Finding a Miracle When Everything Feels Lost | Tony Evans Sermon

Dr. Tony Evans is here to encourage listeners facing “terminal” situations in life—whether physical, relational, or emotional—that seem beyond hope. While God’s nature remains unchanging, His actions can shift in response to heartfelt prayer, just as He did for Hezekiah. SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/drtonyev… ▶ Never miss an episode of the Tony Evans Daily Broadcast by subscribing to the official channel:    / @tonyevansdailybroadcast   If you would like to download two encouraging, FREE full-length MP3s of Tony’s popular sermons: “The Sovereignty of God” and “How to Handle a Crisis,” you can do so by clicking on this link: https://share.hsforms.com/1atT9MJvXQN… If you would like to sign up for our daily devotional bringing you hope and inspiration, please go to this link: https://share.hsforms.com/1CkOLA910Sm… ▶ Do you know Jesus as your Savior? https://tonyevans.org/know-jesus-christ/ ▶ Stream Sermons: https://tonyevans.org/podcast/ ▶▶ Free Sermon App: https://subsplash.com/tonyevans/app/ ▶▶ DONATE: https://give.tonyevans.org/the-altern… ▶ Facebook:   / drtonyevans   ▶ Instagram:   / drtonyevans   ▶ Are you a preacher? Free sermon outlines: https://go.tonyevans.org/dr-tony-evan… Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually. #tonyevans #tonyevanssermon #Prayer

see most of the time when we’re in a

terminal situation it’s only about me

myself and I and that’s okay but it

can’t be limited to you when God gives

you a new opportunity he wants you to be

a blessing not just be blessed God I

need you to reverse this situation so

that not only can my situation be

changed but so that I can be a conduit

to change somebody else’s

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God tells Hezekiah in 2 Kings

