June 8, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Everything we need has already been supplied by the one
who has called us for living the Christian life.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Doctor Tony Evans says the key to accessing God's blessings
is recognizing what He's given us.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
So what we need today is not more blessing. What
we need is more insight into the blessings we already have.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. It's possible to
be rich and still live like you're broke, especially if
you don't know what you actually have today. Doctor Evans
explains how believers can tap into the spiritual power, wisdom,
and hope they already have access to, whether they know
(00:42):
it or not. Let's listen as he unpacks Paul's prayer
for eyes to be opened to the resources God has
already provided.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Fundamentally, you and I have to understand that when we
were saved, God deposited in us everything we needed to
become full spiritual adults and to be able to have
access to everything that God has provided for us. Let
me show you just a couple of passages to remind
you of this foundational truth. Second, Peter one, verse three says,
(01:13):
seeing that his divine power has granted to us most
things pertaining the life and godliness. Is that what it says,
All things are everything pertaining the life and godliness through
the true knowledge of Him who called us by his
own glory and excellence. So everything we need has already
been supplied by the one who has called us for
(01:34):
life and godliness, for living the Christian life. Turn with
me also to Colossians the Book of Colossians, Chapter two,
verse eight. See to it that no one takes you
captive through philosophy empty deception according to the tradition of men.
Don't just follow what people say according to the elementary
(01:57):
principles of the world, because the best of the world has,
as as ay be in Sea. It's kindergarten thinking, he says,
rather than according to Christ, because that's in the spiritual university.
For in him Christ, all the fullness of Dna dwells
in bodily form. In Christ is God. All of God
that makes God God is in the person of Christ.
And guess who you have. If you're a Christian. You
(02:19):
have Christ, and in Him you have been made complete.
And He has had over all rule and all authority.
So he emphasizes the fact that we are complete in Christ,
totally complete in Christ. So don't settle for any philosophy
that makes what you have in Christ make you feel
(02:40):
like you're incomplete. He says, that's not true. So what
we need today is not more blessing. What we need
is more insight into the blessings we already have, and
that leads us to our passage today, which is Ephesians
chapter one, verses fifteen to twenty three. Ephesians Chapter one,
(03:00):
verses fifteen to twenty three, where Paul wants us to
access our spiritual resources. He wants us to access our
spiritual resources. He begins by affirming them, he says in
verse fifteen, for this reason, I, too, having heard of
the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you,
and your love for all the saints, do not cease
(03:21):
giving thanks for you while making mention of you in
my prayers. Now I want you to notice three things
about these introductory verses. Number one, I want you to
notice that this church had faith in the Lord Jesus
and love for the saints. They had these twin dynamics,
(03:43):
twin dimensions of the Christian life. They had the vertical
faith in Christ, then they have the horizontal love for
the brethren, and that serves as the foundation for realizing
your spiritual resources. If there is not faith in Christ
and love for the brethren, then there's not fellowship with God.
(04:03):
And if there's not fellowship with God, you're in no
position to receive, to receive what God has to give
you in terms of your spiritual blessing. You won't be
able to access it without it. Now, please know it's
the third thing, and that is what Paul is doing.
Paul is praying. He says, I don't cease giving thanks
for you, making mention of you in my prayers. So
(04:26):
he introduces prayer. If there is faith in Christ, the
love for the brethren, then there's freedom in prayer. And
if there's freedom in prayer, then what you have open
is the communication line to get you into this realm
called heavenly places. Actually you're already there. That's the realm
of spiritual influence. Heavenly places is the realm of spiritual activity,
(04:49):
and prayer is what links you to it. It is
the line that brings Heaven to earth and Earth to
Heaven and interfaces the two this foundation, and then it
comes with a number of things that I want to
bring before your attention today about what he prays for,
which is what we are to pray for if we
(05:11):
want to access our spiritual resources, that is, if we
want to be able to get hold of claim all
that was provided for us at the moment that we
receive Jesus Christ. The first thing he prays for is
in verse seventeen. Let me read it that the God
of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may
(05:31):
give to you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of Him. The first thing that they
pray for, which is the first thing that we should
pray for, is the knowledge of God's person, the knowledge
of God's person. The better you know God, the better
you will know your resources from God. The less you
(05:53):
know God, the less you will know about your resources
from God. So his prayer is that there might be
in these believers in Ephesus, there might be a spirit
of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God.
To put it another way, the knowledge of God is
(06:15):
the basis for the knowledge of everything else. If you
want to be able to access all that God has
given you and all that God has for you, then
you must get to know God. Please notice, hold your
finger here and turn with me to a well known
passage in the Book of Romans Romans Chapter one. What
(06:38):
happens when there is not the right knowledge of God?
