June 11, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
One of the reasons why Christians have problems that they
can't get out of is because they do not understand
their position in Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Doctor Tony Evans says, understanding your position in Christ unlocks
access to the power of Christ.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
If God's power can get you up out of the grave,
it can show stop you from stuff that's taken you
to a grade.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Sometimes the best
parts of a story are the ones you never saw coming. Today,
doctor Evans explores the mystery of the Church, revealing God's
plan for uniting people from every background into one body
(00:43):
in Christ. Let's join them for a look at how
this divine mystery has become our everyday mission.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
This word mystery, let me define it, and then we'll
go through these verses in summary fashion. Is fundamentally a
sacred secret, a sacred secret that is un known to unbelievers,
but available to be known and treasured by believers. It's
a secret that God is unveiled about his people and
(01:10):
this new creation called the Church. I want you to
notice that Paul calls himself in verse one the prisoner
of Christ Jesus. Now, that's very important phrase. He is
called the prisoner of Christ.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Jesus.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Now he's in a Roman prison when he writes this book,
and one of the groups that's helped get him in
a Roman prison are the Jews. So he's been incarcerated
by Jews and Gentiles. Yet he never saw himself as
a prisoner of man. He only saw himself as a
prisoner of God, even when he's in jail. Now, the
reason I want to point that out is that when
(01:45):
you are in the will of God and negative things happen,
don't spend too much time looking at your circumstances. He
was in the will of God, yet he was in prison.
But rather than saying I'm a prisoner of the Jews
or I'm a prisoner of the gentiles, what did he say,
I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Because when you're in
the will of God and negative things happen, those negative
(02:09):
things happen with God's purposes in mind, or to put
it in the words of Romans eight twenty eight, all
things work together for good to them that love God
and are called according to His purposes. If you don't
believe me. Ask Joseph, who was in prison for thirteen years,
hadn't done anything wrong, but he was right smack dab
in the will of God, and God was preparing him
to become king. So if you're in the will of
(02:30):
God and you're caught in the circumstance, now don't look
to your left, don't look to your right, don't look
in front, don't looking back.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Look God.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
If you are in the will of God, your negative
circumstances abound to the purposes of God.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And we'll see that in the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
The first five verses of this chapter discussed the communication
of this mystery.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
He says in verse two, if.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Indeed you have heard heard of the stewardship of God's grace,
which will given to me for you that by revelation,
God revealing himself there was made known to me the
mystery as I wrote before in brief, and by referring
to this, when you read, you can understand my insight
(03:16):
into the mystery of Christ, which in every other generation
was not made known to the sons of men, as
it has been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets
in the spirit.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
What Paul here says, is that.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
God supernaturally revealed to him this mystery of his stewardship.
That we've been talking a lot about stewardship, and the
word stewardship means to manage something or to be the
trustee of something. Everybody is a steward who's a Christian
of that which God deposits in your care. And God
(03:53):
is deposited to every person one of three things. He's
deposited time. Everybody here has time. He's deposited talents. Those
are abilities that He has given you. And the third
thing that God has deposited to everybody is treasures, that
is physical resources. The key to understanding this concept is
(04:15):
that this stewardship that God has given you and has
given me is to be used to benefit others and
to glorify God. That is the concept of a stewardship.
You are a manager of time, a manager of talent,
and a manager of treasure. What God had done for
this Jewish man who sought to kill, slander, bring about
(04:39):
the death, the destruction of Christianity was to call him
to be the leader of Christianity. Now I call that grace.
If anybody deserved to die, it should have been Paul.
He was crucifying Christians. He was the one destroying the church.
But on the Damascus Road God not only saved him,
(05:01):
but flipped him around and turned him into the leader
of the very thing it was crucifying. That's grace, and
that shows you how much grace there is with God.
Now only will he deliver you from your mass, he
may turn around and use you to deal with the
very thing he was leading you out of his supernatural grace.
(05:23):
And that's why you want to understand grace, because when
you grasp grace, that means it's super abundant grace.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
In fact, God has so.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Much grace for you you can't even think enough concepts
in your puny mind and my puny mind to come
up with all God can do in and through you.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
When you understand his grace, one.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Of the questions you want to ask God, brothers and sisters,
is Lord, what is my grace?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
What is the thing you have dispensed on me?
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Whatever God grace is you for, he enables you for.
That's a good secret. Whatever he's calling you to do,
he enables you to do. He never calls and does
not equally equip you. Remember Moses Moses, God say, go,
tell Pharaoh, let my people go. Moses said, I can't talk.
