R763 The Seven Blessings Part 2

We all could use some encouragement and will find it today in the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton on this edition of The Encouraging Word continue talking about lessons. The seven blessings part two that were diving into today but were here for you 24 seven 866-899-WORD@online@encouragingword.org right now let's study God's word together. Dr. Donald friends.

We're in Hebrews chapter 12 in verse 22 and I'm going to just cost you to put your hand) and I want to share with you something by way of introduction and illustration as we begin I one of the many things that I have the right, privilege of doing is being lost from time to time to marry couples we you can imagine we have a lot of weightings in our church and I'm so grateful for our ministry team and all about ministers. We are all involved in and it's a great privilege part of that privilege.

When a couple comes to draw scree. Maybe you need to know about this when a couple comes to me and says Foster we lacked all skewed to Marriott's and with the joy that I have.

We checked out calendars. That's always a interesting challenge and and we did everything together and I always let them know that part of my requirements. If he pleases that we would have a number of premarital counseling session now. That means premarital means before you get married and you might say will foster why do you do something like that because it's so important. If any of you don't know this marriage is the most wonderful thing in the world, but it's jolly hard work. Somebody can say amen to that.

Thank you very much. It is hard hard work and the you know I tell couples about to be married. I know you're in love my I know you're not listening to a word I'm saying on just jabbering my mouth will fit, but I just want to impress on you somehow that marriage is just the most incredible thing but let me tell you that it takes a lot of hard work, and God is brought you together for a lifetime. Well, there's a lot of things that we can say to one another lot of things Ashia tell him I say now folks listen I know because on the cost of the church, expecting me to get out a couple good Bible verses read them to you, put my hand on your shoulder prior blessing upon you and send you on your way. But I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not going to be. In fact, the very opposite is true.

I take this very seriously and we are going to get down to some very serious things and maybe you'd prefer not to ask me to marry because this is not a game.

This is a joyful responsibility and something that I can't take with great joy in my heart very seriously and I tell them I say now look we got to get down to some very serious thing and I say things to them like look, I want you to tell me how many people do you suppose during your lifetime.

God leads you together for the next 60 years.

How many people do you suppose, in reality are going to come and all skewed inside questions about your marriage.

How many people we live in a great world with media we live in what we call the sexual revolution. We see it all around. The promiscuity and the availability of everything one could ever imagine. Our world is shifted and gone to such radical extremes. Everybody claims to be an expert. You can imagine, many couples who are about to be married.

They've grown up in the kind of generation that I knew nothing about that being exposed to things that we never even thought about and everything is available to them in shop down the throats and many of them arrive at the altar, at least subconsciously, believing that they actually are born resident experts in relationships and in understanding femininity and masculinity understanding physical things. Understanding all the things that go together to make marriage what it is how we work out. We take and folks, that's just not the case. So somebody's got to talk to the promise you, you go to a doctor you going there because you got a medical problem and he's going to try to find an answer to your medical problem to the problem that you're suffering with physically but there are hardly any people that will ever come back all, you didn't die off frivolous jokes and lighthearted when it comes to marriage. People make lighthearted statements and people get close to the edge and everything is pie-in-the-sky and everybody talks about all the stuff there's a lot of talk going on but I'm talking about what really goes on behind closed doors. The reality why my saying this to because there is one thing, among many others in my I do want to make that point very clear is one thing, among many many others that I ought to couples about to be married. I look at the man.

For example not cite enough, my friend. I want to tell you something I want to tell you from the heart of your posture through the word of God that there is nothing in this world that can come pay to the love of a woman I want to tell you I'm speaking to this man in front of this lady, this young woman who is about to become his bride and I say to him I want to speak to you based upon my experience and my own life with my own wife, Karen, I look at them, I say to them, I am biased because I am the most blessed man that ever walked the face of the earth to have married a woman like Karen but I'm going to go beyond that. I want to say to you that if you go to the word of God and if you go and speak to couples who are ecstatically happy in marriage, one of 100 things that you will discover is that that husband loves his wife as Christ loved the church and I mean to say to you my brother, my friend, that there is nothing, not a motor car you drive, not a bank balance that you have not a foundation that you establish not an educational degree that you acquire, there's not a home that you live in or a place that you resided that can compare to the love that you received from that woman is your wife that God gave to you because she loves you and some of you say to me, will foster how do I move some use, I will have already been married a long time. How do I do that I'm there to tell you but it would take 100 hours to talk about it. What your wife wants from you is your heart you love your wife with all of your heart she will love you back and give you the love of a woman that you will never come pay anything else in this world.

