R1676 The Gracious Hand Of God

God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based teaching of Dr. Don Wilton in today's message the gracious hand of God were headed to the book of Nehemiah chapter 2 beginning in verse eight in just a moment with Dr. Don Wilton well-known author evangelist Pastor seminary professor and today I would encourage you to allow him to be your pastor as we open God's word and discover the gracious hand of God, though they were open up right with you anytime on our prayer line at 86689 that's 866-899-WORD 9673 Also Pl. the order.

Great free resources like the daily Encouraging Word Bible God Dr. Don Corley form, or even sign up for our website to get a email of sonically online@tewonline.org. Now let's open God's word to Nehemiah chapter 2 with Dr. Don Wilton today a message entitled, gracious hand of God simply in the series clarity and nominal loss that the Lord Jesus would would give you individually real clarity on the greatest perhaps request outside of Austin, the Lord Jesus to forgive us and Lord, I want your hand to be on me abide with me. Want you to abide with me to be in me in life and in the we get to be a Nehemiah chapter 2 and I'm going to read to you. Perhaps the shortest verse you ever heard me read much to some of your great relief.

We going to be in chapter 2 and the lost part of verse eight. I just want to read to you one statement at the end of the site is what the Bible says and the king granted me what off and the good hand of my God was on me just to the word good in the text.

In the Hebrew text is the wound gracious, the gracious notice of God is in fact his infinite goodness.

Now bear this in mind that that go on using godly people and godly counsel began to speak to the heart of this Jewish man who himself was in exile.

He was away from his people. He wasn't even there.

And God begins to put a burden and it's a it is a very big undertaking. In fact if if one really thinks about it. One can only conclude that from a human point of view, it was highly impossible in many ways you mean this man was in Persia and he's talking about Jerusalem, which is a long way from perjured in those days and everything about it and God's telling him you need to get all the people together who fear me and who know me and who honor me in one place and you need to reboot the city. You need to reestablish the temple of worship. You need to put in place the foundation of agog people so that their sons and daughters are going to be able to grow up strong they going to be able to shop forth and share forth and hold high the name of God, Jehovah, Lord, what you giving me is my starting point. Well first of all, he had no resources. Nehemiah was just cupbearer to the king in the resources and I think probably that's very little I thought.

I think in his case, if you went to him and say dim hey brother, you know, in order to do what you suggesting we do we going to need the following.

I think he could've honestly said I'm sorry I don't have any of Audie and I have I don't have a brick mason stonemason.

I don't have wheels on and of trees to cut down.

I don't own the forest and the finances. I don't have the people, yet he had no resources he had no people. Can you imagine embarking on a project for a nation and they know people to do it with people. All the greatest resource in the world you get the right people on the right bus with the right motivation going in the right direction with the right driver in the right framework you can travel anywhere and he's talking about a nation.

He had no influence on the way influence is a very precious thing and you learn influence you Boone influence.

It's not a pronouncement you could have the most money and sit in the highest seat you can come on the entire feet, but if you don't have influence, you will never accomplish what actually needs to be done.

You will have an adherence.

But you will never harness and allegiance you can be like that is a father close as you are to your sons and your daughters will if you don't have godly Boone influence with your sons and daughters. Yes, they will they obey you because your dad, but they will not obey you with the love that accompanies the one Nehemiah didn't even have these people around. He'd he'd lived in this farmland the strange company name is just a cupbearer in no influence that you know he had no protection. It's hard to avoid chapter 3 and chapter 4. Next week I'm going to address this.

I'm going to speak to this because what God was telling them to do with safety in the context of this outside world that was militantly opposed to everything about God hello and and Nehemiah. God was speaking to him about what God required of God's people, and in the middle of all of that there was no protection.

They were an open target to what to this outside. Will this pagan rule. These and the Bible calls them enemies enemies. They were enemies of the gospel. Excuse me to what point is the devil and enemy of God.

He's not just a bad person or a periodic whisper of influence. He opposes God.

He is watch me anti-Christ speak about that next week about the way here's this man, may I just say this and I'm not putting words into he's he's got this incredible vision and and and godly people are talking and they know and he's going before the king and he's praying is doing it all right but he actually had no prospect of being able to do. That's a loss how do you do you know most Christians want to know exactly how something's going to work before they do it. God tells us no Christian or to ever know exactly because if you do, you evidently have no need to. Also God for his gracious hand, if you can do it yourself. Why bother to office God so the gracious hand of God, Lord, I want this.

