October 7, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
When the relationship becomes secondary to the program.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
You're living in sin.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Doctor Tony Evans is Christian activity alone can't guard against
letting the world crowd out Christ.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
There's pressia not to put him first, So you've got
to overcome that pressia.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Over time, our
love for God either tends to grow more rich or
more routine. Today, doctor Evans explains that when routine becomes
the norm, it's time to take a serious look at
(00:38):
our priorities. Let's join him as he helps us do that.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
God wants you to win, which means there's something that
you need to overcome, something that is seeking to defeat oppress,
to make you a victim and not allow you to
be a victor. The number seven in the scripture means
to come completion. So when we unpack each one of
(01:04):
these seven messages to the seven churches, you will have enough.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
To overcome.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
You can overcome in a number of different ways, but
the principle should.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Be operating in your heart and in your life.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
The first church we come to is the church at Ephesus,
to appreciate and understand ephasis. All you have to do
is understand New York. Ephesus was the New York of
Asia minor now known as Turkey. Ephesis was the center
of commerce, of culture, of civic focus, of fashion. If
(01:46):
you wanted to go on vacation, emphasis was the place
to go. It was a tourist city. It was well
known throughout Asia as the place to go. It was
an economic boom town. It was like a wall street.
(02:07):
It dealt in significant financial matters because of its strategic location.
But here in the Book of Revelation, he is not
writing because all is well. He is writing because of
a situation that needed to be addressed for people who
wanted to be overcomers, as I hope that we do.
(02:33):
He makes it clear in the first verse that this
was written for the Angel of that house, that is
God's messenger. The word angel, from the Greek word angolas,
means messenger. That the messenger, the pastor if you will,
was to proclaim this message to the congregation at Ephesis
(02:54):
Bible fellowship. And if you and I will hear what
he has to say, he that has an here let
him hear. Verse seven says then you are on your
way to being an overcomer, an over ruler of that
which is ruling over you. He starts off with a compliment,
(03:22):
a commendation, if you will. He wants to congratulate the
church first. He says, I know your deeds. I know
what you do. I know that you are a serving church.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I know about.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Your programs, your ministries, your outreaches, your small groups. I
know about your Bible classes. I know about the support
systems you have to help people get victory.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I am well aware of all of.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
The programs that you do. I see what your deeds are.
I know what you do. You are a model congregation,
and I know it. But but.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
The commendation.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Now turns to a criticism or a condemnation. But I
have this against you. You have left your first love,
so evidently you can be doing right stuff and.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Be in wrong relationship.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Suppose a husband would say to his wife, now, look,
I want you to note you're not gonna be first.
I'm a fit you in where I can. But nothing's
gonna change. I'm still gonna go to work, I'm still
gonna bring my money home. I'm still gonna do what
I'm supposed to do. I'm going to fulfill my job,
but you're not going to be my priority. I'll get
(05:10):
around to you when I can. When I got a
little extra time, I give you some of it. When
I got a little extra resources, I give you some
of it. When I got a little extra tension, I'll
give you some of it. But I'm gonna do my duty.
See this church and these believers were doing their duty.
He gave them five compliments. But God was no longer first.
(05:35):
In other words, the duty had trump the devotion. The
regulations was ruining the relationship. So what do we do
about this? And why will it matter? Verse five tells
you what to do. Three things, He says, remember from
(05:58):
where you have fallen the three hours. The first one,
he says, I want you to remember. Remember, remember back
then when you were just in a house and you
had to depend on me for everything. All you had
(06:18):
was me, So I madded most you remember you go
back to that time when you didn't have to manage
all this and have all this, and all you had
was me.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
You remember that.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Remember when you were as a couple in that apartment,
when you couldn't afford a house and all you had
was each other. But that was enough, he says, Remember
from where you had fallen, Remember where you came from,
because you ain't always been up here, you have always
been doing this. You weren't always blessed like you are now.
