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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 #MasterKey
see when God is silent that doesn’t mean
he’s still I know you don’t see him
doing anything I know it looks like you
just waiting for nothing but God likes
to come in suddenly he likes to break in
when you didn’t expect it when you
didn’t think there was any way that this
thing could ever get better and the
reason why he likes to do things quickly
is so that when it happens there is no
debate on who caused it to take
[Applause]
place
we’re now at the sixth church that the
Apostle John is written the church at
Philadelphia this is the first
Philadelphia the City of Brotherly
Love This
Philadelphia in verse 7 of Revelation
3 is located some 30 miles Southeast of
Sardis a great commercial city with a
major trade route
plagued often with earthquakes that was
the nature of this city inside this city
was a small Church a small gathering of
Believers Philadelphia Bible
Fellowship this small gathering of
Believers found themselves in this Pagan
realm and Jesus who is the spokesperson
Through The Shepherd of each one of
these churches speaks through grew this
leader to the Saints at Philadelphia
Bible Fellowship at the church in
Philadelphia and notice what he says
verse seven he who is Holy who is true
who has the Key of David who opens and
no one will shut and who shuts and no
one opens says this so before we get
into all the idiosyncrasies of what he
has to say to this church he wants to
give a another description of himself
which he has done in each of these
churches and he describes himself as he
who is Holy and true holy means to be
set apart as unique special or one of a
kind holy means you’re not be to be put
in a class with anything else I am
Holy I am separate I am one of a kind I
am unique I’m in a class by myself in
Isaiah 40 verse 25 the the Bible says
God is Holy so when Jesus declares
himself to be holy he declares himself
to be God so we’re not just talking
about another name or one of the crowd
he says uh I am unique and therefore
must be viewed and treated uniquely I am
not only holy I am also
true truth has to do with Ultimate
Reality I’m the real deal anything that
contradicts me is false and is a lie and
cannot be Trust trusted so you are to
measure everything by the truth I am the
way the truth and the life so everything
is to be measured by its
inconsistency and compatibility to me
and if it’s incompatible and
inconsistent with me is wrong no matter
who told it to you how long you believed
it and how well you know it I am truth I
am Holy and true not only am I unique
and set apart not only am I Ultimate
Reality but now he getss to the
nitty-gritty he says I have the Key of
David I have the Key of
David now to appreciate what he’s
talking about this is drawn from Isaiah
chapter
22: 15-2 in Isaiah chapter 22: 15-
25 the steward of the House of David the
Kingdom House of David David was the was
the king of Israel it uses that to speak
of the Kingdom the key
belonged to this Steward but the steward
did not do the right job so he was uh
fired and when he was fired a new
steward replaced him this new steward
was eliakim and eliakin was given the
key to the
kingdom not given a key he was given the
key Jesus says I possess the key of the
king of David of the kingdom of David
that is I have the Kingdom key notice
it’s a single key cuz it’s a master key
anybody who possesses a master key can
get in any door all the doors are
available to him because he has a master
key so when the Bible speaks of the key
it speaks of two things access and
Authority so Jesus claims access to any
door and authority over every door let
me say that again Jesus the one with the
key the master key has access to every
door which is what a master key gives
you and authority over every door which
is why he says he can open the doors he
wants to open and lock the doors he
wants to stay locked because he is in
charge now if you and I don’t get that
we going to think people are in charge
we gonna think power Brokers are in
charge we gonna think folk with money
are in charge we going to think folk
with clout are in charge they may have a
key they don’t have a master key they
may have a key to a door they don’t have
a key to every door Jesus says I
control the kingdom because I have
control of the master key or as he says
in Matthew 28 verse 19 he says all
authority has been given to me not only
in the Sweet By and By but in the nasty
here and now he says all authority is
given to me in heaven and on earth oh to
put it in everyday language I got the
key so I’m in
charge I run the
show now in Matthew chapter 16 he says
I’m going to build my church and I will
give my church the keys to the kingdom
watch this now Jesus says I have the
master key that’s one key that can
unlock any door but I’m going to give to
my people the church I’m going to give
them the keys plural to the kingdom so
what he’s given us is multiple keys to
multiple doors while he possesses the
master key to every door so he has the
key we have the keys how does it work
when you use the right key he’ll back it
up with the master key but when you use
the wrong key the master key can’t back
you up because the master key can only
be consistent with the keys that he’s
