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April 7, 2021 8:00 am
God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton as we open the book of Hebrews together. Yes, as a matter fact Hebrews chapter 2 as we dive into experiencing God to the greatness of salvation. Today's message from Dr. Don Wilton well-known author advance in the seminary professor, most of all Pastor would love to share him with you today. As we open the word of God together. I would love to share with you in your burdens. What's going on in your life that you like to have us encourage you in prayer phone numbers 866-899-WORD. We would love to pray with you just now during the broadcast. But any time at 866-899-9673 meters online as well. At tewonline.org that's TW online.org about today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton and with me in the New Testament to the letter to the Hebrews chapter now before we read the first three verses I want to say a few words subject this morning experiencing God through the greatness of salvation. Now, beloved friends.
There is nothing that is more important that we could never talk about. There is nothing that we could ever read about.
There is nothing more important that we could ever experience in our own lives, then salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is absolutely likely and fundamentally the single most important issue that any of us could ever deal with at any time in our entire existence. In fact, salvation is our existence and salvation is our existence for all time and for all eternity somehow subject this morning experiencing God through the greatness of salvation. I'm going to read just three verses, but if you will beg my pardon today. I'm going to stop once or twice as I'm prone to do, because there is so much in this class something to do just a little exegesis. That means I'm going to just do a little bit of an unraveling of some of these words here as I begin to speak and preach what God is light upon my heart. Let's read it together.
Verse one Hebrews chapter 2 we must pay more careful attention. Therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away. Let's stop right there what the writer to the Hebrews writing to Christian people. The subject we as the Christian people.
He is saying the man and woman in Boys and Girls Club like you and me who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior.
He is saying that we need to pay attention to the things that we have heard about concerning the Lord Jesus Christ last in the King James version. The authorized version puts it like this list at any time. We should let them slip at any time what God has done for us in Christ Jesus will parse through our fingers.
Now what he mean by that. You cannot lose your salvation if you given your life to Christ.
But what the writer to the Hebrews is saying here very clearly my friends is that it is possible as a believer. If we do not pay attention to what God has made available to us and for us in the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is possible to be born again and another that we know that we going to heaven one day and get to lead a deep, powerless life as a believer it is possible to be a believer and get not live in the fullness of the spirit of the living God. Now how does that apply to the unbelief.
Well, that applies to the unbelieving no different sense of the word accepting it is far more serious than that because for the unbeliever of the person who has not trusted Jesus Christ. If you do not pay attention to the things that God has done for us in Christ Jesus in his death upon the cross. The time icon that these things are going to slip through your finger and you are going to lose your opportunity ever to give your life to Christ wanted you done open the newspaper this morning. I haven't read Sunday's Piper but I'll guarantee you exclude from cover to cover with people whose opportunity in terms of Christ Jesus has slip through their fingers.
Now look at this verse we must pay more careful attention. Therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away. Now, why, why do we need to pay attention to reduce for the message spoken by Angels was binding and that would binding their beloved friends means absolutely certain without any segment of arrow whatsoever.
That's why we believe this is the inerrant and infallible word of God and we don't apologize for every word from Genesis to Revelation without apology. The Bible says if we believe that the message which has been given to us by the Angels through the word of God by the inspiration of the Spirit of God is absolutely binding if it is absolutely certain and consequently every violation, and every disobedience received. It's just punishment the writer to the Hebrews is just quoting Paul in his letter to the Romans he is saying if we believe that the wages of sin is death.
If we believe quiet that every violation of God. Every sin is punishable by death by spiritual day.
If we believe that God means what God says. Look at verse three.
Does the crux of the whole matter, how shall we escape, if we ignore such a great salvation by the Lord righties word upon our hearts this morning. That's the question experiencing God through the greatness of salvation. I love to talk about celebration. Someone said to me many years ago in Glorieta New Mexico. As I was preaching there for one of our convention meetings.
They said to me Dr. Wilton.
I believe that what you need to do is tell people how to find them soon.
