R991A Has The Time Come? Pt.1

Has the time come?

What a powerful question. Let's discover the answer in God's Word together with Dr. Wilton. This is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author, evangelist, seminary professor, and pastor, and today let him pastor you and me as we go to 2nd Timothy chapter 4 and answer this question, Has the time come? We'll be studying God's Word together, especially in 2nd Timothy, over the next couple of days, and we want you to know that we're here for you. We would love to encourage you, perhaps pray for you, at 866-899-WORD, that's 866-899-9673, or on our website at www.tewonline.org. Right now, a wonderful resource that'll help you be a Christian witness, now more than ever.

That's online at www.tewonline.org. And now today's teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Now folks, I'm going to invite you to open your Bibles this morning to 2nd Timothy chapter 4. 2nd Timothy and chapter 4. I want to say a few things before I dive into the Scripture, and as always, you're going to need your Bibles, because God is going to speak to our hearts this morning in a very significant way.

Has the time come? We are living in a very interesting day and age. My purpose today is not to do an analysis of the world in which we live.

So if you will beg my pardon, I'm not going to do that. But I want to lay the table for God's Word. I want you to be able to understand something very important today. Then we're going to ask God what to do about it. What is happening in our world?

What's going on? Is Jesus about to come back? Are we living in the last days? Now folks, there are some very interesting things going on right now. They've happened before, but not quite like this. The World Monetary Fund, the World Bank, foreign banks are actually talking about, I mean they are actually talking about a one-world economy.

This is no longer speculative. The conversation today is let's have just one currency in the world. They've done that in Europe. When I used to go to Europe in the 70s and 80s, we'd go from one country to the next. If you were in Germany, you've got Deutsche marks and then you'd come up to a border post to go into France or into Italy and you'd have to go through and show a passbook and a visa and then you'd change all your Deutsche marks for the French franc or the Italian lira or whatever it might have been. Today you don't have to worry about that.

In fact, you don't even go through a crossing. They use the euro, just one currency. Now there are still some countries like England that have not bought into that system yet, but they will. Some people refer to Europe as the United States of Europe. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, has become rather somewhat interesting in its makeup. The old Warsaw Pact that we thought would be dismantled is bearing witness to the rise again of Russia. Russia has not gone to sleep. There are strange alliances being set up between Venezuela and Russia and Cuba and the communist alliance that so many of us thought was dead and gone is the rattling of the saber in the Baltic states and the old Yugoslav republics might have been done away with, but the cultural divide is still there amongst those people. Following the break of the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas, the militant wing of the Palestinians that ruled Gaza with an iron rod was broken and Israeli jets went into Gaza and hundreds of people were killed and Hamas is launching rocket attacks against them.

Some of them I believe even hit as far away as Beersheba and the Israeli towns are under attack again. I haven't even got into the currency yet. The world markets are all inextricably intertwined. No longer can you say that well this country is having a recession and America will go and bail them out. What happens today is when one country begins to weep the whole world bursts into tears.

Everybody weeps. Today on the internet and the use of computer technology is becoming so advanced modern technology becomes redundant almost as quickly as you purchase it. You're out of date.

It's hard to keep up. As soon as you buy something that's just hit the market tomorrow something else takes its place. You can go to things like Google Earth and the world can zoom in on your house and watch your own dog running around in your front yard. Privacy is no longer an issue. We've moved rapidly into an everybody's business cashless society and some people believe that the economic recession is going to interrupt the feeding frenzy on credit cards but it's not because it's the only way people know how to survive and increasingly today you don't travel with cash in your pocket. We're told that people can get into your computer. I believe I'm told I don't know that these are accurate statistics that something like 96% of all people do all their finances on a computer. Pay their bills. There are things today called e-bills. Paper is redundant. Today you can just click on here and say I don't want any paper in my house anymore.

I just want to get it on my computer and everything comes. You can go and check your accounts and you can balance your books. You can borrow money. You can ship money, transfer money. You can all do it on just one little instrument. You can carry that on an airplane with you and do it. You don't even need a hookup anymore.

