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November 27, 2019 8:00 am
Encouraging Word for you and me today.
The Bible makes preaching of Dr. Don Wilton about when God's people call out as we study the word together know that were available for you online and The Encouraging Word.org or 866-899-WORD 866899673 now Dr. Don Wilton God has given me a word for us so I'm just going off you to open your Bibles to second Chronicles chapter 7, you know, as I stand here today. I have no idea what God is going to do in the next few moments literally is that when the fire of the Lord comes down things begin to happen, God begins to do something that we cannot possibly begin to describe. So before I even begin to read to you what God is put in my word in my heart today for you want to make an obvious statement and that statement is that our world is in trouble. I world is in trouble. We're in turmoil. There a lot of people writing about it and talking about, you know, it seems to me that there are three zone that are impacted number one your person. My personhood, I am a person your person your precious person. The first zone that God wants to take hold a visual person in your person today. My encompass.
Who knows what. Maybe you been diagnosed with something. Maybe you've gone through difficult journey.
Maybe the doctors have not given you very good news person is in distress you as a person, a game changer has taken place in your life.
God loves you and I'm going to show you something in a minute concerning you, because the Lord has got a special word just for you and for me for a person for this body. This person, this heart, your heart that beats the second zone is your place. In other words, the place where you find yourself. Every person is surrounded by their place in life and your place could be defined by your work situation. You know your place as a father is a mother, your place in the community is a community leader, your place, you take this person and you put this person in the place.
And God. God wants to say something to you as a person in the place in which he has placed you, and then the third is your perimeter I perimeter. I remember during Army days perimeters were very important to us and very often we would be sent out on different types of excursions basically trying to form a perimeter trying to establish the outside zone of our inside life and your perimeter. My perimeter involves the community in which I live.
It involves the country in which I live. It involves the world in which I live. That's my perimeter, so there are three zones you that I want you to get a hold of the first one is you. It's not about the person next to you starting at about your wife, your husband, your best friends about you it's about me and the second one is the place you find yourself in as a husband is a father is a wife and a mother that you place in life, it's your role as your person and the third is this divorce arena.
This perimeter it's this world that surrounds us that impacts us what happens in America does affect my person and my person does affect what happens in my community and in my country and in my world, and we are living in urgent days and the question that I'm asking of myself is do you and I really want God's eyes to be opened and we really want God to be attentive to us. Do you and I really want God's eyes to be open. Do we want him to see us and we want him to pay attention to us and the onset of that I think is yes I do. I have friends who are going through deep waters and really the bottom line is they want God's eyes to be open and God.
They want God to pay attention to to be attentive to exactly what it is that is going on in their heart and in their life and this is exactly what the Bible tells us here in second Chronicles. The Bible tells us in in no uncertain terms. Look at verse 15 for example, just of chapter 7 and I'm jumping the gun, but I want you to see this. I want to begin at the back door so to speak. Look at verse 50.
Now my eyes will be open in my is attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. Do we really believe that my friends I'd like to just read that again, I will be open and my is will be attentive to the prayer that is made in this place and in this context, talking about Solomon and the Temple. God is speaking about the temple he's talking about the church this place.
This time, this opportunity what we doing right now is very very important. Yes, God can speak to me in my home and in my motorcar on in my fishing boat. God can speak anyway. And God can pay attention anyway. And he does, but there is something in the Bible about what God does in a particularly significant way in his house, anything. If you go back into these passages, I want you to just flip over to chapter 6 was not asking you to read that this morning but chapter 6 verse one. Look what happened in the life of Solomon. Then Solomon said the Lord has said that he would in fact dwell in darkness, but I have moved you and exalted house a place for you to dwell forever.
Let's just say Nicholas God tells us he is going to make these presence known in the thickest and darkest places, but there is something very very wonderful and special about the temple about the tabernacle about the house of God. This is what happened, you're going to verse 12 of chapter 6 what Solomon did. Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and he spread out his hand or I let's go to chapter 7 verse one as soon Solomon finished his prayer. Fire came down from heaven, that's what I'm praying for I'm praying for that in your person in your place, and in your perimeter. The fire of God came down all right.
Let's go to verse 11 chapter 7 in verse 11. Then Solomon finished the house of the Lord in the king's house and all that Solomon had planted in the house of the Lord in his own house. He successfully accomplished then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and say to him. I have heard your prayer and I have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so there is no rhino Kaman the locus to devour the land to send pestilence among my people if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.
Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.
For now, I have chosen and consecrated my house so that my name might be there for ever but eyes and Barnhart will be there for all time. I just want to speak to you for a few moments about when God's people call out and not have to ask myself this question. I've had to say no. What is it that I really want God to do so. I want us to think about this question because this is what was confronting Solomon what is it that we are wanting God what we are asking of the Lord what you wanting of the Lord today. What you are asking God to do what we are asking God to do in our person personally in the place we find ourselves, and in the world in which we find ourselves what we are asking God to do what they really three things that we we wanting God to do and I'm going to summarize them and come back and formalize these we we certainly want God to make himself known.