Compared to the love of that woman who loves you and God gave to you. We live in a world today will we say well you know we've got to get things we go to provide this we go to do that.

All of these things are relative but when you give your heart to that beautiful lady I'm telling you something dies you will get something back that you cannot describe it. I will just cannot describe it. It is, it is so it leaves preachers with nothing beside there is nothing in this world that can compare to the love of a woman who loves you and you can do something about, and it's not too late. And if you just getting married. I'm gonna tell you, your primary responsibility is to enable that female that woman that young lady.

Your responsibility is to enable that person to become the totally fulfilled person in whose spirit and when you give your self to her. The love that she won't give back to you. You cannot describe. There is nothing like the love of a woman. Now what is that going to do with this.

Guess what it's got to do God tells us that when we give our hearts to him. What he did his back to us is unbelievably difficult to describe. And there is one criterion. You gotta love God with all your heart, soul and any questions about this series sub series that we are not entitled the seven blessings because we going to put it into a knot shelf in verses in Scripture, God tells us about Sabin.

These are the same and blessings God gives to people who love him. Every person who loves is no exclusion. This is not selective. Well, it's just read about wearing Hebrews chapter 12 in verse 22 but you, by the way, that's those who have given their hearts to Jesus, but you have come to Mount Zion to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, but that is those who have given their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly choir. Hold onto your seats because you going to be blessed by a promise number three but you verse 23 have come to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. Number four but you have come to God, the judge of all men. Number five, but those who have given their hearts to Jesus have come to the spirits of the righteous man made perfect number six but you, those of you that have given your hearts to Jesus have come to Jesus Christ immediately told of a new covenant number seven you those of you that is that a given your hearts to Jesus Christ. You have come to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.last week we began and we saw blessing number one. So I going to talk about. It is a huge subject number one does the first place. Write it in your heart. Number one blessing number one we are guaranteed a place in heaven. We looked at that in so much detail.

In fact, lost her son, but I've got to say what I'm about to cite what we discover folks about him you know I hear people all the time. Say but I guess I'm getting married, you know I'm in love. I'm getting mad. Why get married next week. Well, what about what about it.

Good people.

My lap say I'm going to heaven or about what we do we not see any, but we discovered that heaven and this passage is described in three ways. Number one. It's described as Mount Zion. We discovered that Mount Zion, the ark of the cognitive guide to find by Mount Zion, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, which is Mount Moriah. That's why Arabs and Jews and everybody have such a contentious attitude toward it because it's considered a spiritual place by Christians and pagans alike.

God doesn't like accidents.

You know, and God said, listen if you went to a Jewish person at any time and save them.

Excuse me Mr. Jewish person. Where is God, not bad sidelights. I will. He's right there with the ark of the cognitive Mount Zion or how do you know that because the Torah because the Bible teaches us that God said that's where I'm going to make my dwelling place that's where I'm gonna live so you into a Jewish person in the Old Testament it was trying to work for his religious faith and say to him excuse me but could you tell me where God is, he would say Woody's over there in the tabernacle.

He's at Mount Zion. He's where God is with that's where God walls.

Where is he right now that's the second characterization in verse 22. Using the heavenly Jerusalem.

We talked about that festival Jerusalem. We know the city of God. Why heavenly Jerusalem.

Why does God call this the heavenly Jerusalem. For this reason that this juncture in the way the time that we wait between the death of Jesus Christ and position with him in heaven where God is. Is the heavenly Jerusalem. We discovered that often Jesus the same and he went up. We know that we gone through that I'm not going to keep going on. After that, until a later date. We know that heaven is up there so if you decide right now where is God in heaven. Where is he's residing place you got to say he's up now is God, omniscient. Of course he is. Is God everywhere. Of course he is, is God in my heart.