For the wrath of God Verse eighteen is revealed from
Heaven against all in godliness and unrighteousness of men who
suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known
about God is evident within them. For God made it
evident to them. For since the creation of the world
is invisible, attributes his eternal power, divine nature has been
(07:00):
clearly seen, being understood through that which was made. So
that they're without excuse. For even though they knew God,
they did not honor Him as God or give thanks.
But they became fudel in their speculations, and their foolish
heart was darkened. My point is simply this, If you
do not do anything with the knowledge about God, then
you will not gain the knowledge of God. If you
(07:23):
do not do anything with the knowledge about God, and
therefore do not gain the knowledge of God, you will
have your foolish heart darken. In other words, instead of
evolving you will devolve. Another spiritual resource is the prayer
to know not only God's person, but God's calling. Please
notice the Book of Ephesians, chapter one, verse eighteen, so
(07:49):
that you may know what is the hope of his calling.
When the Bible talks about hope, the Bible is not
talking about our use of the word hope. We say
I hope, So that's not the biblical meaning of hope.
In the Bible, hope is a firm conviction. It is
being convinced of something. Hope is a confidence in scripture.
(08:12):
Please notice the Ephesians chapter four, verse four. He wants
you to know the hope, and he ties the Holy
Spirit to that. What's he talking about? Well, when God
saved you, he called you. You were called and chosen
for salvation. God didn't call you unto nothingness. He called
you to a sure hope, a certain confidence. Christian hope
(08:36):
in the Bible is a dynamic force, not a philosophical concept.
The Bible calls it in one Peter one to three,
a living hope. The hope is not only confident, it's
confident because it's alive. Your hope as a Christian if tied,
as you'll see in a moment to the resurrection of
(08:57):
Jesus Christ. Now, if Jesus didn't rise, we can all
go home. But if Jesus got up from the grave,
what's the problem. He's gonna outerline that in the moment,
you can live in confidence because he's called you to that.
He's called you not only the salvation, He's called you
the service. You can be confident that your calling will
(09:19):
eventuate into everything that God has for you, both in
time and then eternity, because that is your hope, and
your hope is your confidence. Hope in the Bible is
the opposite to despair. That's why the old folks can
say I'm gonna wait till my change come. That was hope.
It was a sure confidence. But they had a sure hope,
(09:44):
not I hope. So maybe so, maybe not. It was
a confidence. When you understand your hope, it will change
your emotions when you believe. Because I'm called and I
belong to Jesus Christ by salvation and I'm willing to
serve him by service, that God is going to lead me,
(10:05):
guide me, direct me through this living hope because I
got a person clearing out the way. He will turn
your weed garden into a rose garden. It's like the
flowers blooming when God opens up. When you understand, you
have a hope. And this is not some psychological power
of positive thinking. This is the reality of biblical thinking.
(10:29):
It's a real hope. And that's why you can spend
so much time brothers and sisters giving thanks. You can
give thanks the whole world's falling apart. You can start
off with Lord, before I get to my messed up world,
let me give thanks, and I want to give thanks
for my hope that my messed up world is not
the last word. The last word is my living Savior.
And since the last word is my living Savior, I'm
(10:51):
going to stand in the midst of this mess with confidence,
confidence in the living Christ. You know what you just did.
You wrote a withdrawal slip, wrote Rasslet, because now you're
acting on your hope, your new standing in Christ. This
dynamic for us.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That kind of confidence grows stronger when we truly understand
what's available to us in Christ. When doctor Evans returns
in a moment, he'll take us steeper into Paul's powerful
prayer for spiritual insight. First, though, what you're hearing today
is part of a powerful series from Tony called Ordinary
Holy Finding God in the Mundane. This two volume, sixteen
(11:30):
message collection will help you discover how God does some
of his most life changing work through the most ordinary
moments of life. You learn how the Truths and Ephesians
can reshape your perspective and renew your spiritual strength whether
you're at work, at home, or simply going about your day.
You can get all sixteen full length messages as our
(11:51):
gift when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's
ministry going strong on the air, online, and around the
world for a limited time. Will also include his encouraging
book Kingdom Living, full of practical biblical insights to help
you grow deeper in your walk with God and discover
your identity in Christ. Just visit us today at Tonyevans
(12:14):
dot org or call us at one eight hundred eight
hundred thirty two twenty two, make your donation and request
this special resource package. But don't wait. This offer will
only be available for a limited time. I'll repeat that
contact information for you after the second part of today's message.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
So he prays for the knowledge of God. He prays
for the knowledge of their calling. He then prays for
the knowledge of their riches, of God's riches on their behalf.
Notice the in the verse eighteen, what are the riches
of the glory of His inheritance? In the Saints. God
wants you to look at this relationship as a relationship
of wealth. And not only that, but in Ephesians he
(12:57):
refers to us as his riches. God views us as
so valuable to him as any parent would view their children,
that he looks at us as his wealth. The Bible
always views the gaining of children as the gaining of wealth,
because the gained children meant to gain more productivity. And
of course, in a farming community, the more hands, the
more you could reap from the crops, and the more
(13:19):
money you could sell the crops forth, or the richer
you would become. Well, that's how God views you and me.
