And I looked around, I said, man, people are going to be watching me say, look at that preacher. What in the world did he do to that lady?

This is just not right. She just burst into tears. Well I pulled up another chair and sat down next to her and took her hand in mine. And I just began to just love on her and she began to tell me about herself. She just wanted someone to talk to and she'd been married for 65 years. And her husband of 65 years had passed away some months earlier. And with just tears running down her cheeks, she looked at me and she said to me, Dr. Wilton, she said, you know, for 65 years my husband told me every day that he loved me. And now I'm just so lonely. She said, my children and my grandchildren insisted that I come and they paid my way and I agreed to come.

And it's not easy for me, but I'm here, but I'm just so lonely. And he used to tell me all the time that he just loved me. So I looked at her and I said, I just want you to know that I love you.

She started crying all over again. And then I said to her as I stood up, I prayed with her and I said to her, guess what? God loves you.

I tell you, for the rest of those seven days, I'd catch her looking at me all over the place. You got it? Watch this, God is, God knows, God loves, He has the fourth. You can't round out these principles without this fourth one. God cares. You see, if you're going to talk about God's sovereign nature and God's seeking nature, you got to talk about the fact that God has a sustaining nature. God sustains us. If God loves us, He sustains us. That's what parents do, grandparents do.

We know about that. We love our sons and our daughters and our grandchildren, right? And what produces, what's the product of that love? It is the ability to care for.

Caring is the action of love. And when God sustains us, He nourishes us. He lifts us up, He embraces us.

All right, now watch. Here when Jesus Christ had this encounter with the disciples, we're going to be encouraged to note a couple of things that I want to point out to you today. Before, during and after the storm. Listen to God speak. Number one, you will be encouraged to note, number one, that Jesus climbed aboard before the storm.

You know, I'd be honest. I don't know that I had fully taken cognizance of that in that initial verse there in verse 23. But Jesus got on board the boat before the storm. Did you know, by the way, that Jesus Christ is already on board? Before you even began to go through what you are going through. And I'm going to take that even further.

You may not even be going through it. But Jesus Christ has already positioned himself. He's on board. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton. Please don't go away. He'll be back with more of today's message when God speaks before, during and after the storm in just a moment. But Dr. Wilton wants me to remind you that we're here connecting with you 24 hours a day in a number of ways. If you have a prayer request, we're available at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. And we're also connecting on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. And though there may have been a time where you maybe went to a bookstore and they were sold out of the new book from Dr. Wilton called Saturdays with Billy. A powerful insight to the time that over the last two decades, Dr. Wilton spent almost every Saturday with Dr. Billy Graham as his pastor. And the stories, the insight, it's just a powerful opportunity to see two godly men grow closer to each other and closer to God in a remarkable way. Again, if you missed that book earlier, it's available on our website right now as well. www.tewonline.org. Saturdays with Billy by Dr. Don Wilton.

And you just need to know this. Every book of Dr. Wilton's here at The Encouraging Word that we make available to you for whatever the donations or the costs are, all of that money goes into the mission of The Encouraging Word. Dr. Wilton does not receive a single penny.

He receives no salary from The Encouraging Word. Every dollar you invest in a book or dollar that you give to the ministry goes to the mission of sharing the love of Jesus Christ literally around the world every single day. So thank you in advance for considering giving to the ministry of The Encouraging Word or investing by buying those books and knowing that that's an investment in the ministry as well.

Now let's dive back into today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Now, by the way, this begs a deep theological discussion here because it's at this juncture that we come to a fresh understanding of what it means that Christ lives in me. I am in Christ and he is in me.

He is on board my boat. But number two, you'll be encouraged to note that the disciples, the men followed without discussion. Now, this is rather interesting here in verse 23 because in this particular context, there was no discussion associated with the obedience of the disciples. Now, in this particular context, once again, we are reminded of one of the fundamental principles of the cost of following Jesus Christ, here it is, unapologetic obedience and followship. Now, may I say something to all of us with a lot of love in our hearts and I think you'll know that I'm saying it to myself more than anybody else. But sometimes I think we just ask too many questions. I think I ask God too many questions. I think there are too many times in my life that as I journey through life, I am demanding of God, why this, why that, where this and what that.

