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.
[Music]
this series is on american idols
one of the things that the bible makes
clear is that
when we choose competing gods we
jeopardize ourselves
our families and even our nation america
was founded
on the premise that faith in god would
have to be
a key component to the well-being of the
nation
and only to the degree that we worshiped
the god of the bible could we experience
the freedom that this nation so
passionately desired but we have
wandered
far from that commitment
we have wondered from that faith we have
chosen
competing gods to our detriment
so i hope that this series will draw all
of us back
to the one true god so that we can have
the
peace and unity that our country
desperately needs at this time
[Music]
paul is writing to a christian church
the church at corinth he calls them when
he opens up the book of first
corinthians saints
they’re believers even in verse 14 he
says
my beloved my fellow
men and women in the family of god so
he’s writing to christians
not non-christians but he’s writing
about a concern
his concern is that they get rid of
idols
so evidently you can be a christian and
in a christian church
and still be hanging out with idols
notice the word he uses repetitively in
this passage
he uses it twice in verse 16 sharers
sharing in verse 18
sharers in verse 20
sharers the word to share
means to participate with to partner
with
to hold in common with
his concern was that even though they
were christians
on their way to heaven they were hanging
out with demons
they were hanging out with demons
and they were doing it in church
when he says they were partakers of the
bread
and the cup he’s talking about the
communion
one of the church ordinances
he goes on to say don’t you know when
people
sacrifice things at the altar when did
they do that
they did that as part of their worship
so they were worshiping going to church
and yet he says idols aren’t real
but the demons that flow through them
are
i don’t want you to be sharers of demons
why
because idolatry invites the demonic
realm
so many of the issues we are facing
we are facing because the demons won’t
let us go
because we have worshiped an idol
and that idol can be sitting at the
wrong table
now he makes it clear you can’t sit at
god’s table
and the demon’s table and still have god
you have to choose but when
you try to have both you will only have
demons
and you won’t have god because paul says
you can’t sit at both tables that is
you can’t worship simultaneously
in both environments so his concern
is about an idol that shows up in
worship
that demons use in order to infiltrate
it
and so i’m calling it the idol of
religion
religion is man’s attempt to convince
god through activity
in order to get him to be favorable to
you
religious people want god’s favor
one god’s blessing and so they do
religious things in order to
motivate god to give them favor
or blessing religion
church attendance saying grace
reading your bible praying all
of those are legitimate but all of those
can be demon-infected
because all of those can simply mean
you’re carrying out a religious duty
rather than pursuing a divine person
religion as in this case
can be a context where demons
converge he says in second timothy 3 5
having a form of godliness but no power
attached to it because when god shows up
his power shows up so if you aren’t
changing
and god’s power is not working and being
manifested
you may be religious but you may be
demon-infected
because the religion has not
accomplished
what true authentic relationship
is designed to accomplish and so he’s
warning them
that they could be hanging out with
demons
a lot of people who jump high on sunday
don’t know how to walk right on monday
because they had a religious injection
for the time they were in the service
that didn’t stick
because they were satisfied with
religion my goal is to make you
dissatisfied with religion
as we have defined it where you come
because you’re supposed to
where you worship because it’s sunday
where you say grace because you were
taught to
because all of that religious routine
won’t get you to the true god as
legitimate
as they are because they can actually
camouflage what god
is all about in your life and in my life
so ii timothy chapter four
paul again writing to timothy
warns them of demonic doctrine he says
in chapter four beginning with verse one
but the spirit expressly says that in
the latter times
some will fall away from the faith
paying attention
to deceitful spirits and doctrines of
demons
by means of hypocrisy of liars seared in
their own conscience
as with a branding iron men who forbid
marriage advocate abstaining from foods
which god has created to be gratefully
shared in by those who believe and know
the truth
for everything god created is good and
nothing is to be rejected
if it’s received with gratitude for it
is sanctified by means of the word of
god
and prayer he says demons teach
doctrine is teaching he says there is a
doctrinal teaching that the demonic
realm proliferates to the mind of
christians he’s writing a christian
pastor
pastoring a christian church and he’s
warning him to warn the congregation
about demonic doctrines that will take
you from god
but be will be religious sounding
so let me tell you about some isms i’m
going to tell you about some
isms that is teachings
that are demonically inspired but
religiously camouflaged so that you
think it’s god but it’s really not god
so the demons can interject it he calls
it a doctrine of demons
and steer you away from the faith
these isms can be described as
traditionalism externalism
ritualism narcissism
and legalism those
are isms that the bible talks about
that demons use to steer
people from the faith in order that
the demonic realm can take over but they
can all be religiously camouflaged
so that you think you’re okay when
actually
you’re being drawn from god by the idol
of religion
that has been taught by demons or their
surrogates
for example ritualism
ritualism is external activity
that makes you think because you’re
doing the ritual
it brings spiritual benefit
but first timothy says when you pray
over your food
you’re not just saying grace you are to
sanctify it
