Dr. Tony Evans reminds us of the evil one’s plan to block God’s preordained design for our lives and prevent us from experiencing God’s will. However, we can overcome Satan’s accusations in the courtroom of heaven through three things: the blood of the Lamb, publicly identifying with Christ, and our commitment to surrendering to God’s will and purpose by taking our their cross daily. SUBSCRIBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/drtonyev… 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…
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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.
you and I were on our way to certain
death but I know somebody with scars in
his hands and scars in his feet and a
skull on his side and the only reason
he’s got those scars is cause he was
delivering you and delivering me so you
better not be ashamed to let people know
that you belong to Jesus Christ that he
is your savior I am a follower of Jesus
Christ
all right
the evil one has stood at the door of
your life
and my life
and he has one overriding purpose and
that is to block God’s purpose for you
he wants to stop
God’s
pre-ordained design for your life
from you ever experiencing it
or
if you do experience it it will be
through much trial and turmoil and
difficulty
he stands at the door of your existence
to make sure that what has been written
in your book is not experienced
as part of his design he wants you to
have sicknesses that were outside of
God’s will
he wants you to have discouragement that
is outside of God’s will
he wants you to have pain and relational
breakdown that is outside of God’s will
and if he gets his full way he wants to
take you to an early grave
because his goal
is to deny you what’s written in your
book
now in previous sermons we’ve looked at
the fact that every Christian has a book
a book that has outlined God’s Kingdom
Purpose for your life
it has been recorded
he wants to block entrance
to that experience now do not
misunderstand me
every sickness every disappointment
every difficulty and every death
is not outside of God’s will
but some sicknesses some disappointments
some struggles and some deaths are
outside of his will that is outside of
his desired will
because they’ve been interfered with
by Satan’s ability
to block God’s purposes
but the good news today is that you can
silence the Accuser
to whatever degree he is bringing Havoc
into your life God has come up with a
legislative mechanism
a legal right
that you have in order to keep him from
robbing you of God’s will
God’s purpose God’s plan
we find in the Book of Revelation this
statement about a war in heaven this
goes back to our original concept of the
Angelic conflicts that the Battle of
angels up there affect us down here
we see that Satan is removed in the
tribulation let me perhaps give an
explanation
Satan when
Adam fell was kicked out of Heaven to
Earth but he still had access to heaven
in the Book of Revelation he loses
access to heaven
but now he still has access in fact next
week we’re actually going to go into a
courtroom and see how a trial plays out
and you going to be on the witness stand
because there is a There’s an actual
trial taking place in Scripture that
will take us deeper than Tom will allow
us to go today
so it’s time for you to go to court
but let’s look at the principle there is
this spiritual battle and we’re told who
is the dragon verse 9 who’s called the
devil who’s called
Satan he’s the adversary
and his job is to keep you
from experiencing what God has done and
he tells you his methodology
who deceives verse 9 the whole world
if you hear you in the world
if you’re here that means you’re subject
to deception
you and I are living in a day of mass
deception
God has written a book he’s laid it out
this is my kingdom purpose for you that
you are to work out
Philippians 2 12 and 13 that we might
work out
it says his will or his purpose
till you were created for God’s purpose
you were redeemed for God’s purpose and
everything is to be designed because
Psalm 40 verse 7 and 8.
there is a book
and that book is to fulfill his will so
Satan’s job is to block that will from
entering into the University of your
life
becoming your experience
when he tricks you me US individually in
our families
with our mates with our children with
our co-workers with fellow Saints when
he can manipulate and twist you
then he accuses you of what he tricked
you into
he is the accuser of the brethren
and he accuses them before our God day
and night
this is a legal term
the accusing is a legal term it has to
do with a complaintant in a lawsuit
because Satan seeks to defeat us
legally
to accuse is to be a complaintant in a
lawsuit
and he does it for the whole world
for non-christians he wants them to keep
them from becoming Christians for
Christians he wants them to keep them
from fulfilling God’s plan for their
lives during that time on Earth
but we hear in verse verse 11
and they overcame him
now in order to be an overcomer you got
to have something to overcome
and in this case
you’re overcoming a suit
by Satan against you
he goes to the court of Heaven
and he says you can’t do this for this
person or that person or for their
family or for their even Community or
four veg you can’t do that because look
at the crimes they have committed even
though I’m the one who tricked them to
commit it look at the crimes that they
have committed which is against your
righteous standard so your purpose
cannot be filled Without You
compromising your righteousness
because Satan knows more about God than
many of his children do
that God’s standards of the governance
by which he makes decisions
it’s his laws his rules
so the Accuser
comes in order to block God’s plan God’s
progress
through legal accusation in the presence
of God
but they overcame him
to overcome is to prevail
against one’s adversary opposition or
circumstances it is to Prevail against
or over or through
so what I want to tell you is how you
overcome
how you silence the accuser in the
courtroom of Heaven
he lists three things
and they overcame him
number one because of the blood of the
Lamb
so let me talk about the blood
[Applause]
since that’s the first thing that
