R1691 What Only God Can Do

God has an encouraging word for you and me today, through the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton, and a message called What Only God Can Do. As we open the Word together, know that we're available to pray with you anytime at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. And now today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Let's just join together in a word of prayer. Join me as we pray. Father, what you've done is way out of our understanding and our comprehension. What you've done for us, the greatest sacrifice ever, that the Lord Jesus would lay down his life on a cruel, rugged cross, would be crucified and brutalized for our sin.

And then, by the power of God, be raised from the grave. Lord Jesus, we need you so badly. We need you so badly, Lord, in our lives, in our nation, in this world. Lord, this is an amazing weekend because we celebrate and we give so many incredible warriors our thanks for having laid down their lives for what we enjoy today. This word freedom, and we thank you for them and we bless their memory and their name, their families.

We will never forget them. But Lord, what we struggle with today is this word freedom because we are a free people. Or are we? Lord Jesus, we're a sinful people. So today, Lord, speak to us together. Just wrap us up.

Reveal yourself to us in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. You know, I'm just so glad to see you. So on Thursday, Karen and I went to go and visit one of our families because we've got one family here, another family there, another family overseas in Africa.

So we went down to visit with our grandkids in New Orleans and my youngest grandson gave to me the greatest gift ever when we left on Saturday morning. We were just there briefly, but we left to come all the way back home. And he looked up in my face and he said, Chief, I said, what is it, Oliver?

He said, the worst thing about you and Ducky coming to visit us is that you have to leave us again. I like that. I just had to get that out of my system. I don't know why I said it. I just wanted to say it. You know, I hope that you are just being blessed. At the end of the day, folks, cherish one another. Cherish your family. Don't listen to me now like I'm the big wise man here.

Don't spend your life chasing after empty rainbows. Some of you dads, cut back and spend more time with your kids. Stop. Just cut out all that excess television and your incessant preoccupation with everything other. These things all have their place.

They do. You young guys that are just married and starting families, make up your mind what kind of dad you're going to be. Because that will be what kind of grandpa you're going to be. Stop chasing after empty rainbows. At the end of the day, your relationship with Jesus and your relationship with your wife and your children, your family.

This Memorial Day where people are, summer's beginning and you just think about so many families are just getting together and here today there's some lonely people. God's got a word for you today because you're not alone. And at the end of the day, do what matters.

Stop trying to climb the corporate ladder of success all the time. You don't have to be on top of the ladder to enjoy the grass beneath your feet. God has burned a word in my heart today. I feel like pulling up a chair. I'm standing up here today.

I've got no right to say some of these things. I want to speak to you on this Memorial Day about what only God can do. What only God can do. So, we're going to be in this but I want to set the table and I'm going to ask you to be prepared. We're going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 7.

2 Samuel chapter 7 is going to be very important to see this in just a moment. I have so many personally, now this is Don speaking, I've got many, many mixed feelings on this Memorial Day. You know, I'm one of so many hundreds of thousands of us. I could stand up here today and probably talk for the rest of the time we have about honouring these men and women who have paid such a sacrifice. I could spend the rest of today talking about the United States.

So, let me just say it. There is no greater country on the face of the earth. No greater country. There are no more wonderful people. The American person is the most generous, giving. Go overseas folks, everywhere you can see the Americans. I'm being prejudiced here and that's it. They stand out everywhere.

Not just because we talk a lot, at least I do, but because we're upfront. There's a spirit, there's something in the whole world. Why do you think everybody wants to come here? Have you ever asked yourself that question? People are desperate to come here to this country. This is the land that flows with milk and honey and the opportunities.

Just look at us, look at our people. But what price our freedom? We love to tell everybody we're free. What price our freedom?

What did these people die for? Is freedom just a bunch of pack rats just doing whatever they want to do because they feel like it? Where is respect and honor and value and family and yes sir and no ma'am and please and thank you? What is the matter with us? Why is there such seething, anger, hostility? Freedom, we're living in a dog-eat-dog world.

The reason we end up with the presidents we have may be because there are too many good men and women who are not stupid enough to want to be president. And look what we get left with. God is burning something in my heart. That's why I want to speak to you about what only God can do.

Forgive the interruption. We'll be back with the rest of today's message, What Only God Can Do by Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment. But Dr. Don wants me to remind you our prayer line is available 24 hours a day at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673. Or visit us on our website, TEWONLINE.ORG. That's TEWONLINE.ORG. While you're there, be sure and sign up for the daily encouraging word email from Dr. Don.

That's online at TEWONLINE.ORG. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. These things are not always necessarily the most popular things. Everything today you can't say anything because it gets politicized. I'm just looking at headlines. These are some of the headlines. We're in trouble how the Uvalde massacre unfolded.

Our hearts are just so devastated. Those families, those parents, those little ones. What price our freedom? What is it about America that an 18-year-old can walk into a store and buy a machine gun, 350 rounds of ammunition.

He couldn't walk into that store and buy alcohol. We run in packs. Give me a break. 21 lives extinguished.

Everyone holds Governor Abbott accountable on mental health. I mean debunking false viral tweets. Nepal's terror airplane goes missing with 22 people on board.

The plane condemns the arrival of Russian vessel in Mariupol port to load metal. Memorial Day sales are here. And we've collected hundreds of the best ones.

Go for it, America. We can just buy something more. Long decision period.

The debate over the thermostat is settled. Buffalo, what a tragedy that someone with such racial hatred would walk into a plane, just mow down unbelievably precious people in Buffalo, New York. You know, thousands of flights canceled so far on Memorial Day weekend. You know, you just go through.