(06:58):
She says, Remember remember when I'm the one that mattered most. Second, Arry,
he says, repent. Okay, there's only one thing you repent
of in the Bible, and that's sin, the only thing
you ever called to repent of, and that sin. So
guess what leaving your first love is sin. It's not
(07:20):
just a bad habit, it's not just a mistake. When
the relationship becomes secondary to the program.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
You're living in sin. I'm living in sin.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
We collectively are living in sin when the relationship is
secondary to the program.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
He's not just.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Calling it, oh my, I gotta get my priorities together. No,
you got to get your sin fixed. Because he says repent,
you only repent of sin. So he doesn't review this
just as a scheduling issue. He views it as a
sin issue, he says, And then you must repeat do
(08:01):
your first works over again verse five cents. Do what
you did when all you had was me, Because when
all you had was me. You had time for prayer
when all you had was me. You had time for
spending time in my word when all you had was me.
(08:22):
You found out that I was kind of all you
needed because I kept coming through for you, and you
found out how real I could be. But now you're
a little spiritually sinitty. You can do it without me.
You can do it on your own. You can be
your independent self while carrying on the program. Repent and
(08:47):
go back and do your first works over again. You
remember when you were first married. If you're married, how
hot the relationship was? You on the phone, don't want
to hang up? Nobody talking, but nobody wants to go
Just on the phone, Just hang out on the phone.
(09:07):
Can't wait to connect the next day or whatever I mean.
You know you're talking about. You know you didn't have
to be begged to talk about that person. You whipping
out pictures when folk don't want to see it. Why
because the connection was hot. You couldn't afford McDonald's. But
(09:29):
it didn't matter, because the relationship trump the location. First
love is where there is a fire for him and
everything else surrounds that. He's not just fitted in. When
(09:50):
we have an extra moment or two John fourteen twenty one.
It's a powerful verse. He says, if you love me,
you will keep my commandments. And to the one who
loves me, watch this. I will disclose myself to him
(10:13):
whoa I will talk to him. I will show him
or her, I will reveal myself. The reason why we're
not hearing from God, the reason why we're not getting
guided from God, the reason why we're not experiencing victim
from God is because he doesn't feel free to disclose
himself to somebody who's going to treat him. Second, he
(10:36):
drives it home. Now, he says, now, I do have
to compliment you because verse six, you hate the deeds
of the Nicoladins. The Nicoladins were professing Christians who are
abusing grace. They thought grace was an excuse to sin.
Because I have grace, I can just go do anything.
He says, I know you hate that. So I want
(10:56):
to commend you. I want to commend you. But this
first thing, what's this? He that hath an ear let
him here, pay attention. Now he even hath an ear.
Let him hear what the spirit is saying to the churches.
So I'm talking to the churches, But are you listening
as an individual?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
He that happened, ere, she that happened Ea. So forget your.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Neighbor right now, the question is what are your ears
picking up?
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Doctor Evans will return in just a moment with more
about how to make what's coming into our ears come
out in our actions. But first, today's lesson is part
of Tony's exciting series, The Jesus Challenge, and I want
to tell you about a great set of resources we've
put together as a way to follow up on what
we're learning. It starts with all eight full length messages
(11:48):
in this collection to study in depth, available to download
instantly as well as on either CDs or USB flash
drive since straight to your home. Along with these, we'll
also include the Living as an Overcomer book, workbook and
Bible study video. They go hand in hand with the
material from this series. We'll send you this package with
(12:10):
our thanks for the donation God leads you to make
to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. Visit
Tonyevans dot org today to make the arrangements to receive
the Jesus Challenge and Living as an Overcomer resource bundle.
That's Tonyevans dot org, or you can call a resource
team at one eight hundred eight hundred three two two
(12:33):
two where they'll be happy to help with your request.
That's one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Well,
Doctor Evans is back now with the second part of
today's lesson.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
He wants to know, are you paying attention to what
is being said here about the primacy and prioritization of
God in your life?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And if you haven't here.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
That is willing to hear and to reprioritize relationship over religion,
devotion over duty.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
He says, if you have an hear, this is.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
What happens to him who overcomes, as I word Michael
Nike Swish victory.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
That's what the word means, victory to.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
The one who overcomes, overcomes, what overcomes the pressure to
not put me first. Because there's pressure. You got to
go against your inclinations, you got to go against other people,
you have to go against your schedule, you have to
go against you. There's pressure not to put him first.
