Tony Evans Speaks on Strength in Your Struggles. This sermon was preached on 02/02/2020 at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.
approximately two weeks before cyst
Evans passed away she she kept calling
Jesus Jesus Jesus and then she said to
me write this name down he said write
his name down it wasn’t making sense to
me she was saying Jesus Jesus write his
name you’ve got to write his name down
so I found a piece of paper Elizabeth
was with me and in the bedroom and I
wrote down the name Jesus on a piece of
paper and showed her and when I showed
her the name Jesus she said it’s okay
now
[Applause]
[Music]
turn your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 40
Isaiah chapter 40 verses 27 through 31
why do you say old Jacob and assert o
Israel my way is hidden from the Lord
the Justice due me escapes the notice of
my god do you not know have you not
heard the everlasting God the Lord the
creator of the ends of the earth does
not become weary or tired his
understanding is inscrutable he gives
strength to the weary and who him who
lacks might he increases power though
youths grow weary and tired and the
vigorous young men stumble badly yet
those who wait for the Lord will gain
new strength they will mount up with
wings like eagles they will run and not
get tired they will walk and not become
weary and now Lord give me strength as I
seek to give your people strength from
your word help us no matter what we’re
going through to see more of you in
Jesus name all God’s people said
amen couple of weeks ago one of my
granddaughters stopped eating for four
days she refused to eat nothing that the
parents were doing was inciting her to
eat
of course now they’re becoming very
worried and very concerned and kept
prodding what is going on why won’t you
eat and then she said to her parents I
don’t know what’s happening to our
family the trials that we’ve gone
through had robbed her of her appetite
she said I don’t know what’s happening
to our family as you know these
seventeen months have been the most
difficult time of my life lost my
brother my sister my sister’s husband my
niece my father in November my wife in
December two weeks ago Priscilla had one
half of her left lung removed because
cancer was in the lung
my daughter crystal has a suspicious
growth that we’re trying to get some
clarity on so it’s been one thing after
another
in a concentrated period of time causing
my granddaughter to raise the question
in the words of Marvin Gaye what’s going
on so much so many tears so many
unanswered questions one thing after
another and many of you know what it is
to have one thing after another to
struggle with the pain of life’s
realities that are inescapable and if
you’ve not been here yet keep living
[Applause]
because life has a way of throwing
curveballs
the unexpected sometimes you even get
hit by the pitch God’s people were
struggling in Isaiah 40 there was
struggling bad as this chapter
prophesied the Babylonian captivity and
it speaks about their struggle and they
asked in verse 27 or they say my way is
hidden from the Lord and the justice
dumi escapes the notice of my god what
they’re asking is God what’s going on
God where are you don’t you see my pain
my way is hidden from you you don’t see
what I’m dealing with because if you saw
it you would not let it happen like this
this way this long and this much the
justice do me it’s not fair this isn’t
fair
I shouldn’t be hurting like this crying
like this struggling like this
discouraged like this where are you God
and while we could all be spiritual and
pretend we never think that way there
are those times in our lives when God
seems to be conspicuously absent
unlocated Oh Joe put it this way he says
I look north and couldn’t find it
I looked east I look West I kept I kept
looking and I couldn’t find it the
absenteeism of God the sense that my way
is hidden from him he doesn’t see what I
see feel what I feel and understand what
I’m going through and while we can
intellectually know better it doesn’t
change the broken hearts the shed tears
or the enormous pain of life’s reality
these people thought that God had failed
them that if relinquished is on his
covenant promises there are those times
in life when it looks like God is
letting somebody put a rake over your
soul where you push the panic button and
you feel let down where you’re no longer
singing the gospel you’re singing the
blues
because sadness has overtaken you and
celebration is just not where your
emotions are they needed God to
intervene
in the circumstances that was causing
them pain I don’t know what your
circumstance is today probably most of
you have one or who’ve had one or you’re
headed toward one whether it’s
unfulfilled dreams desires that have not
come through pain that have not been
relinquished hurt that won’t go away
this is what they were facing where are
you God when my world is falling apart
when God speaks into their situation he
does not speak scientifically
technologically academically or
philosophically he speaks theologically
because he raises the issue in verse 28
do you not know have you not heard the
everlasting God the Lord the creator of
