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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 #Perseverance
if you’re going to go through down times
suffering times tribulation times the
key thing you going to need to know is
he’s there God is right there when
you’re going through it make Jesus Lord
that does not always mean he will
deliver you from but it does mean he’ll
join you in and if he joins you in
there’s Victory even in the
[Music]
[Applause]
fire
and God has a major problem with
part-time Christians who don’t want to
be full-time
Saints who want to identify when it
comes to a
blessing but not when it comes to a
struggle who want the benefits of heaven
but not the trouble that heaven brings
on Earth John the Apostle writes to this
second Church the church at
Smyrna Smyrna is
located 35 miles north of our previous
Church Ephesus and it is a Seaport Town
very well off somewhat
prestigious but there was trouble in
Smyrna in verse
eight Jesus
says to the
pastor the angel of the church the one
who’s going to deliver the
message he
says the first and the last the one who
was dead and alive says
this the phrase the first and the
last that phrase is used of almighty
God in fact in Isaiah 481 12- 13 he says
I am the first and the last the god who
created heavens and
earth so when Jesus Christ declares
himself in Revelation 2 verse 8 to be
the first and the last he’s declaring
himself to be
God so he picks this Old Testament
designation of God and applies it to
himself now we know he’s applying it to
himself because he says I was
dead and now I’m alive well God the
Father didn’t die God the son
died so in that little phrase Jesus
speaks of both his
deity and his Humanity he’s the first
and the last he’s God but he died so
he’s
man in fact that is as we’ve often said
the uniqueness of Jesus Christ the same
one who died could rise from the
dead because he is both the first and
the last as God and he’s the one who
died man but who’s now
alive we explained last time that he now
sits as the Risen ascended
Christ so you must learn to look at and
relate to him now in his current
status as the one in
charge it is to
this person that we read the
phrase he says
I know your
tribulation I know your
trouble I know what you’re going through
if your world has been shaken today he’s
aware of it not only because he’s
omniscient God but because he’s human
man and so he’s got that dual reality of
ident
identification while transcending time
and being involved in
time he says I know you got trouble now
let me give you the first category of
trouble these Believers were
facing this is
Smyrna the mountains around
smyrner look like a crown a crown that a
king would where they were shaped that
way many of the buildings in
Smyrna were built to reflect this
mountain
look of a
crown the reason why that is a big deal
if you lived in
Smyrna is because as a Roman
Colony they
worship Caesar as Lord you had to
recognize Caesar
as
God well these
Christians had another
declaration Jesus is
Lord that created a
conflict with the Roman government oh
yes so they were going
through the pressure and
oppression of not yielding to the
governmental
Authority when it claimed the rights of
deity while everybody else was saying
Caesar is
Lord they were declaring no Jesus is
Lord while we will recognize government
and respect
government we won’t bow to government
because Jesus and not Caesar is
Lord that created a
problem because once you rejected
Caesar you were now An Enemy of the
State and as a result of that there was
confiscation of
property it says you are having trouble
and you are
poor now it’s bad
enough to have
trouble but it’s show up bad when you
have trouble and no money
cuz you can’t afford to cover up your
misery see one of the uses of money is
the hide how messed up you
feel you can spend money on
entertainment you can spend money on
parties you can spend money on this and
that to help cover up the trouble
tribulation that you may be going
through well what they were facing in
their declaration that Jesus is
Lord was an impoverishment
economically the loss of something
financially because of their
commitment to the Risen ascended Christ
and their unwillingness to
compromise their declaration in front of
Rome that you are not our God
Jesus Is Our
God so they were spiritually Rich that’s
why he says in the next phrase you are
rich you are rich because of your
decision to be committed to me even
though it’s costing you a price tag he’s
talking about the recognition of Jesus
Christ as Lord in the face of a
rejecting government
government and let me explain this real
clear we are getting to the place in
America where if you publicly
declare Jesus Christ is Lord not the
Democrats not the Republicans not the
congress not the White House Jesus
Christ is Lord and it is he that will
make the final decisions for the church
not the government we’re living in a day
when there’s little respect for our
faith when religious freedom is in
Jeopardy and regardless of which party
you’re for that’s not my point my point
is it ought to be clear and there ought
to be no mistakes about it that our
ultimate Allegiance is not to Washington
it’s to the King of Kings and the Lord
of lords
[Music]
CU I know the trouble you’re facing I
know that you’re on delicate territory
now when you do not declare that Caesar
is Lord when you do not declare and and
in fact in fact unfortunately many
Christians and certainly the secular
political world don’t even really
understand what’s happening right
now I told you this this summer let me
remind you 2 Chronicles chap 15: 3-6 it
says in those days there was no true God
no teaching priest no law there was no
peace to him who went in peace to him
who came out City Rose up against City
and Nation rose up against nation and
then it says for God troubled them with
every kind of distress now if God is