(13:47):
So you got to overcome that pressure. You got to
overcome that schedule. That may mean getting up a few
minutes earlier and not just praying at bedtime when you
know you're gonna fall asleep after one minute, I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Going to overcome that.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
And yes, Lord, even if I start out with five minutes,
I'm gonna give you the first five minutes the first
day of the week. See what we're doing is we're
putting God last while still expecting him to show us something.
You got people all over the place waiting for that
blessing while they make God last, pick him up as needed,
(14:26):
make him sign a claus He's not first in the
time first, and the talent first, and the treasurer first
in the allocation of focus. And he does not request
to be first. He demands to be first because he says,
if I am not going to be first, Verse five says,
I will remove your lamp stand out of its place.
(14:48):
I will shut that mama down. You'll go to church,
but I won't be there. No love, no light. You'll
run your life, but I won't.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Be hanging with you.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Who else died for you? Who else paid for your sins?
Who else has given you eternal destiny? Who else do
you call on when life shuts down on you? Well,
if you think that they are, You're savior. Go to them,
Go to them.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
But if you really want me to be all that,
I need to be first.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
And to him who overcomes the pressure not to put
me first, to that one, to he, because he said,
he who overcomes, I'm going to reward him her he
who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree
of life, which is in.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
The paradise of God.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
He's speaking about a future reward that will come, but
that future reward receives a down payment in this life.
It's not all experienced here now because we live in
a central world.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Whenever I go to.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Speak for a pregnancy center, I speak for a number
of pregnancy centers around the country who are promoting life.
They always ask me, would I come an hour earlier?
So if it begins at seven, they want me there
at six. All of them ask this And the reason
they asked me to come at six is because they
(16:38):
have a special donor reception. This is a reception from
major donors to the pregnancy center to thank them for
their support of their center. These are people who have
gone above and beyond to make sure the center operates
(16:59):
with strength. So they asked me, because I'm the guest speaker,
to come and to meet the special guests at the reception.
The reception is held in a separate room from the
general banquet. The banquet may have a thousand people, but
that may be just one hundred people who are the
specially invited guests to the reception. They have their own
(17:22):
special food. We stand up and we take pictures with
the various guests. They give special gifts and special recognition
because they are special people, although they are among the
bigger crowd. God says, I have a private reception in
a private hospitality room called the Paradise of God, with
(17:47):
a special tree called the Tree of Life.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
But only the invited guests get in there. Now.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, you're going to go to heaven if you've accepted
Jesus Christ. But you don't get to the reception. You
get this private audience, in this private participation, in this
private interaction, when you've lived your life making me second, third, fourth,
and fifth, and I've given you eternity. No, the reception
for those who bunked the pressure to make me anything
(18:17):
less than the risen lord that I am, who bunked
the temptation to yield to the wall's exclusion of me
in order to be safe, secure, and popular, He says,
for that believer, oh no, they get a private audience,
they get special consideration. So the question is do you
(18:39):
want special consideration? Ultimately there, but he will disclose himself
beginning now. John fourteen twenty one says to you and me,
when I first went to seminary.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I remember how excited I was.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
I mean, I jumped out of bed because I'm just
blown away by learning the Bible like this, all this
stuff it had, and I'm just I'm just loving the
Lord more. But as the years went on and the
work piled up, I got to learn Hebrew, Greek, German, French,
all Bible. But now I got to read all this stuff.
I got to learn all this stuff. I'm up all
(19:16):
night trying to study this stuff. And and and so
I want to do good. I want to make aids.
I want to graduate with honors. So I'm working like crazy,
doing papers like crazy, getting the headache, getting bad health,
all that because because I want to make AIDS, and
I'm want to get all this stuff. And after a
while it was no longer loving the Lord through his word.
It was making aids by passing tests to finish the program.
(19:40):
Feeling good and smelling myself. The problem was I was
getting deeper in the Word and further from the Lord.