the ends of the earth does not become
weary and tired his understanding is
inscrutable he says when your world is
real evidence members of Oak Cliff is
falling apart this is not the time to
run from him this is the time to run
together
he says do you not know and then he
throws out theological concepts that we
must keep in the front to loba of our
minds his everlasting his understanding
is inscrutable and he’s creative
everlasting omnipotent omniscient
all-knowing all-powerful and eternal you
must retreat to the character of God in
the crisis of life regardless of the
emotion in the circumstances their
emotions are sad they want to know where
he is and when life hits you and you’re
looking for God and you don’t see him
you have to retreat to what you know
he’s everlasting which means he’s not
limited to time and space
he’s creator so his power is able to
oversee over all anything and his
admissions his understanding is
inscrutable he is the unforgettable God
let me serve notice on you right now God
is hard to understand he can be
extraordinarily confusing his
understanding is inscrutable it doesn’t
off always add up you think he’s going
this way and he doesn’t curve on you and
he doesn’t make sense
Deuteronomy 29:29 says God has secret
things things that he doesn’t tell
anybody
things that he chooses not to explain
sometimes he will explain sometimes he
will give you reasons other times he
will hold it close to the vest either
for a time or for all time you can ask
God a question but you can’t question
God let me say that again you can ask
God a question but you can’t question
God now what’s the difference
to ask him a question is to say God
would you help me to understand that to
question God is to challenge your
children can ask you a question but
that’s different than your children
challenging you when you ask a question
you may or may not get an answer when
you challenge you’re demanding an answer
God will allow a question he will not
allow a challenge his understanding
in scooter Bowl you try to figure out
what God has chosen not to reveal and
you’re gonna need all of Walgreens there
excedrin pm you’re gonna need all of
Walker to deal with the headache of his
in scoot ability he says you have to
understand this because if you do not
understand it when your world is
unraveling then you will fall prey to
the circumstances and not to the Creator
everlasting admission God who is
overseeing the circumstances I must
admit I have had my series of questions
why this why this much why this now why
this in light of all these prayers I
have had my questions and I’ve had to
back up because sometimes I move from
question to question II then I have to
jump back because I’m in territory I’m
not allowed to go in I can ask a
question
I can’t question because it is up to him
what he will explain and what he will
refuse to explain and if he refuses to
explain it it’s because it is sovereign
knowledge is best for us not to know it
don’t we do that we answer some
questions by our children and others we
don’t bother to answer because they
wouldn’t understand it appreciate it or
benefit from it maybe not then maybe
never these people are in crisis
and in this chapter a chapter worth
reading over and over a chapter I’ve had
to read as I’ve wrestled with these
months of one thing after another to
just read a few verses from chapter 40
verse 18 to whom then will you like in
me who were you like in God or what
likeness will you compare with him he
says as for the idol of craftsmen casted
he says don’t go away from God to
something God made cuz that’s idolatry
who were you liking me you gonna go to
something I made and try to get from
something I made information that I’m
not giving you he says in verse 22 it is
he who sits above the circle of the
earth and its inhabitants are like
grasshoppers who searches out the
heavens like a curtain and spreads them
out like a tent to dwell in he sits over
the earth he not in it he’s over it
verse 25 to whom then will you liken me
I’m the incomparable one that I would be
that I would be his equal says the holy
one he says let me help you I lift up
your eyes verse 26 and see who has
created these stars the one who leads
forth their hosts by number he calls
them all by men you know how many stars
there are there are millions of stars he
says 1 I created them all – I got a name
for each one of them and I’ve never
forget forgotten any one of their names
thirdly because of the greatness of his
might and the strength of his power no
one of them is missing
they’re not allowed to fall out of
heaven he created up named them and told
him to stay there so he is powerful to
make stars but he’s personal to know
each one by name so he’s the big guard
up there and he’s the intimate guard
down here he’s the real God who created
you but who still know your name we call
that transcendence of their eminent
involved down here and he says who do
you know that can do that to whom were
you like in me when my world your world
our world is collapsing as life would
have it happen unfortunately he says you
run to this God not from him you don’t
go to anything that competes with him