We want God to make himself known Dudley. I want God to make himself known. I just want to see him. I want to feel him. I want to touch want to hear him. We want God to make himself known number two.
We want God to explain to us what's going on. I I'm asking God to give me an explanation. I want to know why some of my friends are hurting.
I want to I want to know why there is so much terminal I want to know what's going on.
I want to be able to explain from God's point of view. One day spiritual understanding. I want God to explain this to me because I think God explains to me. II just seem to think that I'm going to have a piece in an assurance and an understanding to know what to do and where to do and how to do it. Number three I want God to tell me what to do. I want to know what I'm supposed to do so because the three frameworks that we are operating because this passage here is about God's people calling on the name of the Lord. The three things that that I think are very reasonably filled before the Lord and it certainly manifested its life.
It was Solomon in all the turmoil in which they live. Rebuilt the temple upon the Lord went back to sacrifice renewed their sacrifice went about prayer and fasting, seeking God spice in the fire of God came down upon all those people and something happened. Something begin to happen that they couldn't explain the defied human logic and rarely encompassed the three deep questions about hearts desires about hearts that we would want God to make himself known and we would we would want God to explain to us about ourselves and our sicknesses and and and and our aspirations in our dreams and we would want God to show us what to do. I want my marching orders to come from him. I want to know how to pray.
I want to know what advice to seek I want to know how to deal with my pain. I want to know where to go with my sorrow with my questions, my struggles, so this passage here tells us that when God's people call out these three things happen. Let me show you what happens number one.
The Lord will appear.
Look at verse 12 and the Lord appeared to Solomon when you call on his name. The Lord will appear.
It's a guaranteed God is going to show up. Number two the Lord will explain everything. Look at verse 13 when I shut up the heavens and when I do this and when I do that how I did this and when I acted like this and in fact this passage in following is replete with a God explanation of the life in which they found themselves including the person of the people Solomon and the people individually. God encompassed the person at the place and the perimeter he took all three of these things here. He showed up he made himself known can't tell you how many times over the lost weeks that I can't explain it to you.
I wish that I could explain.
I wish that you know sometimes a site you and I wish that the lack would suddenly just with respect. Everybody sitting down there, but I wish the lack would drop all that they would be a shaking of the earth, though they would be something like that. And these things are happening I'm talking about us. The fact of the matter is there been a number times over the lost months with just know that God has appeared to me, and secondly, that the Lord will explain. He explains he all of a sudden you have the spiritual understanding of things that you and I find so hard to deal with.
I called her a friend lost not I got word that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer so I just called him and I just said to him, I just want you to know that I love you I'm part of your team praying with you, and I believe God is going to do something you and I cannot possibly imagine. I believe that the Lord will appear in the Lord will explain. But the third part of this to me is really the big part of the Lord will call he will make known to us what he requires of us. My precious friends you are all too often coming and we are accepting God's appearing and we are accepting God's explanation, but we are not accepting what God requires of us in turn, you tell us what to do and in fact he he gave to Solomon for things so I'm just going to tell you what he told the Solomon. The Lord will hold his people. When we call on his name. God will call on call on his people. He will call number one for our humility. 20 tells us if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, you know, I think much of what happens to us in life is God's design purpose to creating us a humble and a contrite spirit before he says listen, I'm going here playing going on going to be obtained going on your prayer and going to heal you yes what you have to bring back to the table in turn number one humility your listing to Dr. Don Wilton will be back with the rest of his message. When God's people call out in just a moment Dr. Don Wilton let you know about some unique things are taking place not just during this broadcast but in addition to this broadcast is artifact. If you enjoy podcasts the beyond the pulpit podcast just lost a wonderful time of going deeper in depth about different subjects from God's word with Dr. Don Wilton.
You can discover more by searching for it beyond the pulpit with Dr. Don Wilton on both YouTube video or discover all the ways to connect on her website, The Encouraging Word.org, that The Encouraging Word.org remember we love to pray with you and for you at 866-899-WORD 866899673. Now back to today's message when God's people call out with Dr. Don Wilton see my friends. Humility is the attitude with which we come to him. I know in my own life I have far too many times been far too arrogant when it comes to God they can creep into our lives because of our circumstances and situations, and toward flippancy.
Far too often we arrive in the temple of the living God. Without a thought for who we coming to worship.
Sometimes, we come before him.
We are preoccupied with our gadgets with our conversations. I don't know but it's all of these things because they rule over our world today.
