Skip to content A Challenge to Faithfulness Oct 14 · 48 min ...more
October 14, 2022 · 48 min · Overcoming
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665K followers
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies.
665K followers
0:00 You and I are living in the midst of political chaos. We're living in the midst of a divided society with a particular0:12 emphasis on the political divide. The great concern is over that group of undecided voters. People0:24 who have not made that final commitment about which way they're going to go, Democrat or Republican. And the battle is whoever gets that group, whoever can get0:36 the majority of the undecideds is most likely to win the election. God also has a a problem with undecided Christians.0:49 Christians who who lay clean to him by name as long as everything is going well. But who when the going1:01 gets tough, you're not quite sure where they stand. In fact, they wind up looking like many politicians with their feet firmly planted in midair1:15 because their stand is ambivalent and ambiguous. And God has a major problem with part1:27 time Christians who don't wanna be full time saints, who want to identify when it comes to a blessing, but not when it comes to1:39 a struggle. Who want the benefits of heaven, but not the trouble that heaven brings on earth. John the apostle1:50 writes to this second church, the church at Smyrna. Smyrna is located 35 miles north of our previous church,2:02 Ephesus, and it is a seaport town, a very well off, somewhat prestigious. But there was trouble in2:14 Smyrna. In verse 8, Jesus says to the pastor, the angel of the church,2:26 the 1 who's going to deliver the message, he says, the first and the last, the 1 who was dead and alive says this.2:37 So I'm gonna give the message, but Jesus is doing the talking. So if you get mad at what I'm getting ready to say, talk to Jesus, leave me alone.2:50 Because he just told him to say what he was saying. He identifies himself before he gets into the core of his message as the 13:02 who who is the first and the last. Now that may not mean much to you until you understand where that phrase comes from. Because in Isaiah chapter3:13 41 verse 4, in Isaiah chapter 44 verse 6, And in Isaiah chapter 48 verses 12 and 13, where you see the phrase, the first3:25 and the last. That phrase is used of almighty God. In fact, in Isaiah 48 12 and 13, he says, I am the first and3:37 the last, the God who created heavens and earth. So when Jesus Christ declares himself in Revelation 2 verse 8, To be the first and the3:49 last, he's declaring himself to be God. So he picks this Old Testament designation of God and applies it to himself.4:01 Now we know he's applying it to himself because he says, I was dead, and now I'm alive. Well, God the father didn't die. God the son died. So in that4:12 little phrase, Jesus speaks of both his deity and His humanity. He's the first and the last. He's God, but He died, so He's4:24 man. In fact, that is, as we've often said, the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. The baby in the manger made his mother. The baby4:36 in the stable made the animals that surrounded him there. The same 1 who got thirsty could walk on water.4:49 Same 1 who got hungry could turn sardines and crackers into a Moby Dick sandwich. The same 1 who died could rise from the dead because he is both the5:01 first and the last God, and he's the 1 who died, man, but who's now alive. We explained last time that he now sits as the risen ascended Christ.5:14 So you must learn to look at and relate to him now in his current status as the 1 in charge. It is to this5:25 person that we read the phrase, he says, I know your tribulation. I know your5:37 trouble. I know what you're going through. I know you're hurting right now. 1 of the things you need to understand is5:49 Jesus never goes oops about what's happening to you. Jesus never said, oh, I'm so sorry. That 1 caught me by surprise. He6:01 says, I am fully aware that you're going through it because I'm God, but I'm also fully aware of what it feels like because I'm man. If6:13 you feel like you're dying, I know what that feels like because I died. I've been through all of the categories of trouble that any human being has been through6:25 as man even though I am simultaneously deity. Yes. I know your trouble. If you're hurting today, he's aware of it. If6:37 you're crying today, he's aware of it. If your world has been shaken today, he's aware of it. Not only because he's6:49 omniscient, God, but because he's human, man. And so he's got that dual reality of identification7:00 while transcending time and being involved in time. He says, I know you got7:12 trouble. Now let me give you the first category of trouble these believers were facing. This is Smyrna.7:23 Smyrna was well known for something. The mountains around Smyrna