He views us as part of this great wealth and
the Redeemed the God are worth more than the universe itself.
And so we are rich to him, and we are
rich in him, and so we are to live like
we are wealthy spiritually, and then that will affect us
(13:40):
in different ways materially. So let's look at the next verse,
verse nineteen he tells us, we are to pray to
know God's power. Now watch this one. This is a
this is a doozy here, And what is the surpassing
greatness of His power toward us who believe in accordance
with the working of the strain, even his might? And
(14:01):
you said you wanted to quit, You wanted to throw
in the towel, you wanted to give up. Never, he says,
you need to go to prayer and find the surpassing
greatness of His power. What good is wealth riches that
you're too weak to use? Like a little boy was
(14:22):
trying to pick up the rock, he said, Daddy, I
can't do it. Father said pick it up, so you
can do it. He said, daddy. He kept shrunking and struggling, straining.
I can't do it, daddy. And he's grunting and strained
some more, and just just sheer exhaustion fell on the ground.
Why are you punishing me so much? I can't do it.
I use all my strength, he said, you couldn't have
(14:43):
used all your Strange boy, you never asked me to help.
That's what we do. We grunt and grown cry and
then wind up. I want to know why God there's
nowhere to be found, and he was never brought into
the process. It's in accordance with his strength. It's in
accordance with his power. You are a powerful persons as
(15:04):
you sit here listening to my voice. And if Jesus
Christ is in your life, you are powerful. How powerful
is this power that you and I have, Well, let
me show you how powerful it is verse twenty, which
he brought about in Christ when he raised him from
the dead, seated him at his right hand in heavenly places,
far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. That's need.
(15:28):
Let me tell you the three kind of powers you have.
One inside of you right now. You have resurrection power,
because it's the power in you is the same power
that got Jesus up from the dead as resurrection. Let
me tell you the second kind of power you have
within you. You have ascension power, because the power that got
Jesus up from the dead is the power that ascended
(15:49):
in the heaven. And seating them on the right hand
of the Father, that's a sension's power. That's not all.
Let me tell you the third kind of power. You
have dominion power, because it's power over every rule and
every authority and every dominion. Okay, that's ruling power. So
everybody in here who names the name of Jesus Christ
is potent with power, resurrection power. When it looked like
(16:15):
you've been knocked out of the race, when it looked
like you down and out, you can get up off
that canvas. You never have to circumb to your circumstances.
You no longer have to say I'm okay underneath the circumstances.
You can get from underneath there because you have read
that doesn't mean the problem will go away. It means
you are resurrect out of the grave. That is your problem.
(16:36):
But you don't just have to get up out the grave.
You can ascend to heaven. You'll see that in chapter two,
because we've been seated with him in heavenly places. So
now you not only get up from under it, you
rise above it. That's ascension power. Not only do you
get up from under it resurrection power, rise above it
(16:57):
ascension power. But now you can walk on top of it.
Dominion power. Dominion means rule that you walk over top
of it. I remember, I'm a James Bond fan. I
like James Bond, and the reason I like James because
I like the gadgets. You know, they'd be coming up
with all this stuff, all his gadgets. And I remember
(17:17):
one of the I don't know whether it's Sean Connery
or one of them old James Bond movie and James
Bond was being chased by these guys with machine guns
and he came to this water that he had to
cross or else they were gonna kill him. And he
had a problem because it was a alligators in the water.
So the guy's coming with him went from machine guns
(17:37):
and his alligators in the water. They're gon shot enough
kill him if he stayed there. He's got to get
across the water. But when he gets on the water, well,
the alligator's gonna eat him up because there's a whole
slew of him in the water. So he's in a
catch twenty two. He's gonna lose either way. Well, they
came within the genius idea. He walked on top of
the alligators across the waterway. So how he got across
(17:58):
that I remember seeing that, you know younger than that boy.
You bad, You're just too bad, all right. Well, that's
dominion power to have stuff that would eat you up
and you walking on top of it, getting where you
need to go. Hey, I'd appreach you on it. That's
resurrection power, that's the sension power, that's dominion power. In
(18:19):
other words, Satan no longer can defeat you unless you
let him. Because Jesus Christ has been raised far above
all dominion, so we are with him, far above all dominion.
Chapter two, verse six. Since we are with him, then
since he can't defeat Jesus, he can't defeat us unless
(18:40):
we let him. That's why he must win by deception.
He can no longer beat you by power. He can
only deceive you into doing it. He cannot make you
do it anymore. So don't ever give me that line.
Devil made me know. He duped you, tricked you, deceive you.