given us let me put it another
way if you skip God’s way to get it done
whatever it is you’re trying to get done
then don’t just call on God to use his
master key when you’ve ignored the key
he gave you he does not want you to skip
the responsibility he’s given you and
simply call on him cuz he got the master
key he wants to know your keys are
consistent with is
key I will give you the keys to the
kingdom well what is that it’s Authority
I’m going to share my authority with you
when you are consistent with
me Authority Kingdom means to
rule so God Wants to Rule not only in
heaven but in history through the person
of Jesus Christ and he possesses the key
see the reason why we are not seeing
more of the master key is is cuz God is
not seeing more of the use of us using
the right key see we go and use a
World’s
key to unlock Heaven those keys don’t
fit in that
lock we get All Shook Up about people oh
he got the power to let me in or to lock
me out he got the power to raise me or
to put me down he’s got the power or
she’s got the power to fire me or hire
me they got the power they got all the
power Jesus said but I got the master
key and when I open the door I don’t
care who they are where they come from
how much they have what degrees they
possess when I have the key if I decide
to open that door nobody going to shut a
door I open and if I decide to lock them
up they not going to be able to get back
in cuz I’m in charge here I’ve got the
key to the
kingdom see we fear the wrong
folk We Fear folk cuz they got a name We
Fear folk cuz they got some money we
fear folk cuz they got some power but
you are related to the one who’s got the
Key of
David ultimate
Authority final say
so so what’s the problem he says in
verse eight I know your
Deeds behold I have put before you an
Open Door which no one can
shut because you have little power and
have kept my word and have not denied my
name oh watch
it in order for his key to work for you
for me and for his
church he says You must have kept my
word obeyed me and not denied my
name so one of the reasons many
Believers are not seeing God come
through is because they do not keep his
word they they come to church and hear
it but they do not keep his word and or
they deny his name they don’t want to be
publicly associated with
him he says to them you have little
power that means this is a small
church that doesn’t have big
names doesn’t have notoriety people
doesn’t have Highly Educated folk
doesn’t have a bunch of rich rich Saints
sitting in the sanctuary he says you
have little power you not all out in a
bag of chips people don’t know who you
are they don’t appreciate who you are
they don’t respect who you are you don’t
have what people view as substantive
significant and worth applauding he says
I have set before you an Open Door even
though folks say you are a nothing and a
nobody I have set before you an open
door and when I open this bad boy up for
you the folk with the name with the
money and with the power will not be
able to shut
it but the way I will open the door and
the reason I will open the door for you
your life your world and your ministry
is because you have obeyed my word and
have not denied my name see we got folk
wanting to God open doors when they
while they disobey him we got folk
wanting God to open doors while they are
ashamed to bear his name notice you
can’t deny his name you can talk about
God all you want you can talk about God
this and God that that’s not his name
his name is the Lord Jesus Christ the
second person of the Trinity not this
generic God no no no yeah God is there
but God has bequeathed or delegated
everything to his son it is at the name
of Jesus every knee bow and every tongue
confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory
of the father so if folk don’t know your
relationship to Jesus you have denied
his name even though you may be talking
about God bless you all day long Jesus
says folk may not know who you are but
you know him you confess him you obey
him he got a master
key and nothing will make the Lord more
real to you than he when he opens things
up you were too powerless to open up on
your own cuz you had little power little
notoriety little name
recognition
see that’s why the the greatest people
in our
congregation are not necessarily the
people with Masters and Doctorate
Degrees not necessarily the folks with
Mercedes and and benzes and and Lincoln
and what have you it’s no it’s not
necessarily the folk who who got the six
figure plus incomes nothing wrong with
any of those things in and of themselves
but but you have to need to know the
most powerful people are people of
little power who know him and who
advertise his
name cuz they have access to a master
key now the upscale folk can do that too
but he says you of little power but you
have access to me that’s why um I would
suggest for me and for us no matter what
position you hold money you have or
influence you will keep yourself small
you better keep yourself small because
Jesus says even though you have little
power I’m going to open up a door for
you because you have obeyed me and you
have uh not denied my
name if God has blessed you praise God
if God has giving you a great job bless
God if God has giving you a big house
bless God if God has given you a nice