why because there are things in that
food that can hurt you
so because there are things in those
foods that potentially
hurt you you want to get god to
intervene himself
as you chew on the bacon as you eat
the eggs you want supernatural
intervention
when you put that food in your mouth so
don’t just be saying that
because you’re supposed to say grace you
better get some supernatural activity
over that meal see that’s a whole
different mindset
in saying grace
[Laughter]
[Music]
impactful amazing intense
thought-provoking
that’s how just a few students describe
their experience since enrolling in the
tony evans training center
the best part is the training center is
wherever you
and your online connection are going
beyond a sunday sermon
these compelling bible study courses
take a much deeper look at scripture
the bible’s writers social issues of
today and so much more
log on today to learn more at
tonyevinstraining.org
tonyevinstraining.org explore the
kingdom
anytime anywhere
then there is traditionalism because
we’ve always done it that way colossians
2 8 says
beware of the traditions of men
matthew chapter 15 1-14 he goes in he
says your traditions
are keeping god’s word from working did
you know you can keep
god’s word from working by doing
something because you’ve always done it
mark chapter 7 1-13 he says watch out
for your traditions
because they negate the commandment
of god
what tradition does is get you into a
rut
and when the demons see you’re in a rut
and it can’t be substantiated by the
word of god
they can steer you away from god because
you mad about the tradition
when the tradition wasn’t from god in
the first place
and then there’s legalism
another ism one day as we grow all these
isms will be wasms
here’s another legalism
legalism is the misapplication
of god’s rules let me say that again
let me put it another way legalism
is pursuing rules at the expense of a
relationship
legalism says i’ve got to do these
things which are legitimate and let’s
take it the ten commandments
the ten commandments are called the law
the bible says the ten commandments are
good
so when a person says i’m trying to keep
the ten commandments
that’s a good statement but the problem
is
trying to keep the ten commandments
can’t help you
keep the ten commandments because
there’s no power
in the commandment the law can give you
the standard
but what the law can’t do is give you
the power to keep the standard
or even when you’re keeping the standard
if you’re doing it on a leash
you’re not happy that you have to keep
it and you keep it because you don’t
want the consequences for not keeping it
okay so it’s a whole different mindset
religious
mindset and motivation that is
restricting you
but doesn’t necessarily change you
and you want you wind up being in this
mountain of misery
while trying all you can to obey god
i have so much joy
as i keep the ten commandments
why because you feel like you’re on a
leash
because you religiously expected the
command
just like the ten commandments can’t get
you to heaven by keeping them
the ten commandments can’t change you on
earth because there’s no power in the
commandment
that is why paul says in galatians
chapter 3
verses 23 and 24 that the law was a
tutor to drive you to christ
he says because because in and of itself
it does not give you the power to do
what it tells you you better do
it just tells you what you better do and
the negative consequences for not doing
it
so it can tell you the problem it can’t
fix the problem
so what he’s talking about is this
concept
of religion that does not change you
and so many of us go week after week
month after month
year after year and we would never miss
church if we didn’t have to
but we haven’t been changed we’re
thinking the same way acting the same
way walking the same way
james says in james 1 27 he says
true religion when it’s operating
people don’t talk like they used to talk
if there is no change demons have
infected
your religion in spite of how much you
go to church read the bible
say grace pray and all the religious
things
why because the demons have infected
you’re at two tables
something about me or you or us
individually
or collectively as a family has walked
away
from authentic christianity and either
we walk totally away or we try to do two
tables which is the same
as walking away from god
so where do we go with this where do we
where do we go with this
i wanted to establish at this point that
religion can be an idol because you’re
going through the motions you’re going
through
legitimate activity
but without the right motivation and
therefore you have invited demons
into your situation you can’t have both
tables
james 4 1-10 he says draw draw near unto
me he says because as long as you
hanging out over there
he says you can’t have me as long as
long as you know you’re just doing this
religious thing you cannot have me
they were praying but he says you can’t
have me
you can’t have me unless it’s about me
if it’s not about a relationship with me
then it’s faulty religion and once it’s
fallen to religion
demons can seep in why are you praising
god
it’s got to be about me and what will
make oak cliff
great has nothing to do with buildings
and programs
but there are thousands of people who
want to make it about him
because once you make it about him
things change
he draws near because he sees it about
him god says
is it about me or do you just want to
show up because you want something
[Applause]
because what a lot of people in church
want to do is
use god they don’t want a relationship
with him
and they showed up don’t want to be
changed by him
so the word says philippians 3 1-3
paul tells the philippians he says watch
out for false religion
he says watch out for the false
circumcision because he says if you’re
going to be serious about this
he says you must worship god in spirit
not just with your body
suffering is an invitation to intimacy
it’s god is inviting you because you
know when you’re suffering
he gonna get more time with you because
things are not good so you need him more
so paul says it is the fellowship of his
suffering
so when i’m going through this this
we’re going through our time
of suffering or you’re going through
your time of suffering that is the time