20 It’s Time to Say

Goodbye through the prophet Isaiah he

comes and he says God told me to tell

you set your house in order or get your

Affairs settled make sure your will is

intact make sure your family understands

that it’s terminal

there will be no coming back from this

illness you’re going to

die nothing is more

painful than to run into a terminal

situation a

situation that offers no

solution now here it was a physical

illness but terminal situations can show

up in all kinds of shapes and

sizes maybe there’s a terminal

relationship maybe there’s a terminal

hope all hope is

gone maybe

it’s the economics are terminal you

don’t see any way

out and it throws you to tears to

discouragement and to

hopelessness nobody you know no place

you can go and nothing that you can do

can fix it it’s a terminal situation

when a situation gets that

bad and you can’t see your way out and

you look down the train tracks and the

only light you see is an oncoming

train because it

looks

hopeless no way

out and you’re stuck with getting your

house in order because it’s

over it is in this context that we

read that Hezekiah turned his face to

the

wall and pray to the Lord he was looking

at

Isaiah but now when he heard the news

from the prophet he turned his face to

the

wall and the Bible says he wept

bitterly he wept and cried like a

baby to hear the bad

news that there is no

solution and there really is no

solution if God said you’re going to

die cuz this came from

God God said it’s

over God said it’s

get your Affairs in order what am I

going to do if God says

it well the only thing you can do is go

to the God who said

it it says he turned his face to the

wall and he went to God who

decreed that it was

over so

today I’m talking to folk who think it’s

over whatever over means for you

and if you’re not in an over situation

keep

living you’re going to hit an over

situation a situation where it appears

to be

terminal hopeless no

solution and God Is Right In the

Mix we’re told Hezekiah

prayed and when Hezekiah prayed in

verses three and four

mainly verse

three he says I walked before you I was

truthful I gave you my whole

heart and I did what was

good you know what he gave God a credit

report he says God don’t you

remember that I hung in there when other

folk quit on you that I followed you

when other folk ran away from you that I

stuck to the truth and didn’t buy a lie

don’t you

remember look at my credit

report now when he asked God to remember

God does not have a memory

issue in chapter 32 verses of 2

chonicles verses 4 24-

26 we’re told that he had some issues

issue of pride

and that Pride got him

sick and God says you this is

it but even though he had a flaw in his

credit

report when you looked over the whole of

his walk there was spiritual consistency

without being

perfect let me ask you a

question if you were in a terminal

situation and you showed God your

spiritual credit

report how would it read you tell me

you’re going to spend time with me you

tell me you’re going to get to know me

you tell me you’re going to Feast on my

word you tell me you’re going to be

faithful in your giving you tell me

you’re going to give some of your time

for service but I’m click click click

click click checking your

report and I don’t see consistency here

I know you’re not perfect but I don’t

even see

consistency on that day when you’re

going to be in a terminal

situation what’s your credit report look

like he gives him a credit

report and he says I have followed you I

have hung out with you I have stuck with

your

truth he turns to pray why because God

will put us in situations where he is

our only way

out where there’s no person you can talk

to No Deal you can

cut it says he wept

bitterly but he matched his weeping with

his credit

report a lot of times we go to God with

our tears without a good report and we

wonder why he’s not

responding no he he had a great credit

report but he was in a terminal

situation so he prays and he cries out

to

God one day if it has not come

yet you’re going to be I’m going to be

we’re going to be in a terminal

situation in other words a situation we

can’t fix and nobody else can help

us and the only out is

God you cannot decide on that day to

change your credit

report you have to have built that up

along the way cuz you’re going to need

to cash it in on that

day Hezekiah cries out to God and says

this is my

report and he’s crying for

mercy God then tells

Isaiah who had gone out into the middle

of the Court the word of the Lord came

to him saying verse five 5 return and

say to Hezekiah the leader of my people

thus sayith the Lord God your father I

have heard your prayer and I have seen

your tears no you

didn’t I have heard your

prayers and I have seen your tears so

the first thing is he prayed he gave

something he gave God something to hear

and it included his credit report says

I’ve heard your prayer

but I’ve also seen your

tears I’ve heard what you said prayer

but I’ve also seen how you

feel I’ve heard your words but I’ve also

read your

heart I’ve heard your

speech but I’ve also

felt the depth of your

pain cuz he’s a feeling kind of God and

he says I’ve heard your words but I’ve

also felt your pain yeah what the Bible

says about Jesus is he came to

sympathize with our hurts that’s a

that’s a feeling

thing he says I will heal

you on the third day you’re going to go

up to the house of the Lord meaning you

going to get your praise

on you cry in the day but I’m going to

give you a reason to shout three days

from

now I’m going to heal

wait a

minute it’s just a couple of verses ago

say you’re going to

die but it was just a couple of verses

ago and by the time Isaiah got halfway

out in the courtyard God watch this now

changed his

mind oo o did you hear that God changed

his

mind now this puts us in a the ological

conundrum the Bible declares that God

does not

change God says I am the Lord that

changeth

not Jesus is the same yesterday today

and

forever God cannot change he says that

over and over and over again in

scripture but we we just saw God change

he said you will die thus sayeth the

Lord couple of minutes later you will

not die thus sayith the Lord so we went

from a terminal situation to a 15-year

reprieve and I was only in the center of

a couple of minutes cuz Isaiah just

walked to the middle of the courtyard

and the only thing that happened between

what God Said the first time and what

God Said the second time was a prayer

full of emotion that’s the only thing

that’s

happened Dr Evans we’ll be right back

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evans.org comes with a bonus sermon