I was getting deeper in the Word, but loving the
Lord less. It wasn't it I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Going to class. I never missed the class. It wasn't
that I wasn't learning. It wasn't that I wouldn't make
it as it.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Was that I had left the purpose of the word,
and the purpose of the word is not to become
a Bible scholar. The purpose of the word is to
get to know the author who wrote the word by
looking and seeing him through the Word. That's the purpose
of the Bible. Not so you can quote verses, but
so you can know the master who wrote the verses.
(20:25):
So don't even let your knowledge of Bible teaching cause
you to.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Lose your first love.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Doctor Evans will return with a final story for us
in just a moment. But if you've never experienced that
first love he described today, there's no better step you
can take than to learn what it's all about. You
can do that right now. Just visit Tonyevans dot org
and click on the link that says Jesus There. Tony
will explain what it means to become a real Christian
(20:57):
and tell you about some free resources to help you
follow up on your decision. Take a moment and stop
by today now before Doctor Evans returns to wrap up
today's teaching. If you'd like to get the complete, full
length version of today's message, it can be yours. As
part of Tony's current series, The Jesus Challenge. As I
mentioned earlier, we are offering all eight messages in this
(21:20):
powerful collection digitally as well as on either CD or
USB flash drive, along with the Living as an Overcomer book, workbook,
and Bible study video. They're all yours as our thank
you gift. When you make a contribution to support Tony's ministry,
contact us at Tonyevans dot org to get the details
(21:41):
and make the arrangements. Again, that's Tonyevans dot org. Or
call our twenty four hour resource center at one eight
hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two and let one
of our team members help you. That's one eight hundred
eight hundred three two two two. It's not as it's
easy to be a Christian in America as it used
(22:02):
to be, and it's likely to get even harder. Doctor
Evans says that means commitment and faithfulness to Christ are
more important than ever, and that's what he'll explore with
us tomorrow. Right now, he's back with his closing illustration
for today.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
One year, we went on a family vacation to Niagara Falls.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
They had lights on the falls, and even though I was.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
A long way away in the hotel room, I was
just awed by the sight, even from a long distance.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I just went WHOA.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
The next morning, we got up and had breakfast, and
we went to the Canadian side of the falls, and
on the Canadian side of the falls there's a park.
So we stood in the park. Ooh, this was different
than the hotel room. Hotel room, I couldn't hear a thing.
I could just see it. But now I'm staying on
the Canadian side, and that water is going over the
precipice and going into the basin of the falls. And
(22:53):
I could hear the thunder of the roar as the
water splashed down in the falls, and as the wind
blew up the water. It actually crossed the street and
I got dots of water on my face from the fall.
You see, when I was in the hotel room, I
could just see it and be impressed by it. But
once I got a little closer to the park, I
got affected by it because I could hear the sound,
(23:15):
and I got little drops of water on me. So
I felt a little something something because I had relocated myself.
Oh but there's another way you can see the falls.
It's called the Maid of the Mist. These are little
boats down in the basin of the fall. If you
decide to get on the Maid of the Miss, they
gonna give you a raincoat and they gonna give you
(23:37):
an umbrella because you about to be drenched by the
falls because you are so close. See, some Christians are
satisfied to see Jesus from their hotel room. They look out,
they never hear from him. They never get to see
him up close. They just impressed from a distance, and
every now and then they look his way. But then
(23:57):
there are a few Christians who will come to the
park and they like the sound, and they will be
a little closer, and every now and then they'll feel
a little something something. But then they are those two
Christians who are not satisfied to look at him from
the hotel room. They're not satisfied to look at him
from the pop. They want to raincoade on they want
(24:19):
an umbrella over them, because they want to.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Be drenched by His glory that God raids up.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Saints will leave the hotel room, not satisfied with the pop,
but want to be drenched with His glory and overwhelmed
by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
When the relationship becomes secondary to the program.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
You're living in sin.