You need to tell people how to pull himself toward themselves and when they find themselves. They going to find within themselves in the goodness and that in the goodness is going to lead them to turn the God I want you to know frame that is a very dumb plow of everything that God's Word teaches us. The Bible says will dead in our trespasses and in our sins and the writer to the Hebrews said under the inspiration of the spirit of God. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.
I wonder how many of you need to listen to this.
How many of you not be honest with me. Don't hide away from the how many of you love to daydream put up their hands,, thank you, thank you so much. I just have to settle that II love to drive daydream.
My sons will tell you that in a New York second. I love to guide I'm not what's wrong with daydream.
I love to daydream. I've imagined anything and everything you've ever imagined. I have folks are going to be honest with I'm tech.
I want you to do something with me this morning.
I want you to imagine that you can have anything you want except salvation just picked a finger there. It is not done that you not listen I've imagined. Have you ever come home from work in the evening and you are just did. I mean, you are so tired you done it with you off Thomas to get on with you coming or going. I mean you just tried you don't want to talk to anybody you you had a heavy day at the office and saw you walking and you get your favorite chair and often will it's Monday night and Monday night football is on you going to have a good time and and you inform your wife that this is not a good time to have any conversation you want the children to go to bed and you get out all you good food you empty out the refrigerator you get out to fight the chocolate cake and ice cream and you get out popcorn and Diet Coke to make you feel better and you sit down and you got the whole thing sit out there in front of you and you sit down nobody's bothering you.
You gonna watch the game of the century and as you sit down. All of a sudden there's a knock on the front door and very reluctantly you get up and you go to the front door and for the first time in your life you going to tell someone to just go away. Please you open the door. There's a gentleman in a dark suit, and he says to use your name Don Wilton you say yes he says is a Dr. Donald J. Would you suggest your session plays the game started.
He says to what I want, what are you very long, but I'm an attorney and I come from Great Britain and your great uncle has just pasta wire and he left his entire estate valued at $40 million to you but I want one, come on man, come on in and sit down turn that television settle how many times about told you not to have the TV on when we have guests. Would you like some popcorn. Many could eat all my chocolate cake rule. I'm interested all the money in the world. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation I tell you one better than their with apologies to Barry Tony and Dick Cox and all my dear brothers in the stricture folks. I I've got. I have dreams will be morning to say this to you for long time. This is serious and are pleased unlawfully I have imagined myself to be the world's most famous starting quarterback in the NFL play. I have I have seen myself as the starting quarterback of the New Orleans Saints.
That's right they going to go to the Super Bowl.
All guaranteed by the year 2050. It's guaranteed and end times. I'm famous now folks that we talk about a man of my caliber everybody knows me. I mean everybody all of the world.
In fact, I am so famous as the starting quarterback of the New Orleans Saints people friends all over the world. Write me letters and all I do is put on the envelope gone USA and get delivered to and I can see us coming down to the Super Bowl in its held in the Superdome and you will which seats 90,000 on this diet that have 200,000 people in the back behind Timmons died on this particular day, and I come running out onto the field. I can just see myself running out on the field and as I ran out onto the field.
The whole stadium stanza and I begin to Trenton unison Don Don Don, I mean of you seen these waves at the bright economies is invoked on that's me.I mean it's just unbelievable. We play the whole game we get down to two minutes left in the game and a five week trading by five points. I know we go to school touched on the world championship was depending on this and so I wait on the 20 yard line of the opposition and my whole line goes down and I go down waiting for the center to snap the bowl and silence comes over that stadium and as he snaps the bowl. I take the ball and I stepped back into the pocket and as I stepped back into the pocket. The whole stadium stands up and begins to Trenton Don Don Don Don and I pours for just a moment away for my friend and I look out for my favorite wide receiver Bob Morgan and Annie's charging down the line and not any drops at Northwood know about. And Bob catches the ball types down and we go and in the newspapers that make every newspaper headline says on does it come famous all over again to know what the Bible says to Don Wilton, God's word says Don Wilton famous quarterback how are you going to escape. If you ignore so great a celebration. You see friend, you can go from this place and sign the biggest multimillion dollar contract with the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, or any other organization. But how are you going to Skype if you say no to the Lord Jesus Christ. You could be the most beautiful young lady that's ever come out of Spartanburg when Miss South Carolina when Miss universe Miss world you could sign every kind of modeling contract. You could be dined and taken out and escorted by every organization, from sea to shining sea.