series staying with God do not be caught

off

guard how can a changeless

god his

immutability

change one of the things we need to go

deeper in is our knowledge of God God is

more than a theological word and the way

to know God is through his attributes

his characteristics or his

Perfections his characteristics or his

Perfections God cannot change his

essential

nature but he

changed while God cannot change his

nature he can and does change his action

let me say that again God’s nature

cannot change but his actions may

change how

then does God change his action without

changing his nature since his nature

cannot change but his action as in this

case does change in

fact in um in the book of uh Exodus 32

Moses is pleading in verses 7-4 on

behalf of Israel cuz God is upset with

him and God is angry with him and he

cries out to God and the Bible says and

when God heard Moses’s prayer verse 14

he says God changed his

mind God is a god of

wrath wrath is his just retribution

against sin that’s who he is he can’t

help it because it’s part of his

makeup

however God is also a god of

love and he can’t help that

either that is where God seeks the

well-being of the object

loved he’s a god of wrath but he’s a god

of

love so depending on which part of his

nature you are relating

to affects what he does

does so he could be coming in

Wrath but he’s free to shift to love on

the same subject matter see we only have

one subject here he shifted on one

subject from you’re going to die till

you’re going to live without changing

his basic nature he just had to shift

which part of his nature he applied it

to God is a God of Justice he deals with

right right and wrong fair and unfair

God is a god of

Mercy depending on how you are relating

to him he can shift dealing with you

from Justice and switch over to Mercy

cuz he’s still being consistent with who

he is he’s just relating it to another

part of his character so the issue is

which part of his character are you

relating to that will affect whether

he’s free to change without changing

so if you on God’s bad

side and therefore are undergoing the

consequences but you shift to being on

God’s good side God can and does shift

you to another part of his character

which allows him to change his action

without affecting his

being he says In Jonah chapter 3 veres

1-10 Jonah you go preach

and you tell them in 40 days Nineveh is

going to be

destroyed Nineveh is going to be

destroyed in 40 days so mark your

calendar 40 40 days from now Nineveh

will be no

more but chapter three of Jonah says

during the 40

days the people of Nineveh

repented and got right with

God and then it says and when God

saw that they repented he changed his

mind so God changes his

mind and he says you are going to live

you are not going to die I’m going to

deliver you verse six I’mma give you 15

years and when I give you 15 years and

deliver you I will deliver this city

from the hand of the king of Assyria and

defend the city for my own sake and for

the sake of my servant David he says

when I give you this 15 years it’s not

just so you can go out and party I’m

giving you this 15 years because I want

to use you to deliver my people from the

attack of the

Assyrians in other words I I’m the only

reason I’m turning this around around is

not only to give you life cuz I know

that’s what you’re praying for but I I

also want to give you purpose and I want

to give you a new opportunity to do

something for me see most of the time

when we’re in a terminal situation it’s

only about me myself and I and I want

God to do something for me that is in my

best interest and that’s okay but it

can’t be limited to you when God gives

you a new opportunity he wants you to be

a blessing not just be

blessed so if it’s only about you then

you missing God said I got a bigger plan

for you than just you living 15 years is

I want to

deliver and I want to

deliver the whole

city from the

Assyrians so then he

tells Isaiah take a cake of figs and he

took them and laid it on the boil and he

recovered okay so he’s dying from an

infection he’s got a boil that’s going

to kill him which means he has an

infection running through his body

God tells the prophet go get a fig cake

put the Fig cake on the boil to suck out

the infection so that he could

live so God gives Isaiah not the

doctor a medical

solution Isaiah is the king so he can

get any doctor he

wants but because this was a spiritual

issue and not merely a medical issue God

comes up with a whole another plan to

heal him apart from the plan that the

professionals would use cuz if the

professionals could have used it he

wouldn’t be terminally ill in the first

place God is not against medicine in

fact all the medicine you use is birth

from something God has already made so

so any Doctor Who’s using any medicine

has got to depend on something God has

already made to produce the medicine

that we take for our illnesses it’s

nothing wrong with using medicine it’s

everything wrong with using medicine

without

God see it started with God he got right

with God God said I’m going to hear you

then the medicine worked so he hears a

word from God Isaiah does to help a sick