He did not make you, because remember you got resurrection power,
cension and dominion power. But you know what he says.
(19:02):
He says to those who believe, see, unless it's mixed
with faith, you won't walk on top of those alligators
because you won't believe you can. And as long as
you can say I can't, when God says I can
do all things through Christ strengthens me, Paul says, then
you won't. That's why Paul wanted to know him. That's
why he says. Look, that's why he says that it
(19:27):
is in accordance to the strength of his might. That's
why he wanted to know Christ Philippians three ten, that
I might know him. The knowledge of God produces spiritual vitality.
Satan wants to keep us hooked up because of ignorant
sin and disobedience. So we have to pray to know
God's power. Finally, we must pray to know God's purpose.
Verse twenty two and twenty three. He had put God
(19:49):
the Father has put all things in subjection under his
Jesus the Son's feet, everything all things, and gave him
his head over all things to who church. Notice God
did not give Christ as head over all things, to
the all things. He gave Jesus head over all things,
(20:10):
but only to the Church. So only we have this power.
Only the Church has it. But Jesus is over all things,
and that's why we are supposed to be everywhere. No
this verse twenty three, which is his body? Now, what's
a body? A body? You know the job of a body.
A body only has one job. What's the one job? Do?
Whatever the head says, you know, that's the only job
(20:31):
your body is. My arm is moving because my head
says move, my brain tells not on the move. When
people's brain go, guess what that bodily functions go. Because
the body only works when the brain is telling you
what to do when the spinal cord. When that attachment
to the spinal cord is broken, the body can't function properly.
Why because the message from the brain is not getting
to the body properly. We are Christ's body. What are
(20:55):
we supposed to do? Whatever the brain says? Our job
is the implen in history. Now, please notice this. We
are His body, the fullness of Him who feels all.
In all, we complete Christ. We are his fullness. Does
that mean Christ is not complete? Yep? In what way
is Christ not complete? Well, he's complete in essence, He's
still the son of God. But he's not complete in
function because He's determined to work in history through his body.
(21:19):
So he will only work in history through the Church.
The Church has the power. We have the power, we
have the richest, we have the knowledge, we have the world,
the spirit, all these great ingredients. We have it, and
we are the fullness of Him. But guess what he feels.
He feels all in all. He doesn't just feel the Church.
He feels everywhere because he's sovereign over everything. But he
(21:43):
only does it through the Church. So God has placed
history in the hands of the Church. He's placed your
history in your hands. He will give you the power,
he will give you the energy, he will give you
all of that. But he will not do it for you.
He will simply do it through you. He will do
it through you the President of the United States, since
(22:04):
in Washington, d C. In the oval office, at the
executive chair. But he'll influence the whole world. Jesus Christ
is on the right hand of the Father, but through
the Church, he influences the whole world from the executive seat.
He is enthroned in Washington. Christ is enthroned in heaven,
and he sits a sovereign. And he wants you to
know God's purpose. And God's purpose is what to bring
(22:27):
all things under the lordship of Jesus Christ. That's God's purpose,
the same purpose that was defined for us in verse ten,
with a view to an administration suitable to the food
of some time. That is the summing up of all
things in Christ That's God's purpose all things, that everything
be brought under Jesus Christ. So I'm going to tell
you now you will have no power if you're ashamed
of Jesus Christ. None because God's goal is to bring
(22:49):
everything under Jesus Christ. You will have no power if
you will not relate how to please Christ in the
ordinary things you do. Because God is trying to bring
everything under Jesus Christ. So whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do, do all the glory of Gods.
Everything is to be done for Jesus Christ, to Jesus Christ.
Through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the sum total of
God's program, so that all things gone to him.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Doctor Tony Evans encouraging believers to live daily in light
of the spiritual resources God has promised and provided. Now,
don't forget. Our lesson today comes from Tony's series called
Ordinary Holy Finding God in the Mundane, a sixteen part
journey through the Book of Ephesians. It's a powerful look
(23:33):
at how God's presence and purpose can shape even the
most routine moments of our lives and for limited time.
When you make a contribution to help support the Alternative
Broadcast ministry. We'll send you this complete two volume audio
collection as our gift, along with a special bonus, Tony's
practical and insightful book Kingdom Living, designed to help you
(23:56):
grow spiritually and live with greater purpose every day. This
exclusive package is only available for a limited time, so
visit Tonyevans dot org or call one eight hundred eight
hundred thirty two twenty two soon to make the arrangements. Again.