But how are you going to Skype if you ignore so great a celebration. You can be gifted with the most brilliant mind. You could be the most brilliant CPI you could become president of the United States you could run the greatest political campaigns. You could be the most popular person you could be the preacher of the greatest church in the world. You could have so many degrees behind your name that you begin to look like a thermometer and get the word of God says so.
We if we neglect so salvation, how are you going to how you going to there is nothing more important that we ever read about. There is nothing more important that we can never speak about.
There is nothing more important that we could ever be about. There is nothing more important that we could ever experience in our own hearts and lives than the salvation that we have, because Jesus Christ died upon the cross for every man and every woman and every boy in every go for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him so not by itself have everlasting life.
Listening to Dr. Don Wilton forgive the eruption, but will be back with the completion of today's message in just a moment the doctor will remind you registered your heart in the middle of this conversation was preaching maybe?
We can pray with you about help answer in God's Encouraging Word feel free to call us at 866-899-WORD.
That's 866-899-9673, and encouraged to be this online as well a T EW online.org is a great place to follow Dr. Wilton may be connecting some of our social ministries also here. Today's message watch some videos of Dr. Wilton some more resources, including the new book Saturdays with Billy powerful great new book from Dr. Wilton about his time with Dr. Billy Graham will give you more details on that at the end of the program, but you can take a peek right now online at tewonline.org large, he on how you can get your copy now back today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. You may say to me today. Pasta wise salvation so great, why do you get so excited about salvation. What is it that drives those people down there at that church will not wise salvation. The central issue of every program of every budget of every organization of every committee of every decision. Why doesn't all find its focus in keeping the main thing the main thing why is it that the writer to the Hebrews that little adjective in their how are we going to escape, if we ignore such a great salvation. How can we experience God and why do we experience God through the greatness of salvation. I'm going to give to you this morning, just three reasons why salvation is great.
There are hundreds of them. Three reasons why salvation is so great and why it is imperative today that we must not ignore this great salvation number one because only Jesus Christ can forgive us for arson number one salvation is great. My friend, because only Jesus Christ can forgive sin now friends we live in a world of great human achievement, country.
Just think about we live in a world of great human achievement. Just think of medicine. Think of all the things that can be accomplished in the medical field to the positron sponsor. Every kind of of operation and surgical procedure that you and I could ever imagine. We have some of the finest doctors and nurses and medical personnel arrived here in our own congregation gifted people just think of all the world of science of engineering.
Think of the fact that we send spaceships up to land people on the moon.
It's amazing to know my friends, there is one thing that not even Albert Einstein could do for himself. He could not forgive his own sin.
There is not one of us in this place today who can forgive our own sin when not capable of doing that, you know, you might get a new leg. You might get a new heart. You may get all kinds of rearrangements because we are living in a brilliant age but there is one thing only Jesus can do. Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man can come under the father but by me. Wise salvation so great because only Jesus Christ can forgive us for arson is wonderful wonderful to know that the forgiveness of sin that we have is not dependent on me not dependent on this church not dependent upon a program or membership. It's dependent solely on what Jesus Christ has already done what Jesus has already done is completely complete. There is nothing more that can be done. Jesus Christ has played incomplete upon the cross, the day to God that heavenly father so that now we through Jesus Christ by virtue of repenting of our sin and by receiving human draw hearts and lives by faith we are prompted immediate permission to come up old.
We are prompted immediate access into the presence of the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Only Jesus Christ can will and wants to forgive us for arson but there's a second reason why salvation is so great because only Jesus Christ can make us brand-new. Only Jesus Christ can make us brand-new.