I know so many of us want this today. So what exactly did God want Nehemiah to do good. We just put that on the table to get what exactly was God asking Nehemiah to do here it is number one.

He wanted him to travel a long distance. I keep saying this and I know you pardon me for Persia to Jerusalem could go to Baghdad to Jerusalem, I ran Iraq Persian region to Jerusalem us hop on a plane and where there not not not for Nehemiah and by the way, he didn't even have the means to do it. God wanted him to travel a long distance number two God wanted him to rally a district he's God wanted this man these people to rally a desperate people because he had a beautiful plan for them. Number three. He wanted Nehemiah to cost a huge vision. This this is like one of these. What visions about this one. I'll deal with this what God want Nehemiah to God wanted Nehemiah could be with on godly opposition. Forgive the interruption will be back with the rest of today's message with Dr. Don in just a moment. Don't go away when he wants to remind you we are here for you connecting 24 hours a day at 866899 word phone numbers available 24 hours a day to talk and pray connect with great resources as well.

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I'll deal with this little bit next week. What did God want Nehemiah to do God wanted Nehemiah to deal with on godly opposition wasn't about a better way of doing something that wasn't about agreeing to disagree on an issue. This is ungodly. This is opposing God's work.

What he wanted him to do. He wanted him to boot an impossible rule again with due respect to the magnificence of our generation. Building a wall around an entire quote unquote city is small as it might be managing the enormity of that the impossibility of that you know how they both pulls in those days people carry one stone and one rock at a time. He he wanted gone to. He wanted Nehemiah to encourage a God fearing people. One can only imagine the discouragement among the Israelites.

They were scattered everywhere.

They'd been beaten up. They'd been thrown around. They been maligned and belittled, they they would living in strange lands eating strange food being barred from the sun and and and being criticized for that they would seriously badly treated people and and God comes to Nehemiah's as I want you to be encourage a God fearing people ultimately what he wanted Nehemiah to do was to just do what God was telling so what God's gracious hand, provide Nehemiah so when you get down to chapter 8 and the lost part in. The king granted me what I lost for the good hand of my God, the good hand of my God was on me what what did God's gracious hand, provide I'm in a list. Some things are no one, God's favor. I had some beautiful statement I want. I want to.don't you want God to be on our side because of God before she can be against us. God's gracious hand is God's favor.

That's what I want for my grandsons for my granddaughters.

I want God's favor on another if God's hand is on my grandkids. They got please allow me just to be grandpa from it. They got the stuff I mean they wow I want that only when they go to school and playing with both fields with the growing up when they go through puberty and everything screaming at the same time. I want God's favor.

That's what God did for Nehemiah considering the enormity. All of this, God just gave him favor it. God's hand provided God's timing. God's timing. Timing is very important you know when when you carry out God's plan. His vision when when you move you've you've got this organization was dropped talking to you when it's God's timing when some of you thinking about QuickTime retirement went when you when you do what when is the God's gracious hand.

God's timing is perfect.

Some of you young couples want to start a family and you you saying is this the time. Start a family. God's timing is so perfect and you know you look back in the rearview mirror and you confirm that you fallen in love with it other person and and you know you want to marry, but you're not quite sure exactly when you should marry God's he loves you man.

Also God's hand and out of that will not income God's favor, but God's perfect and you see that word many times you number three God's provisions. So we already discovered that with Nehemiah. He didn't have very much in the way of provisions did net resources.

He didn't have the people. How about this as a resource. He didn't have the authority even have the authority to March into Jerusalem and say this is what we gonna do widows come from.

He was just cupbearer to the king.

He wasn't sitting in the captains chair to go on his gracious hand give you everything you need.

Number four.

God's covenant accompanies his hand. I love that because we read about that in chapter 1.

Haven't read chapter 2 remembering the prayer that Nehemiah prayed right at the beginning where he didn't know what to do anything he remembered God's covenant. God is the God of covenant.