That's Tonyevans dot org or by phone at one eight
(24:16):
hundred eight hundred three two two two. You don't have
to be rescued unless you're in danger, and spiritually speaking,
we all are. Tomorrow, doctor Evans unpacks the incredible grace
God offers that saves us, lifts us, and gives us
a brand new identity in Christ. Be sure to tune
(24:37):
in
Everything we need has already been supplied by the one
who has called us for living the Christian life.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Doctor Tony Evans says the key to accessing God's blessings
is recognizing what He's given us.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
So what we need today is not more blessing. What
we need is more insight into the blessings we already have.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. It's possible to
be rich and still live like you're broke, especially if
you don't know what you actually have today. Doctor Evans
explains how believers can tap into the spiritual power, wisdom,
and hope they already have access to, whether they know
(00:42):
it or not. Let's listen as he unpacks Paul's prayer
for eyes to be opened to the resources God has
already provided.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Fundamentally, you and I have to understand that when we
were saved, God deposited in us everything we needed to
become full spiritual adults and to be able to have
access to everything that God has provided for us. Let
me show you just a couple of passages to remind
you of this foundational truth. Second, Peter one, verse three says,
(01:13):
seeing that his divine power has granted to us most
things pertaining the life and godliness. Is that what it says,
All things are everything pertaining the life and godliness through
the true knowledge of Him who called us by his
own glory and excellence. So everything we need has already
been supplied by the one who has called us for
(01:34):
life and godliness, for living the Christian life. Turn with
me also to Colossians the Book of Colossians, Chapter two,
verse eight. See to it that no one takes you
captive through philosophy empty deception according to the tradition of men.
Don't just follow what people say according to the elementary
(01:57):
principles of the world, because the best of the world has,
as as ay be in Sea. It's kindergarten thinking, he says,
rather than according to Christ, because that's in the spiritual university.
For in him Christ, all the fullness of Dna dwells
in bodily form. In Christ is God. All of God
that makes God God is in the person of Christ.
And guess who you have. If you're a Christian. You
(02:19):
have Christ, and in Him you have been made complete.
And He has had over all rule and all authority.
So he emphasizes the fact that we are complete in Christ,
totally complete in Christ. So don't settle for any philosophy
that makes what you have in Christ make you feel
(02:40):
like you're incomplete. He says, that's not true. So what
we need today is not more blessing. What we need
is more insight into the blessings we already have, and
that leads us to our passage today, which is Ephesians
chapter one, verses fifteen to twenty three. Ephesians Chapter one,
(03:00):
verses fifteen to twenty three, where Paul wants us to
access our spiritual resources. He wants us to access our
spiritual resources. He begins by affirming them, he says in
verse fifteen, for this reason, I, too, having heard of
the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you,
and your love for all the saints, do not cease
(03:21):
giving thanks for you while making mention of you in
my prayers. Now I want you to notice three things
about these introductory verses. Number one, I want you to
notice that this church had faith in the Lord Jesus
and love for the saints. They had these twin dynamics,
(03:43):
twin dimensions of the Christian life. They had the vertical
faith in Christ, then they have the horizontal love for
the brethren, and that serves as the foundation for realizing
your spiritual resources. If there is not faith in Christ
and love for the brethren, then there's not fellowship with God.
(04:03):
And if there's not fellowship with God, you're in no
position to receive, to receive what God has to give
you in terms of your spiritual blessing. You won't be
able to access it without it. Now, please know it's
the third thing, and that is what Paul is doing.
Paul is praying. He says, I don't cease giving thanks
for you, making mention of you in my prayers. So
(04:26):
he introduces prayer. If there is faith in Christ, the
love for the brethren, then there's freedom in prayer. And
if there's freedom in prayer, then what you have open
is the communication line to get you into this realm
called heavenly places. Actually you're already there. That's the realm
of spiritual influence. Heavenly places is the realm of spiritual activity,
(04:49):
and prayer is what links you to it. It is
the line that brings Heaven to earth and Earth to
Heaven and interfaces the two this foundation, and then it
comes with a number of things that I want to
bring before your attention today about what he prays for,
which is what we are to pray for if we
(05:11):
want to access our spiritual resources, that is, if we
want to be able to get hold of claim all
that was provided for us at the moment that we
receive Jesus Christ. The first thing he prays for is
in verse seventeen. Let me read it that the God
of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may
(05:31):
give to you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation
in the knowledge of Him. The first thing that they
pray for, which is the first thing that we should
pray for, is the knowledge of God's person, the knowledge
of God's person. The better you know God, the better
you will know your resources from God. The less you
(05:53):
know God, the less you will know about your resources
from God. So his prayer is that there might be
in these believers in Ephesus, there might be a spirit
of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of God.
To put it another way, the knowledge of God is
(06:15):
the basis for the knowledge of everything else. If you
want to be able to access all that God has
given you and all that God has for you, then
you must get to know God. Please notice, hold your
finger here and turn with me to a well known
passage in the Book of Romans Romans Chapter one. What
(06:38):
happens when there is not the right knowledge of God?