silences Satan when he’s accusing you by
name in court
[Music]
the first thing you need to know is the
blood talks
we talk about speaking blood
if you don’t believe me look at chapter
12 of Hebrews verse 24 where we ended
last time of the book of Hebrews because
you need to understand what this blood
is doing that is what the sacrifice of
Christ is currently accomplishing he
says and to Jesus the mediator of a New
Covenant and to the sprinkled blood
which speaks better than the blood of
Abel
did you hear that
the blood that speaks
better than the blood of Abel
well wait a minute now
when you look at chapter 11
we find out about Abel’s blood speaking
because that’s the comparison
he says in verse 4 of Hebrews 11 by
faith Abel offered a battle of sacrifice
in Cain through which he obtained the
testimony that he was righteous God
testifying of his gifts and that through
faith though he is dead he still speaks
he says the blood of Jesus in verse 24
chapter 12
of the New Covenant speaks and it’s
better than the blood of Abel
so if it’s better than the blood of Abel
what did Abel’s blood say that Jesus’s
blood is better than
Dr Evans will be right back after this
important announcement
[Applause]
foreign
[Music]
spoke judgment on his brother Cain yes
yes God listened to what Abel was saying
in heaven and brought judgment on Earth
to Cain so the blood is so powerful
because Jesus’s blood is better than
Abel’s blood it’s so powerful
don’t you know he can stop folk who
messing with you
don’t you know he can overrule folks for
trying to overrule you
in fact
it’s so much better than Cain’s that God
can even say in the courtroom to the
devil uh you are overruled right now sit
down and shut up
because it is a blood that speaks it
forgives it protects it delivers it
empowers that is what the blood does
the blood is not some chemical formula
in the body of Jesus it is the power of
the sacrifice of Jesus operating today
for believers who are operating in sync
with the blood because the blood talks
okay let me give you another
illustration
in Exodus chapter 12 it was the Passover
God was going to take the life of every
firstborn Egyptian
but he told the Jews
I want you to slay an animal and shed
their blood
put the blood on the doorpost of your
house
when the death angel flies over and he
sees the blood
he will pass over you
in other words what’s happening to them
is not going to happen to you but I got
to see the blood in other words I’ve got
to see the identification of the
sacrifice
if I don’t see Jesus on you I don’t see
the blood and if I don’t see the blood
you won’t have power in the court
you see for a lot of us God don’t see no
Jesus
therefore he can’t respect no blood
because the blood refers to the
sacrificial life and work of Jesus
Christ it refers to the work of the
cross
to help you theologically with this a
little bit deeper in the book of
Colossians chapter 1 and chapter two I
just want to read a couple of verses
chapter one he says in verse
13 for he rescued us
from the domain of darkness and
transferred us into the kingdom that’s
why I love the word kingdom kingdom of
his beloved Son as Jesus Christ now go
to chapter two
says in chapter 2
of the book of Colossians when you verse
13 were dead in your transgressions and
uncircumcised in your flesh he made you
alive together with him having forgiven
us all our transgressions having here it
is canceled out the certificate of debt
consisting of decrees all legal language
against us which was hostile to us and
he has taken it out of the way having
nailed it to the cross
and when he nailed the decrees of things
against you that is all the infractions
against the law of God that Satan can
write up he did this he did that they
did this they did that he says he
canceled all the decrees the legal
accusations against you watch this when
did he do this verse 15 when he disarmed
the rulers authorities and made public
display of them having triumphed over
them through him
watch this now
the cross the blood
has canceled out
the decrees against you
and the reason he can do this is he says
he disarmed the rulers and powers that
are going to come up against you
number two
in Revelation 12.
he says first of all that the blood
was what they used to overcome him then
they said because of the word of their
testimony we got another legal term
what do you do in court you testify
when Jesus was tempted by the devil
guess what he did he quoted scriptures
to the devil
he said it is written it is written it
is written
because God likes baseball three strikes
you out he quoted three times and it
says and the devil left him because he’s
a true allergic to scripture
he’s allergic to spiritual truth you
must give testimony to What God Says
in order for you to have authority in
the courtroom you won’t have authority
giving human testimony human perspective
man’s point of view what Paul calls
human wisdom
in a numbers 13 verses 25-32 that whole
section and then whenever we get ready
going to the promised land okay they
said 12 Spies in right
12 Spies in
and the purpose for going in one
determine whether we’re going to take
the promised land God has already told
him you’re gonna have the promised land
the purpose of them going in was to spy
out the plan for taking the promised
land not the fact of taking the promised
land so now these 12 grown men
grown man
came back you know
and Moses said okay what’s the plan
Ten Men said
we can’t do this we can’t do this
now that’s not what God said yeah God
said no you’re gonna do this
but they went in the human opinion
and they went into human opinion by
looking at the circumstances
they said
they’re Giants in the land and we’re
like grasshoppers yes now
they called themselves grasshoppers
they gave their own self-analysis we
can’t do this the Giants in the land
Joshua and Caleb said what y’all talking
about
God has given us this land let’s go do
what God says do yes
yes that’s why you don’t always vote on
majority opinion
you are biblical opinion biblical truth
so two stood with God
10 dealt with what they could see with
their own physical eyes and guess what
they cost people 40 Years of their life
40 years wandering in the wilderness