(06:13):
I have a stammer in tongue. I can't talk. You
meant to call Aaron my brother. And you know what
God said to him. He said, Moses, who made your tongue,
who made your mouth? Who makes the dumbness speak and
the lame to walk? And then when he got the Pharaoh,
guess what he could talk? Because God never calls your
bias grace without equipping you. Paul had really been equipped
(06:38):
before he even got saved, because God had made him
one of the most brilliant men in Israel. He was
one of the most brilliant men in israel court in
Phlippians chapter three. But now God was using that brilliance
for his purposes and not using that brilliance for Paul's
own purposes. So he had given him the revelation of
this mystery. But what was the content verse six? To
be specific, he says that the gentiles are fellow heirs,
(07:04):
fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the
promises in Christ Jesus. What's the key word in averse fellow.
That's the word that's repeated fellow fellow heirs means your
legal status before God as part of his chosen people.
You see, only the Jews were the chosen people. The
Gentiles were legally outside of the realm. They could not
(07:28):
become citizens by and large. But now they have a
legal status with the Jews, he says, fellow members of
the body. In other words, indistinguishable in God's eyes.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Fellow partakers partake to take something.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
What that means is they had everything that any other
Jew now had. Now that was staggering any Jew who
heard that were That's why it was such a problem.
Jews were upset when Gentiles become Christians because what that
meant is you equal, my equal that.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
You weren't born at youw we not equal.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
What God did was broke through there and broke down
years of hostility, years of division. He wants them to
grasp this because this is gonna affect you're being able
to get to your riches. You ever have money in
the bank, needed to get money in the bank and
couldn't get to the bank.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
That's where a lot of Christians are.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
God has got your spiritual bank account, and you can't
get to the bank because you have to understand this
concept Paul.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Is saying, and that is our fellow relationship. Keyword is fellow.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
That the Gentiles could tap in to being sons of Abraham. Fact,
that's what Galatians three twenty nine says that Christians have
become sons.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Or heirs of Abraham.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
And of course Abraham was the mechanism through which all
the blessings come. Let me look at these three phrases again.
Refers to your legal status, that you are now legal. Secondly,
fellow members of the Body of Christ. That is indistinguishable
(09:13):
in God's eyes.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
You know what you are.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
You are a fellow member of the body, a fellow
member of the body. To put it in another way,
you all have the same genes, divine genes. If you've
been born again, if you've been born by the blood
of Jesus Christ, I don't care what the color.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Of your skin is.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Your genetic makeup is the same because your DNA was
planted by the spirit of God when you were born
into the family of God.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You have a divine DNA.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And for anybody in this room, or anybody in any room,
to think you are better than somebody else means you
don't know who you are and you don't know who
they are. Because how you're going to be better than
somebody else when both of you have the same daddy,
when you are born again into the family of God,
(10:10):
you have the same Papa. When I pray and you pray,
and we pray at the same time, we've got the
same attention from the same father. The moment listen to me,
the moment you have a wrong view of.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yourself, watch this. It will affect whether you can make or.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Withdraw out of your spiritual bank account. That's why Romans
twelve three says, let not a man think of himself
more highly than he ought to think.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Be proud of what God has made you.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Don't apologize for what God has made you, but don't
think you better than anybody else. You know what, you
are a sinner saved by grace.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
That's it. On your best day, that's all you are.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
How about your best day, Okay, the day you're on
top of the world. When you are a sinner saved
by grace, that's it.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
That truth levels the playing field and opens the door
to something beautiful. As doctor Evans continues, we'll see how
spiritual equality gives every believer full access to God. First, though,
I want to let you know that the lesson we're
hearing today is part of an insightful series from doctor
Evans called Ordinary Holy Finding God in the Mundane. This complete,
(11:28):
two volume, sixteen part collection walks you through the Book
of Ephesians, showing how God's power and purpose aren't limited
to the big, dramatic moments of life, but can transform
the ordinary into something extraordinary. We'd love to send you
the complete series of messages is our way of saying
thanks when you make a contribution to help support the
(11:50):
ministry of the Alternative, and for a limited time, will
also include Tony's book Kingdom Living, a practical guide to
growing your faith living out your identity in Christ every
single day. This special double offer will only be available
for a limited time, so be sure to visit us
at Tonyevans dot org to request your copy of Ordinary
(12:13):
Holy and Kingdom Living. You'll find the details of the
offer right on our homepage, or call us at one
eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two and let
a member of our resource team help you out. I'll
repeat that contact information for you after part two of
today's message.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Here's Tony all of us have equal access to the bank.
