Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
[Music]
I remember to tell you let’s move
forward when God says move even though
we don’t see how it’s gonna work out
cuz the God who can create an accident
at just the right time can do whatever
he decides to do in the dilemmas in our
lives as long as we’re in the center of
his will
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[Music]
today I want to look at him encounter
with God’s power and this encounter with
God’s power comes in the context of a
dilemma
so a deliverer is when you’re in a
no-win situation been a dilemma it’s
nowhere I mean any direction that you
look in is a lose-lose you’re in a
dilemma the most noted story in Israel’s
history the crossing of the Red Sea
which was its biggest celebrated miracle
happened when they were simultaneously
in a dilemma the most celebrated story
the one that’s repeated over and over
and over in the Old Testament is the
story of the crossing of the Red Sea
it’s repeated in the New Testament when
the author of Hebrews talks about the
Great Hall of faith in Hebrews chapter
six he says that without faith it’s
impossible to please God in verse six
and then he comes in verse 29 and he
says by faith Israel crossed the Red Sea
and the Egyptian army was destroyed and
so this is no small deal but what I want
you to catch today is that they had
their divine encounter with God’s
problem in the context of a dilemma so I
want to prepare you today for an
encounter with God but I also want to
prepare you for a dilemma that provides
the context for that in Kelman now the
background to this is very clear Moses
has come through the twelve plagues the
ten plagues Andes
now leading the children of Israel out
of Egypt Pharaoh has responded now
finally to Moses is called and let my
people go
and so the people now are on their way
out from slavery to freedom they’re
excited they’re looking forward they’ve
been told that there’s this promised
land this purpose of God that God is
going to take them to and things are
looking rosy as they leave on their way
out it says in verse 17 of chapter 13
that God did not lead them by way of the
land of the Philistines even though it
was near I want you to catch verse 18
hits God led them so watch this their
dilemma is going to come about when God
is leading them their dilemma is going
to happen when they’re in the will of
God their dilemma is going to occur when
they’re being obedient because it says
God was leading them not only was God
leading them into what would be a
dilemma
it says God led them the long way around
he did not lead them in the short
distance not only that but God was going
before them verse 21 of chapter 13 says
in a pillar of cloud by day in a pillar
of fire by night he’s walking with them
in every step of the way and when they
are doing this zigzag through the
wilderness it says in chapter 14 pharaoh
will say that the sons of israel verse 3
they are wandering aimlessly in the land
and the wilderness has
amen and the wilderness will shut them
in so when he says and the wilderness
shall shut them in they’re gonna be in a
no-win situation that they can’t get out
of without coming back toward us and it
says and God was leading them he was
leading them into a cul-de-sac or what
you and I would call a trap see a lot of
us figured God wouldn’t do that
Oh God doesn’t do that and the reason
God does that is because only in those
contexts will you see that he’s God
because the one thing about a dilemma is
you can’t get out of it the one thing
about a dilemma is you don’t see an exit
in every direction you look in is a trap
when God is ready to move you to a new
spiritual experience with him he will
regularly do it in the midst of a
contradiction and a conflict and that is
their scenario
verse 4 says of chapter 14 thus I will
harden Pharaoh’s heart and he will chase
after them hmm to harden the heart means
to make you more rebellious than you
already were to harden the heart means
to make you meaner than you already were
to harden the heart is to make you worse
than you already were I think the verse
says and God hardened Pharaoh’s heart
because when God is ready to give you a
new experience with him he will allow
you to be put into a situation that only
he can get you out of when God is ready
to make this move doesn’t matter who you
know what context you have how much
money you you possess where you live or
the car you drive when God is ready to
give you a new experience where
him he will regularly trap you where you
are
verse 8 of chapter 14 says the Lord
hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of
Egypt and he chased after the sons of
Israel was frustrated to be about God is
he will make it look like he answered
your prayer
don’t anybody been there it looked like
you you praise the name you you’re all
excited you ready to give your testimony
and then he go left on you they finally
get out of Egypt they’ve been praying to
get out of Egypt he lets him out of
Egypt then he hardens Pharaoh’s heart to
come after him looks like he changed his
mind as Pharaoh Junia verse 10 the sons
of Israel looked and behold the
Egyptians were marching after them and
they became scared it says they were
very frightened and so the sons of
Israel cried out to the Lord
water here Pharaoh and his chariots here
and there closing in on the Jews and so
they are terrified so they do what many
Christians do they cry out to God help
how while simultaneously complaining to
man verse 11 they said to Moses is it
because there were no graves in Egypt
that you have taken us a way to die in
the wilderness
why have you dealt with us in this way
bringing us out of Egypt is this not the
word that we spoke to you in Egypt
saying leave us alone
that we may serve the Egyptians for it
would have been better for us to serve
the Egyptians than to die and the
wilderness so the conflict that they are
in the red
see and the egyptians produces a