look like a crown, a crown that a king7:35 would wear. They were shaped that way. Many of the buildings in Smyrna were built to reflect this mountain look of a7:47 crown. The reason why that is a big deal if you lived in Smyrna is because as a Roman colony, they worship7:59 Caesar as Lord. You had to recognize Caesar as God. Well, Christians had another8:11 declaration. Jesus is Lord. That created a conflict with the Roman government. Oh, yeah. So they were going8:22 through the pressure and oppression of not yielding to the governmental authority when it claimed the8:34 rights of deity. While everybody else was saying Caesar is Lord, they were declaring no, Jesus is Lord. While we will8:46 recognize government and respect government, we won't bow to government because Jesus and not Caesar8:58 is Lord. That created a problem. Because once you rejected Caesar, you were now an enemy of the state.9:10 And as a result of that, there was confiscation of property. It says, you are having trouble9:22 and you are poor. Now it's bad enough to have trouble, but it's showing up bad when you have trouble and no money.9:35 Because you can't afford to cover up your misery. You see, 1 of the uses of money is to hide how messed up you feel.9:48 You can spend money on entertainment. You can spend money on parties. You can spend money on this and that to help cover up the trouble, tribulation that you may be going through.10:01 Well, what they were facing in their declaration that Jesus is Lord was an impoverishment economically, the loss10:13 of something financially because of their commitment to the risen ascended Christ and their unwillingness to10:24 compromise their declaration in front of Rome that you are not our God. Jesus is10:36 our God. So they were spiritually rich. That's why he says in the next phrase, you are rich. You are rich because of your decision to10:48 be committed to me even though it's costing you a price tag. So let me say this as we get going here. If11:01 it's never cost you anything to follow Jesus Christ as Lord, it is because you are not following Jesus11:12 Christ as Lord. Paul told Timothy, all those who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer11:24 persecution. So if you're never suffering rejection, if you're never suffering defeat, if you're never suffering loss, it is because11:36 you're not godly enough for you to suffer any of that. Because he says there are absolutely no exceptions. All those, they11:48 don't suffer the same thing. They don't suffer the same amount of things, but there is a loss to following Christ. I would love to come to you today and tell you follow11:59 Christ, and it's gonna be roses 24 7. Follow Christ 12 months a year. It's gonna be good. Follow Christ 36512:11 days. You won't have to worry. I would love to tell you that, but I gotta be like Paul Harvey and tell you the rest of the story. He12:22 says, you are in trouble. And I know you're in trouble because you've taken a public stand for the first and the last who12:34 was dead. He not talking about you believe in God, being very generic, so nobody knows who you're talking about. He's talking about the recognition12:46 of Jesus Christ as Lord in the face of a rejecting government. And let me explain12:58 this real clear. We are getting to the place in America where if you publicly declare Jesus Christ is13:10 Lord, not the Democrats, not the Republicans, not the Congress, not the White House, Jesus Christ is Lord, and it is he that will make the13:21 final decisions for the church, not the government. We have set ourselves up for an attack that has already begun.13:34 With the redefinition of marriage and now the insistence of transgenderism, churches are now being attacked and are now being sued13:46 for not succumbing to political correctness in the shift that's taking place today. We're living in a day when there's little respect for our13:58 faith, when religious freedom is in jeopardy, and regardless of which party you're for, that's not my point. My point is it ought to be clear, and there ought to be no mistakes about14:10 it, that our ultimate allegiance is not to Washington. It's to the king of kings and the lord of lords.14:26 Because I know the trouble you're facing. I know that you're on delicate territory now when you do not declare that Caesar is lord, when you do not declare. And and in fact in fact,14:38 unfortunately, Christians and certainly the secular political world don't even really understand what's happening right now. Second Chronicles chapter 15 verses 3 to 6. It says, in those days, there was no true14:50 God, no teaching priest, no law. There was no peace to him who went in, peace to him who came out. City rose up against city, and nation rose up against nation. And then it says, for God troubled them with every kind of15:00 distress. Now if God is your problem, only