Of course he is.

That's the work of the Holy Spirit. But God tells us that heaven is at a different place. It is described as a pricing fact, God even takes the heavenly Jerusalem than that and he says heaven is not anyplace, but it's defined by virtue of the city.

It is a city. You might say to me pasta. Now where do I go if I was to die today. I'm that attorney will happen. The angels will come and get me. The Bible says that will transport me into heaven to the heavenly Jerusalem. Now this is an interesting word I'm I'm going to ask you to going your Bibles to Revelation chapter 5 it's looking pretty quick. Revelation, the book of Revelation. In chapter 5 I love to hear those pages all over the century, the Russell of pages someone say to me it sounds like the Russell of angels wing. Well, I think heaven is going to be up wonderful place where we hear the Russell of angels wings and we participate together in praising God in such a significant way. But I want to show you some interesting things your number one our participation in the heavenly choir means that we will attain him. Revelation chapter 5 verse 11 then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and 10,000×10,000, by the way, you might be interested to note here that that effort that poultry effort to try and describe the number of angels speaks to the infinite number that is indefinable if it means that that no words, no human vocabulary can be constructed in such a way to try to express the lostness of those who gather around the throne of God.

They are numbered like the sand of the sea throughout the ages and the Bible tells us that what they were doing as they encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders and in our study of Revelation we we looked at that and by the way you pray with me folks because I've had so many people ask me to go back to the book of Revelation. I'm not saying I'm in a do this but on actually providing about possibly preaching through Revelation on Sunday mornings in the near future and it's an incredible study to get but I want you to notice on it if you don't turn there right now because we don't have time but Daniel chapter 7 and verse 10 uses this exact words, the prophet says that he says thousands upon thousands of angels will attain to him. Now that there is a word that that we use in our concept of true servant hood to attend to somebody means to prostrate yourself before somebody and give them everything it it is it it implies that the act of worship that we will be engaged in will be singular significance of singular purpose and and in our hearts and our souls out our minds that everything that we have that we will be void of distraction when we tend to heed to the one who is seated upon the throne and it goes on here it says in a loud voice, and I've heard people say men when you come to church. You need quacking down brother you better start practicing.

I do know by the way how you can preach the word of God about all these things and be about the business of articulate snoring at the same time, it just doesn't happen. If you can scream and shout at a football game. How much more so when we stand before the throne of God and the word says in verse 12.

In a loud voice by saying, worthy is the Lamb that while the Lamb. We know that. I worked the sheep in Africa 44,000 of them at one time you want to go every festival like Christmas or what ever we would gun slaughter sheep very common practice something you do that to get the meat, and so on. You going get a sheep in the slaughter sheep is an interesting thing because you can try and get away from you little but you grab it on the back. Turn it on its back in the moment you turn it on its back, it becomes totally and completely compliant in the what you slaughter sheep is that you cut its throat now know that sounds awful, but it is the most humane way.

It's painless. That's how you prepare sheep. That's the way you do it. And the interesting thing about a sheep is that a sheep or lamb will not say a word. It doesn't fight it doesn't say stop, and it doesn't try and get away to see us go ahead like my day. Why don't you just kill me. It greatly dies folks now the Bible says that Jesus went to the cross as a lamb went to the slaughter. He opened not his mouth, and you see this is singularly significant because because the sacrifice of Jesus was so significant was the Lamb of God and the Bible tells us had the capacity to call what 10,009 Col. Bramhall is a battalion commodity just come back from Afghanistan.

You talk about a battalion of mailing you say wow, what a wonderful thing. But I say with all the respect drama the tree come on this. Some folks even 10,000 angels just to drop in the bucket would God was saying is listen God. God could've called 10,000 angels if he wanted to do you not suppose that Jesus Christ could have just spoken and they would afford out of their seats. Suppose that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God in the garden of Gethsemane just says you yeah and those men would've fallen down and die left and right but the Bible says he went like a lamb and you see the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the magnificence of the son of the living God himself as a sacrifice for us, even though he being man knew no sin himself, does it make any sense that these angels Bible says they going to sing in a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and pride. And I heard every other creature in the heaven. Watch this.