car bless God God has giv you great
clothes bless God just so long as you
know you’re know better than the Widow
on fixed income because God will open
doors for those with little power he
says in verse
n behold I’ve you have kept the word of
my
perseverance and I will also keep you
from the hour of testing the hour that
is about to come upon the whole
world he told him in verse 9 behold I’ve
caused those in the sanctu synagogue of
Satan who say they are Jews and are not
but lie I will make them come and bow
down at your
feet and make them know that I have
loved you
whoa he said all those false folk out
there synagogue of Satan they they go to
church synagogue but they of the devil
cuz just don’t just cuz you’re in church
synagogue doesn’t mean you of the Lord
Lord there is a synagogue of Satan all
right so so the religious talk doesn’t
mean a
thing he says but I’mma let them know
that I have loved you even though you
got a little power I’mma let him
know you got more power than you look
like you
have said you got you got the synagogue
of Satan and they messing with you they
calling you holier than th
they say oh you one of them Bible people
and you you you got you bring up Jesus
all the time and you got you one of them
yeah they can make you feel bad he says
in the synagogue of Satan is making it
tough for you but I can keep watch this
I can keep you from the hour of testing
he calls it you in a test watch this so
if you’re in a situation and the door
has not yet opened he says consider it a
test and he says and I’m going to walk
you through the test until shall I
reverse it he says I’mma make your
enemies your foot
stol o nothing makes God real than when
he reverses the
irreversible nothing makes God more real
than when he flips something that looked
unflippable nothing make God so powerful
to you when there was no way out you
were trapped the devil was looked like
he was running the whole
show and then he reverses it
but you may say but but I don’t see him
doing
anything oh yeah well look at the next
verse he says you’re going through this
test and I’m going keep you through this
hour but I am coming quickly hold fast
what you have so that n no one will take
your crown oh I love this word I am
coming
quickly that means suddenly that means
unexpectedly that means out of of
nowhere see when God is silent that
doesn’t mean he’s
still I know you don’t see him doing
anything I know it looks like you just
waiting for nothing but God likes to
come in suddenly he likes to break in
when you didn’t expected when you didn’t
think there was any way that this thing
could ever get better that this trial
could ever end he loves to do something
suddenly and the reason why he like to
do things quickly or suddenly is so that
when it happens there is no debate on
who caused it to take place cuz it it
came out of
nowhere quickly you wonder woo where did
that come
from he wants to blow your
mind and so boom he comes through
suddenly he says and I will come quickly
so don’t worry about it if you don’t
have all the degrees and if you don’t
you don’t have all the money and you
don’t have all the prestige and you
don’t have all the power and people
don’t applaud you when you walk into the
room don’t worry about it just obey him
don’t deny his name and then wait for
the Lord I say wait upon the Lord cuz he
comes
[Music]
suddenly and once you have this
perspective you’re free oh yeah
cuz you know them people don’t have the
last say they have a say they don’t have
the say they look like they running the
show until God swoops in on them and
changes them or changes their mind or
changes you or changes the
circumstances I know the devil may be
nipping at you the synagogue of Satan
may be nipping at you but when you got
God’s perspective it changes what you’re
looking
[Music]
at
[Applause]
and
so I’m coming
quickly I’mma come
suddenly so what did he tell you to do
in verse 11 hold
fast hold fast don’t I know you want to
give up I know you want to quit I know
you’re tired he says hold fast make sure
you’re obeying and not denying you do
you hold fast to your obedience and non-
denial and at his time
suddenly
don’t let them take your crown that’s
the right to rule even small folk have
been called To
Rule and now he gives us his final
statement he who
overcomes overcomes what the tendency to
give
up he who overcomes the Tendencies to
stop obeying and to stop denying he who
overcomes that and says God God as the
old folks say I’mma hold on till my
change
come you know it’s rough it’s tough but
I believe you and not my circumstances
as the final Orbiter of my situation he
says you hold
on he who overcomes look at this I will
make him a pillar in the temple of my
God he will not go out from it anymore I
will write on him the name of my God and
the name of the city of my God the New
Jerusalem which comes down out of Heaven
from my God and my new name you see the
word that word name name name name name
first of all he says I’m going to make
you a pillar a pillar it holds a
building up I’m G to make you a pillar
in my temple a temple is God’s
house the pillars are located in God’s
house Galatians 2:9 says that Peter
James and John were the pillar of the
church they were they were holding up
the church in other words he speaks of
these people who overcome the the
