R335 A Guarantee for the Future Pt.2

Sometimes we leery of the guarantee that when the guarantee comes from God's word. We can count on it. Welcome to the Bible teaching of Dr. Don Wilton today on The Encouraging Word. Dr. Don completes this message a guarantee for the future as we head to the book of Nehemiah chapter 8 reduces another were available for you connecting right now online@tewonline.org would love to connect with you now like a copy of God's word this morning and turn with me to Nehemiah chapter 8 the book of Nehemiah chapter 8. Nehemiah had completed the rebuilding of the wool and yet they were still a future that have to be dealt with. The completing of the wolves is not a signal that life is Condron in or a complete stop. God given his servant.

Nehemiah an unbelievable toss guy job of work to do and he and his people say it's about good and they reconstructed the walls of Jerusalem, but now they have to think about the future. Every time I think about rebuilding or completing the walls. I think about graduates. We love our graduates so much whether you graduating from college or from high school. There is a sense in which you have just completed building the wall and the question now becomes what makes where do I go from here.

Well, the Bible is filled with advice the Bible is God's practical handbook.

The Bible unlocks the keys to kingdom living and I have a lot of things that God has laid upon my heart for this morning. There is so much that God would have us to think about any particularly for our graduates. I'm going to say out of the love of my heart, and particularly to the graduates. You know that there is a possibility and is going to sound awfully negative. Do you know that there is the possibility that in the next two weeks. One of you graduates your is going to hurt yourself so bad that you will spend the rest of your life trying to recover from.

You know that it's possible you know that it's possible even on a day like this and you say wait a minute Foster God don't talk like that for folks. The problem in our world today is they not enough people who are talking and warning us about those things that are out there and the Bible warns us.

The Bible tells us how to behave. The Bible tells us about the principles and the decisions that we need to make in the parameters that we need to say for ourselves.

There is a possibility that one of you sitting here looking at me today that of the next two weeks. You gonna make a choice. You going to do something. Yes, God will forgive God's forgiveness is absolute, but you will bear this because of your choice for the rest of your life.

You know that I've been told that there are more traffic violations and drunk driving arrests made in the days that followed graduation that I'm at any other time. There are more unwanted pregnancy.

There are more broken hearts.

There are more destroyed lives that take place in the days that followed graduation and you all are sitting here looking at menu sign.

Wait a minute, preacher, what are you talking about I'm going to tell you something. Folks if your mom and dad haven't told you if your school hasn't told you if your friends haven't told you if you not prepared to stand in line with God's guarantee for the future I will guarantee you you will make some choices over the next couple weeks that could all but ruin your life and you will live with those consequences. There are people in this congregation who would stand up in a New York second, Silas, and I'm 50 years of age, and God is blessed me, but I want you to know that I made bad decisions and I did things that have I've had to suffer with for the rest of my life that have impacted everything that I've done what I want to read just to versus I'm going to preach on a lot of verses that I want to read just to versus a Nehemiah chapter 8 verses 17 and 18 is what the Bible says. Now the walls had been rebuilt. Listen, what happened the whole company that had returned from exile, built and lived in them from the days of Joshua son of nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated at blackness and the joy was very great day off today from the first day to the lost is read from the book of the law of God, they celebrated the feast for seven days and on the eighth day in accordance with the regulation there walls and same what was it that these people did offer the wolves had been removed. What is it that we can do. Often we graduate. As we begin a new ministry as we moved to a new town as we go to college as we start the new. What is there that we can do according to God's word that will guarantee the future.

Number one. Set goals in place.

Chapter 7 verse one off to the wall and being rebuilt and I had set the doors in place you will remember that I said last week that doors keep those things that you don't want in and they keep getting those things that you don't want to get out if you don't have goals in place in your life you never going to be guaranteed the future. What kind of doors. Well, there are goals of discipline. There are doors of moral behavior standards of behavior. There are goals of doctrine.

What you think and what you know and what you believe. There are goals of communication.

There are goals of happiness.

There are goals of resolve to see my friends.

The Bible says that you can resolve to be happy and as I said last week.

There are some people sat down one day at some time and I said I think I'm going to be unhappy.

