Welcome to The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton, well-known author and evangelist, and today's message on the hand of God. During these next few moments, we're going to be talking about what it is to not only see the hand of God in other people's lives, but to pursue it in our own lives in such a way that we can be affirmed that we're moving in the center of God's will. Not His permissive will, but His perfect will. That's what we seek, following God and His perfect will. As we do so, know that we're getting connected online at theencouragingword.org, theencouragingword.org, and this phone number, 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673. We would love to connect with you, to pray with you, maybe to connect with some of our resources that will help you grow in your walk with Christ. Now let's open our hearts and our Bibles together with Dr. Don Wilton.
I'm going to be speaking today on the hand of God, and before I do, before we open God's Word, I want to set the table. This is what I know God wants me to say to you. I want you to think about your own life, your own circumstance.
Just think about where you are at this moment in time. Good things, not so good things, some really bad things. Who amongst us today is going through a battlefield? Who today, worshiping the Lord, and quite frankly, you really don't know how to cope. Who amongst us today facing an uncertain future? Who amongst us today is lonely? Who amongst us today has lost everything? Someone today you've been diagnosed with cancer. Who are you? Now I know quite a few of you.
It's not about whether or not I know or someone else knows. Now let's turn the tables and just think about people who just, you're riding on a cloud right now. You've been certainly blessed. You know, all of a sudden you find yourself in a good place. It's good to be in a good place, isn't it? Or maybe you're about to go on a journey. I want to speak to you about the hands of God.
This is the word I want to share with you. We're going to discover that God has hands and that he places his hand on people. Don't you want God to place his hand on you?
I do. So what can you do today about where you are today? The greatest thing you can do is to ask God to put his hand on you.
You can do that. All right, here's the issue. What do we do?
How do we do it? What is our response? Have you got something coming up in your business?
Is there a business person who is making a business decision right now? What are you going to do about it? What is the greatest thing that you can do about it? Here it can do about it. Here it is.
Ask God to put his hand on you, and he will. Acts chapter 11, book of Acts chapter 11. Just going to read a few verses, but I think that this is going to help us to understand something that happened here. As a background, the church like ours had just begun, the New Testament church, and these people were facing everything from blessings to cursings. Ministries were exploding, but at the same time they were facing unprecedented persecution. Anyone here going through a divorce?
Anyone facing something? And if you pick up this passage in verse 19 of chapter 11, now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch speaking the word to no one except Jews, but there were some of the men of Cyprus and Cyrene who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also preaching the Lord Jesus. Look at verse 21. If you see and hear nothing today, I'm praying that this verse is going to find a precious special home in your heart. Verse 21, and the hand of the Lord was with them. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. And this report came of this to the ears of the church in Jerusalem. So they sent Barnabas, by the way, Barnabas was Mr. Encourager.
I like that. So I'm going to show you in a minute. Here comes God's hand and here comes encourager.
Here comes Mr. Encouragement. And when he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose for he was a good man full of the Holy Spirit and faith and a great many people were added to the Lord. When God's hand is on you, three things will happen.
I just want to give this to you. Number one, it means that God is with you. It means God is with you. When God's hand is on you, it means that God is with you.
It's much like thunder and lightning in the heart of a little child. My son and daughter had to move houses this week and Karen has been helping them move. And so I went down during the week to go and help a little bit as well. And one of the, we were around a swimming pool and all of a sudden we noticed something in the swimming pool. You know what it was? It was a crab. You would have thought, listen, those twins of ours went ballistic. I mean, you would have thought there was some kind of monster in that swimming pool. And if it wasn't for Big Chief, I mean, I'm so brave. I mean, get in that swimming pool and get this monster. I mean, this monster was about that big. And the twins were running around squawking like chickens.
I mean, with their heads cut off, you would have thought they were about to, their lives were going to end and Chief came to the rescue. And you know, eventually all you have to do with a child, you know, all you end up, you know what the bottom line is? You can get rid of all the crabs in the world. You want to do the greatest thing you can do for a child? Just hug them.
Put your hand on them. Because what it says to that child, it says to that child, you know what? My grandpa's with me. My grandmother's with me. Dad's with me. Mom's with me. When that bolt of lightning comes in the middle of the night, that's why that little one charges out of that bed, gets straight into bed with mom and dad, ruins the rest of your night's sleep.
But that little child will sleep so well. So what does it mean when God's hand is on you? Number one, that God is with you. Friend, if God's not with you, you're not going to do very well. Greatest presence in your life is the presence of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus.