I don't have any more access to heaven than you do.
You don't have any more access to Heaven than I do,
because we can partake equally.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You know the good thing about being christied. God doesn't
take from me to give the You see.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I don't have to be jealous that if you get
a hold of God, you're going and get something, because
what your something is won't mess with my something, and
what my something is won't mess with with your something
because guess.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
What, when you're God's child, what's yours is yours, what's
mine as mine.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
And so he wants to talk about this union because
it's critical because without the union, there is no access
to the riches. He says, it introduces us, this concept
of the church, introduces us to a whole new power
Verse seven, of which I was made a minister according
to the gift of God's grace, which was he that
word grace again, which was given to me according to
(13:26):
the working of His power. The Greek word for working
is where we get our English word energy from the
same power that raised up Jesus Christ from the dad
is available for daily living in the life of the believer.
And that's why any Christian who says that they can't
do something that God says you can do is calling
(13:49):
God eliar.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
One of the reasons why Christians have problems that they
can't get out of.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Can I'm using that word can, is because they do
not understand their position in Christ, so they believe satanic lie.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Oh I can't, I can't, I can't. That's a lie.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Paul says, I can do all things through Christ, who
strengthens me. If God's power can get you up out
of the grave, it can show stop you from stuff
that's taken you to the grave. So the content of
the mystery is this new relationship with one another and
our collective relationship with Christ, in whom is hidden everything.
(14:34):
Third thing, the concern of the mystery is what I
call it verse ten, in order that why is God
exposing this mystery now? In order that the manifold The
Greek word for manifold means multi colored. That's what manifold means,
the multi colored wisdom of God might be made known
(14:59):
through the Church to the rulers and the authorities in
heavenly places. That is deep God wants to teach angels
something rulers and authorities refer to angels. God wants to
teach angels a lesson, and the way he's.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Going to teach angels is the.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Church, he says, through the church, to the spiritual realm,
or the angelic realm or heavenly places. Now, why would
God up there come down here to teach something back
up there? Because God decided to show how really magnificent
(15:39):
he is. And the way he decided to show how
magnificent he is was create lower creatures who would teach
greater creatures lessons to let the greater creatures even know
that God is so great that God doesn't even have
to do stuff himself. He can come down and create
something less that will teach something more.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
God wants to so work in our lives.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
That we teach angels a lesson, so that even the
good angels learn what it.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Is when you're dependent upon God.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Because the good angels have never rebelled, So the good
angels they don't know anything about grace because they've never
needed grace in the sense of forgiveness and redemption.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
The bad angels can't get grace.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Because there's no forgiveness offered to the demons so they
don't have this experience. So God works through us to
teach the bad angels you shouldn't have rebelled, and to
teach the good angels. You're smart for not rebelling. We
become the vehicles. Now, I mean, it just gets deeper.
And the way it gets deeper is see the Bible
(16:42):
says that the angels constantly look into the face of
God to receive information, to receive instruction Isaiah six. All
day long, twenty four hours a day. They look into
the face of God because they're waiting. The good angels
(17:04):
are waiting for a word from God. But you see,
God will not give the word to angels until he
has gotten the word from the church, because verse ten
says he works through the church to the angels. So
they're looking in God's face waiting for instruction. God is
looking here, waiting for dependency. He wants to hear from us.
(17:27):
That's why prayer is so important. Prayer activates the decisions
of God. Now, prayer does not rule God. God is
still God. But God has decided certain things he will
not do apart from the commitment of his children. That's
why he says in second Chronicle seven fourteen. If my
people will call by my name, shall humble themselves and pray.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Then I will heal the land. God will respond to his.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
People and say, okay, angels, they are calling on me.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So I tell you what let's do.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Gabriel, I want you to go over to Jack's house,
and Michael, I want you to go over Betty's house.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And Sorence I want you going. You take care of
this matter. You take care of that matter.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
And the angels say yeah, and there dispersed to take
care of matters.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
In our lives. Because God is working.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Through the church, so does your angel never get to move.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Hello. But this also underscores why the church is so important.