never having gotten to what was written
in their book what was written in their
book was that they were going to enjoy
the promised land God had already set it
up they were going to enjoy it but they
didn’t get to their book and they died
in the wilderness outside of God’s plan
did you know you can die outside of
God’s plan God’s plan may be for you to
live to be 80 and you can die at 50. if
you’re living outside of God’s plan
because you’ve been duped by human
wisdom
God’s plan may be for you’ve been
delivered from this situation by now but
you’re still in it because you’re
operating outside of God’s plan you’re
operating in human wisdom and the devil
is holding you up in court
the word of your testimony you must
speak in agreement with God
do you have a public statement word of
your testimony that I no I don’t know
God no belief in God won’t work that
that’s that’s a catch-all because we
don’t know who you talking about Jesus
Christ clarifies the issue
there must be a willingness to be
publicly identified with Jesus Christ
if you want to activate the blood
because God the Father didn’t die on the
cross the Holy Spirit didn’t die on the
cross and Jesus said all authority has
been given to me in heaven and on Earth
so if you want victory over the devil
you better not be ashamed to be
associated with me yes
yes I will on our way to certain death
we were on our way to the fire and the
flames
but I know somebody with scars in his
hands and scars in his feet and a skull
on his side
and the only reason he’s got those scars
is cause he was delivering you and
delivering me so you better not be
ashamed
to let people know that you belong to
Jesus Christ that he is your savior that
is the word of your testimony
I am a follower of Jesus Christ
then the third thing
he says
you’ll overcome him in court by the
blood the appeal to what was
accomplished on Calvary he’s lost his
authority to the word of your testimony
you identify with Christ and agree to
his truth
and finally
he says
and they did not love their life
even when faced with death yes
he saw Tom with a cross
he goes to the confession the testimony
and now he concludes with the commitment
he says
they lay down their lives
not to understand this they did not love
their life even to the point of death
is the principle of surrender
it is surrendered to his will and his
purpose over your will and your purpose
even Jesus had to face this in the
Garden of Gethsemane
when he said not my will but thy will be
done
and sweat as blood dripped down from him
as he had to approach something he
didn’t want to approach
he had to say thy will be done
he had to surrender to the will of God
here is the problem
many of us and maybe most
particularly in America
and let me tell you something about
America as we have left our Biblical
Moorings and we have left a judeo
framework as we have left a Christian
perspective that has opened the door for
all hell to break loose and that is what
you and I are on the verge of now he
says if you’re going to be my disciple
if you’re gonna be serious about me
then you’re gonna have to deny yourself
and take up your cross here it is daily
this is the day by day decision you must
take up your cross daily and follow me
so so let me talk about take off the
cross because that takes us back to the
blood because the blood is not just a
2000 year old Revenge he says You must
take up your cross okay
when Jesus bore his cross
and was walking down the the road of
suffering
he was being accused of being guilty of
being a subversive to the Roman
government
that he has been subverses to the Roman
government he is saying he is the king
not Caesar and we are killing him for a
crime
they placed on his cross
King of the Jews
because they put on the cross what you
were accused of
he was accused of being a competing
deity
to Caesar so that accusation was against
him and they made him carry his cross to
identify with the accusation against him
and he was going to have to pay the
price for the identification which was
Calvary
Luke 9 23 and many other verses like
that particularly in the Book of Luke
talks about you carrying your cross not
his cross you can’t carry his cross his
cross was once and for all for all the
sins of all mankind for all time you
can’t do that but you have a cross
what puts this cross on your back
your identity with Jesus Christ that’s
when you give that’s what you will be
found guilty of you’re going to be found
guilty of being a Christian okay
when you carry this cross he says when
you get up in the morning daily you are
to say I am willing to be identified
with Christ no matter the price tag for
the identification
that’s what that’s saying lay down your
life daily well you can’t physically Die
daily so he’s talking about a
willingness to be identified with him no
matter the price tag for the
identification that that is what it is
to to to not love your life even in the
place of death it has to do with A
discipleship surrender
what a lot of people want is they want
Jesus Association
without Jesus identification
God doesn’t need no more fans he needs
some serious followers
he doesn’t need convenient Christians
cultural Christians political Christians
racial Christians he needs biblical
Christians who are associated with Jesus
Christ and I’m gonna tell you now that
nothing like Jesus standing in your
court and objecting to what Satan has
got on you
because I know if we tell the truth and
shame the devil he got a lot of stuff on
a lot of us that that if the judge ever
here we are in trouble you better get
your defense attorney up out of that
chair and object over here
because if he stays seated because you
don’t want to identify with him you’re
in trouble
[Applause]
he says the cross
your identification with Christ and your
discipleship
the fact that you’re all in
you’re not just a church member a church
goer you’re not just somebody who just
references Bible verses but day by day
you get up and you say I die to me I
live for you and that’s how I roll
that’s how I roll
[Applause]
when you do that
the text says and they overcame him
they overcame him
they
they came out of Victor
and stop being a victim
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
thank you