That's what I'm going to do I'm going to be an Oscar the grouch I'm going to go through life in reverse gear I'm going to grumble and complain when things go right on going to find something wrong and when it's blue I'm going to want to to be green. There are people who Russo to be unhappy. There are some young people yesterday just standing right on the threshold of putting doors in place. Drawing a line your surrounding yourself with God's parameters you're putting principles in place and when you put principles in place when those challenges come about your behavior and your morality and the things that you do when nobody else is watching. When your goals are in place. That's what guarantees the future. I want to encourage you to die young people sit doors in place. Most of you have already. It's evident resort on the screens, keep the doors in place.

Don't sacrifice adult to other people open and close the doors for you.

Let that be controlled by God, because Jesus said I am the door. That's what he called himself number two have a high regard for authority you want to guarantee for the future have a high regard for authority. Nehemiah chapter 7 and verse two are put in charge of Jerusalem, my brother, along with the combined with the Citadel because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do some of the most unhappy people in the world.

Some of the unhappiest people in the world are people who have no regard for authority friend. There is nothing wrong with questioning authority. What is wrong is when you have no regard for authority, young people, God will always put people in your life who have authority over you.

You will never get away from God's had your parents in authority over you. I'm going to tell you something if you messed around and being disobedient your parents while you being a child during for serious trouble hearing for tribal urine for the high jump. I'm telling you, if you been difficult and you giving your parents trouble, and you have disdained your grandparents and you scoffed at their godly authority, you are earmarked for disaster. I'll guarantee you going to become a statistic. You going to become a tragic person in society. You going to be some one of these people who turns 30 and 40 years of age, your body is going to be broken again. Happiness for your system with alcohol and with everything else in between. You going to have made bad choices and it all comes down to the question of authority. You have a very poor label tolerance for authority, God's going to put people in authority. When you go to college. The most unhappy college students are those who arrive there and they scoff at the college authority. The most unhappy people are people who fight against the police all their lives. You see only a criminal for as a policeman and if you living the way you ought to let you know that God is place these people policeman in place in order to help law-abiding citizens live peacefully to watch her and if you just constantly fighting you fighting against government you fight against the deacons you fight against your church to fight against the school you fight against the system.

You're always fighting against you going to be a very unhappy person have a high regard for authority number three do what you're supposed to do. I listen some of you are already out of it. I can see it in your face as you somewhere else you're already at Myrtle Beach. Listen carefully to what you are supposed to do. Listen to what happened here in Nehemiah chapter 7 verse three Bible says that I sent today and the gates of Jerusalem are not to be open until the sun is hot, while the gatekeepers are still on duty have them shut the doors and balding also appoint residents of Jerusalem as God.

Some of their own posts and some may have their own houses. Do what you are supposed to do. Be a man and a woman of your word. Are you a man and woman of your word. It doesn't matter how menial your toss is. It doesn't matter how small, how large it doesn't matter what you involving if you make a commitment to do something.

All you able to do what you have saved. You are going to do do what you're supposed to do. I'm telling you if your boss those in authority find out that you don't do what you're supposed to do you going to go nowhere going to come to promotion time and I going to get together and I gonna say what a wonderful person. What a wonderful lady. What a wonderful man but you can't count on the they have no responsibility when they were on QT. They don't do they always taking extra time will that always having an extra coffee break that always arriving late for work. They always never willing to pint outside the parameters of their job description.

They never willing to be team members. Do what you are supposed to do stand in line standard to guide the proposed standard tool for the Lord Jesus Christ. Number four.

Understand your potential for growth in verse four of chapter 7. Now the city was large and spacious.

There were very few people in the houses had not yet been removed. If you want a guarantee for the future. Young people understand your potential for growth, but something beside you this morning.

Needless to say I want you to know that I'm so proud of you. We are so proud of you.

You graduated from high school, but I'm also going to say that you haven't even begun to scratch the surface you see you've got so much potential. You know that some of the unhappiest people in the world are people who decided that they don't want to grow anymore you ever met someone like that ever met someone who's put up. A. Right there at the end of their lives.

They said I don't want anymore. I don't need to learn anymore. I don't need to go anywhere anymore. I don't want anymore.

They miserable people understand your potential for growth. Some of the saddest people in our world today are people who have stopped growing number five never forsake the assembly of God.

Never forsake the assembly of God.

Look at chapter 8 verse one when the seven-month seventh month came, and the Israelites and say put in their towns all the people assembled as one man in the square before the Watergate. One of the things that I do from time to time in our churches.