It really is.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
People say, well, I don't have to go to church. Well,
you're right, you don't have to go to church become
a Christian. But that's like saying I don't ever have
to go home to be married. That's true, you don't
have to go home to be married, but it does
make for a better relationship if you show up right,
does make for a little better harmony. Whenever you are
(18:45):
extricated from the church, listen to me. You're extricated on
some level from fellowship with God, because the whole point
of this thing was fellow heirs, fellow partakers, fellow members.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
God doesn't have one kid and you it. He has
a family of children.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
So once you say I don't want to be connected
with the family, you have insulted the Father. So that's
why church is important, and that's why certain things God
won't do for you apart from your part in the
family of God in church. Finally, the confidence of the mystery,
the confidence, he says in Verses eleven through thirteen. This
(19:27):
was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried
out in Christ, Jesus our Lord. So this doesn't just
start when you were born. This goes back to before
anything was born.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Eternal purpose.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
In whom we have watched this now boldness and confident
access through faith in Him. Therefore, I ask you not
to lose heart in my tribulation because they were upset.
Paul was in jail on your behalf, for they are
your glory.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
One.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
We're not an afterthought in God's mind. We're part of
the program. God's work is not to be shackled by culture, class.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Or physical distinctions. And now you have what he calls access.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Know what access mean you can get in. Where are
they talking about Turner? Hebrews, fourth verse fourteen. Since then
we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold
fast our confession, for we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who
has been tempted in all things as we are yet
(20:38):
without sin. Let Us therefore draw near with confidence to
the Throne of Grace, that we may receive mercy and
find grace to.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Help us in time of need. Did you get that access?
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Access means you can struct right into heaven any old
time you want one. He's always home, always there. Number two,
his day never ends, so he's always up. He's never yawning.
I like Elijah when he was when he was on
Mount Carmol and they had the battle of the Gods
(21:14):
and Elijah. They were praying to the false gods.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Elijah was mocking them.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
They said, whichever god sends down the fire, that's the
real god.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
They say, okay.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
They were cutting themselves with knives and stuff, trying to
get their God to react.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Elijah said, oh oops, maybe on vacation. There's that.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Then Elijah called on the true God. They said, now, God,
would you show these people who you are? And the
Bible says and fire ringed down from him.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Socked up all the water.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Because God likes to show himself strong, he likes to
show he likes to show off. He just wants to
make sure he gonna get the glory. He don't want
to show off. Often say like the woodpecker. Woodpecker was pecking.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
At the tree. Woot boom boom, boom boom, kept pecking
at the tree, pecking a tree, pecking the tree.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
While he was pecking at the tree, lightning struck the tree,
split the tree right in half. Woodpecker saying, look what
I did. That's where a lot of us are. God
come through, Well, tell.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Me look what I did.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
God will only show himself strong if he gets the glory,
for he will guess what, share his glory with.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
No man, no man, no man can, no man can
usurp God.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Paul discovered this mystery of the church, the most powerful
institution in society when it is working right, and that
means fellow heirs, fellow saints, fellow members, a family.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
That is promoting the Kingdom of.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
God, Doctor Tony Evans wrapping up a message on God's
Church functioning as it was designed, where believers are united
in purpose, identity, and mission. Today's lesson is part of
tony series Ordinary Holy Finding God in the Mundane, a
(23:13):
sixteen part look at the Book of Ephesians that shows
how God works powerfully through even the most ordinary parts
of life. For a limited time. When you support the alternative,
we'll send you the two volume audio set as our
thank you gift, along with Tony's encouraging book Kingdom Living,
full of practical ways to grow in your faith and
(23:34):
live with greater purpose. This special offer won't last long,
so visit Tonyevans dot org or call one eight hundred
eight hundred thirty two twenty two to make your request again.
That's Tonyevans dot org or call one eight hundred eight
hundred three two two two now. Before I tell you
(23:55):
what's coming up tomorrow, don't forget a new Stories from
the Storyteller episode is just a couple of days away.