I've got to turn that upside down. You go through all of these things. What world do we live in?

Johnny Depp. What, two months on television headline. And there are people who actually watch it. Absolute rubbish. Am I missing something? This is like headlines. This is America. Arguing, fighting, fussing, parents getting at each other. Road rage. Okay. I think all of us understand that. I want to read something to you that happened in the Word of God.

Just takes me back to where I need to be. We're going to be in 2 Samuel chapter 7 and verse 8. Now therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep that you should be prince over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make you a great name like the name of the great ones on the earth. I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them so they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more.

And violent men shall afflict them no more as formerly. From the time I appointed judges over my people Israel, I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house so that when your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you who shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. But my steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul whom I put away from you before. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.

Your throne shall be established forever. May the Lord write this word to our hearts. I think you and I can agree that all of us can look at our world, look at our circumstances, look at our lives and we certainly can count the blessings. As I said to you, I look at today and I think of all our boys and girls at camp and I think of the summer and programming and this beautiful church, how much I love you and our families and one another and the food that we eat. We can talk about, but all of us, let's just before God, would you just say, Lord, I am struggling, I'm struggling to deal with what's going on in my world today. What is going on? Where are we?

Is Jesus coming back? Are we living in end times? There's a restlessness in all over the place. What is our future like? If it's like this, what is it going to be like in the days and years ahead? What about our children? What kind of world are we bringing our children up in?

And if that be the case, how do we as young parents relate to that? What should we do? How should we relate? What's important? I just want to share with you today based upon what God's Word teaches us on the simple but powerful truth, what only God can do. And then I want you to just get this. In this passage, speaking of David, the Bible tells us seven things that God did.

I want you to really be encouraged with this. Only God can turn a nobody into a somebody. That's what happened here in verse eight. God reminded David and said to him, listen, there was a time when all you were, were just what you were.

And look at you now. Only God can turn a nobody into somebody. So when we look at the growth of our little ones, moms and dads, young people, grandparents, and we do everything that we can possibly as believers, you know and who love the Lord Jesus Christ, never forget that God's the one.

God can take a nobody and turn a nobody into a somebody. God is the one. You take our Heavenly Father out, you're on your own.

And evidently, Americans, we don't seem to be doing so well on our own. Number two, only God can be everywhere all the time. You know, verse nine, I love verse nine, I've been with you wherever you went. Only God can be with us everywhere and all the time to boot. God is everywhere. God's watching. God knows. He sees.

He accompanies. That's what happens when you give your heart and life to Jesus. You receive the spirit of the living God. And God by His spirit is everywhere all the time, even in those moments when you are at your lowest point where you've got the greatest questions. Number three, God can prevent enemy attacks. And we are under the enemy's attack, America. We are at war against Satan. And he's found a fertile feeding frenzy ground in the United States of America.

And he's ripping the heart of our nation and our people apart. And only God can prevent an enemy attack. Verse nine, he said, I will cut off all your enemies from you.

You can go on later down into verse 11 and the second part of verse 11. I will give you rest from your enemies. This relentless every day wake up, these headlines, this news, this sadness, these despicable acts of abuse against women and children, even in our own denomination by people that we trust with all of our hearts.

God will cut off the enemy from amidst us. And God will give you rest from that. Parents, you are going to become exhausted. Listen, it's exhausting enough bringing up sons and daughters. Trust me, Karen and I love to go and visit our grandkids. How sweet it is to say goodbye. I mean, I don't know how they sleep. And it's the best in the world and it's lovely for just one and a half days like we had.

Try it for an entire year every day. It's no wonder some of you look like you do. Listen, if it weren't for makeup, we'd get a shock here this morning from some of these young mothers here, you just did a good job, but you had to get up at five o'clock to get it all set in place, didn't you?

Because if you look like you normally do at home, it's no wonder the postman drops your mail off in a box. I didn't say that, I just, God will, what does God do? He prevents enemy attacks.

How do we stop this attack? God, number four, God, only God can protect God fearing people. And look at verse 10, it's so powerful. He says, and I will appoint a place for my people.

I'll plant them there so they may dwell and not be disturbed over and over again. He goes on and he says, and violent men will not get to you. Wow, did you read that? That word violent in the Hebrew text, wicked people. Parents, listen, you know, we talk about all these tragedies. We don't talk enough about what our kids are seeing. The violence on television. What we show, what we project.

What we're putting out there is just a barrage of this stuff. And God says God will protect those who fear him. What a powerful teaching from Dr. Wilton today. Are you under that protection of God? You've been listening to Dr. Wilton as he's been teaching and preaching from the pulpit.

And 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. It's been a powerful day of Bible teaching here on The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilson. Perhaps in these last few moments, as Dr. Don has been leading us and teaching us and praying with us, you've made a decision to rededicate your life to Christ, or to give your life to Jesus for the very first time. Dr. Don would love to rejoice in that moment with you. If you'd like to write to him, you can write to him at Don, D-O-N, at T-E-W online dot O-R-G. He would love to pray for you, and he will see to it that we make sure you get some of the free resources that will help you grow in your faith. Free resources to start your life with Christ if you just gave your life to Jesus, or resources that will help you recommit your life if today was a day of rededication. My book, Saturdays with Billy, is about an extraordinary relationship with a precious man who impacted lives across the world. You don't want to miss this opportunity to be inspired by his life too. And Dr. Don would challenge us all, be in church on Sunday as we celebrate Jesus Christ together and his encouraging word.