In heaven and on the sea. Why does he talk about all that is in them because this prophetic was looking forward to the city of the living God come down from heaven and all separation was removed and all creation and worship amazing amazing we will attend number two we will stand before him. None of us think we live us sit in the presence of a righteous God number three. We will sing praises to him what this text tells us that's what we going to do is we participate in the heavenly choir and number four. We will worship him in Revelation chapter 19 the angel of the Lord comes to John and gives him instructions and in verse 10 of chapter 19.

John says at this I fell at his feet to worship him at the feet of the angel.

But he said to me, do not do it. Have you ever wondered why we do not have anything in this century that we bow down and worship. We don't do anything we don't like anybody. We don't bow down and worship anything other than Jesus Christ. Why because he said shall have no other gods before me.

I am the Lord your God. It is expressly forbidden and most of all, even the Angels. The angel said do not do this. I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ, you need to worship God for the testimony of Jesus Christ is the spirit of prophecy.

It is the very principle that is all that was and all that ever will be. Guess what folks, I'm gonna receive blessings which I am already receiving my place in heaven, and my full and complete participation in the heavenly choir. How about you, you know that you know that we got five blessings to go and cup runneth over. Be perfectly honest with you, be perfectly honest with you if we just drew a line right there said God's got to blessings would be worth the war that's worth but there's so much more. You know when you come up and stand before God and God's people inside a promise to love you honor and cherish you. You give your heart to that woman.

My friend you love her as Christ loved the church, the love of that woman will be the greatest blessing you've ever had.

I say this with all the love in my heart I love this church.

I love the ministry team love going places of preaching. I even love my children but if you took it all away from me. I draw the be with my wife than anybody else in the world because I know what it's like to be loved by woman puts me in perspective and helps me never to get out of line. It compels me never to put value in things that are just temporary. I tell you my whole world can collapse around me when you got the love of a woman who loves you on the Jesus Christ you got everything folks listen to this this country could blow apart, you and I could get desperately ill loved one could go on to the heavenly Jerusalem, and leave us lonely ourselves, we can suffer disappointments hardships that I can tell you something nobody in this world will ever take away the blessings that God is giving contracts to really think that's why in the old days they were some people who went so gladly. Today, death is Martin's really believe that because they just believe this really believing it on some of you might look at me today and say you love pasta Hero been married 10 years and 15 and 20 and 30, 40 years in things are just not quite in line cannot cannot tell you something. Would you please listen just listen to this promise you, you can go to wonderful counselors come and see me and brother Sal Marone and so we purchased precious people frames can listen to your pasta speaking and preaching and so on. But listen to me.

It's not it's not too late. You can put back in place. Some of these issues you can you can go back to the drawing board. Tell you what, you win her heart back. I've met very few women in my life as a pasta who rubbed her hands together and say what they do. You know I get to get out of this and do it all over again. And who cares if my children have to live over here and I have to live I have made a wife and a mother who just joyfully jumps up and down celebrates folks listen to me. God has got a requirement of us that we give our hearts to him and he said love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind. Now that's jolly hard to do out and about. You it's the old part that I have a problem with.

I mean, it is tough and I've I can't tell you how many times I just I just Mesa but you know that he forgives me and he restores me honor how many times he's done that but the greatest thing he does for me, as he guarantees me these place he tells me I won't hold you can do something about some of you might say will pasta you know why I have been got out the front door. You and I haven't given my heart to Jesus, you need to do. I believe God is speaking to my heart to be a lot more direct folks coming down as you don't give you none of this is written about funerals going on no place getting I'm saying.

Here's my member, then the longer this club is mining and that shame and that none of unleashing given it's been a great week. I hope you'll join us over the weekend look for The Encouraging Word.org on television stations near you discover more@theencouragingword.org