In Big Little Things, Bunny's tiny birthday gift turns into
a big blessing, setting the stage for a powerful lesson
about the mustard seed and how God grows small things
into something great. Discover more about this animated series for
(24:17):
kids at tonyevanstv dot com. That's tonyevanstv dot com. We
often ask God to give us strength, but truth be told,
believers already possess it. Tomorrow, Doctor Evans explores the spiritual
power God has granted his people. Be sure to join
us
One of the reasons why Christians have problems that they
can't get out of is because they do not understand
their position in Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Doctor Tony Evans says, understanding your position in Christ unlocks
access to the power of Christ.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
If God's power can get you up out of the grave,
it can show stop you from stuff that's taken you
to a grade.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Sometimes the best
parts of a story are the ones you never saw coming. Today,
doctor Evans explores the mystery of the Church, revealing God's
plan for uniting people from every background into one body
(00:43):
in Christ. Let's join them for a look at how
this divine mystery has become our everyday mission.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
This word mystery, let me define it, and then we'll
go through these verses in summary fashion. Is fundamentally a
sacred secret, a sacred secret that is un known to unbelievers,
but available to be known and treasured by believers. It's
a secret that God is unveiled about his people and
(01:10):
this new creation called the Church. I want you to
notice that Paul calls himself in verse one the prisoner
of Christ Jesus. Now, that's very important phrase. He is
called the prisoner of Christ.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Jesus.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Now he's in a Roman prison when he writes this book,
and one of the groups that's helped get him in
a Roman prison are the Jews. So he's been incarcerated
by Jews and Gentiles. Yet he never saw himself as
a prisoner of man. He only saw himself as a
prisoner of God, even when he's in jail. Now, the
reason I want to point that out is that when
(01:45):
you are in the will of God and negative things happen,
don't spend too much time looking at your circumstances. He
was in the will of God, yet he was in prison.
But rather than saying I'm a prisoner of the Jews
or I'm a prisoner of the gentiles, what did he say,
I'm a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Because when you're in
the will of God and negative things happen, those negative
(02:09):
things happen with God's purposes in mind, or to put
it in the words of Romans eight twenty eight, all
things work together for good to them that love God
and are called according to His purposes. If you don't
believe me. Ask Joseph, who was in prison for thirteen years,
hadn't done anything wrong, but he was right smack dab
in the will of God, and God was preparing him
to become king. So if you're in the will of
(02:30):
God and you're caught in the circumstance, now don't look
to your left, don't look to your right, don't look
in front, don't looking back.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
Look God.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
If you are in the will of God, your negative
circumstances abound to the purposes of God.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And we'll see that in the moment.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
The first five verses of this chapter discussed the communication
of this mystery.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
He says in verse two, if.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Indeed you have heard heard of the stewardship of God's grace,
which will given to me for you that by revelation,
God revealing himself there was made known to me the
mystery as I wrote before in brief, and by referring
to this, when you read, you can understand my insight
(03:16):
into the mystery of Christ, which in every other generation
was not made known to the sons of men, as
it has been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets
in the spirit.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
What Paul here says, is that.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
God supernaturally revealed to him this mystery of his stewardship.
That we've been talking a lot about stewardship, and the
word stewardship means to manage something or to be the
trustee of something. Everybody is a steward who's a Christian
of that which God deposits in your care. And God
(03:53):
is deposited to every person one of three things. He's
deposited time. Everybody here has time. He's deposited talents. Those
are abilities that He has given you. And the third
thing that God has deposited to everybody is treasures, that
is physical resources. The key to understanding this concept is
(04:15):
that this stewardship that God has given you and has
given me is to be used to benefit others and
to glorify God. That is the concept of a stewardship.
You are a manager of time, a manager of talent,
and a manager of treasure. What God had done for
this Jewish man who sought to kill, slander, bring about
(04:39):
the death, the destruction of Christianity was to call him
to be the leader of Christianity. Now I call that grace.
If anybody deserved to die, it should have been Paul.
He was crucifying Christians. He was the one destroying the church.
But on the Damascus Road God not only saved him,
(05:01):
but flipped him around and turned him into the leader
of the very thing it was crucifying. That's grace, and
that shows you how much grace there is with God.
Now only will he deliver you from your mass, he
may turn around and use you to deal with the
very thing he was leading you out of his supernatural grace.
(05:23):
And that's why you want to understand grace, because when
you grasp grace, that means it's super abundant grace.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
In fact, God has so.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Much grace for you you can't even think enough concepts
in your puny mind and my puny mind to come
up with all God can do in and through you.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
When you understand his grace, one.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Of the questions you want to ask God, brothers and sisters,
is Lord, what is my grace?
Speaker 3 (05:50):
What is the thing you have dispensed on me?
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Whatever God grace is you for, he enables you for.
That's a good secret. Whatever he's calling you to do,
he enables you to do. He never calls and does
not equally equip you. Remember Moses Moses, God say, go,
tell Pharaoh, let my people go. Moses said, I can't talk.