You just need something to stick in the side and it works and wireless today is the order of the day and access. People have got access. I'm told I don't know this that anybody who wants to can check you out. They can find out everything about you and the criminal system that is developed in our world today is remarkable and the control of people is unprecedented and here we are in a church like this and God has blessed us and we've sown and cast a fresh vision for our church and we're enjoying unprecedented unity and our people are together and we're gathering in God's house and we're crying out to our Heavenly Father and the question that I have on my mind is has the time come and even more importantly Lord what is it that you would say to my heart as the pastor of a precious precious group of people that I love so much what does God telling me I want to invite you to come with me on a brief journey this morning as we ask God to help us to become a church where every member wants to invite anyone and everyone to come to First Baptist Church to encounter the living Lord Jesus Christ and if that be true and God grants to us our hearts desire what is it that he expects from us what is the Lord telling me as your pastor well in this passage in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 is a remarkable passage and what I want to do today is something perhaps just a little different I want to share with you what God has told me because I believe so implicitly in God by his spirit that God takes his word his word never returns void and God will take his word and he will apply to your heart because it's God's Word and here in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 we find the Apostle Paul speaking to Timothy and this is what he says in verse 1 in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead and in view of his appearing and his kingdom I give you this charge preach the word be prepared in season and out of season correct rebuke and courage with great patience and careful instruction for the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine instead to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths but you keep your head in all situations endure hardship do the work of an evangelist discharge all the duties of your ministry for I'm already being poured out like a drink offering and the time has come for my departure I have fought the good fight and I have finished the race and I have kept the faith now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge will award to me on that day and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing as your pastor the Lord has told me that there are four things that I need to be aware of that I need to do and folks I believe that God is speaking to our hearts today listen carefully number one always know that God is watching always know that God is watching now that is a profound statement as we move into a fresh year as we consider all the strife and the turmoil and the challenge of the world in which we live as I stand in this pulpit Sunday by Sunday as we teach Sunday school classes as we go on youth trips as we seek to become the kind of congregation where everybody and anyone can come to First Baptist Church to encounter the living Lord Jesus Christ what must we do always know that God is watching what a solemn charge and a deep deep responsibility and Paul here doesn't just simply say that we need to always know that God is watching he clearly defines that for us watch what he says he says always be aware first of all of the Lord's presence that's what he tells us in verse 1 in the presence of God did you know that God is here this morning now folks that is a deep theological statement God is here God's in the house our God and our Father he's not somebody on the outer circle of life he's in here he's with us God with us we sang about him just a little while ago Emmanuel God with us God in us and we need to always be aware of the Lord's presence cannot put that into modern-day terminology folks like never before we better watch out how we worship God because of his presence you're listening to dr. Don Wilton please don't go away he'll be back with more of today's message in just a moment but dr. Don wants you to know that we're here for you to encourage you every day on our website TEW online.org that's TEW online.org one of those respected and influential Christian leaders of the world is mr. Chuck Colson he's with Jesus now and dr. Wilton because of dr. Don's last 25 years spending summers ministering in prisons they connected and had a friendship and a relationship and so the book the final word my final word from Chuck Colson is a part of our offer today at TEW online.org it's a combined resource with Chuck Colson and dr. Don Wilton about the authority of Scripture and how it will empower us to be the kind of Christian witness we're called to be in this culture that we live again the details are on our website at TEW online.org while you're there be sure and sign up for the daily encouraging word email from dr. Don of course it's absolutely free that's online at TEW online.org now back to today's great teaching with dr. Don Wilton we better be careful how we speak about God we better watch it we better be very careful how we conduct ourselves in the house of God we better be very careful about where we go and what we do and how we act and where we where we interact in our society because of the Lord's presence not only that Paul takes it even further he says not only be aware of the Lord's presence but be aware of the Lord's judgment and he puts that for us in context right here in verse 1 look at it he says who will judge both the living and the dead what we do most of all and correctly so is most of us believe that we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ so that one day when we die or when Jesus comes again that we're going to be transported by the angels into the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and that is so true but folks Paul here says that God is not only the judge of the dead he's the judge of the living do you know that he watched what you put in that offering plate this morning he knows and he's judging you did you tip God today it's going to judge you for that I know that that's tough talk let me ask you this what did you do yesterday where were you what did you put in your body what did you look at where'd you be I'm not asking you to go and watch a cricket match with me this is a this is a deep theological question he says always be aware here's the overriding principle I'm standing here as your pastor today and I'm saying now Lord what do you expect of me as a pastor as the shepherd of the flock what do you expect to me what are you telling me God's just simply saying Don watch out I'm watching always be aware that God's in the house of his presence always be aware of the Lord's judgment he's the judge of the living and the dead but just but how did you talk to your wife this weekend anyone here use a four-letter word anyone here today did you take the night anyone use God's name in vain anyone tell God how hot it was at Christmas he's the judge of the living and the dead folks our Lord is not a fair way that God doesn't just come out when the Sun shines always be aware watch out I can I just be very honest with you