For the wrath of God Verse eighteen is revealed from
Heaven against all in godliness and unrighteousness of men who
suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known
about God is evident within them. For God made it
evident to them. For since the creation of the world
is invisible, attributes his eternal power, divine nature has been
(07:00):
clearly seen, being understood through that which was made. So
that they're without excuse. For even though they knew God,
they did not honor Him as God or give thanks.
But they became fudel in their speculations, and their foolish
heart was darkened. My point is simply this, If you
do not do anything with the knowledge about God, then
you will not gain the knowledge of God. If you
(07:23):
do not do anything with the knowledge about God, and
therefore do not gain the knowledge of God, you will
have your foolish heart darken. In other words, instead of
evolving you will devolve. Another spiritual resource is the prayer
to know not only God's person, but God's calling. Please
notice the Book of Ephesians, chapter one, verse eighteen, so
(07:49):
that you may know what is the hope of his calling.
When the Bible talks about hope, the Bible is not
talking about our use of the word hope. We say
I hope, So that's not the biblical meaning of hope.
In the Bible, hope is a firm conviction. It is
being convinced of something. Hope is a confidence in scripture.
(08:12):
Please notice the Ephesians chapter four, verse four. He wants
you to know the hope, and he ties the Holy
Spirit to that. What's he talking about? Well, when God
saved you, he called you. You were called and chosen
for salvation. God didn't call you unto nothingness. He called
you to a sure hope, a certain confidence. Christian hope
(08:36):
in the Bible is a dynamic force, not a philosophical concept.
The Bible calls it in one Peter one to three,
a living hope. The hope is not only confident, it's
confident because it's alive. Your hope as a Christian if tied,
as you'll see in a moment to the resurrection of
(08:57):
Jesus Christ. Now, if Jesus didn't rise, we can all
go home. But if Jesus got up from the grave,
what's the problem. He's gonna outerline that in the moment,
you can live in confidence because he's called you to that.
He's called you not only the salvation, He's called you
the service. You can be confident that your calling will
(09:19):
eventuate into everything that God has for you, both in
time and then eternity, because that is your hope, and
your hope is your confidence. Hope in the Bible is
the opposite to despair. That's why the old folks can
say I'm gonna wait till my change come. That was hope.
It was a sure confidence. But they had a sure hope,
(09:44):
not I hope. So maybe so, maybe not. It was
a confidence. When you understand your hope, it will change
your emotions when you believe. Because I'm called and I
belong to Jesus Christ by salvation and I'm willing to
serve him by service, that God is going to lead me,
(10:05):
guide me, direct me through this living hope because I
got a person clearing out the way. He will turn
your weed garden into a rose garden. It's like the
flowers blooming when God opens up. When you understand, you
have a hope. And this is not some psychological power
of positive thinking. This is the reality of biblical thinking.
(10:29):
It's a real hope. And that's why you can spend
so much time brothers and sisters giving thanks. You can
give thanks the whole world's falling apart. You can start
off with Lord, before I get to my messed up world,
let me give thanks, and I want to give thanks
for my hope that my messed up world is not
the last word. The last word is my living Savior.
And since the last word is my living Savior, I'm
(10:51):
going to stand in the midst of this mess with confidence,
confidence in the living Christ. You know what you just did.
You wrote a withdrawal slip, wrote Rasslet, because now you're
acting on your hope, your new standing in Christ. This
dynamic for us.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That kind of confidence grows stronger when we truly understand
what's available to us in Christ. When doctor Evans returns
in a moment, he'll take us steeper into Paul's powerful
prayer for spiritual insight. First, though, what you're hearing today
is part of a powerful series from Tony called Ordinary
Holy Finding God in the Mundane. This two volume, sixteen
(11:30):
message collection will help you discover how God does some
of his most life changing work through the most ordinary
moments of life. You learn how the Truths and Ephesians
can reshape your perspective and renew your spiritual strength whether
you're at work, at home, or simply going about your day.
You can get all sixteen full length messages as our
(11:51):
gift when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's
ministry going strong on the air, online, and around the
world for a limited time. Will also include his encouraging
book Kingdom Living, full of practical biblical insights to help
you grow deeper in your walk with God and discover
your identity in Christ. Just visit us today at Tonyevans
(12:14):
dot org or call us at one eight hundred eight
hundred thirty two twenty two, make your donation and request
this special resource package. But don't wait. This offer will
only be available for a limited time. I'll repeat that
contact information for you after the second part of today's message.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
So he prays for the knowledge of God. He prays
for the knowledge of their calling. He then prays for
the knowledge of their riches, of God's riches on their behalf.
Notice the in the verse eighteen, what are the riches
of the glory of His inheritance? In the Saints. God
wants you to look at this relationship as a relationship
of wealth. And not only that, but in Ephesians he
(12:57):
refers to us as his riches. God views us as
so valuable to him as any parent would view their children,
that he looks at us as his wealth. The Bible
always views the gaining of children as the gaining of wealth,
because the gained children meant to gain more productivity. And
of course, in a farming community, the more hands, the
more you could reap from the crops, and the more
(13:19):
money you could sell the crops forth, or the richer
you would become. Well, that's how God views you and me.