God is your solution. If God is your problem, I don't care who you select. Kick me out your schools. Kick me out your courts. Kick me out of you15:12 just gonna kick me out? Well, I'm a let you see what your country looks like when I go.15:28 He says, I know your trouble. I know when you don't compromise at work, you might not get that promotion. I know when you don't compromise with your friends,15:39 you might not get that recognition. But that's the piece of your commitment you need to know about so that you're not shocked when it happens15:51 So that you don't know where that came from. So I know your trouble, and I know there is a price tag to full commitment to me.16:04 I know you I know you wanna hear sermons about bless me this, bless me that, wave your hand in the air like you just don't care. I know you wanna hear those sermons. Nothing wrong with those sermons, but that's16:16 not the whole story. I'm just trying to give you the whole story. So if there's never any cost, there wasn't much commitment.16:30 I've told you before, I'll tell you again, they asked me to come down to city hall and open up in prayer. Fine. They sent me a letter. They said we want you, Tony16:42 Evans, to come down and open up the city council with prayer, but just don't mention Jesus. Don't mention Jesus because we got Jewish people, we got people who don't believe, we got So just keep it generic16:54 God. So I went down there. And I said, okay, let's pray. Heavenly father, now the city council will17:06 ask me to pray pray so I can only assume they want me to reach you. You've said that there's only 1 mediator between God and man, and that's the man Christ So in order to do what they ask me to17:18 do, I gotta bring Jesus in to get it done. First of all, I wanna thank you for creating the city council because if you didn't create them, they couldn't be here. And according to scripture, everything that was made was17:29 made by Christ Jesus, so I gotta thank Jesus that they're here. And then, Lord Jesus, I wanna thank you for creating government because according to the apostle Paul, you created government, the same apostle who17:41 met Jesus on the Damascus road. And if there are any people here as they make their decisions who don't know Jesus Christ and that he died on the cross for their sins and rose from the17:53 dead, would you make it plain to them today? In Jesus' name, amen.18:07 So let me make this inextricably clear. In your company or at your house, if you don't wanna be here by don't invite me. Don't invite me. Because18:19 I wanna be an overcomer, and an overcomer declared Jesus Christ is Lord.18:32 Says, I know you're troubled. There are a number of reasons that God allows suffering. Let me let me review this with you because it's part of the18:43 package if you're a public Christian and not a secret service agent. Covert operative.18:55 CIA representative. 1 reason that God allows suffering, because he knows what's going on, he says, I know. Let let me say something. Look.19:07 Nothing happens to you that doesn't pass through his fingers first. K? It's called sovereignty. Nothing in order for it to get to you, it's gotta go through him, which means it has19:19 to have permission. Now I'm not talking about suffering because of you doing evil. That's 1 kind of suffering. I'm talking about when you're trying to live for God, when you're trying to proclaim19:30 Christ, when you try and it's still going south. It had to pass through his fingers first. K? 1 reason he does it is to humble19:42 us. Second Corinthians 12 verse 7. To humble us. In other words, he wants to deal with something in our character that we either actually or19:54 potentially are headed toward. So he allows something in our lives. Paul says, God allowed a messenger of Satan a thorn in the flesh. A thorn is20:06 something that pricks you, that irritates you. He calls it a messenger. He had a person in his life who was driving him nuts, an irritation, and20:18 he says, I prayed to God to get rid of it 3 times. And God says, I will not get rid of the irritation that I allowed the devil to put in your life.20:30 And the reason I'm not gonna allow it is to humble you so that you don't think more of yourself than you ought to think. And he says, my20:42 grace will be sufficient, and in your weakness, I'm gonna make you strong. So God didn't let it go right then because he wanted to20:54 do something different in his life. But if you don't know that that's 1 of the reasons God allowed you to suffer, all you're gonna see are the pricks and not the purpose. He does that to humble us.21:06 Right. Right. Another reason he lets us when we're seeking to live for him is to use us. Second Corinthians chapter 1 verse 4, Paul21:17 says, in our affliction, we're going through stuff. We're trying to serve God, love God, please God, walk with God, and