(06:13):
I have a stammer in tongue. I can't talk. You
meant to call Aaron my brother. And you know what
God said to him. He said, Moses, who made your tongue,
who made your mouth? Who makes the dumbness speak and
the lame to walk? And then when he got the Pharaoh,
guess what he could talk? Because God never calls your
bias grace without equipping you. Paul had really been equipped
(06:38):
before he even got saved, because God had made him
one of the most brilliant men in Israel. He was
one of the most brilliant men in israel court in
Phlippians chapter three. But now God was using that brilliance
for his purposes and not using that brilliance for Paul's
own purposes. So he had given him the revelation of
this mystery. But what was the content verse six? To
be specific, he says that the gentiles are fellow heirs,
(07:04):
fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the
promises in Christ Jesus. What's the key word in averse fellow.
That's the word that's repeated fellow fellow heirs means your
legal status before God as part of his chosen people.
You see, only the Jews were the chosen people. The
Gentiles were legally outside of the realm. They could not
(07:28):
become citizens by and large. But now they have a
legal status with the Jews, he says, fellow members of
the body. In other words, indistinguishable in God's eyes.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Fellow partakers partake to take something.
Speaker 1 (07:47):
What that means is they had everything that any other
Jew now had. Now that was staggering any Jew who
heard that were That's why it was such a problem.
Jews were upset when Gentiles become Christians because what that
meant is you equal, my equal that.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
You weren't born at youw we not equal.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
What God did was broke through there and broke down
years of hostility, years of division. He wants them to
grasp this because this is gonna affect you're being able
to get to your riches. You ever have money in
the bank, needed to get money in the bank and
couldn't get to the bank.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
That's where a lot of Christians are.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
God has got your spiritual bank account, and you can't
get to the bank because you have to understand this
concept Paul.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Is saying, and that is our fellow relationship. Keyword is fellow.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
That the Gentiles could tap in to being sons of Abraham. Fact,
that's what Galatians three twenty nine says that Christians have
become sons.
Speaker 3 (08:50):
Or heirs of Abraham.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
And of course Abraham was the mechanism through which all
the blessings come. Let me look at these three phrases again.
Refers to your legal status, that you are now legal. Secondly,
fellow members of the Body of Christ. That is indistinguishable
(09:13):
in God's eyes.
Speaker 3 (09:14):
You know what you are.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
You are a fellow member of the body, a fellow
member of the body. To put it in another way,
you all have the same genes, divine genes. If you've
been born again, if you've been born by the blood
of Jesus Christ, I don't care what the color.
Speaker 3 (09:35):
Of your skin is.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
Your genetic makeup is the same because your DNA was
planted by the spirit of God when you were born
into the family of God.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
You have a divine DNA.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And for anybody in this room, or anybody in any room,
to think you are better than somebody else means you
don't know who you are and you don't know who
they are. Because how you're going to be better than
somebody else when both of you have the same daddy,
when you are born again into the family of God,
(10:10):
you have the same Papa. When I pray and you pray,
and we pray at the same time, we've got the
same attention from the same father. The moment listen to me,
the moment you have a wrong view of.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Yourself, watch this. It will affect whether you can make or.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Withdraw out of your spiritual bank account. That's why Romans
twelve three says, let not a man think of himself
more highly than he ought to think.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Be proud of what God has made you.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
Don't apologize for what God has made you, but don't
think you better than anybody else. You know what, you
are a sinner saved by grace.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
That's it. On your best day, that's all you are.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
How about your best day, Okay, the day you're on
top of the world. When you are a sinner saved
by grace, that's it.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
That truth levels the playing field and opens the door
to something beautiful. As doctor Evans continues, we'll see how
spiritual equality gives every believer full access to God. First, though,
I want to let you know that the lesson we're
hearing today is part of an insightful series from doctor
Evans called Ordinary Holy Finding God in the Mundane. This complete,
(11:28):
two volume, sixteen part collection walks you through the Book
of Ephesians, showing how God's power and purpose aren't limited
to the big, dramatic moments of life, but can transform
the ordinary into something extraordinary. We'd love to send you
the complete series of messages is our way of saying
thanks when you make a contribution to help support the
(11:50):
ministry of the Alternative, and for a limited time, will
also include Tony's book Kingdom Living, a practical guide to
growing your faith living out your identity in Christ every
single day. This special double offer will only be available
for a limited time, so be sure to visit us
at Tonyevans dot org to request your copy of Ordinary
(12:13):
Holy and Kingdom Living. You'll find the details of the
offer right on our homepage, or call us at one
eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two and let
a member of our resource team help you out. I'll
repeat that contact information for you after part two of
today's message.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Here's Tony all of us have equal access to the bank.
