R1644 A Christian Response to a Nation in Crisis, PT.1

Today on The Encouraging Word with Dr. Don Wilton will begin a two-part series about a Christian responds to a nation crisis study got together where available free online as well to hear this message and others. TW online.org why sign up for the daily devotion, Dr. Don tewonline.org Lord like no, we welcome the Holy Spirit to this place. We need to hear from you because you all that matters in our world. I was listening to a lot of people were watching and listening to social media, watching television when listening to people's opinions.

We getting caught up persuaded pulled from one side or the other. What would you have to say to us in our nation. As believers, as Christians today so fathers speak no and we're waiting and we gonna respond to you only to you in Jesus name, amen. Alright, so I want you to open your Bibles because you got to follow this yourself. We gotta be in second Chronicles in the Old Testament.

Second Chronicles chapter 20 and I'm your pusher point.

The gig on your Bible app.

Whatever it is and they might put up the words up there. I'm not sure but you have got to I I'm going to tell you again. You have got to see this for yourself not for me not for me. You go to see this you go to read it you the one that's got accepted because it's God's word Bible sees the word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light on my path way so I'm going to be speaking to a very important subject.

You ready for this ominous speak on a Christian response to a nation in crisis. A Christian response to a nation in crisis on put my Bible down because I want to just say a couple of things to you personally. If you beg my pardon for a few minutes. Most of you know me, but just in case you do, I want to tell you number one I want to tell you two things about me Bob Don Wilton okay which is a little cheeky but I'm going to tell you that. Anyway, number one, I'm an American citizen.

Some of you that don't know me are going to look no way.

As you know all you speak funny so you know, obviously I was born I been in America for 43 years.

It's quite a long time. I'm an American citizen and I'm 100%, an American citizen.

So I'm going to tell you something people tell me that I'm too old to serve in the military put on the uniform. I understand that I don't feel that way but that's what they tell me so I'm going to tell you something that some of you might find little silly but that's fine too.

If America said was to go into a major war.

There was a big call up you would have to really fight with me, even at my age, not to put on the uniform where the Stars & Stripes on tell you I will go anywhere in any field to any country wearing the uniform of the United States. I will defend this country. That's what I would do. Okay I would do that now while why would I do that to try and be cute just to say something to impress someone. No, because I believe in America. I believe this country is given me so much and I my oldest son's over 14. He he was born in New Orleans all my kids told my kids and my grandkids and you know second-generation third-generation Americans. I'm an American citizen and I could follow that line of argument all day with you. I love this country while greatest gift human gift. It's ever been given to me and my wife. Second thing I want you to know is that I'm a Christian man so many of you know my testimony so I was born in Africa actually.

Interestingly enough, you know I was in special forces under different flag.

I know what it's like right so I have for under different flag in Africa. Many of you know that I don't like talking about that too much, but that's part of my life long time ago. You know I spent many years trying to find meaning in life purpose and I could spin the race about telling you where I looked. I mean, I looked everywhere I was on the move as full of fun you know I could charge hill with a water pistol to I was out there and I'm not. I'm just telling and I've gone through a lot of stuff and I ran headlong into the Lord Jesus and then they came when I knew that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and I knew that I would never have peace without Jesus. I knew I'd never be forgiven without Jesus, and I knew that I would never be able to understand was speaking to my world without Jesus as if you left yourself.

You and I got a problem America little problem and I gave my life to Christ and from that moment man of I had a lot of fun travel the world, I'm loved by people like you are the base frame was in my entire life sitting here looking at me right now and but my life is in Jesus life, Christian man. My allegiance is to God.

People and what God sees doesn't sort of matter to me. It's everything God is my God, he's my counselor. He shows me this is the God in whom I trust. So here's the question today going to just dive into this.