which is idolatry you know position him
in an inferior location just because
life has collapsed on you a low view of
God in a crisis means the crisis will
control and on you a high view of God in
the crisis means that the crisis has no
longer the last word do not settle for
the creation don’t go looking at the
Stars for your horoscope he says I made
those stars they don’t dictate your
future I dictate your future
I am a king and I’m not a Burger King
where you get to have it your way he
says I want you to recognize me even in
the crisis of life but we live in a day
of the dumbing down of God a God who
only exists to bless us help us deliver
us empower us but not a God who can
dictate to us we live in a day where if
I give you your two hours you ought to
be happy God and so when the world caves
in and we’re not used to dealing with
the character of this God we got all
these blame games on God because He is
God when times are up and I had to
remind myself he is God when times are
down he is God when babies are born and
he is still God when mates are deceased
he has to be still God in both scenarios
for you to make it through any scenario
he must be God and treated and respected
as such and so he says do you not know
in this chapter he says I run the
nations the nations are like a drop in
the bucket and the rulers I control them
lay like a speck of dust so there’s only
one God and he’s not applying for the
job
so when life caves in as it has for me
these 17 months for my family over this
past year and I’ve had to true
confession wrestle with God
these were my questions is my way hidden
from the Lord I’ve had to wrestle with
God I’ve had to retreat to what I know
about him in spite of the circumstances
I faced you don’t deny the circumstances
but they don’t have the last word so
what do you do is anybody here right now
where life is caved in on you recently a
lot of you what do you do how do you how
do you move in this scenario he tells
you he helps you out he says at the
beginning of verse 31 yet those who wait
for the Lord will gain new strength he
says when life caves in my way is hidden
from the Lord the justice the fairness
do me this is not fair what happened
it’s not fair this happened now it’s not
fair I’m going through this it’s not
fair he says what I want you to do is
wait on the Lord now the question is
what does that mean the Hebrew word for
wait is very picturesque all of you
ladies know it and if this was years ago
I would say only you ladies know it
but today ladies and men know it because
the word wait means to plant the hair
it was to plot their women women or men
plot the hair they intertwine sections
of hair so that they are tied together
in a tight way when you straighten your
hair it’s loose and hanging down when
you pluck your hair it has been
intercalated and tightly tied together
so that it is no longer subject to the
blowing wind because it has been
tightened together by pride it was used
of a rope where the strands were
intertwined to make a stronger rope so
when he says wait on the Lord
he’s not talking about passively sitting
down doing nothing he’s talking about
not in your life intertwining all of
your life so that everything is wrapped
and intertwined with him
so that there is a church and the rest
of my week it’s God I got started on
Sunday morning but my stuff is so messed
up my situation is so deep I’m going to
plant my circumstances track my
decisions crop my goals and intertwine
them with you Monday Tuesday Wednesday
Thursday Friday Saturday and back again
on Sunday I’m not gonna just straighten
my hair and Sunday and let stuff blow it
all week long I’m gonna plant this thing
so that it is no longer subject to the
circumstances I am going to wrap up tile
and
tangle up my lights because when things
get bad enough the problem will leave
you alone I mean I wake up in the middle
of the night I break out in tears two
and three times or four times throughout
the day I see a picture it throws me off
I hear reference it throws me off so I
don’t need what happened on Sunday I
need to be tied up with the God I let
one Sunday or we go to wait on the Lord
is a hook-up that you don’t want to be
disconnected from in addition it means
to not go outside of God to fix it
because the temptation when you’re in a
crisis that is knocking you down is to
look for other options when you don’t
think God is doing anything they said my
way is hidden from the Lord maybe we
don’t see God doing anything because we
haven’t planted our lives around it we
just we just paid him a visit on Sunday
and therefore the waiting is waiting
without his presence being experienced
in our pain and I know we don’t like the
way that red lights we don’t want to
wait at the doctor’s office we don’t
like the engine idle we don’t like the
plane to be just hovering and yes it is
real that when your life collapses on
you god is hard to find us like the
pilot and the small plane was flying
some passengers the engines begin the
sputter there was one parachute he put
on the parachute went to the door
they said where are you going he said
I’m going to get help I’ll be right back