They were everywhere we living in the cyber world was so busy with so engaged with working out plans for lunch and we need to get to the ballgame and we got to make a living and we got plans to do, places to be, and we kind of just simply for Guardian and God is saying no, I require of you. I humble spirit that's the attitude with which we come to him. That's the first call.
The Lord will call for our humility. Secondly, the Lord will call for our prayers.
He said if you humble yourself and pray this is the second requirement of God is going to open his eyes and be attentive someone, we have to humble ourselves. Number two, we have to pray. If humility is the attitude with which we come before him, then our prayers all the conversation with which we engage him.
Prayer is a conversation with God and you and I have become so paralyzed my call is for our pursuit for your pursuit.
That's the third call seek after that would seek often is to pursuit it speaks to the relentless member willing to give up, sit down and say I'm not going to do it anymore.
It is to keep on keeping on its for our pursuit. If humility is the attitude with which we come to him in prayer is the conversation with which we engage him, then our pursuit is the determination with which we approach him.
I'm determined to find God. Don't you. I'm determined I will not allow Satan to get the stronghold in my life. I'm not going to allow this disease to affect I'm going to claim God's power.
I'm going to pursue with a relentless spiritual determination in an attitude of humility in my conversation with God. I'm going to relentlessly pursue off to him. I have made a decision I'm going off the God I'm going to follow hard after God.
Well, there was 1/4 call of God here. He called for our humility and for our prayers and for our pursuit, but he called for our repentance. 20 tells us Roger in verse 14 and if humility is the attitude with which we come to him in prayer is the conversation with which we engage him in pursuit is the determination with which we approach him, then our repentance is the sorrow with which we bow down before him.
Repentance is the prerequisite of a holy and a righteous God for us to hear from heaven, it's coming before him, and saying to him, Lord, we have sin before you buy Emerson we are sinners we stand. The Midstate people who are sinners. Our nation is sinful out world is sinful. We are defying the very law of God, and we repent of our sin. We can face that sin to you, and we know that we have done wrong in your eyes and we called out upon you to forgive us and this is what God will do for us. You want to hear the end of the story he tells us three things number one heal heroes from heaven. That's what verse 14 he said, then I will hear you. Are you listening God. Are you there I thought I gave you humility.
Pray pursuit repentance I will hear you listen when God hears you. It is done. Number two. He will forgive Allison that a wonderful thing is amazing to think that God would forgive us. This is an amazing thing that we can be a forgiven people we can be set free. That's where salvation begins. It begins right there at the foot of the cross forgiven of our sin when we come before him and we need to be coming before him in and asking him to forgive us as a people.
Forgive us for who we are and what we offer our attitudes for our sinfulness. Forgive us for the way in which we take ownership on everything that we have forgive us for not letting go. Forgive us for robbing God forgive us for not having forgive us for not giving out offerings to the Lord, forgive us for not going for him. Forgive us for not serving. Forgive us for that unkind word and forgive us for not just being available. Forgive us for not touching that person shoulder and loving on others.
Forgive us for not being poured out vessels forgive us for being far too concerned about things that have no meaning in life he will heroes from heaven he will forgive Allison and then he will heal our land. God has told us that he's eyes will be open. His ears attentive and incorporated in that God wants to heal us. He wants to heal us as a people beginning with our own personal beginning with us in the place in which we find ourselves beginning with the perimeter of our existence and present the house of the Lord wonderful, wonderful Savior, counselor Mikey King, Prince, Redeemer, protector, such powerful words as removing the holidays. Wonderful Counselor, mighty King, Prince of peace, Redeemer, those are Christmas like words that he is ready to be the Christ of Christmas in your life during November. We love to speak with you. Pray with you about what it is to say yes Jesus Christ.
Our phone number is 866899 word that 866-899-9673 or me this online keyboard keyboard Encouraging Word.org the Encouraging Word.org Dr. Don Wilton are you ready to give you life to Jesus Christ, why did you pray this prayer with me right now they are gone.
I know that I was and I know that God they are, I will see Jesus, my friend welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting new and by the way, don't go away. I'll be right back again.
What a glorious day it's been on this midweek addition of the Encouraging Word were Dr. Don Wilton done something you made a decision let's talk about it.
Let's pray that let's put resources in your hands that will help you grow their free for the asking. Call 866899 word that's 866899673 or me this online and the Encouraging Word.org and is your online I pray look at this wonderful book from Dr. Don Wilton are Scripps trading? Now what happened when you die, where exactly do you are not good you know over my many years of ministry and from so many of you I get so many questions about life. God led me to write but not absolute certain life.
I want to have a copy number on your screen and copy of my normal absolute certainty of life. We hope you consider getting your copy of that book you can call again 866-899-WORD 866-899-9673 or me this online energy conducted on the site. We love those resources in your hands. Also pray for you at 866-899-9673