we are underneath affliction, suffering. He says, God met21:29 us in our affliction, watch this, so that we would now be able to comfort others who are in the same affliction. So God lets21:41 you go through stuff even though you're trying to please him and are publicly associated with him, because he has somebody else down the line who's gonna be going through what you21:53 are now going through. And he doesn't just want you to quote bible verses. He doesn't just wanna say, I'm a pray for you. He wants you to feel what they feel and emote where they22:05 emote and because you've been where they've been. And he wants to use you experientially. Ain't it irritating somebody trying to help you that don't know what you're talking about?22:17 Because they've never been there. He says, I wanna use the comfort I give you in what I allowed you to go through. He does it for another reason, to grow us.22:29 James chapter 1 verses 2 to 4 says, the testings of your faith is to develop you. He wants to take you to another level. So there is22:41 purpose in the pain if you're seeking to live for him publicly. I ain't talking about privately. I ain't talking about in church. I'm talking about declaring out there Jesus22:53 is Lord. That he will allow people to come against you, people to reject you, people to talk about you as sure as you're born. He will he will allow that people to scheme against you.23:05 He will allow people to politic against you. He will allow somebody else to get that promotion that you've been working hard, because he has a reason.23:17 Oh, here's 1. To deepen His reality in your life. Watch this. It's called in Philippians 3 10, the fellowship23:29 of His suffering. Fellowship means increased intimacy. He say, you know what? When you are hurting, getting intimate with the23:41 doctor, that's what you're looking for. You don't just want to know your doctor's name. You don't just want to know his telephone number. Oh, you want a little hookup with your doctor because you're in pain.23:53 When you're fine, you may not call doc. But when the pain won't go away long enough, deep enough, oh, you're gonna get him on the phone. You're gonna rearrange your schedule. You're24:04 make sure there's a hookup with the doctor because it's hurting so bad, you need somebody who can meet you where you are. God knows if it's only blessing, he ain't gonna get your undivided attention.24:17 If it's only blessing, you may not pick up the phone. If it's only blessing, you may not get desperate enough. So he brings you to the fellowship of his suffering. He24:29 lets you feel what it feels like to be him when he was going through, when you're going through, because he knows you're snuggle up a little closer. You're gonna spend a little bit more time in24:40 prayer. You're gonna meet him longer in the word when it's hurting bad enough that you need him. And so he does that to deepen the intimacy24:53 with his people. He says, I know what you're going through. I know you. You're struggling right now. But he says, it's even worse than that.25:05 I know, verse 9, the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Oh, wait a minute. He started with the secular25:17 world. Now he says, you get in trouble from the religious world. Synagogue, that's a place of worship. These were the Jews who rejected Christ,25:29 who were now persecuting the Christians. These are church folk who reject you because you've taken your stand for Jesus Christ. Because just because they in church don't mean25:41 they right. Just because they in church carrying a bible under their arm, because these Jews were carrying the old testament, just because they carrying a bible under their arm doesn't mean they25:53 committed. The just because they just because they saying, amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord, standing up, sitting down, clapping their hands, that don't mean a thing if Jesus is not Lord.26:05 In fact, he said, you got a church full of devils. There is resistance from the synagogue of saint. The religious folk were26:17 against them. Because I wanna tell you now, if you take your stand for Jesus Christ, church folk will say you're fanatic. Church folk will say you're being too26:29 serious about this. Church folk will start calling you rev. Church folk will tell you, I don't need to hear that bible no more. Church folk will do26:40 that and become your persecutors because you're taking your stand for God. Synagogue of Satan. He26:53 says, and I know. I know what you're going through because you become, you've you've served notice that your allegiance is to me first.27:05 It's public. It's not it's not hidden. It's it's like the political campaign. It's a placard. It's been put on notice. It's advertised. And you are paying27:17 a price for it. There's a cost to it. He goes on to say, oh, I like this. Do not