Speaker 3 (00:05):
Doctor Tony Evans is Christian activity alone can't guard against
letting the world crowd out Christ.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
There's pressia not to put him first, So you've got
to overcome that pressia.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of doctor Tony Evans. Over time, our
love for God either tends to grow more rich or
more routine. Today, doctor Evans explains that when routine becomes
the norm, it's time to take a serious look at
(00:38):
our priorities. Let's join him as he helps us do that.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
God wants you to win, which means there's something that
you need to overcome, something that is seeking to defeat oppress,
to make you a victim and not allow you to
be a victor. The number seven in the scripture means
to come completion. So when we unpack each one of
(01:04):
these seven messages to the seven churches, you will have enough.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
To overcome.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
You can overcome in a number of different ways, but
the principle should.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Be operating in your heart and in your life.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
The first church we come to is the church at Ephesus,
to appreciate and understand ephasis. All you have to do
is understand New York. Ephesus was the New York of
Asia minor now known as Turkey. Ephesis was the center
of commerce, of culture, of civic focus, of fashion. If
(01:46):
you wanted to go on vacation, emphasis was the place
to go. It was a tourist city. It was well
known throughout Asia as the place to go. It was
an economic boom town. It was like a wall street.
(02:07):
It dealt in significant financial matters because of its strategic location.
But here in the Book of Revelation, he is not
writing because all is well. He is writing because of
a situation that needed to be addressed for people who
wanted to be overcomers, as I hope that we do.
(02:33):
He makes it clear in the first verse that this
was written for the Angel of that house, that is
God's messenger. The word angel, from the Greek word angolas,
means messenger. That the messenger, the pastor if you will,
was to proclaim this message to the congregation at Ephesis
(02:54):
Bible fellowship. And if you and I will hear what
he has to say, he that has an here let
him hear. Verse seven says then you are on your
way to being an overcomer, an over ruler of that
which is ruling over you. He starts off with a compliment,
(03:22):
a commendation, if you will. He wants to congratulate the
church first. He says, I know your deeds. I know
what you do. I know that you are a serving church.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I know about.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Your programs, your ministries, your outreaches, your small groups. I
know about your Bible classes. I know about the support
systems you have to help people get victory.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I am well aware of all of.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
The programs that you do. I see what your deeds are.
I know what you do. You are a model congregation,
and I know it. But but.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
The commendation.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Now turns to a criticism or a condemnation. But I
have this against you. You have left your first love,
so evidently you can be doing right stuff and.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Be in wrong relationship.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Suppose a husband would say to his wife, now, look,
I want you to note you're not gonna be first.
I'm a fit you in where I can. But nothing's
gonna change. I'm still gonna go to work, I'm still
gonna bring my money home. I'm still gonna do what
I'm supposed to do. I'm going to fulfill my job,
but you're not going to be my priority. I'll get
(05:10):
around to you when I can. When I got a
little extra time, I give you some of it. When
I got a little extra resources, I give you some
of it. When I got a little extra tension, I'll
give you some of it. But I'm gonna do my duty.
See this church and these believers were doing their duty.
He gave them five compliments. But God was no longer first.
(05:35):
In other words, the duty had trump the devotion. The
regulations was ruining the relationship. So what do we do
about this? And why will it matter? Verse five tells
you what to do. Three things, He says, remember from
(05:58):
where you have fallen the three hours. The first one,
he says, I want you to remember. Remember, remember back
then when you were just in a house and you
had to depend on me for everything. All you had
(06:18):
was me, So I madded most you remember you go
back to that time when you didn't have to manage
all this and have all this, and all you had
was me.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
You remember that.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Remember when you were as a couple in that apartment,
when you couldn't afford a house and all you had
was each other. But that was enough, he says, Remember
from where you had fallen, Remember where you came from,
because you ain't always been up here, you have always
been doing this. You weren't always blessed like you are now.