I marry people very often when I marry people I say to them be mind if I give you a few words of advice.

Not that I'm an expert just some biblical advice. One of those things that I always tell them is listen. You might be in love right now but don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together in God's house now young people watch me your all sitting in church. Most of you going to go to college you want me to tell your stand statistic by the time the fall comes when you get to college. Over half of you won't even bother to go to church.

I'm telling you going to get to Clemson and USC you going to get to all you got to go all over the countryside from Boston to Charleston and you going to get down there and you gotta get around your friends and activities, and you gonna push the assembling of God's people into the background and when you come home every once in a while. On weekends you show up at church and everybody.

I will think you always go to church, so doesn't affect us.

You see friends. It's not the things that you see from man's consumptions. It's the reality of who you are on the inside and I'm going to give you another guaranty you say to me, but Dr. Wilton why do I need to go to church because when you go to church. You surround yourself, but with God's people. You hear the preaching and teaching of God's word you subject yourself to the presence and the power of the spirit of the living God. We will hear this morning I'm going to put my neck on the block and say some it may not be through the preaching of the word. It might not be through singing it might not be through graduation but I will guarantee for every person who loves Jesus Christ that somewhere, somehow, in some means that God has already spoken to you and bless you about something this morning and I haven't even finished the race, I'll guarantee you that not. You don't love the Lord Jesus Christ. You got nothing out of because the spirit of God is not ministering to. You gotta be able to open your heart if your mind is somewhere else and you couldn't care less and you want to beat everybody else to the restaurant I want to tell you something. My friend the reason you don't get anything out of churches because you don't know the one who's in the middle of these church the Lord Jesus Christ don't forsake the assembling of God's people together. Don't ever let that go by keep to that make a resolution number six read the word of God.

Chapter 8 verse three chapter 8 verse three he read it aloud is where the priest from daybreak until noon.

As he faced the square before the Watergate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand and all the people listened attentively to the book of the law. He stood high on a wooden platform built for the occasion.

Verse five is open the book and all the people could see him because he was standing above them. As he opened them all the people stood up, they began to read the word of God.

They studied the word of God. Why read the word of God because this word is a lamp unto my feet and it is a light unto my path. When people graduate we usually talk pie-in-the-sky all the possibilities all the joy I'm going to tell you this morning there's going to be a lot of challenge. There's going to be a lot of darkness there gonna be a lot of pitfalls, there's gonna be a lot of places you can't see there's going to be a lot of challenges, and the only way in which you going to be able to guarantee the future is when you read the word of God and you hide God's word in your heart. Number seven worship the Lord. Chapter 8 and verse six is reprised the Lord at the great God and all the people lifted their hands and responded all men and all men. Then they bowed down and worship the Lord with their faces to the ground that would worship young people do not appraise. It means worth ship it means you all worthy of everything that I have. It means that I'm willing to prostrate myself before you because you are God and there is none like you outside of you.

I can do nothing I can get degrees. I can go to college. I can get a job I can raise a family. But I'm ultimately going to amount to nothing outside of God worship the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind.

Number eight number. Take heed to what you have been taught, take heed to what you have been told. Look at chapter 8 verse site they read from the book of rule making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Now that's one of my functions as you parsed, I don't always succeed in that, but I try my best every Sunday morning to try God's word, which sometimes can be very difficult, and not try and break it down and study it and then are trying to share with you in a manner in which you can most easily understand.

I give you points number one number two, three, number four.

Why do I give points so that you got something to hang your hat on so that you can take notes.

I see some of you writing these down inside man automated like notes. Let me tell you something.

By the time you get tomorrow you forgotten most of it.

That's what we're all a lot.

That's why never lost somebody next week.

What I preached on this week as I might just tell me know and I realize that but you see my job as a teacher is to be able to communicate God's truth. That's what your Sunday school teacher notes. That's what your youth minister does. That's what your high school teacher does. That's what your professor does. It's the art of communication but what is the purpose it is so that you can take heed to what you have been told to forgive eruption will be back with the rest of today's message I guarantee for the future with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment, but Dr. Don wants me to remind you where here for you connecting 24 hours a day on our website keyboard keyboard@tewonline.org that's T EW online.org.