your problem only God Is Your
solution if God is your problem I don’t
care who you select kick me out your
schools kick me out your courts kick me
out you just going to kick me out well
I’m going let you see what your country
looks like when I go
he says I know your
trouble I know when you don’t compromise
at work you might not get that
promotion I know when you don’t
compromise with your friends you might
not get that
recognition but that’s the piece of your
commitment you need to know about so
that you’re not shocked when it happens
so that you don’t know where that came
from say I know you’re trouble and I
know there is a price tag to full
commitment to me I’m not talking about
suffering because of you doing evil
that’s one kind of suffering I’m talking
about when you trying to live for God
when you trying to Proclaim Christ when
you try and it’s still going
south it had to pass through his fingers
first
okay one reason he does
it is to Humble Us 2 Corinthians 12 ver7
yes inde to Humble us yes yes in other
words he he wants to he wants to deal
with something in our character that we
either actually or potentially are
headed toward so he allows something in
our lives Paul says God allowed a
messenger of Satan a thorn in the flesh
a thorn is something that pricks you
that irritates you he calls it a
messenger he had a person in his life
who was driving him
nuts and irritation and he says I prayed
to God to get rid of it three times and
God says I will not get rid of the
irritation that I allowed the devil to
put in your life and the reason I’m not
going to allow it is to Humble you
so that you don’t think more of yourself
than you ought to
think and he says my Grace will be
sufficient and in your
weakness I’m going to make you
strong so God didn’t let it go right
then because he wanted to do something
different in his life but if you don’t
know that that’s one of the reasons God
allow you to suffer all you going to see
are the Pricks and not the
purpose he does that to Humble
us another reason he lets us when we’re
seeking to live for
him is to use
Us 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse4 Paul
says in our Affliction we going through
stuff we’re trying to serve God love God
please God walk with God and we are
underneath Affliction suffering he says
God met us in our Affliction watch this
so that we would now be be able to
comfort others who are in the same
Affliction so God lets you go through
stuff even though you’re trying to
please him and are publicly associated
with him cuz he has somebody else down
the line who’s going to be going through
what you are now going through and he
doesn’t just want you to quote Bible
verses he doesn’t just want to say I’mma
pray for you he wants you to feel what
they feel and Mo where they mo and
because you’ve been where they’ve
been he says I want to use the Comfort I
give you in what I allowed you to go
through he does it for another reason to
grow us James chapter 1: 2 to4 says the
testings of your
faith is to develop you he wants to take
you to another
level so there is purpose in the pain if
you’re seeking to
live for him publicly I ain’t talking
about privately I ain’t talking about in
church I’m talking about declaring out
there Jesus is
Lord then he will allow people to come
against you people to to reject you
people to talk about you as sure as you
born he will he will allow that people
to scheme against you he will allow
people to politic against you he will
allow somebody else to get that
promotion that you’ve been working
hard because he has a reason oh yes he
he oh here’s
one to deepen his reality in your
life watch this it’s called in
Philippians 3:10 The Fellowship of his
suffering Fellowship means increased
intimacy and so he does that to deepen
the
intimacy with his people yes
inde he says I know what you’re going
through I know you you’re struggling
right
now but he says it’s even worse than
that I know verse n the blasphemy of
those who say they are Jews and are not
but are a synagogue of Satan oh wait aen
he started with the secular world now he
says you get in trouble from the
religious World synagogue that’s a place
of
worship these were the Jews who rejected
Christ who were now persecuting the
Christians these are church folk who
reject
you because you’ve taken your stand for
Jesus Christ cuz just cuz they in church
don’t mean they
right just cuz they in church carrying a
Bible under their arm cuz these Jews
were carrying the Old Testament just
because they carrying a Bible under
their arm doesn’t mean they committed he
goes on to
say oh I like this do not
fear cuz you can get
scared when you’re hurting because of
your
faith are they going to accept me are
they going to like me are they going to
befriend me are they going to are they
going to work with me are they going to
are they going to are they going to are
they going to I’m talking about
appropriately but clearly representing
the faith he says do not
fear why do he tell him do not fear
because he said getting ready to get
worse
oh see see I lost my amens right there
get ready get
worse he says do not fear what you are
about to suffer and he already told him
you’re suffering he says well something
else coming he says behold the devil is
about to cast some of you in
prison so that you will be
tested and you will have tribulation for
10 days he say so some of y’all are
going to jail in fact some of you here
may feel like you’re in jail a
circumstance you can’t get out of a
suffering you can’t get away from and
you feel like I am in prison he said
it’s going to get worse and then he
tells you but don’t
fear don’t fear well wait a minute I’m
already
struggling you’re telling me if I keep
my public identity with you
it’s going to get
worse and then you tell me don’t be
scared come on
man how am I going to deal with that he
says don’t be afraid
because you will undergo some trouble