And Jesus just simply says to me, excuse me, are you going to get on board or are you not? This kind of absolute obedience, it's something that we struggle with because we are curious people. We like to have everything lined up. We are logical. We want to make sense out of everything.

We want to know that A plus B equals C. Whilst God is a God of order, God is also a God who demands absolute and unapologetic obedience. Just get on board. Number three, I want you to note something here that the storm came up without warning. Many years ago, many years ago, I went fishing with my father-in-law. He loves to fish and so do I. But I remember this particular event because we went fishing on a pretty significant river in Africa. And it curves like this and most incredible fish in this river and we had caught many fish there over the years from time to time. Right down in this coastal regions as it came down from the interior of the country and called the Swatcorps River.

Literally the Blackhead River, Swatcorps. And we went out in this tiny little boat with a tiny little outboard motor and there were just the two of us. And it was a pretty fair dinkum day and we found ourselves right out in the middle of this river having a great time together, a catching fish and boom, all of a sudden a storm came up.

That particular area is known for that. The wind can howl and gale. The storm was so bad that you could hardly see your hand in front of your face. My father-in-law and I talk about this all the time.

One of our great memories of life. Problem was when the storm came up, the water was coming into the boat and we were beginning to sink, make matters worse. He tried to crank that little outboard motor and it cut out.

It wouldn't run. We were dead in the water. I can still see my father-in-law with a bucket on his hands and knees in this boat trying to bail water out. He ordered me to the front of the boat. I stood there with a rope and an anchor swinging this thing and throwing it as far as I could, letting it sink down with all the waves doing this and holding on for dear life.

And then I'd pull us a little bit and inch by inch by inch. And we just followed our nose. And needless to say, I'm here to tell the story today.

We made it. But you know storms of life are just like that. You can go to bed one minute and wake up the next minute and the whole life has changed. Folks, the storms of life come up awfully quickly.

Make every moment count. You've been listening to Dr. Wilton as he's been teaching in the pulpit, but as he steps into the studio, would you 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. Perhaps you were praying along with Dr. Wilton moments ago to give your life to Jesus Christ or rededicate your life to Jesus. Welcome, welcome, welcome to the family of God.

The angels in heaven are rejoicing and we are too with what God is doing through His word and His love in your life. In the next steps, our pastor, Dr. Don Wilton, would love to put some free resources in your hands that will help you grow, whether it's the first time you've given your life to Christ or perhaps you've just rededicated your life. These resources will help you instill in you perhaps a new set of rules and regulations, a new discipline, studying God's word on a regular basis, finding a local church to plug into. All these resources are absolutely free.

These are just great suggestions that we believe Dr. Wilton believes will help you grow in your faith. Again, it's free if you call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673. Or you can meet us on our website as well at www.tewonline.org. We would love to connect with you.

That's www.tewonline.org, a great place where you'll find resources like this. This month, as a special bonus offer, you can purchase Saturdays with Billy as a brand new 4CT audiobook. This audiobook is narrated by Dr. Don Wilton and would be a great gift.

It would also be great to listen to in the car. You will enjoy hearing about the beautiful friendship between Billy Graham and his friend and Pastor Don Wilton. Along with the audiobook, we are offering a DVD collection of Billy Graham Crusades, a gathering of souls. This documentary gives the history of the Crusades from the first event in 1949 to the remarkable events behind the Iron Curtain and in the Far East.

You are sure to enjoy watching this collection of timeless Crusades. Please visit www.tewonline.com or call 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 to order. It's been a powerful day of teaching with Dr. Wilton, but tomorrow he brings to conclusion this message when God speaks before, during, and after the storm, and we'll be back in Matthew 8 together. I hope you'll consider joining us and maybe bringing a friend. And between now and then, know that we can connect on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. Until next time, take care and God bless.