spiritual conflict within them because
on the one hand it says they cried out
on the god but did on the other hand it
says they complain to moses so I’m
calling on God but I’m blaming man not
only that but I’m confused because the
dilemma will confuse you they said did
not we tell you leave us alone
we were happy being a slave in them
cornfields we were we were happy being a
slave picking that cotton we were we
were we were just we were just swing low
Sweet Chariot we were just happy slaves
never mind that they have been crying
out to God all the time for God to get
them out of here so let me give you
something you must do when you’re caught
in a dilemma and God Himself is
confusing you you must appeal to someone
if you cannot appeal to yourself who has
a spiritual perspective see if you
confused and you only talk enough other
confuse people who do not share a proper
view of God then all you’re going to do
is reinforce the frustration of your
dilemma
if God has allowed you to be there
because you’re in the will of God even
though you are confused then God alone
has to give you clarity and so even
though they were complaining about Moses
only Moses could give them the proper
perspective because Moses was in touch
with God so Moses said to the people
because they’re crying out to God and
complaining at the same time so Moses
says to the people do not fear okay
stop worrying because it’s going to be
okay stand by and see the salvation of
the Lord
so he brings in a spiritual perspective
to their human dilemma which he will
accomplish for you the Egyptians
whom you have seen the day you will
never see them again the Lord will fight
for you while you keep silent the Lord
will fight for you while you are silent
not why you are talking what is
referring to was the complaining they
were doing not to cry out to God but for
complaining God will fight for you while
you keep silent they were now in the
position of submitting the spiritual
authority you must have spiritual
authority in your life spiritual people
to whom you can appeal
when you don’t have spiritual answers
yourself and all you can see all the
circumstances verse 15 then the Lord
said the mode the Lord said to Moses why
are you crying out to me tell the sons
of Israel to go forward he says to Moses
why are you crying out to me tell Israel
to go forward now the problem with that
verse is there’s nothing stated about
Moses crying out to him there’s no
statement about Moses crying said the
people cried out but then God turns to
Moses and says why are you crying
when you’re in the pulpit you know the
right things to tell the people why are
you crying out to me Moses you you
you’re struggling like the people since
what I want you to do is tell people now
it’s time to move tell them to move
forward now here is a principle he had
just said stand still do nothing but now
he gets another message that says tell
them how to go forward so here it is
when God puts you in a dilemma and there
is nothing that you can do or should do
you do nothing when God hasn’t given you
something to do that means he there is
not something he wants you to do yet but
now he tells them to move forward it
says by faith they crossed the Red Sea
remember faith is in your feet not in
your feelings Hebrews 11 29 says they
did it by faith because faith often has
to operate when fear is present okay
faith does not automatically eradicate
fear but faith when it is operating
overrides fear because fear immobilizes
faith moves even when you are fearful
but when he gives you something to do
you move he says tell the people to move
and so the people move Moses lift up
your staff he lifts up the rod now
called the rod of God he says I will
again this word in verse 17 hardened the
heart of the Egyptians I’m gonna make
them harder I’m gonna make them hate you
more I’m gonna make them come after you
worse than before so that they will go
in after them and I will be honored
through Pharaoh and his army through his
chariots and his horsemen so Moses are
stretches out his hand with the rod
verse 21 and the Lord swept the sea back
by a strong wind all night and turned
the sea into dry land so the waters were
divided the sons of Israel went through
verse 23 then the Egyptians took up
pursuit to sea I’ll see open up the
water wall on both sides this whole army
of almost 2 million people walking
through and you go in there after them
you got to be crazy but they were made
crazy by God hardening their heart so
God may be hardening the heart of your
co-worker making them treat you bad
worse he may be hardening the heart of
your boss making him treat you worse or
that person in your life or that
circumstance see that’s why you’ve got
to be in the will of God because when he
makes it worse he’s using it I will
harden Pharaoh’s heart and the Egyptians
will come after you the result of all of
this is in the last verse of the chapter
it says in verse 31 when Israel saw they
saw see not they heard they saw when
Israel saw the great power which the
Lord had used the gangsta’ Egyptians the
people feared the Lord and they believed
in the Lord and in his servant Moses why
does God put you in a dilemma when
you’re in his will so you can see
something says when the people saw says
when they saw the power of the Lord they
encountered God
it’s power they said you know what else
people saying they said take us back to
Egypt you know what God was trying to do
he was trying to deliver them from
something in their past Egypt was the
past but you can get so used to
yesterday that when the day goes bad on
you you want to go back he says I’m
gonna deliver you from yesterday because
I have a different tomorrow but for me
to deliver you from yesterday to take
you to a different tomorrow I’m gonna
create confusion today so I want you to
look at your dilemma that you’re either
in or that you will face differently if
you’re not in the will of God get in the