(06:58):
She says, Remember remember when I'm the one that mattered most. Second, Arry,
he says, repent. Okay, there's only one thing you repent
of in the Bible, and that's sin, the only thing
you ever called to repent of, and that sin. So
guess what leaving your first love is sin. It's not
(07:20):
just a bad habit, it's not just a mistake. When
the relationship becomes secondary to the program.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
You're living in sin. I'm living in sin.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
We collectively are living in sin when the relationship is
secondary to the program.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
He's not just.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Calling it, oh my, I gotta get my priorities together. No,
you got to get your sin fixed. Because he says repent,
you only repent of sin. So he doesn't review this
just as a scheduling issue. He views it as a
sin issue, he says, And then you must repeat do
(08:01):
your first works over again verse five cents. Do what
you did when all you had was me, Because when
all you had was me. You had time for prayer
when all you had was me. You had time for
spending time in my word when all you had was me.
(08:22):
You found out that I was kind of all you
needed because I kept coming through for you, and you
found out how real I could be. But now you're
a little spiritually sinitty. You can do it without me.
You can do it on your own. You can be
your independent self while carrying on the program. Repent and
(08:47):
go back and do your first works over again. You
remember when you were first married. If you're married, how
hot the relationship was? You on the phone, don't want
to hang up? Nobody talking, but nobody wants to go
Just on the phone, Just hang out on the phone.
(09:07):
Can't wait to connect the next day or whatever I mean.
You know you're talking about. You know you didn't have
to be begged to talk about that person. You whipping
out pictures when folk don't want to see it. Why
because the connection was hot. You couldn't afford McDonald's. But
(09:29):
it didn't matter, because the relationship trump the location. First
love is where there is a fire for him and
everything else surrounds that. He's not just fitted in. When
(09:50):
we have an extra moment or two John fourteen twenty one.
It's a powerful verse. He says, if you love me,
you will keep my commandments. And to the one who
loves me, watch this. I will disclose myself to him
(10:13):
whoa I will talk to him. I will show him
or her, I will reveal myself. The reason why we're
not hearing from God, the reason why we're not getting
guided from God, the reason why we're not experiencing victim
from God is because he doesn't feel free to disclose
himself to somebody who's going to treat him. Second, he
(10:36):
drives it home. Now, he says, now, I do have
to compliment you because verse six, you hate the deeds
of the Nicoladins. The Nicoladins were professing Christians who are
abusing grace. They thought grace was an excuse to sin.
Because I have grace, I can just go do anything.
He says, I know you hate that. So I want
(10:56):
to commend you. I want to commend you. But this
first thing, what's this? He that hath an ear let
him here, pay attention. Now he even hath an ear.
Let him hear what the spirit is saying to the churches.
So I'm talking to the churches, But are you listening
as an individual?
Speaker 2 (11:17):
He that happened, ere, she that happened Ea. So forget your.
Speaker 1 (11:22):
Neighbor right now, the question is what are your ears
picking up?
Speaker 3 (11:27):
Doctor Evans will return in just a moment with more
about how to make what's coming into our ears come
out in our actions. But first, today's lesson is part
of Tony's exciting series, The Jesus Challenge, and I want
to tell you about a great set of resources we've
put together as a way to follow up on what
we're learning. It starts with all eight full length messages
(11:48):
in this collection to study in depth, available to download
instantly as well as on either CDs or USB flash
drive since straight to your home. Along with these, we'll
also include the Living as an Overcomer book, workbook and
Bible study video. They go hand in hand with the
material from this series. We'll send you this package with
(12:10):
our thanks for the donation God leads you to make
to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. Visit
Tonyevans dot org today to make the arrangements to receive
the Jesus Challenge and Living as an Overcomer resource bundle.
That's Tonyevans dot org, or you can call a resource
team at one eight hundred eight hundred three two two
(12:33):
two where they'll be happy to help with your request.
That's one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two. Well,
Doctor Evans is back now with the second part of
today's lesson.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
He wants to know, are you paying attention to what
is being said here about the primacy and prioritization of
God in your life?
Speaker 2 (12:55):
And if you haven't here.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
That is willing to hear and to reprioritize relationship over religion,
devotion over duty.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
He says, if you have an hear, this is.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
What happens to him who overcomes, as I word Michael
Nike Swish victory.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
That's what the word means, victory to.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
The one who overcomes, overcomes, what overcomes the pressure to
not put me first. Because there's pressure. You got to
go against your inclinations, you got to go against other people,
you have to go against your schedule, you have to
go against you. There's pressure not to put him first.