He's gracious hand on Nehemiah brought to bear all the ingredients of his covenant with his people. Remember remember what he said Abraham I want you to get up and go to this land. I'm going to tell you now, that's future tense. This faith right there. Just trust me, you don't need to know also to just start doing the Abraham never sat down and said when I excuse me, Lord. Before I start packing my bags I need to know exactly and I want to know if there's a race race between here and Beersheba because you know my wife when she got to go. She got ago. I'm not taking out of this house.

I you know I think God said just get up and go and you'll be amazed what race stops all provide for you because I know I know the circumstances, I know what you need a major know love you God's covenant. Then he said I love this part of the company said. Rabelais slows the base shoe and I'll curse those that curse you all put a hedge of protection. What comes with these covenant everything what is God's gracious hand bring God's abilities. God's abilities will what we put into that bag. God's ability to think God's ability to know God's ability to act God's ability to provide admin number six and I hope it comes up on the screen because I've never put down a point like this it several that's my six point ET C that's a secret word do not. It means just what you and I always tell everybody when we don't have enough time to tell them what we know we need to tell them etc. so you and I know very well considering the wonderful God we serve, etc. what comes with the gracious hand of God.

Do you know that everything that God is ease made available to all of those who love him. That's your etc. so it's bring this to get. Let's personalizes how our boss. Lord, please give me clarity with this mode. How can I ask God for his gracious hand. How can I do how can we do how can we do that is a church moving forward. I just put down for very simple suggestions to how you awesome God for his gracious hand number one be very humble, very humble.

II dictate in Nehemiah humility is just so humble I'm I'm just tiny folks. I set the Dr. Billy Graham. He was a member of this church. I sat with them for 25 years and wrote that book that's all over the place called Saturdays with Billy when I think of Billy Graham. I think of the face of God's grace. Not because he was perfect. But because I knew him very personally. This great man accomplish great things was loved by so many people and millions of people came to know Jesus but he was so humble and God's gracious hand was you cannot explain it is the gracious hand be very humble number to be very prayerful. Where praying for 52 days as a church very prayerful if you and are not humble and prayerful before God. We cannot expect his hand of grace number three be very focused. You want God's hand of grace be very focused.

Don't get pulled off track. Every time God wants you to do something. This will down to this anti-will this antichrist will start trying to pull you off track your get a hold of you. Be focused you want the hand of God's grace be focused. Keep your eyes on the prize don't turn to men is to lead and say we can take that hill, but I just want you to know on the left flank the charts as all of you going to lose your lives.

And that's going to just be a loss closer very focused.

You know you need God's hand and one more be very determined. That's the final full God gave me just be very determined that that little termination is not a self-determination because you know God has spoken. You know Garner's giving you this good know that he's laying before you, and you are affirming everything about him and his name and he will humble and prayerful and focus carrying your self with a price.

It's a spiritual termination to spirituals every day. Go back to the Lord and say Lord I know in and God will allow you he will allow the church. He will sons and daughters to accomplish things all graded. You and I could possibly because he's gone he's gone this far greater than any of us can find them in a million times are and God loves you.

This is the God we serve. He came to the school gave his life so the in him might be able abide with me in life ending with God for me who can be tense because I God said never leave never forsake this guy you hated me for a moment, as many in our worship center Ballinger.

I pray that you would pause where you are in your moment of the day and think about not only what you've heard from Dr. Wilton's teaching, but as he's been talking about the gracious hand of God are prayer you heard the voice of God reminding through his word that he loves you. He has a plan for your life no matter what you have done to perhaps derail that plan. There is a way back way home. If you like to give your life to Jesus Christ, you can repeat this prayer right after me or just to send me to God as we share this time to get the Lord God, I know sin separated me from my life so got I turn my back on my sin I follow you, Jesus. I believe you are the son of God, that you died on that cross and rose from the grave to conquer death. And so Jesus help me now to follow you to make you the Lord of my life, the CEO of my life. I give my life to you.

In Jesus name I pray, amen. If you have just prayed along with me, if perhaps maybe the Lord is disturbed, your heart, Dr. Don reminds us it's not the words that save you. But if you are ready to say yes to Jesus Christ. Now is the time to allow us to walk you through the next steps. Let us grow with you. Pray with you, rejoice with you. Dr. Don would love to pray for you if you call and let us know about your decision. 866-899-WORD is the phone number.this town stored in your cell were available 24 hours a day at 866-899-9673 and on our website@tewronline.org that's TE W online.org 24 hours a day. We are here to encourage you