sometimes it feels like God bails out on
you when you’re in a crisis but when you
look at Scripture Sarah had to wait for
a baby Noah had to wait for a flood
Joseph had to wait longer in prison
Martha Maria the way for resurrection
the disciples had to wait for the Holy
Spirit we’re waiting for the return of
Christ
hannah has a way for a Baby Ruth has a
way for a husband you find people but
when the thing happened that God wanted
to happen
those people were connected only when
that connection was there when they had
planted themselves did they experience
whatever God was going to do in their
situation how do you know that you’re
waiting on God this way because the
majority of your time you spend in
worshiping not complaining you spend
your time worshiping and not complaining
why because God inhabits the worship and
praise and adoration of his people
so I’m 130 verses five and six says you
wait on the Lord with his word if you’re
hurting today and life is collapsed you
read Isaiah 40 you read psalm 42 you
read the Psalms are a great thing
because it has so many different
scenarios but you you you go over God
remind me of who you are I need your
character I need your presence I’m
looking to you I’m wrapped up in you
because my circumstances have wrapped me
up
lamentations chapter 3 verse 25 and 26
talked about how good it is to wait on
God for His divine intervention however
he chooses to do that and if you wait
this way you’re not passively sitting
down doing nothing you’re just not going
outside of God to fix it and you’re
entangling yourself you’re planting
yourself with him you’re not
straightening your hair so the
circumstances blow it you are planting
it so that it is tight because that’s
how desperate you are and by the way
it’s sometimes difficult to decide to go
to God when you’re in it you need to
have the practice of planning before you
get in it so that when you’re in it
you’re ready for it
see some folks want to get close to God
coz they’re in a crisis the idea is to
get too close to God before you hit the
crisis so you’re already prepared for
the crisis when it hit because the
service was already close to God she
could cry out to him she could see him
she could praise him even though life
was ebbing from her body she didn’t have
to find him they were already hooked up
and planted when life fell apart what
will God do in your questions not
questioning but questions when you don’t
cross that line well he doesn’t promise
to answer every question he doesn’t
promise
to give you an understanding of
everything as bad as you want it it’s
his sovereign prerogative how much he
gives
but she holds but he does promise you
something he says those who wait for the
Lord will gain new strength hmm new
strength that means strength you don’t
currently have because as you know when
you’re in a crisis strength drains from
you
crises send us to bed make us not want
to get up wake you up in the middle of
the night it sucks your energy when it’s
a deep one or a series of one that won’t
leave you alone it just like an illness
it just drains you but he says if you
wait on me I will give you new strength
we all have charges for our phone that’s
because they lose strength they run down
the power leaves so what we do is we got
to take it and put it on the charger to
get new strength as the phone sucks in
the electrical power it becomes new
again
the phone works but it can work without
the power but because of life all days
it loses power but when you let it wait
on the charger
they gotta wait it’s gotta gotta sit
there and wait when you let it hang out
hooked up with the purchase new strength
and when God gives you strength you’ll
see it in one of three ways he tells you
in verse 31 they will mount up with
wings like eagles
the first way that God gives me strength
is his divine intervention when an Eagle
kicks out an eagle it the first time a
baby eagle it’s trying to learn the fly
usually the first time it can’t fly
because it hasn’t doesn’t know yet how
to fly so it’s just flailing trying to
make it anybody’s flailing trying to
make it but what the ego will do when it
sees the eaglet falling and it’s not
gonna make it the eagle swoops down
opens its wings and catches the eaglet
on the wing and lifts it back up to the
nest one way God gives you new strength
is by swooping into your situation
grabbing you and lifting you out of it
it’s when God supernaturally intervenes
and blows your mind by turning something
around by switching something by
reversing something and that’s when you
get your praise own that’s when you say
isn’t God good all the time all the time
God’s good cuz he came out of nowhere
and with eagle’s wings lifted you out of
it that’s one way that God gives new
strength there’s a second way God gives
new strength they will run and not get
tired
God gives new strength when he doesn’t
slow down and take you out of it he lets
you run through it he says you go run
you’re gonna run but I will give you a
second win so you can keep going
I’m going to let you run a Michaels
swoop down and make it disappear but I’m
going to let you run through it all of
you who get on a treadmill knows what it