to draw near because the situation
demands it
and so he’s calling on you and me not to
sit at two tables not to go
through this religious thing but he’s
after something deeper
where you’re now looking at things from
god’s perspective
religious activity without the goal of
spiritual intimacy
is like putting
ben gay on a broken leg you will feel
better but
nothing has changed you can come to
church and feel better
you can be inspired encouraged in all of
that
but if there is no change there is no
growth
meaning god is not operating
no matter how good the sermon or the
service or the singing was
and all of that has its place all of
that is important
but it is important toward a bigger goal
and the goal is spiritual intimacy which
always leads to spiritual transformation
one of the reasons why we can’t get
things straight in our lives
where we can’t overcome addictions why
we can’t restore relationships
while we can’t deal with all the
pressure is because we are religious
without relationship
therefore there is no power there is no
change
everything you do must be driven now
by my goal that i might know him
so you start with the word okay god this
is what you said
then you go to prayer prayer
invites the holy spirit in to apply the
word
that you just agreed with now let me
explain something
if you don’t agree with the word you can
pray all you want the holy spirit is not
going to help
because the holy spirit is the spirit of
truth so he only
agrees with what the word says so when
you talk about
i think and it disagrees with this word
and you pray
you just hit the ceiling with your words
then
you take a step of faith that is you
act on the truth you said you agree with
you read it you agree with it you pray
for supernatural strength to implement
it
then you take a step walk by faith of
faith
once you do that you have activated the
trinitarian god
to intervene into your situation the
word
calling down the holy spirit in prayer
then taking a step of faith
which shows you were serious about what
you said you agreed with
now you have invited god into your
situation
the bible says when you go to the word
don’t go like a man
don’t go like a man in the bible days
they didn’t have mirrors
didn’t have mirrors that it’s glass
mirrors they had brass mirrors
whenever you see movies you will see
them use a brass mirror if it’s back
in biblical days because they didn’t
have been invented yet glass mirrors
so what they would do is they would take
a
piece of brass and keep moving it
until the light hit it right so they
could see themselves through the brass
so they had to keep moving it he says
don’t be like a man who looks in the
mirror
and doesn’t work with the mirror yeah he
just look
boom go no he says
when you go to my word be like a woman
not a man james one says don’t be like a
man
in other words be like a woman he says
you don’t go to god’s word
like that no you go to god’s word and
twist it a little bit turn it a little
bit
and play with it a little bit so that
the spirit of god can emerge out of the
word
and begin to sink down in your heart and
begin to sink down in your soul
so that you are affected by the word and
infected with the word
he says when that happens
you will be transformed he’s no longer a
theology or a thought
or a concept he’s now the living god
that you can testify for yourself
so i challenge you and me and us all of
us
to kick religion to the curb i’m talking
about
illegitimate religion i’m talking about
the religion that doesn’t change you the
religion that makes you narcissistic so
you don’t serve people who can’t do
anything for you in return james 1 27
says you come to worship selfish instead
of worship service it’s a whole
different
framework and if if
we could get hundreds and thousands of
people thinking like this and operating
like this
god will be free to blow our minds
collectively
as he blows your mind individually
there was a man who was driving a train
engineer
and he was coming to a drawbridge and he
looked at the flag
this is years ago because the flag would
tell him whether it’s safe to keep going
or whether he had to stop
the bridge engineer was waving the flag
the train went and fell off into
the river 18 people died true story
but the conductor lived the conductor
and the engineer connected with each
other
and he said why didn’t you stop
i was waving the red flag that means
stop
i kept waving the red flag stop but you
wouldn’t stop
the train engineer said no you waved the
white flag
you waved the white flag they said no
i waved the red flag it says stop stop
he says no i saw the white flag which
means to keep going
so they went and got the flag
the flag was red but faded
so from a distance it looked white now
it was red
but the red had faded so when the
train driver saw it he thought he was
looking at white
and kept going
don’t let religion fade the red blood of
jesus christ
don’t be faded don’t just settle for
religion
you wave the red flag he was wounded for
your transgressions
bruised for your iniquities the
chastisement of his peace
was upon him by his stripes we’re healed
the blood of jesus christ
our savior and his almighty father god
that’s your focus i want to know him
don’t let folk go into disaster because
you got a faded faith
because you’re talking red but you
you’re looking white
so people don’t know where you’re coming
from because you haven’t stood strong
for your faith i challenge us
collectively
me and you individually let’s kick
religion to the curb
and let’s make it about a relationship
with the true
and living god
[Music]
this message in our series on american
idols
[Music]
of religion of using god
to create another god by leaving
him out his perspective out his desires
out his standards out but still
inculcating his name
and inculcating his rituals god does not
want to be
defined by who we say
he is or what we say he wants
he wants to be defined by who he says he
is
and by what he says he wants
we must always watch and keep ourselves
from being tricked
that just because we are engaged in
religious ritual
that we’re worshiping the true god we
could be worshiping a
false god and using religion
to camouflage our idolatry
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
you