How do I as a Christian respond to my nation in crisis with all the questions that I have all the attacks going on going to just tell you something one just say doesn't mean anything to a person who doesn't know Jesus as simple what you talking about, but you're a believer right now you know exactly what I just said because you seeing everything through God. God's ways God standard God authority. When God says so in the Bible, we have an incredible account of the land of Judah and the people of Israel facing massive crisis – the Bible tells us what they did so all you gotta do is I want to read to you this account skews me in second Chronicles in chapter 20, and then we going to try to understand what it is that God is saying some of the hard truths that God teaches us something to be in second Chronicles in chapter 20 beginning in verse five then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in front of the new courtyard and this is what he said, oh Lord God of our fathers are not you. The God who is in the heavens you over all the kingdoms of the nations power and might charting your hand and no one can withstand you allow God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendents of Abraham, your friend. They have lived in it and a built in at a century for your name saying if calamity comes upon us, whether by sword or whether by play of judgment or whether by playing or by famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your name and we will cry out to you in our distress and you will hear us and you will save us. But now look at these people. They coming from Amon from Moab from Mount Sear's territory would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt so they turned away from them and did not destroy them.

See, look how they are repaying us by coming in to drive us out of the position you gave us as an inheritance. Allow God, will you not judge them. We have no power to face this Boston army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you and so all the men of Judah, with their wives and with a little children, and the little ones. They stood there before the Lord and the spirit of the Lord came down to ponder his zeal, the son of Zechariah, the son of the Nile, the son of Jael, the son of Matt Nye, a Levite in the descendents of Asaph as he stood in the assembly and he said listen King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord your God sees to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this Boston army that is coming against you for the battle is not yours but God's tomorrow marched down against them.

They will be climbing up by the parts of zoos and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the desert of Jarrell. You will not have to fight this battle, take up your position, stand for and see the deliverance the Lord will give you Judah and Jerusalem, do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow and the Lord will be with you. What's verse 18 so Jehoshaphat bowed with these face to the ground and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord, you know, before the we got started early this morning I said to myself, Lord, what can I put on my twitter account. I use Twitter a lot but I said what can I say tooth the thousands of people who follow me.

What can I say. On July 4. Well the obvious one is happy July 4 that that's a different take that to the bank. They want the best holidays of the year but you know I just been reading this and I was just in the presence of the Lord and God said no, but that should not be everything. So when I went on my twitter handle this morning. I said something like is what I see I see and celebrate America by worshiping the God who gave it all to us celebrate America by worshiping God who gave it to us what he say gender. Sadie Johnson met Bob with these face to the ground and all the people did the same thing.

They worshiped the Lord together, they pointed everything to him. All right, what's this now you're ready to go for a journey with me. How do I as a Christian man, you young people here today you moms and dads Christian people you don't know Christ. This is not going to make any sense to you, promise you if you don't know Jesus for the next 20 minutes.

You gonna say get out into how can you say that, you don't understand how how do I as a Christian man as a citizen of America who loves this country. How do I respond to the issues that are going on in this country that are direct did at my faith, my belief, my Christian walk. My God, how do I respond to that. We got onto three questions about America number one who always if if we would have if I could just get one of you down here right now. Give us a little history lesson.

Who are we, America, when we come from, who always I don't have to remind you, and this is not a history lesson Declaration of Independence is when Fourth of July which you 1776.

What wasn't what happened. There were 56 delegates little smaller than congresses. Today, right 56 data delegates that gathered to the second Continental Congress.

I watch this. What was the declaration of independence who wasn't designed for. Why was that document written who was it for essentially for three groups of people.

Number one for the king of England you say is he a group well they had a monarchy. You know what he said when well it was to the English people who owned the Americans you were trying to get independence of the first design was for the king. The second was for the colonists themselves for the we the people, for all those programs that we write about we talk about and we appreciate this for the colonists for the people themselves to explain what was going on and certainly it was for the whole world. It was designed. The Declaration of Independence was designed and I'm putting this in a little bit of it Don Wilton terminology same to the world. Excuse me when not you will Americans understand CI I grew up as the citizen of another country, and then I renounced that citizenship on the tree. Did you looking at a man I didn't mean it's been a long time ago and I remember in the state of miss it. I stood there raised my hand. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for I took the plea hinge of allegiance. I renounced that citizenship, you know, by the way when I go back to the land of my birth, I have to go through the foreigners.