On that plane, through the valley, on the mountain top, on the mountain top, in that hospital room, going through that medical exam, hearing that diagnosis, trying to explain how something happened that was so wonderful that you cannot explain, the hand of God. When God's hand is on you, it also means that God is touching you. It doesn't just mean that He's with you. You can be with someone but not touch them. Sometimes you and I can be like ghosts passing in the night.
You can be around someone but never connect with them. When God touches you, He enters into your life. You feel Him. But it also means that God is blessing others through you. So watch the threefold impact of the hands of God. When God's hands are on you, if you look at the dynamic of the scriptures and God puts His hands on you, that's what I'm praying for you today, that God would put His hand on you. Would you pray that for me?
Can we pray that for each other? That God would put His hands on us. It means God is with you. It means that God is touching you. But it also means that God is blessing others through you. God's presence, His hand in your life, literally means that when others come around you because you've got God's hand on you, others become blessed. They feel that. Have you ever been around someone? You cannot explain it properly but you just know that they're walking that they're walking with the Lord.
You just know that. So many people that I know that I love being around. It's because you just know that God's hand is on them. Now look what happened in this passage.
If we were to ask ourselves specifically what happened here, just to provide a basis by which we can connect into what God is trying to say to us. launch your day in a powerful way and you can sign up for it in a number of ways. You can go to our website www.tewonline.org and sign up to have it email-a-phonically sent to your email box every day. Or you can even call us at 866-899-WORD and we'll sign you up there. Either for the physical copy, we send out a quarterly version every quarter, but you can also have it emailed as well. Again, the details are on our website www.tewonline.org where you'll also discover great resources like this. That's just one of many great resources you'll find on our website www.tewonline.org.
That's t-e-w online dot o-r-g. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. So many people that I know that I love being around. It's because you just know that God's hand is on them. Now look what happened in this passage. If we were to ask ourselves specifically what happened here, just to provide a basis by which we can connect into what God is trying to say to us. Look what happened to them in the New Testament. Number one, when God's hand was on them, number one, many believed. That's what verse 21 tells us. Many believed. Verse 21, a great number believed. Turning to the Lord.
Don't you want that to happen? Many believed. Number two, news spread. News spread. Look at verse 22. Bible says this report came to the ears of others. By the way, the good news about Jesus is worthy of spreading around the world. I want that news to spread. I love it when we go into prisons all across America as Steve leads us and as we will with our young people.
That's an amazing thing. We're going into these prisons and it's voluntary, which means you cannot force anybody to come to quote unquote a religious service. This is America. So you can't mandate, you cannot say you must come and listen to our young people sing and to me preach.
You can't do that. Totally voluntary. So what we do is we just get on with the business and you know what happens? The news spreads. I mean, how many times, Steve, have we been up there and everything's going on and suddenly here comes another hundred of these men or women who are incarcerated and they walk in and it's like deer in the headlights. They don't know what's going on.
They don't know what they're about to get smacked up one side of the face with when it comes to the gospel. They've got no idea, but words out, it spreads. Something is happening.
There's something going on and I need to know. News spread. Number three, help arrive.
Verse 22 tells us in the second part that Barnabas immediately was dispatched and it's by no mean accident that Barnabas was the encourager of the group. Do you know what I believe happens when God's hand is on you? God immediately dispatches the right people and the right circumstances for your very need. The very person who needs to be with you will be there. I mean, how many times do you and I not find ourselves going to see someone and you walk in there and then someone says, I cannot believe it. You are the exact person I need to see.
Do you know what? I want to be the exact person someone needs to see. That's why I need the hand of God on me, but I also want you to have the hand of God on you because I need the exact person to come and see me. Help arrived.
Just by the way, this has got nothing to do with this message. One of the greatest things that you can do as you go through your journey is to just simply accept and admit that you need help. Gentlemen, if you are one, men, look at me.
Guys, it's one of the greatest weaknesses we have as men. Just admit that you need help. If you are fighting something right now, stop doing it alone.
That's why you're not winning. Just admit that you need help. When you admit that you need help, you're going to receive that help. Help arrived. Number four, grace showed. These are all great things that happened here when the hand of God came on them. Grace showed.
It is a beautiful picture. Verse 23, when he came and saw the grace of God. By the way, the grace, grace of God, what is grace? It's God's undeserved, unmerited favor. One of the things about being in the trough of life is that you will read really get to the point at which you recognize that you don't deserve anything. Grace. God will not come and bless you and put his hand on you because you deserve it. He'll do it because he's the God of grace, because he loves you. So do any of us deserve what God does for us?
I don't think so. Grace showed. Number five, gladness resulted.