(13:47):
So you got to overcome that pressure. You got to
overcome that schedule. That may mean getting up a few
minutes earlier and not just praying at bedtime when you
know you're gonna fall asleep after one minute, I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Going to overcome that.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
And yes, Lord, even if I start out with five minutes,
I'm gonna give you the first five minutes the first
day of the week. See what we're doing is we're
putting God last while still expecting him to show us something.
You got people all over the place waiting for that
blessing while they make God last, pick him up as needed,
(14:26):
make him sign a claus He's not first in the
time first, and the talent first, and the treasurer first
in the allocation of focus. And he does not request
to be first. He demands to be first because he says,
if I am not going to be first, Verse five says,
I will remove your lamp stand out of its place.
(14:48):
I will shut that mama down. You'll go to church,
but I won't be there. No love, no light. You'll
run your life, but I won't.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Be hanging with you.
Speaker 1 (15:05):
Who else died for you? Who else paid for your sins?
Who else has given you eternal destiny? Who else do
you call on when life shuts down on you? Well,
if you think that they are, You're savior. Go to them,
Go to them.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
But if you really want me to be all that,
I need to be first.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
And to him who overcomes the pressure not to put
me first, to that one, to he, because he said,
he who overcomes, I'm going to reward him her he
who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree
of life, which is in.
Speaker 2 (15:57):
The paradise of God.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
He's speaking about a future reward that will come, but
that future reward receives a down payment in this life.
It's not all experienced here now because we live in
a central world.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
Whenever I go to.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Speak for a pregnancy center, I speak for a number
of pregnancy centers around the country who are promoting life.
They always ask me, would I come an hour earlier?
So if it begins at seven, they want me there
at six. All of them ask this And the reason
they asked me to come at six is because they
(16:38):
have a special donor reception. This is a reception from
major donors to the pregnancy center to thank them for
their support of their center. These are people who have
gone above and beyond to make sure the center operates
(16:59):
with strength. So they asked me, because I'm the guest speaker,
to come and to meet the special guests at the reception.
The reception is held in a separate room from the
general banquet. The banquet may have a thousand people, but
that may be just one hundred people who are the
specially invited guests to the reception. They have their own
(17:22):
special food. We stand up and we take pictures with
the various guests. They give special gifts and special recognition
because they are special people, although they are among the
bigger crowd. God says, I have a private reception in
a private hospitality room called the Paradise of God, with
(17:47):
a special tree called the Tree of Life.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
But only the invited guests get in there. Now.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Yeah, you're going to go to heaven if you've accepted
Jesus Christ. But you don't get to the reception. You
get this private audience, in this private participation, in this
private interaction, when you've lived your life making me second, third, fourth,
and fifth, and I've given you eternity. No, the reception
for those who bunked the pressure to make me anything
(18:17):
less than the risen lord that I am, who bunked
the temptation to yield to the wall's exclusion of me
in order to be safe, secure, and popular, He says,
for that believer, oh no, they get a private audience,
they get special consideration. So the question is do you
(18:39):
want special consideration? Ultimately there, but he will disclose himself
beginning now. John fourteen twenty one says to you and me,
when I first went to seminary.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
I remember how excited I was.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
I mean, I jumped out of bed because I'm just
blown away by learning the Bible like this, all this
stuff it had, and I'm just I'm just loving the
Lord more. But as the years went on and the
work piled up, I got to learn Hebrew, Greek, German, French,
all Bible. But now I got to read all this stuff.
I got to learn all this stuff. I'm up all
(19:16):
night trying to study this stuff. And and and so
I want to do good. I want to make aids.
I want to graduate with honors. So I'm working like crazy,
doing papers like crazy, getting the headache, getting bad health,
all that because because I want to make AIDS, and
I'm want to get all this stuff. And after a
while it was no longer loving the Lord through his word.
It was making aids by passing tests to finish the program.