Infants. I'm not a citizen and cannot tell I don't want to be. I made the choice have no desire that I say I'm not grateful for my the land of my birth. I didn't say that I grew up in a beautiful place. Grateful for my upbringing but I'm an American. It was designed so that the world will know who we are. So what is the goal.

Some of the goals of the Declaration of Independence. I wrote down three number one to rally people around what we believe all the people number two to create the stage for the growth of the people who rally around you go to provide the space create the stage and and number three to establish the fundamental principles upon which we are found one nation under God and so this nation was founded with people violating the very foundation of slavery. For example, was a fundamental massive violation of everything that we believe the foundation was laid and I use that as a very important issue. Now if that happens, essentially what the Declaration of Independence was doing was telling Great Britain why we were separating from them. Now we want to be under you anymore and that means we gonna drop on the other side of the road so be it. And if it means we got a call tomato sauce, ketchup, then so be it. And if we means we gotta eat French fries instead of chips so be it.

And it biscuits are not cookies, then so be it.

And I'm just using the stuff that we will off about. We were never told to lose our individuality because we celebrate individuality, we celebrate people we celebrate the right of every person to exist in freedom we celebrate freedom of worship. Your listing to Dr. Don Wilton our teacher on The Encouraging Word will be back in just a moment with more on this powerful message for Dr. Don want to know were here for you later talk and pray with you, whether it's keyboard keyboard on our website at tewonline.org he or this phone number 86689 that's 866-899-WORD 9673 now back today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton we sent a great day in America so who are we, but more importantly we go to Austin Christian secondly of America where all week where always so where are we today where is America today. Well I just got two points. The lot of others. Number one, we all where we we're extremely blessed.

I tell you what bothers me a lot in America is there's a lot of people who don't seem to realize how blessed we are.

You know you can have something so good that you done any longer see or recognize or thank God for the goodness that you have yesterday. I went up to Highlands North Carolina is so beautiful. If they make my brother Larry. I love them to bits having seen them in a year and 1/2, mostly because of covert. We played golf together. We climbed below the mountains. I'm just telling you something the two of us as brothers. My older brother had to be with his family up in Maryland.

He couldn't come but we just love each other. We grew up together and we was standing there, Ivan Wendy Instagram put a picture of me and my brother Marty on Instagram and I said we just love each other all our lives in and you know we were looking at each other. We identify with where we began because we were there together and we looked at each other, arm in arm repeatedly and said while just look at this place look at the people who love us look at our churches look at the fellowship with his land from sea to shining sea. We looked at each other. Having grown up in a beautiful place and I grew up in a serf's paradise. I grew up in the mountains. I grew up among the animals of every kind men beauty of Africa's unsurpassed man look at what God's given me. Please place me look where I brought my children so would blessed. That's the first thing I'd say and onto the question where all week, but there's a second truth.

Not only are we blessed but I'm going to say to you as a Christian we are under attack America is under attack. I'm speaking to Christians like me.

There's an agenda is in undermining and all across this beautiful land, people are running into each other is a growing hostility we living in a land who cares what you say anymore even say just the filthiest harmless things you've ever heard criticize breakdown, but more importantly, what is it about America as a Christian is God has stirred your heart.

My heart perhaps, or something that needs to be adjusted to change necessary before we get away, heard from Dr. Wilton preaching and teaching from the pulpit but he steps in the studio. Open your heart to what he wants to share. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now. Dear God, I know that on the center and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross today, I repent of my sin and by faith I receive you into my heart. In Jesus name, my friend. I welcome you today into the family of God.

This is exciting news.

You given your life to Jesus or we dedicated your life. We have free resources. We want you to have if you call 866899 word that's 866-899-WORD 9673 or email us at online@tewonline.org are excited to announce that a friend of the ministry has donated 200,000 gallons allergen personal injury dollars December 30 hour television means channeling call 869-999-9673 Annis Max channeling the encouraging again. It's our prayer that you would just consider God's leading you to help support this teaching, preaching, Dr. Don Wilton to get involved financially.

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