He views us as part of this great wealth and
the Redeemed the God are worth more than the universe itself.
And so we are rich to him, and we are
rich in him, and so we are to live like
we are wealthy spiritually, and then that will affect us
(13:40):
in different ways materially. So let's look at the next verse,
verse nineteen he tells us, we are to pray to
know God's power. Now watch this one. This is a
this is a doozy here, And what is the surpassing
greatness of His power toward us who believe in accordance
with the working of the strain, even his might? And
(14:01):
you said you wanted to quit, You wanted to throw
in the towel, you wanted to give up. Never, he says,
you need to go to prayer and find the surpassing
greatness of His power. What good is wealth riches that
you're too weak to use? Like a little boy was
(14:22):
trying to pick up the rock, he said, Daddy, I
can't do it. Father said pick it up, so you
can do it. He said, daddy. He kept shrunking and struggling, straining.
I can't do it, daddy. And he's grunting and strained
some more, and just just sheer exhaustion fell on the ground.
Why are you punishing me so much? I can't do it.
I use all my strength, he said, you couldn't have
(14:43):
used all your Strange boy, you never asked me to help.
That's what we do. We grunt and grown cry and
then wind up. I want to know why God there's
nowhere to be found, and he was never brought into
the process. It's in accordance with his strength. It's in
accordance with his power. You are a powerful persons as
(15:04):
you sit here listening to my voice. And if Jesus
Christ is in your life, you are powerful. How powerful
is this power that you and I have, Well, let
me show you how powerful it is verse twenty, which
he brought about in Christ when he raised him from
the dead, seated him at his right hand in heavenly places,
far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion. That's need.
(15:28):
Let me tell you the three kind of powers you have.
One inside of you right now. You have resurrection power,
because it's the power in you is the same power
that got Jesus up from the dead as resurrection. Let
me tell you the second kind of power you have
within you. You have ascension power, because the power that got
Jesus up from the dead is the power that ascended
(15:49):
in the heaven. And seating them on the right hand
of the Father, that's a sension's power. That's not all.
Let me tell you the third kind of power. You
have dominion power, because it's power over every rule and
every authority and every dominion. Okay, that's ruling power. So
everybody in here who names the name of Jesus Christ
is potent with power, resurrection power. When it looked like
(16:15):
you've been knocked out of the race, when it looked
like you down and out, you can get up off
that canvas. You never have to circumb to your circumstances.
You no longer have to say I'm okay underneath the circumstances.
You can get from underneath there because you have read
that doesn't mean the problem will go away. It means
you are resurrect out of the grave. That is your problem.
(16:36):
But you don't just have to get up out the grave.
You can ascend to heaven. You'll see that in chapter two,
because we've been seated with him in heavenly places. So
now you not only get up from under it, you
rise above it. That's ascension power. Not only do you
get up from under it resurrection power, rise above it
(16:57):
ascension power. But now you can walk on top of it.
Dominion power. Dominion means rule that you walk over top
of it. I remember, I'm a James Bond fan. I
like James Bond, and the reason I like James because
I like the gadgets. You know, they'd be coming up
with all this stuff, all his gadgets. And I remember
(17:17):
one of the I don't know whether it's Sean Connery
or one of them old James Bond movie and James
Bond was being chased by these guys with machine guns
and he came to this water that he had to
cross or else they were gonna kill him. And he
had a problem because it was a alligators in the water.
So the guy's coming with him went from machine guns
(17:37):
and his alligators in the water. They're gon shot enough
kill him if he stayed there. He's got to get
across the water. But when he gets on the water, well,
the alligator's gonna eat him up because there's a whole
slew of him in the water. So he's in a
catch twenty two. He's gonna lose either way. Well, they
came within the genius idea. He walked on top of
the alligators across the waterway. So how he got across
(17:58):
that I remember seeing that, you know younger than that boy.
You bad, You're just too bad, all right. Well, that's
dominion power to have stuff that would eat you up
and you walking on top of it, getting where you
need to go. Hey, I'd appreach you on it. That's
resurrection power, that's the sension power, that's dominion power. In
(18:19):
other words, Satan no longer can defeat you unless you
let him. Because Jesus Christ has been raised far above
all dominion, so we are with him, far above all dominion.
Chapter two, verse six. Since we are with him, then
since he can't defeat Jesus, he can't defeat us unless
(18:40):
we let him. That's why he must win by deception.
He can no longer beat you by power. He can
only deceive you into doing it. He cannot make you
do it anymore. So don't ever give me that line.
Devil made me know. He duped you, tricked you, deceive you.