Look at verse 23, the second part. He was glad. That little word gladness, by the way, is a derivative of the word to be happy. Don't you love being glad? Do you want to be happy? I'm not talking about a frivolous, just simplistic smile on your face. When you talk about gladness in Christ, you're talking about a complete completeness, a fulfillment. Are you in a good place right now? Can you genuinely say you're in a good place right now?
If not, I want to pray that God's hand would come upon you. Look what happened to them. Gladness resulted. Number six, encouragement poured out. That's a fantastic statement that is made here in the latter part of verse 23, because he said he exhorted them all to remain faithful. That little word exhorted there is the same word to encourage.
He encouraged them. I'm encouraging you now. I'm trying to encourage you.
That's all I'm trying to do. I want to encourage you because God loves you, because Jesus died for you, because your life can be completely different. These things that I'm talking about, believing in him, hearing that great report, being given the right help when you need it, the grace of God, gladness and happiness, and in encouragement in your life. And the final one here, blessings abounded.
I love the last verse that I read to you, verse 24. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit faith, and a great many people were added to the family of the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessings abounded. Blessings abounded. It all has to do with the hand of God.
So here's the question. Greatest explanation you can give is the hand of God. We're talking about all this opportunity to serve the Lord around the world, the goings and the comings of a people actively engaged.
Can we ask God to put his hand upon us? We're talking about our individual lives. We're talking about the struggles that we have. We're talking about the joys that we experience.
We talk about the obstacles that we face, the mountains that we have to climb. The hand of the Lord was on them. Are you hearing him? Would you bow your head with me for just a moment? Just bow your heads with me for just a moment. I want to pray for you. You'd say to me today, Pastor, I just want God's hand to be upon me. Would you allow me to pray for you as we pray for each other?
Lord, in this beauty, this beauty, this incredible, beautiful place where your holiness permeates our lives, the beauty of your presence. I pray for all of us today. I pray for all of us today. I hold out my hands, mere human hands in the name of the Lord. And just like they did in the New Testament, Lord, I pray that you'd put your hands upon a people today, on us as a church, on every mission for Christ this summer, on every journey. I pray for people today, Lord, who need your hand, physically, medically, financially, personally.
I want to pray so much for somebody today who really finds themselves in a really not good place, that your hand would come down through the heavens, that you would hold this person in the palm of your hand, touching them with your grace. Be with us, touch us, use us to be a blessing to others. Put your hand on our nation, Lord. Put your hand on our troops. Put your hand on our leaders.
Put your hand on parents, grandparents. And this we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. If perhaps the Lord has stirred your heart, maybe to a new adjustment of your path, a new commitment to Christ, or maybe you're committing to Jesus for the very first time, let us walk alongside with you. You know, when we talk about Jesus for the very first time, let us walk alongside with you. You know, one of the joys of the Christian life, the body of Christ, is that we're built for community. We are designed to be together in fellowship, growing in the relationships we have as individuals, as fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, but also as parts of a unit in a local church. If you don't have a local church, boy, we'd love to help you find one.
We do it every single week. We have opportunities through Michelle who leads that team in finding you somewhere in the next couple of zip codes where you are. A Bible-believing church that we have partnered with that you can be guaranteed will lift you up, encourage you, also allow you a place to roll up your sleeves and get involved. It's not just about what we receive in going to church.
It's more about how we get involved. Know that we're ready to connect with you both online at theencouragingword.org, and this phone number, 866-899-WORD. Before we go, closing thoughts on this very special offer. How certain are you of your eternal destination? If you look at the world today, it's easy to see we are not living in the best of times. While in the midst of all that's going on in America, the Bible is clear. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again at a time only the Father knows. This month, as you give a gift of any amount to the Encouraging Word broadcast ministry, you will receive the imminent return of Christ. This powerful CD and DVD message set will help you identify the signs of His coming. Plus, you will receive a bonus gift, the red letter words of Jesus, to encourage you and breathe life into your relationship with the one who knows you fully and loves you completely.
Write to us at Post Office Box 2110, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 29304, or call us toll free at 866-899-WORD, or visit online at theencouragingword.org. Thank you for your support of the Encouraging Word broadcast ministry. Well, here I am again.
What a day this has been. You know, one of the things I want to say to you is let's stay connected. You know, we've got so many means to be able to do that. You can write to us, email us. We stay connected in so many ways, and your life is very important to me. I see you there, and God shows me, and I want to be able to pray with you and connect with you and be a vital part of your relationship, your growth.
Your needs are maintained. I'm walking in your shoes, and I want to pray for you. Please don't stop. Call us.
Write us. Keep praying. Keep giving. Keep connecting. Keep rejoicing. Keep celebrating. Keep striving. God is on His throne. This is the Encouraging Word, and now you know why. The Encouraging Word.
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