fear.27:30 Because you can get scared when you're hurting because of your faith. Are they gonna accept me? Are they gonna like me? Are they gonna befriend me? Are they gonna27:42 work with me? Are they gonna Are they they gonna I'm talking about appropriately, but clearly representing the faith. He says, do not fear. Why did he tell him do not fear? Because he said, getting ready to get worse.27:55 Oh, see? See, I lost my amens right there. It's getting ready to get worse. He says, do not fear what you are about to suffer. And he already told him you're suffering. He says,28:07 well, something else coming. He says, behold, the devil is about to cast some of you in prison so that you will be tested,28:20 and you will have tribulation for 10 days. He said, so some of y'all are going to jail. In fact, some of you here may feel like you're in jail. A circumstance you can't get out of, a suffering you can't28:32 get away from, and you feel like I am in prison. He said, it's gonna get worse. And then he tells you, but don't fear. Don't fear. Well,28:45 wait a minute. I'm already struggling. You're telling me if I keep my public identity with you, it's gonna get worse. And then you tell me don't be scared.28:58 How am I gonna deal with that? He says, don't be afraid because you will undergo some trouble for 10 days. In other29:10 words, I got my hand on the clock. I'm gonna allow it, but I'm also gonna determine when it's gonna end. Okay, watch this now.29:23 Come on, you ladies know what it is to use a timer. You use a timer to tell you when the meat is ready. You use a timer to tell you when stuff is done. And if the bell goes29:35 off and it's not done, you're put it back in the oven because it ain't ready yet. Okay? So watch this. If God says in 10 days, it's gonna be over,29:48 You wanna make sure you done. Because you don't wanna see it extended any longer than what his clock called for. See,29:59 sometimes we going through stuff because we ain't done. No. We still not confessing Christ. We're still not living for Christ, but we wanna say, get me out of here. Well, God said, well, the bell rung, but you ain't30:11 ready. You you raw on the inside. You ain't done. God says, I control the clock. That's why you don't have to be afraid. I got I got this I got this clock. And30:23 and Satan is on a leash. And I didn't given him 10 days to do his stuff for me to do in you what I want you to do, but at 10 days, I'm jerking that sucker back.30:37 Because he's not just the devil, he my devil. And I use him as I please. If you don't believe me, ask Job. He my devil. I tell him how far he can go and30:49 how far he can go and how long he can stay there. Because I am the sovereign God, and I am in charge, so you make sure you identify with me.31:02 This is not a time for weak knee Christians. This is not a day for silly saints. This is a day for men and women who name the name of Jesus31:14 Christ to name the name of Jesus Christ. And do not fear, he says. Oh, Moses was afraid. Moses was afraid. God31:26 said, go tell Pharaoh, let my people go. Moses said, you got to be kidding. Them people gonna kill me. In fact, when I go over there, I'm gonna tell you what they're gonna ask me. They're ask me,31:39 who sent you? Mister Big Stuff, who do you think you are? Who sent you and made you boss? He says, you tell them when they ask you that dumb31:51 question, I am that I am sent you. And the reason I'm gonna tell you to tell them I am that I am sent you is because I am gonna be whatever you need when the time comes.32:03 I'm gonna be your sovereign, self sufficient, eternal support. See, here's the deal. If you're gonna go through downtime, suffering times, tribulation times for32:15 following Christ, the key thing you're gonna need to know is he's there. See that? See that's the key thing. Even if the circumstance hasn't changed, you need to know he in the vicinity.32:27 You need to know that mister Rogers is in the neighborhood. You need to know that God is right there when you're going through it. That's that's why I like the 3 Hebrew boys, Shadrach,32:39 Meshach, and Abednego. Okay? Nebuchadnezzar gets the big head. Nebuchadnezzar gets the big head, and Nebuchadnezzar32:51 says, I want everybody in my kingdom of Babylon to bow. Everybody bow before me. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego said now,33:04 oh king, we're gonna respect you? Okay. Let it be known, because the king had said, anybody that doesn't bow, we're gonna put in the fiery furnace.33:17 Burn, baby. Burn. Anybody that does not bow will go in the fiery furnace. K? If you don't bow, you're gonna lose your job. If you don't bow, you won't get a raise. If you don't bow, you don't get33:28 recognition. If you don't compromise, then you're not gonna progress. If you don't compromise, you're gonna burn. Yep. 3 Hebrew boys33:40 said, okay. Let it be known to you today that we will not bow.33:53 We'll serve you. We'll give you the because they were in the employment of the king. So we'll give you the best of our time, the best of our energy, but hitting our knees? Oh, no. No. We ain't doing that.34:04 And as to your threat, as to your threat that you're gonna fire us, as to your threat,34:18 our God watch this. Watch this next phrase, whom we serve. Not our God who we talk about in church, Not our God who we just reference every now and then. Our34:30 God who we continually serve. This ain't new. We ain't got just bringing up this today. We've been serving him while we've been working in the secular government, but our God who34:41 we serve is able to deliver us from your fiery furnace. O king, you may be in charge, but you're not the final word. Yes. Because our God34:53 is able. In fact, our God opened up the Red Sea, he can take some of that water and put it on your fire. I mean, that's not that's not gonna be an issue to you. In other words, we believe our God is greater than your35:04 threat. Our your our God is greater than your threat. You please get this, folks. The world does not control your destiny.35:16 The world does not control where you're gonna wind up. See, we got that all mixed up. Well, if I don't know that person and I don't hook up with that person and I don't have that contact, I'm not gonna make it. What the35:28 are you did you just tell me they are God? Is that what you just told me? That they are your source? So so king We we don't do no bowing,35:40 but to our God who we serve. Oh, but then he throws another phrase in in Daniel chapter 3. He says, but even if he does not.35:53 See, amen's died down just then. They just amen amen just died down just then. Because we like that first phrase. That first phrase make you wanna praise. That first phrase makes you wanna shout,36:05 our god is able. Now we'd like to use phrases. Ain't he able? Can he do it? Didn't he do it?36:16 See, we'd we'd like that. That stuff make you shout. Oh, but let's add this other phrase. Even if he does not, even36:28 if I lose the job, lose the raise, lose the contract, lose the recognition, even if he does not. Let it be36:40 known to the king this day, we will not bow. We're gonna make that clear. So king is hot now36:52 because they ain't doing what what he told them to do and he their boss. But he's asking him to make him Lord. They can't do that. So they are put in the fire. Put in the fire.37:04 They made it 7 times hotter because he was so hot, he made the fire hotter. He comes to the glass in the furnace. He he looks at the fire burner.37:15 Woah. He asked his boys, how many people we put in there? Uh-oh. Can you put in 3 people? Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego. Yes. Well, I'm looking through this37:27 glass right now, and I'm seeing 4 folk. There's Meshach, Shadrach, Abednego, and there's another dude in there37:39 like the son of God walking around. Now here it is. Here it is. Watch this. Watch this. Here's what I like about it. Before they put them in the fire, they bound37:51 them. Yes. Yes. Hand and foot. Yeah. But when the king looked in and saw them, it says they were walking around in the fire.38:03 They bound them up, but they walking. So I'm here to tell you, make Jesus Lord. That does not always mean he will deliver you38:14 from, but it does mean he'll join you in. And if he joins you in, there's victory even in the fire.38:34 So what do you want? What do you want from me, Lord? Here he tells you at the end of verse 10, I want you to be faithful unto death. That's the message. I want you, if you're gonna be an38:45 overcomer, to be faithful until the end. Until this life is over, I want you to go all38:57 the way for me. Faithfulness is dependability regardless of circumstances. Sometimes it's easy to be39:09 faithful because everything is is up and up. Sometimes it's rough to be faithful. He says, I want you to be faithful. It's following through on your commitments regardless of the difficulty of the circumstance.39:20 It's continuing to go until the whistle blows. They tell a player now, if you don't hear the whistle, you keep going. You keep going. You go to the whistle blows. You39:32 say, but but I've already tripped up. I've not been faithful. Get up. Don't stay down because you got knocked down. You get up and keep going again. Why? Because the whistle hasn't blown.39:44 You make up for lost time, but you go because the whistle has not blown. How do you know the whistle hasn't blown? You're not dead yet. Says be39:56 faithful unto death and your commitment to me and your living underneath my lordship. And40:07 if you do, I will give you, verse 10 says, the crown of life. I will give you a crown a crown. Well, if you wear a crown,Show more
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