(19:40):
Feeling good and smelling myself. The problem was I was
getting deeper in the Word and further from the Lord.
I was getting deeper in the Word, but loving the
Lord less. It wasn't it I wasn't.
Speaker 2 (19:56):
Going to class. I never missed the class. It wasn't
that I wasn't learning. It wasn't that I wouldn't make
it as it.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
Was that I had left the purpose of the word,
and the purpose of the word is not to become
a Bible scholar. The purpose of the word is to
get to know the author who wrote the word by
looking and seeing him through the Word. That's the purpose
of the Bible. Not so you can quote verses, but
so you can know the master who wrote the verses.
(20:25):
So don't even let your knowledge of Bible teaching cause
you to.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
Lose your first love.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Doctor Evans will return with a final story for us
in just a moment. But if you've never experienced that
first love he described today, there's no better step you
can take than to learn what it's all about. You
can do that right now. Just visit Tonyevans dot org
and click on the link that says Jesus There. Tony
will explain what it means to become a real Christian
(20:57):
and tell you about some free resources to help you
follow up on your decision. Take a moment and stop
by today now before Doctor Evans returns to wrap up
today's teaching. If you'd like to get the complete, full
length version of today's message, it can be yours. As
part of Tony's current series, The Jesus Challenge. As I
mentioned earlier, we are offering all eight messages in this
(21:20):
powerful collection digitally as well as on either CD or
USB flash drive, along with the Living as an Overcomer book, workbook,
and Bible study video. They're all yours as our thank
you gift. When you make a contribution to support Tony's ministry,
contact us at Tonyevans dot org to get the details
(21:41):
and make the arrangements. Again, that's Tonyevans dot org. Or
call our twenty four hour resource center at one eight
hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two and let one
of our team members help you. That's one eight hundred
eight hundred three two two two. It's not as it's
easy to be a Christian in America as it used
(22:02):
to be, and it's likely to get even harder. Doctor
Evans says that means commitment and faithfulness to Christ are
more important than ever, and that's what he'll explore with
us tomorrow. Right now, he's back with his closing illustration
for today.
Speaker 1 (22:18):
One year, we went on a family vacation to Niagara Falls.
Speaker 2 (22:22):
They had lights on the falls, and even though I was.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
A long way away in the hotel room, I was
just awed by the sight, even from a long distance.
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I just went WHOA.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
The next morning, we got up and had breakfast, and
we went to the Canadian side of the falls, and
on the Canadian side of the falls there's a park.
So we stood in the park. Ooh, this was different
than the hotel room. Hotel room, I couldn't hear a thing.
I could just see it. But now I'm staying on
the Canadian side, and that water is going over the
precipice and going into the basin of the falls. And
(22:53):
I could hear the thunder of the roar as the
water splashed down in the falls, and as the wind
blew up the water. It actually crossed the street and
I got dots of water on my face from the fall.
You see, when I was in the hotel room, I
could just see it and be impressed by it. But
once I got a little closer to the park, I
got affected by it because I could hear the sound,
(23:15):
and I got little drops of water on me. So
I felt a little something something because I had relocated myself.
Oh but there's another way you can see the falls.
It's called the Maid of the Mist. These are little
boats down in the basin of the fall. If you
decide to get on the Maid of the Miss, they
gonna give you a raincoat and they gonna give you
(23:37):
an umbrella because you about to be drenched by the
falls because you are so close. See, some Christians are
satisfied to see Jesus from their hotel room. They look out,
they never hear from him. They never get to see
him up close. They just impressed from a distance, and
every now and then they look his way. But then
(23:57):
there are a few Christians who will come to the
park and they like the sound, and they will be
a little closer, and every now and then they'll feel
a little something something. But then they are those two
Christians who are not satisfied to look at him from
the hotel room. They're not satisfied to look at him
from the pop. They want to raincoade on they want
(24:19):
an umbrella over them, because they want to.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
Be drenched by His glory that God raids up.
Speaker 1 (24:25):
Saints will leave the hotel room, not satisfied with the pop,
but want to be drenched with His glory and overwhelmed
by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
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