propensity to give up as being in
closest proximity to God
yes and he says for these folk who are
Overcomers and who are in close
proximity to God they will have a name
and he keeps saying name name name name
name name name name in verse uh 12 over
and over again he keeps talking about
name of this and name of that name of
this and name of that he says you will
have a name in the New Jerusalem let’s
get something
straight everybody is not equal in
heaven okay let’s get this straight okay
you can have a 40 wat bulb a 60 wat bulb
a 75 wat bulb in your house 100 wat bulb
in your house 150 wat bulb in your house
now all of them are bulbs and all of
them will light to their capacity but
everybody’s capacity isn’t the same a 40
watt can’t give you 100 Watts because
it’s not established to be able to
produce like that well all Christians
are Christians but they don’t have the
same watts and so they don’t exude the
same experience because they don’t have
the same
relationship Jesus said in St John
chapter 2: 23- 25 it says many believed
on him many believed on him but he would
not commit himself to them because he
knew what was in them they got saved but
they had not yet got committed they were
on their way to heaven but he couldn’t
use them on Earth
they were forgiven for their sins but
they didn’t want folk to know that they
were Christians they went to church but
they wouldn’t obey the word so they
believed in him but he would make no
commitment to them there are a lot of
Christians who Jesus is just not deeply
committed to in a practical way because
they want to be 40 wat Christians
expecting a 100 wat blessing and it
doesn’t work that way he wants to know
that you’re all in that that you a
full-time Christian not a part-time
Saint he wants to know that you will not
deny him and that you will obey what he
has commanded and he says to that one I
will give him a name you know when you
when people go to the Cowboy game and
they go to the Cowboy game that folks
who are sitting in the stands we don’t
know their name now they’re in the
location but we don’t know their name in
fact that’s the majority of the folk who
are in the building the majority of the
folk in the building and in the stands
and they’re just part of the crowd and
we don’t know their names now when it
comes to the players we know their names
kind of sort of cuz if I were to ask you
to name the name of the right God many
of you couldn’t do that if I ask you to
name the name of the Puna many of you
couldn’t do that because even though
they have a name cuz they’re on the team
you may not know the name because of the
position that they play but but now when
we upgrade and start talking about wide
receivers and quarterbacks and running
backs well you know those names cuz
those names have achieved a greater name
in publicity because of the role they
play on the team but then not only do
you have the folk in the crowd and uh
the folks on the team some more nameless
than others some with a higher name you
got the Ring of Honor in the Ring of
Honor those are folk who made a name you
see the players come and go but the
folks in the Ring of Honor stay there
cuz over time they held fast overtime
they played the game over time they
didn’t quit when they were injured over
time they stayed committed to the task
in fact their name is not only in the
Ring of Honor their name is in Canton
Ohio in a bust in the catton Hall of
Fame so that generation after generation
will know who their name was God has a
lot of Christians in fact old Cliff has
a lot of Christians that are in the
stands they just show up to watch the
game all they want to see is what the
choir is singing and what the preacher
is preaching and they just come for the
show now folk in the crowd don’t get
dirty don’t incur responsibility don’t
get knocked down don’t get blocked don’t
get tackled cuz they’re not there there
to participate they’re just there to
watch the show but then there are some
folk in the kingdom of God and at Old
Cliff who don’t want to just stay in the
stands they want to get on the field
they serve in Ministry they help other
people they give to the advancement of
the cause of the Lord and then you got
some Superstars those are the Ring of
honors oh it’s not just the folk who’s
people who you know their name it’s folk
who are the unknown own folk but you can
count on them you can depend on them
because they are forever holding their
role loving the Lord serving the Saints
giving to the Lord and giving glory in
their witness for the Lord so I want to
challenge you today if you want God to
put you in the Ring of Honor if you want
when he hears you and sees you to say
Well done my good and faithful servant
if you want him to call you out of the
crowd and let all of Heaven know you’re
one of his chice as servants I challenge
you to leave the stands to come on the
field now I want to tell you the truth
you going to get blocked a little bit on
the field you going to get tackled a
little bit on the field but when they
start handing out Super Bowl rings you
going to get a Super Bowl ring cuz you
were a Super Bowl Saint so let’s get
busy glorifying the Lord obeying the
Lord not denying the Lord because if you
are an obedient Saint who does not deny
him you you are an
[Applause]
[Music]
overcomer
a