there's a part of that that puts the fear of the Lord into me you know you might smile at this but had my family over Christmas we wanted to go and see a movie and my dad said oh I want to go and I turned to my dad the brothers didn't said no you're not dad said why can't I go we said because you ruin movies don't don't ever take my dad to a movie he'll ruin it for you he will not put up with junk I said you're not going with us now you're all asking well how come you went well it was a PG movie and actually it turned out to be a very good movie do you know something folks there's just something about that you know it was my dad who always used to say son would you take Jesus with you he would ruin one evening after another for me when I was a teenager that's why to this day no movies with dead always be aware of the Lord's presence and of the Lord's judgment but notice there in verse 1 there's a third thing always be aware of the Lord's coming he says who will be appearing it's coming again you know in 1st Thessalonians 4 Paul talks about the fact that the rapture of the church is going to take place it's a dramatic passage dead in Christ will rise and those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord or when is that has the time come what must we do only God knows when he's coming by the way the world has been in conflict before folks they've been economic problems in our world before and sometimes a lot worse than what we've been through gone are some of our senior adults what was like to live in the 20s and 30s and the 40s during wartime go and ask him they'll tell you today's a walk in the park compared to that it's happened before only God knows when Jesus is going to come but the Bible says we must encourage one another I don't know about you but one thing I want to do is I want to always know that God is watching that's the first thing all right number two always preach God's Word that's what the Lord is telling me this new year look what he says in verse two he says preach the word always preach God's Word you know some people might say well pastor you've been here for just on 16 years now and we appreciate the fact that you preach from the Word of God do you know that I just inherited that for 25 years dr. Alistair Walker preached the Word of God prior to that dr. John slaughter and you can go on all the way back I'm grateful folks I inherited that that's why I love to preach the Word of God now why preach the word why that's the question why does he say preach the word be ready in season and out of season at all times it doesn't matter whether stocks are up or stocks are down preach the word and that great stocks are up stocks down preach the word whether you turning left or right preach the word be ready instance in season and out of season whether you got a job whether you don't preach the word why well just let me give you a couple of reasons why he says it's number one because it lets God speak folks you don't need to hear from me we need to hear from God and God speaks through his word Bible says my word will not return void let's God speak number two it demands discipline study you preach God's Word it demands discipline study folks watch me everybody watch me to stand in this pulpit every week week by week week by week jolly hard work I'm not saying all get up and shed a tear to study God's Word involves disciplined study if you're a Sunday school teacher you are teaching God's Word it involves disciplined study to come to grips doing Bible studies our ladies Bible studies I mean right across we've got so many our discipleship leaders who are teaching our young people the Word of God discipline study that's an amazing thing when you study God's Word God will bless your heart he does it every time but there's a third reason because it covers every issue when you preach God's Word it covers every issue that is why for 90% of the time as your pastor I preach systematically through the Word of God goodness one of these days we need to go back and go and remind ourselves all the books and sections we've gone through I mean verse by I remember preaching through Hebrews took us 75 weeks or something I remember preaching through the book of Revelation took us two years to get through the book of Revelation about 12 14 years ago gospel of John Nehemiah you know when you preach God's Word it covers every issue do you know that in all my years here in Spartanburg I have never had one person come and say to me you're picking on me when you preach God's Word you never pick on anybody God does the picking amen you never have to pick the subject I don't wake up in the morning and say well let's see now what can I preach on today just preach the Word of God God will pick the subject you've been listening to dr. Don Wilton and as he's been preaching that is our prayer is that we would all be convicted by the Word of God to make a difference to make a change in our life perhaps you'd like to have someone praying with you or for you about whatever God stirred in your heart to the teaching of dr. Wilton today our phone numbers eight six six eight nine nine word and we'll connect with one of us 24 hours a day happy to pray and earnestly intercede with you and for you on behalf of what God is stirring in your heart the number again is eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three but before we get away you've heard dr. Wilton as he's been teaching and preaching from the pulpit 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 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 I 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 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 to give your life to Christ to rededicate your life oh how dr. Wilton wants to pray for you intercede for you and we want to do that collectively as well as dr. Wilton has some wonderful resources he wants you to have absolutely free as you grow in your next steps our phone numbers eight six six eight nine nine word that's eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three call for your free resources as you grow in this new decision to follow Jesus Christ or to rededicate your life we'd love to connect with those resources the number again eight six six eight nine nine nine six seven three or on our website te w online dot o RG that's te w online dot o RG where you'll find great resources like this Jesus Christ is the final authority he is the only standard by which Christians should live their lives he's the only solution to everything that we face in life as you give a gift of support to the encouraging word this month you will receive the message the final authority by dr. Don Wilton along with the bonus book my final word holding tight to the issues that matter most by Chuck Colson these resources will equip you with the assurance and reliance and knowing the power of the God you serve the encouraging word is a viewer and listener supported ministry thank you for listening today our time's gone for today but dr. Wilton continues in second Timothy tomorrow with more of this message has the time come I hope you'll join us between now and then drop by our website te w online dot o RG and discover more about who we are as the encouraging word lifts up the name of Jesus and every day sees lives changed by the power of God's encouraging word