He did not make you, because remember you got resurrection power,
cension and dominion power. But you know what he says.
(19:02):
He says to those who believe, see, unless it's mixed
with faith, you won't walk on top of those alligators
because you won't believe you can. And as long as
you can say I can't, when God says I can
do all things through Christ strengthens me, Paul says, then
you won't. That's why Paul wanted to know him. That's
why he says. Look, that's why he says that it
(19:27):
is in accordance to the strength of his might. That's
why he wanted to know Christ Philippians three ten, that
I might know him. The knowledge of God produces spiritual vitality.
Satan wants to keep us hooked up because of ignorant
sin and disobedience. So we have to pray to know
God's power. Finally, we must pray to know God's purpose.
Verse twenty two and twenty three. He had put God
(19:49):
the Father has put all things in subjection under his
Jesus the Son's feet, everything all things, and gave him
his head over all things to who church. Notice God
did not give Christ as head over all things, to
the all things. He gave Jesus head over all things,
(20:10):
but only to the Church. So only we have this power.
Only the Church has it. But Jesus is over all things,
and that's why we are supposed to be everywhere. No
this verse twenty three, which is his body? Now, what's
a body? A body? You know the job of a body.
A body only has one job. What's the one job? Do?
Whatever the head says, you know, that's the only job
(20:31):
your body is. My arm is moving because my head
says move, my brain tells not on the move. When
people's brain go, guess what that bodily functions go. Because
the body only works when the brain is telling you
what to do when the spinal cord. When that attachment
to the spinal cord is broken, the body can't function properly.
Why because the message from the brain is not getting
to the body properly. We are Christ's body. What are
(20:55):
we supposed to do? Whatever the brain says? Our job
is the implen in history. Now, please notice this. We
are His body, the fullness of Him who feels all.
In all, we complete Christ. We are his fullness. Does
that mean Christ is not complete? Yep? In what way
is Christ not complete? Well, he's complete in essence, He's
still the son of God. But he's not complete in
function because He's determined to work in history through his body.
(21:19):
So he will only work in history through the Church.
The Church has the power. We have the power, we
have the richest, we have the knowledge, we have the world,
the spirit, all these great ingredients. We have it, and
we are the fullness of Him. But guess what he feels.
He feels all in all. He doesn't just feel the Church.
He feels everywhere because he's sovereign over everything. But he
(21:43):
only does it through the Church. So God has placed
history in the hands of the Church. He's placed your
history in your hands. He will give you the power,
he will give you the energy, he will give you
all of that. But he will not do it for you.
He will simply do it through you. He will do
it through you the President of the United States, since
(22:04):
in Washington, d C. In the oval office, at the
executive chair. But he'll influence the whole world. Jesus Christ
is on the right hand of the Father, but through
the Church, he influences the whole world from the executive seat.
He is enthroned in Washington. Christ is enthroned in heaven,
and he sits a sovereign. And he wants you to
know God's purpose. And God's purpose is what to bring
(22:27):
all things under the lordship of Jesus Christ. That's God's purpose,
the same purpose that was defined for us in verse ten,
with a view to an administration suitable to the food
of some time. That is the summing up of all
things in Christ That's God's purpose all things, that everything
be brought under Jesus Christ. So I'm going to tell
you now you will have no power if you're ashamed
of Jesus Christ. None because God's goal is to bring
(22:49):
everything under Jesus Christ. You will have no power if
you will not relate how to please Christ in the
ordinary things you do. Because God is trying to bring
everything under Jesus Christ. So whether you eat or drink,
or whatever you do, do all the glory of Gods.
Everything is to be done for Jesus Christ, to Jesus Christ.
Through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the sum total of
God's program, so that all things gone to him.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Doctor Tony Evans encouraging believers to live daily in light
of the spiritual resources God has promised and provided. Now,
don't forget. Our lesson today comes from Tony's series called
Ordinary Holy Finding God in the Mundane, a sixteen part
journey through the Book of Ephesians. It's a powerful look
(23:33):
at how God's presence and purpose can shape even the
most routine moments of our lives and for limited time.
When you make a contribution to help support the Alternative
Broadcast ministry. We'll send you this complete two volume audio
collection as our gift, along with a special bonus, Tony's
practical and insightful book Kingdom Living, designed to help you
(23:56):
grow spiritually and live with greater purpose every day. This
exclusive package is only available for a limited time, so
visit Tonyevans dot org or call one eight hundred eight
hundred thirty two twenty two soon to make the arrangements. Again.
That's Tonyevans dot org or by phone at one eight
(24:16):
hundred eight hundred three two two two. You don't have
to be rescued unless you're in danger, and spiritually speaking,
we all are. Tomorrow, doctor Evans unpacks the incredible grace
God offers that saves us, lifts us, and gives us
a brand new identity in Christ. Be sure to tune
(24:37):
in
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