We also have a wonderful opportunity to pray with you and for you on the phone. Romans 1212 says be joyfully patient in affliction, prayers and discipline in the words of Dr. Milton Olson, Scott fax would like to help you make prayer a priority in your life Encouraging Word have a 24 hour live airline call 86699 talk to a real person. He will be glad to pray with Encouraging Word as a viewer and listener supported ministry for listening today down back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton and the message guarantee for the future thing that your folks is not when you gonna sit on the bed you lost?

Your mom or your dad would tell you something. Don't forget those things.

Pay attention to your grandparents.

If God is still spared them up on the server I saw the most precious people. Let me tell you something your grandparents have already been made by Donna.

I know what some of them of my mistakes.

Some of them slip by the way, some of them stop their tone broken their legs. I've done that on the whole nine. Listen to what your elders have to say. Listen to what you been taught. Don't become one of these high-minded young people who pushes everything aside and says I know more than anybody else. I don't need to pay attention to the things that are being taught number nine, the ninth principal never forget others never forget. Others look at chapter 8 verse 10 I love this verse. Nehemiah said go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared.

Now want you to notice what he said.

First of all to the graduates or these you would remove the wall.

He said listen, I want you to God and have a good time. He said he said go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, but don't forget other people.

Now watch me some of you sitting down here, God is gonna bless your socks off. Some of you again to be engineers and doctors and lawyers and preachers and missionaries and you name some of you are going to become very very wealthy people. I'm looking at you. Some of you going to have so much in your bank balance you don't know what to do with some of you are going to be blessed beyond your wildest imagination. America is the most unbelievable to live and to grow operating goddess pulled out his Spirit upon this nation and our people are blessed you think of all the colleges degrees the opportunities that we have in this great nation. God is going to bless you forget other people. It's a biblical principle you are giving because you have not forgotten other people you've not forgotten children who are still coming along.

You've not forgotten those who come from outside inside and need to hear the word of God. You forgotten the ministries that reach out to the four corners of the beginning on the streets of Mockingbird and so what we do has God blessed us is God bless this church has God poured out his spirit over this church well frames the mall God pours out a spread of this church, the more it is our mandate not to forget other people not to forget what God is done and sounds like that into the lives of other men and women and boys and girls wise so that all who come behind us might find us faithful young people listen to me. Don't forget other people give to others, serve others. Number 10 don't be in a hurry to get there. Don't be in a hurry to get there. Verse 12. The Bible says all the people went away to eat and drink in the spring. Send portions of food and to celebrate God be in a hurry to get there.

You read through Nehemiah you understand Nehemiah you going to understand that there was a deliberate one step at a time process whereby they rebuilt the wall and stepped into the future. Folks sometimes we're in such a hurry to get where we going that we never get there because we trip over our own 2 feet. Don't try and get that promotion before it's time. Don't think that you going to become the boss of your outfit before you been willing to pay your dues, you don't just arrived and a lot of people born with silver spoons in their mouths. You've got to be willing to play your Jews don't be in a hurry to get number 11. If you are a leader. We had a black one.

Verse 11 of chapter 8 the Levites calmed all the people saying bestowed for this is a sacred. I do not agree. If you are a leader behave like one dumb people look at me. The world today is looking for spiritual leaders and I'm looking at some of you go to college. Be prepared to stand up if you going to be a leader. It's going to come at a cost leadership is not a popularity contest. Leadership is not an election leadership. My friend is doing what God has put into your heart and it is time in America today that there are young people who are willing to stand up as leaders for blog standards of righteousness and godliness give you all lead behave like one.

Finally, number 12 celebrate God's blessings with joy and thanks you willing to celebrate his blessing. Joy you willing to celebrate his blessings with joy.

Look at verse 17 of chapter 8 the whole company that had returned from exile will and the joy right they celebrated the presence of God become a celebrate her of the presence of God.

What a powerful challenge, Dr. Don Wilton, and more importantly from God's word to celebrate the presence of God. You've heard Dr. tonus. He shared a great Bible teaching today and now as he steps in the studio.

Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right there. God, I know that Iversen and I know that Jesus God today. I repainted my sin and by I receive you into my phone in Jesus night, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news.

Perhaps the Lord is Dr. Don was praying you prayed Jesus Christ.

Perhaps you prayed to give your life back. She said she rededicated either way. Dr. Don has wonderful resources.

Once you have if you call us at 866899 word number again is 866-899-9673 would love to put these resources in your hands. Pray with you and for you just know we're here at 866-899-9673, and online at tewonline.org