is to run and you know what it is and
one of the ways you can run longer when
you’re on a treadmill then you would
normally run is if you’re watching TV I
always turn on the news when I’m on the
treadmill why because by focusing on the
news I can go longer with the breathing
if I’m just there and I don’t have
another focus I’m thinking about running
and so when I get tired of running I
give up but with the news on with the
focus on it allows me to run longer than
I would normally run and I get a second
way says if you focus on me even though
you’re running I will give you a second
wind so you can go further with this
situation further with this pain further
with this problem then you thought you
could go cuz I’m gonna give you a second
winner then there’s a third way he gives
you new strength it says and they will
walk and not become weary the first way
is he swoops down just take you out the
second way he doesn’t swoop down he lets
you go through the process of running
but he gives you the ability to keep
going
the third way you can no longer run he
says they are walking they’re walking on
the third way when you’re on the
treadmill and you’re running and you
finish running they’ll tell you don’t
jump off they’ll say you have to walk
you have to walk
in order for things to settle down you
have to walk for the benefit of the
heart slowing down because if you just
jump off with the heart beating you
haven’t given it a chance to make the
adjustment on the pace you see sometimes
life gets so hard you can run and you’ve
been left to walk the first way is God’s
divine intervention the second way is
God’s enablement to keep going but the
third way when you can’t run anymore
because you are now too tired you’re
left to walk that’s divine encouragement
that’s when God doesn’t change the
situation he changes you in the problem
you doesn’t he doesn’t fix it he doesn’t
turn it around like you pray but he does
something in you that that no longer
matters that that no longer is the
situation he’ll bring a person in your
life to give you an encouraging word
he’ll bring a song on the radio to
inspire you there’ll be a sermon that
you thought was prepared with only you
and mine that’s when all he’s doing is
just encouraging you nothing has changed
except you because sometimes God puts us
in a position to accept something he
doesn’t intend to change and so all you
can do is walk because your running
ability is over but in all three ways
he’s given new strength
strength you know I would love to say he
only does the Eagle thing but that’s not
true there plenty of times you know you
swoop down and just switch it overnight
I would love to say that boy he’s gonna
give you something to focus on so he
gonna get you through and you’re gonna
have to win to run but sometimes life
just gets tired and you know get up and
go with gotten up and gone but what he
wants to do it let you know I am there
with you and what you’re going through
they that wait upon the Lord will get
new strength and so I say to you today
and I say to me don’t you give up run to
him not from him in the crises of life
something I have to remind myself to do
every day now to run to him because I
got to tell you he didn’t swoop down and
do what I asked him to do and we ran
through every option available to man to
fix it and so I’m walking
but in all three he gives me strength
I’ll close with the story you’ve heard
this for but the little girl who went
shopping with a mother and she went up
the cookie aisle and those daughters was
in the cart she said mommy please give
me some chocolate-chip cookies
mother said I can’t you know you’ve had
too many sweets today darling no
chocolate-chip cookies today
she went down another aisle the daughter
said mommy I really want some
chocolate-chip cookies I told you I’m
not getting any chocolate-chip cookies
you had too many sweets today mother
went down another Oh mommy you don’t
understand I need some chocolate-chip
cookies
no what you need is a spanking because I
told you stop worrying me about
chocolate-chip cookies the mother got in
the checkout line the little girl stood
up in the car clasp her hands looked up
toward heaven and said god I learned in
Sunday school that if I called on you
you would meet all my needs and I need
some chocolate chip cookies but my mama
won’t get me any chocolate chip cookies
Jesus the lady in back of the mother
said what would that woman get that girl
from chocolate chip cookies the woman
got in barriers we’ve got a whole bunch
of chocolate chip cookies the girl stood
up and said thank you Jesus
for answering my prayer and get me
chocolate chip cookies there’s somebody
here today in the checkout line you
ready to throw in the towel you better
to give up you you you on your last leg
but before you give up check up because
if you check up with God he has a way of
giving you new strength the ability to
keep going
I needed you need it we need it as we
fight the battles of life together let’s
stand to our feet
you
amen
I enjoy your teaching and I hope God will bless you and your family to get through the struggles of life! We have come to far to stop the pray for the righteousness.