I don't have any more access to heaven than you do.
You don't have any more access to Heaven than I do,
because we can partake equally.
Speaker 3 (12:42):
You know the good thing about being christied. God doesn't
take from me to give the You see.
Speaker 1 (12:46):
I don't have to be jealous that if you get
a hold of God, you're going and get something, because
what your something is won't mess with my something, and
what my something is won't mess with with your something
because guess.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
What, when you're God's child, what's yours is yours, what's
mine as mine.
Speaker 1 (13:04):
And so he wants to talk about this union because
it's critical because without the union, there is no access
to the riches. He says, it introduces us, this concept
of the church, introduces us to a whole new power
Verse seven, of which I was made a minister according
to the gift of God's grace, which was he that
word grace again, which was given to me according to
(13:26):
the working of His power. The Greek word for working
is where we get our English word energy from the
same power that raised up Jesus Christ from the dad
is available for daily living in the life of the believer.
And that's why any Christian who says that they can't
do something that God says you can do is calling
(13:49):
God eliar.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
One of the reasons why Christians have problems that they
can't get out of.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Can I'm using that word can, is because they do
not understand their position in Christ, so they believe satanic lie.
Speaker 3 (14:07):
Oh I can't, I can't, I can't. That's a lie.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Paul says, I can do all things through Christ, who
strengthens me. If God's power can get you up out
of the grave, it can show stop you from stuff
that's taken you to the grave. So the content of
the mystery is this new relationship with one another and
our collective relationship with Christ, in whom is hidden everything.
(14:34):
Third thing, the concern of the mystery is what I
call it verse ten, in order that why is God
exposing this mystery now? In order that the manifold The
Greek word for manifold means multi colored. That's what manifold means,
the multi colored wisdom of God might be made known
(14:59):
through the Church to the rulers and the authorities in
heavenly places. That is deep God wants to teach angels
something rulers and authorities refer to angels. God wants to
teach angels a lesson, and the way he's.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
Going to teach angels is the.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Church, he says, through the church, to the spiritual realm,
or the angelic realm or heavenly places. Now, why would
God up there come down here to teach something back
up there? Because God decided to show how really magnificent
(15:39):
he is. And the way he decided to show how
magnificent he is was create lower creatures who would teach
greater creatures lessons to let the greater creatures even know
that God is so great that God doesn't even have
to do stuff himself. He can come down and create
something less that will teach something more.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
God wants to so work in our lives.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
That we teach angels a lesson, so that even the
good angels learn what it.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Is when you're dependent upon God.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Because the good angels have never rebelled, So the good
angels they don't know anything about grace because they've never
needed grace in the sense of forgiveness and redemption.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
The bad angels can't get grace.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Because there's no forgiveness offered to the demons so they
don't have this experience. So God works through us to
teach the bad angels you shouldn't have rebelled, and to
teach the good angels. You're smart for not rebelling. We
become the vehicles. Now, I mean, it just gets deeper.
And the way it gets deeper is see the Bible
(16:42):
says that the angels constantly look into the face of
God to receive information, to receive instruction Isaiah six. All
day long, twenty four hours a day. They look into
the face of God because they're waiting. The good angels
(17:04):
are waiting for a word from God. But you see,
God will not give the word to angels until he
has gotten the word from the church, because verse ten
says he works through the church to the angels. So
they're looking in God's face waiting for instruction. God is
looking here, waiting for dependency. He wants to hear from us.
(17:27):
That's why prayer is so important. Prayer activates the decisions
of God. Now, prayer does not rule God. God is
still God. But God has decided certain things he will
not do apart from the commitment of his children. That's
why he says in second Chronicle seven fourteen. If my
people will call by my name, shall humble themselves and pray.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
Then I will heal the land. God will respond to his.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
People and say, okay, angels, they are calling on me.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
So I tell you what let's do.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Gabriel, I want you to go over to Jack's house,
and Michael, I want you to go over Betty's house.
Speaker 3 (17:57):
And Sorence I want you going. You take care of
this matter. You take care of that matter.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
And the angels say yeah, and there dispersed to take
care of matters.
Speaker 3 (18:04):
In our lives. Because God is working.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
Through the church, so does your angel never get to move.
Speaker 3 (18:16):
Hello. But this also underscores why the church is so important.