will of God so that he can turn it into
something he can use if you’re not
walking by faith but only walking by
sight begin to walk by faith and no
longer live a life of complaining
acknowledging the reality but not
blaming man for something God has done
because you now have this bigger view of
God who wants to show you his power so
that he can blow your mind in a catch-22
some of you have heard this story
because you’ve been here for a while but
the newer people may not have heard the
story and so I want to conclude my time
with telling you one of my dilemma
moments we were meeting at a school in
the early days of our ministry we did
not have a permanent home at that time
we were meeting at this school and the
school board said we could no longer
meet there we would have to in a couple
of weeks find another place to have
worship we were in a catch-22
we were in a dilemma what would we tell
the people we went back to the school
board and asked them for an extension of
time they said they do not think we can
get it because there were too many board
members with this whole thing of church
and state that were against the church
meaning in a school but then they said
but we will have a final official vote
but the person who we talked to said let
me tell you now
there are too many people against you so
we were caught in a trick bag we were
caught in a dilemma we were up a tree we
will hit a creek we were between a rock
and a hard place and there was no human
solution all we did was call on God to
intervene and to do something that was
out of our hands it was now the day of
the vote and we knew the votes were
against us
we’ve been told that by an insider the
meeting was supposed to happen at a
certain time but the time went on and on
and on I guess we’re sitting out there
close to two hours when it should have
been finished in 30 minutes
waiting for a decision finally a lady
comes out of the meeting she says I am
sorry it’s taken so long but two of our
board members are missing they have not
yet gotten to the meeting so we try to
wait for them so we could have a full
council vote but they have not showed up
and we have decided to go ahead with the
vote we went ahead with the vote and by
one vote you have gotten approval to
stay in the school by one vote when she
finished coming out the two who were
missing rushed in the two were missing
rushed in but the vote had already been
taken oh but that’s not the good part of
the story the good part of the story is
why they were late these two
decided to ride together when they
decided to ride together they got off of
Polk and 67 and there was an accident at
the light the accident at the light held
up traffic for almost two hours where
the traffic could not move so within
that two hours the vote was taken so by
the time the traffic got cleared away
and they rushed in it was too late
cuz God had already set up a block the
story in Exodus chapter 18 says that the
cloud and the purifier went from in
front of the Jews and went to the back
of the Jews to create a block so that
Pharaoh’s army could not get to them
until they crossed over so what God did
was he took the angel of the Lord and he
left from in front of old cliff he went
to the back of Oh cliff he went down to
Polk and sixty-seven allowed an accident
to occur and just the right time for
just the right amount of cars in order
to block what God’s purpose was he
created a dilemma now the good news of
that for you
is that I have never forgotten it so
anytime now we run into a dilemma I
remember what happened at the end of the
1970s any time we run into a problem
I remember that God is the same
yesterday today and forever I remember
to tell you let’s move forward when God
says move even though we don’t see how
it’s gonna work out cuz the God who can
create an accident and just the right
time can do whatever he decides to do in
the dilemmas in our lives as long as
we’re in the center of his will come on
and praise Him somebody
because he’s worthy because he wants you
to see him for yourself in the dilemma
of your life
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sometimes it looks like God is taking
his time and too much time at that
you’ve been praying you too trusting
you’ve been obeying and nothing is
happening a one of the truths of
Scripture is that God allows us to
encounter him and his promises as he
prepares us to run smack dab into a
fresh encounter with him when God makes
us wait he is preparing us for the
promised but he’s also preparing the
promise for us and what he wants in that
moment is a divine encounter with him
this is exactly what happened with God
told Abraham to offer Isaac in Genesis
22 God was preparing to fulfill a
promise a promise that took many years
to come to fruition but God wanted to
first give Abraham an encounter with him
in the sacrifice of his son and for that
encounter to happen it involved a series
of contradictions things that don’t make
sense sacrifice my own son when you said
he was going to be the promise it
doesn’t make sense when God’s promise is
delayed and when it looks like it’s
about to be fulfilled and then a
contradiction occurs that’s time for
kelman God wants to show you in
something that doesn’t make sense how
much he makes sense in keeping his word
even though you had to wait to see it
fulfilled and the key to understanding
this encounter that God had with Abraham
and that he wants to have with you and
me is the phrase now I know that you
fear me you see God wants to know that
we trust him even when trusting him is
the last thing we want to do so if your
trust is wavered and you’ve been waiting
too long you’re close to the moment of
your divine encounter don’t give up keep
on going and as Abraham said let’s watch
and see the Lord provides the solution
to this problem
God has a ram in the bush for you like
he had a ram in the bush
[Applause]
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you
you