King let me put it another way he gets a

rama word the Bible is the graph

it is that which is

recorded when you don’t open it it’s

still the Bible if it’s sitting on your

coffee table it’s still the word of God

if it’s sitting up on a

bookshelf it’s it’s the Bible because of

what is written that’s the graph the

writing then there is the

logos the logos is what is said and

meant by what is written so the logos is

the word

understood it’s the word

revealed if you walked in here with your

Bible or the Bible on your device that

you use you walked in here with the

graph right now you and I are discussing

the

logos I’m trying to explain the content

and the meaning of what’s been recorded

in the

graph so if you have a Bible you’ve got

the graph and now in the explanation of

the Bible we are addressing the

logos but when you’re in a terminal

situation you need a

rama now the word Rama in the Greek

means a specific

utterance related to a specific

situation from

God and Rama word is a personal word for

you

I don’t know everybody’s personal

situation this

morning so all I can give you is the

logos but the Holy Spirit knows your

personal

situation and it’s his job to turn it if

he wants to into a RMA the prophets in

the bible brought Rama words those were

words directly related to a particular

person in a particular place about a

particular thing that God wanted to see

address that’s a remama word that’s the

job of the Holy Spirit so if you are a

Christian here you have the Holy Spirit

and if you are in fellowship with God he

gives you RMA words cuz the doctors

didn’t come up with a fig cake on a boil

that came from a prophet not a medical

expert as to address this problem

supernaturally so you want a rama

relationship with God so you just don’t

go to Bible study and you just don’t go

to church you hear the voice of God for

yourself and how it applies to your

specific

situation and

so he puts the he puts

the uh fig cake on him it sucks out the

infection and now he’s

healed but oh Hezekiah has a question he

says what shall be the sign verse eight

that the Lord will heal me

now he was just told the Lord going to

heal him

okay but every now and again you need to

see something okay I heard what you said

prophet Isaiah I heard what you said

preacher and I I like kind of believe

it but but but part of me is from

Missouri you got to show me

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something signs in the

Bible were designed to confirm the word

of

God to give you something you could grab

so Isaiah says in the last couple verses

he

says God told me to tell you this will

be the sign and you get to choose do you

want the sun to move forward 10 steps or

do you want the sun to go back 10 steps

translation this is the first Daylight

Saving Times in

history do you want to bring

forward or fall

back God offers him a daylight saving

time he says I’ll speed up the time or

I’ll slow down the time you

choose ezekiah says well speeding up the

time I’m not sure I’m gon to buy that

cuz that one looks too easy that’s what

he says he says let me take the harder

one let’s see you back up the

time now they didn’t have watches and

clocks what we do they had more Sund

dials and ahab’s step was a sun dial so

as the afternoon went on the sun would

roll up down the steps and it would

expand as the sun got brighter yeah so

when he asked for the sun to go back

he’s asking for a regression of time

he’s asking for the sun to do opposite

to what the sun does he says cuz that’s

the harder

thing now here’s the question why did

God give him that sign why I mean he

could could have said I’ll just show you

a sign or he could have given but he

used the son for the sign yeah well you

remember now that the issue is Assyria

is going to

attack the name of the Assyrian God

is assur as

ssur that’s the Assyrian God and he’s

the god of the

sun so he gives him a sign tied to the

ministry that he wants him to perform

once he’s healed in other words it’s not

just any old sign it’s a relevant sign

cuz I’m going show you in the sign I

give you about your healing that the job

I’m getting ready to give you to take

care of the Assyrians God has you for a

greater Kingdom

Purpose and he wants to use

you even if he allows a terminal

situation a situation that looks

hopeless so I want to challenge you as

we wind down here’s my

challenge change your credit

report change your credit report cuz

when that time comes you want to be able

to say to God God look at my credit

report I haven’t been perfect I have

failed but Lord I have picked up and I

have decided to surrender to you to

pursue a relationship with you to love

the Lord my God with all my heart my

mind my might and soul to serve you and

to serve others God I am

yours I am yours and the good thing

about a credit report is that they will

allow you to let it

change they’ll allow bad credit to

become medium credit to become awesome

credit so no matter how bad your credit

report used to be change your credit so

that when terminal day comes you can

offer God something he can respond to

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