for 10
days in other words I got my hand on the
clock I’m going going to allow it but
I’m also going to determine when it’s
going to end so watch this if God says
in 10 days it’s going to be over you
want to make sure you done and Satan is
on a
leash and I didn’t given him 10 days to
do his stuff for me to do in you what I
want you to do but at 10 days I’m
jerking that sucker
[Music]
back cuz he’s not just the devil he my
devil and I use him as I please if you
don’t believe me ask
job he my devil I tell him how far he
can go and how far he can go and how
long he can stay there cuz I am the
Sovereign God and I am in charge so you
make sure you are identified with
[Applause]
me this is not a time for weak need
Christians this is not a day for silly
Saints this is a day for men and women
who name the name of Jesus Christ to
name the name of Jesus
Christ and do not fear he
says that’s that’s why I like the three
Hebrew boys shadra mhack and abedo
Nebuchadnezzar gets the big
head Nebuchadnezzar gets the big head
and
Nebuchadnezzar says I want everybody in
my kingdom of Babylon to Bow everybody
bow before
me Shadrach Meshach and abedo said
now
ohing we G to respect you
okay
um let it be known because the king had
said anybody doesn’t bow we’re GNA put
in the fiery furnace okay three Hebrew
boys said
okay let it be known to you you
today that we will not
bow we we’ll serve you we’ll give you
because they were in the employment of
the king so we’ll give you the best of
our time the best of our energy but
hitting our knees oh
no no we ain’t doing
that and as to your
threat as to your threat that you going
to fire us as to your
threat
Our God watch this watch this next
phrase whom we
serve not our God who we talk about in
church not our God who we just reference
every now and then our God who we
continually serve this ain’t new we just
bringing up this today we’ve been
serving him while we’ve been working in
the secular government but our God whom
we serve is able to Deliver Us from your
fiery furnace oh King you may be in
charge but you’re not the final word
even if he does
not even if I lose the job lose the race
lose the contract lose the
recognition even if he does
not let it be known to the king this day
we will not
bow we going to make that clear
so King is hot now cuz they ain’t doing
what what he told him to do and he their
boss but he’s asking him to make him
Lord they can’t do that so they are put
in the fire put in the fire they made it
seven times hotter cuz he was so hot he
made the fire
hotter he comes to the glass in the
furnace he he looks the
fire whoa
he asked his boys how many people we put
in
there oh King you put in three people me
sh sh
well I’m looking through this glass
right
now and I’m seeing four
folk there’s meak Shadrach abedo and
there’s another dude in
there like the Son of God walking around
now here it is here it is watch this
watch this this I like about it before
they put them in the fire they bound
them hand and
foot but when the king looked in and saw
them it says they were walking around in
the
fire they bound them up but they walking
so I’m here to tell you make Jesus Lord
that does not always mean he will
deliver you from but it does mean he’ll
join you in and if he joins you in
there’s Victory even in the
fire so what do you want what do you
want from me Lord here he tells you at
the end of verse 10 I want you to be
faithful under
death that’s the message I want you if
you’re going to be an overcomer to be
faithful until the
end until this life is
over I want you to go all the way for
me faithfulness is
dependability regardless of
circumstances says be faithful unto
death and your commitment to me and your
living underneath my lordship
and if you
do I will give you verse 10 says the
Crown of
Life I will give
you a crown you’re in a privileged
position I’mma give
you the
recognition I’mma give you the notoriety
y that it looks like you gave up because
of your commitment to me I’m going give
you the Crown of Life and he closes by
saying he who has an ear let him hear
okay everybody who’s paying attention
this morning what the spirit says to the
churches and then he speaks to you as an
individual he who
overcomes will not be hurt by the second
death now that is a
curious that is a curious is phrase yeah
he who overcomes what does he mean by
overcoming he who overcomes the
temptation to abandon your confession
during tough
times he who overcomes the temptation to
walk away because things have gotten
rough because of your faith yeah the
Overcomers will not be hurt by the
second death now the reason why that’s a
curious phrase is that the second death
refers to Hell Bible says hell is cast
into the Lake of Fire and that is the
second death so that’s hell but wait a
minute he’s talking to Christians here
these are believers who suffering so
they not going to hell they’re going to
heaven don’t let folk who going down
keep you from maximizing going
up don’t let them do that your
commitment must be to me and when you
fail dust off confess repent get up and
go on the road to
faithfulness don’t throw on the towel
don’t
quit and if we are not developing those
kinds of Christians as a church we
failed because our job isn’t have
church our job is to create disciples
who who are not ashamed to say Jesus
Christ is
Lord so you don’t quit if you’re going
through a tough time and you’re living
for Christ if you’re not living for
Christ that’s a whole different story
that’s getting right but if you if you
have made the decision I have decided to
follow Jesus no turning back no turning
back you’ve made it known everybody
understands that that’s who you are
because when God comes through for you
when God even if it’s letting you know
he’s there you will discover that
greater is he that’s in you in the fire
than he that’s in the
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
world
h