It really is.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
People say, well, I don't have to go to church. Well,
you're right, you don't have to go to church become
a Christian. But that's like saying I don't ever have
to go home to be married. That's true, you don't
have to go home to be married, but it does
make for a better relationship if you show up right,
does make for a little better harmony. Whenever you are
(18:45):
extricated from the church, listen to me. You're extricated on
some level from fellowship with God, because the whole point
of this thing was fellow heirs, fellow partakers, fellow members.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
God doesn't have one kid and you it. He has
a family of children.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
So once you say I don't want to be connected
with the family, you have insulted the Father. So that's
why church is important, and that's why certain things God
won't do for you apart from your part in the
family of God in church. Finally, the confidence of the mystery,
the confidence, he says in Verses eleven through thirteen. This
(19:27):
was in accordance with the eternal purpose which he carried
out in Christ, Jesus our Lord. So this doesn't just
start when you were born. This goes back to before
anything was born.
Speaker 3 (19:39):
Eternal purpose.
Speaker 1 (19:42):
In whom we have watched this now boldness and confident
access through faith in Him. Therefore, I ask you not
to lose heart in my tribulation because they were upset.
Paul was in jail on your behalf, for they are
your glory.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
One.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
We're not an afterthought in God's mind. We're part of
the program. God's work is not to be shackled by culture, class.
Speaker 3 (20:09):
Or physical distinctions. And now you have what he calls access.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Know what access mean you can get in. Where are
they talking about Turner? Hebrews, fourth verse fourteen. Since then
we have a great high priest who has passed through
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. Let us hold
fast our confession, for we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who
has been tempted in all things as we are yet
(20:38):
without sin. Let Us therefore draw near with confidence to
the Throne of Grace, that we may receive mercy and
find grace to.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Help us in time of need. Did you get that access?
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Access means you can struct right into heaven any old
time you want one. He's always home, always there. Number two,
his day never ends, so he's always up. He's never yawning.
I like Elijah when he was when he was on
Mount Carmol and they had the battle of the Gods
(21:14):
and Elijah. They were praying to the false gods.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
Elijah was mocking them.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
They said, whichever god sends down the fire, that's the
real god.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
They say, okay.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
They were cutting themselves with knives and stuff, trying to
get their God to react.
Speaker 3 (21:29):
Elijah said, oh oops, maybe on vacation. There's that.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
Then Elijah called on the true God. They said, now, God,
would you show these people who you are? And the
Bible says and fire ringed down from him.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
Socked up all the water.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Because God likes to show himself strong, he likes to
show he likes to show off. He just wants to
make sure he gonna get the glory. He don't want
to show off. Often say like the woodpecker. Woodpecker was pecking.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
At the tree. Woot boom boom, boom boom, kept pecking
at the tree, pecking a tree, pecking the tree.
Speaker 1 (22:06):
While he was pecking at the tree, lightning struck the tree,
split the tree right in half. Woodpecker saying, look what
I did. That's where a lot of us are. God
come through, Well, tell.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Me look what I did.
Speaker 1 (22:22):
God will only show himself strong if he gets the glory,
for he will guess what, share his glory with.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
No man, no man, no man can, no man can
usurp God.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
Paul discovered this mystery of the church, the most powerful
institution in society when it is working right, and that
means fellow heirs, fellow saints, fellow members, a family.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
That is promoting the Kingdom of.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
God, Doctor Tony Evans wrapping up a message on God's
Church functioning as it was designed, where believers are united
in purpose, identity, and mission. Today's lesson is part of
tony series Ordinary Holy Finding God in the Mundane, a
(23:13):
sixteen part look at the Book of Ephesians that shows
how God works powerfully through even the most ordinary parts
of life. For a limited time. When you support the alternative,
we'll send you the two volume audio set as our
thank you gift, along with Tony's encouraging book Kingdom Living,
full of practical ways to grow in your faith and
(23:34):
live with greater purpose. This special offer won't last long,
so visit Tonyevans dot org or call one eight hundred
eight hundred thirty two twenty two to make your request again.
That's Tonyevans dot org or call one eight hundred eight
hundred three two two two now. Before I tell you
(23:55):
what's coming up tomorrow, don't forget a new Stories from
the Storyteller episode is just a couple of days away.
In Big Little Things, Bunny's tiny birthday gift turns into
a big blessing, setting the stage for a powerful lesson
about the mustard seed and how God grows small things
into something great. Discover more about this animated series for
(24:17):
kids at tonyevanstv dot com. That's tonyevanstv dot com. We
often ask God to give us strength, but truth be told,
believers already possess it. Tomorrow, Doctor Evans explores the spiritual
power God has granted his people. Be sure to join
us
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