I meet someone they lost me to come and see them not a member of our church and as I began to speak to them in their place of work. They said to me, pasta I've struggled all of my life.
I've turned over new leaves.
I've made resolutions. I've tried to live right. I promised my wife that I wouldn't hit her again. I've told everybody that I'll never touch another drink again. I was try to sort my life God and I just keep falling back and things will go well for a month to month, sometimes even six months, but eventually I'm back to square one again I'm back in that whole I'm back in that rut. I'm back in that struggle. I'm vaccinating myself I'm back hating myself for everything that I represent and I need to speak to you as I began to speak to that man in Spartanburg South Carolina.
I said to my dear friend, I want you to know salvation is great because only Jesus Christ can make you brand-new. Just the way the Bible says in second Corinthians 5 in verse 17 therefore if any man, woman, boy or girl is in Christ Jesus. There he becomes a new creature all things a positive way, and behold all things are become new. Why is that possible.
Romans eight verse one there is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in union with Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ makes us brand-new and as I had the privilege of leading that man to Jesus Christ in his office in his workplace. As I began to see the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Come upon them. I knew that what God had allowed me to do boggles the minds of all the pundits in all the world's high and lofty places I didn't offer him a new powerpack method of sorting your life.
I didn't offer him a six plan stage method of putting a smile back on your place.
I didn't tell him if you do the following three things you're guaranteed to pull yourself toward yourself. I didn't offer him my New Year's resolution. I said to my friend, you cannot. You cannot escape side of the Lord Jesus Christ. You wise salvation so great. Only Jesus Christ can forgive us for our sin. Only Jesus Christ can make us brand-new. Only Jesus, powerful teaching from Dr. Wilton today. But as we have been digesting this teaching from Hebrews 2, Dr. Don often asks of us can we ever really read God's word and move apart from this the same I pray that those that have known Jesus Christ for years are changing our concept of experiencing God the greatness of salvation, but perhaps you have known about God. My entire youth was spent knowing about God, but not knowing him. Oh I pray that you open your heart to perhaps the most important 60 seconds of our broadcast today is Dr. Don Wilton shares these closing thoughts are you ready to give your thought life. Christ, I'm so happy to hear that wanting to pray this prayer dear God, I know that you love me very, very, and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came God on the cross so that I might be forgiven arson today. I repainted myself. I confess my sin. And I invite you to come into my heart, my life 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 one I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying, very important this is for me: so that we can hope to connect you place you can begin this wonderful journey. If you just gave your life to Jesus Christ, praying along with Dr. Wilton. Perhaps we dedicate your life put your life back on track. I pray that you would let us walk with you in the next steps of growing your faith. We have wonderful resources absolutely free that Dr. Don want you to have if you just gave your life to Christ. If you just call and let us know I phone number is 866899 word that's 866899673, and we hear not just during the broadcast per 24 hours a day. Would love to talk with you. Pray with you to get you to let us know that you've given your life to Christ or we dedicate your life to Jesus. This packet of information will help launch you wrote your faith as a matter fact, there is a wonderful book that's just been released by Dr. Don Wilton about the time he spent with Dr. Billy Graham every weekend that affect every Saturday for about 25 years. Wonderful book call Saturdays with Billy fears lives with the details discovered the beautiful 25 year friendship between Billy Graham and his friend Pastor John in the brand-new book Billy Knight on his hands and get with color photos close by Billy Graham and more heartwarming story times. Dr. Wilton spent with his friend and mentor Billy Graham on the list. Just as Billy Graham. Words like change our lives today will inspire you journey. Call us today at 86699 word Saturdays at Billy and $20. Thank you for your prayers and continue to support me encouraging word meaning to share not searching times today, but what a glorious day coming up the next two days, Thursday and Friday. Dr. talks about moving against the spiritual warfare that we all face corporately as the body of Christ individually as well had the Mark chapter 1 tomorrow in the study together of God's Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton. I hope you join us between now and then. Let's stay connected online at tewonline.org G