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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 #Transformation
when you say God has all of me when you
say the world has none of me you have
done the greatest single thing you can
do and that is clear up your confused
mind you see the reason why we’re
confused is because we are divided James
has a word for that he calls it
double-mindedness
we’re trying to live in Two Worlds at
the very same time
[Music]
I love Paul because
because his commitment was so deep and
we’re all growing in this but his
commitment was so deep you could never
intimidate him
they came in one time and said we’re
going to kill you he said that’s cool to
die again
I’ll be better off let’s get over with
that nonchalant about it we’re not gonna
kill you we’re gonna let you live
he said that’s cool to live is Christ
you see if you kill me I’m gonna go live
with Christ if you let me live I’m gonna
stay here and serve Christ
so I said well well now you’re too cool
for that so so let me come up with
another we’re not going to kill you or
let you live we’re gonna make you suffer
he said that’s cool because I reckon
that the suffering of this present time
is not worthy to be compared with the
glory that shall be revealed unto me
you let me you you you you you kill me
I’m gonna go to be with Christ you let
me live I’m gonna stay here and serve
Christ you make me suffer I’m gonna get
more reward from Christ so it don’t
matter to me it’s all Christ anyway
it was a total consuming
life for Christ
and that is your worship
God wants you to deliver to him you and
me
that’s the first thing and positioning
yourself
there’s a second thing God must own all
of you verse two the world must own none
of you
be not conformed to this world
the word Greek word for conform was what
a Potter did with clay
a Potter takes clay and he squeezes it
here shapes it here moves it here so
that the Clay comes out looking like
what the Potter intends
so if the Potter wants a cup he squeezes
it so it’s shaped like a cup or a bowl
or salsa or a plate
he said don’t let the world squeeze you
here mold you there so that you wind up
looking like what it says you ought to
be
you know one of the reasons many of us
haven’t found out our calling because
we’ve been letting the world teach us
what success is
and since we’ve been following what the
world’s definition is we’ve been
climbing to the top of the ladder
discovering it’s leaning against the
wrong wall
we’ve discovered it has not answered our
reason for being it may give you money
it may give you a house it may give you
cars it may give you clothes but it
doesn’t give you a reason for being
and your calling is your Divine reason
for being
you have a reason to get up in the
morning
because you have a calling to fulfill
and a charge to keep
so don’t let the world be a Potter over
your life
what do we mean by world the Greek word
for the word world is cosmos
we get our English word cosmetic from
that word
the Greek word Cosmos meant to arrange
or to put in order
so when a lady goes before a mirror and
says let me put on a face she’s very
biblical at that point
for some things need to be rearranged
moving right along the cosmos
can be more formally defined as
that system headed by Satan that leaves
God out
to be worldly you don’t have to be a
drunkard or a drug addict
to be worldly you don’t have to be gay
or or some other kind of uh perversion
that you would make a big deal about all
you have to do to be worldly is excuse
God
you know you often get that college
students often ask this question but not
limited to them about the gray areas of
life
can we do this can we do that
well the easiest way to answer that is
to remember whatever you do God is doing
with you is he having as much fun as you
are
or must you leave him outside
the cosmos is a kingdom headed by Satan
that opposes
the program of God
you know it’s worldly because it doesn’t
want God in it
that that means it’s the world now you
have to live in the world you cannot
operate as a Hermit somewhere
you must live in this world
but God does not want this world
squeezing you and molding you so that
its value system becomes your value
system its goals becomes your goals its
dreams become your dreams and if you
spend all of your time letting this
world Define your calling you’ll never
hear God’s calling
because the kingdom
that you are called to
is in total antithesis to the kingdom
that you were called from
and if you want to stop spending your
wheels year after year after year
and I’m not talking about your job and
your career we’re going to talk about
that how does your career relate to your
calling but I’m now talking about a
sense of purposelessness
reason for being
you must clearly identify which kingdom
you’re hanging with
if you’ve been reading the papers lately
then you know the name Robert Hansen
he was an American FBI agent working for
the Russians
he was selling our secrets to the other
side
they denied him Baal
they would not Grant him bail because of
his treason
and the evidence against him
you see he like many Christians belonged
to one Kingdom but serviced another
do I need to say that again he like many
Christians belonged to one Kingdom but
service another
and the kingdom that he serviced is out
to get this one
many of us belong to heaven but we
regularly service hell
and we wonder why God won’t bail us out
of our circumstances
why he won’t bail us out of our
situations why should he let you go free
when he knows the secrets of his kingdom
are going to be made available to the
kingdom of another
why should he call you
to know
that your service for him will be used
to help the enemy overcome him
if such were possible
had dinner last night with my daughter
and future son-in-law
and if I were to put this discussion
into that framework we talked about the
exchange of Kingdoms
for when she gets married she will move
from my kingdom
to his kingdom
and I was listening to him tell her how
things will be
in the New Kingdom
she would then often look at me
when there was a graphic difference
in Kings
and all I could tell her was
after April 14th
you have to follow this new King in this
new kingdom
because we’re going to have holy mess
if she tries to bring me into her new
kingdom
so it is God has saved us into a new
kingdom
he doesn’t want you running back to Papa
the Old King
when you’re in the New Kingdom
especially for money
he says be not conformed to this world
don’t let this world
control you
so all of you must belong to God none of
you must belong to the world but we’re
relating this to calling because this is
positioning you
he then gives a third thing in chapter
two excuse me chapter 12 verse 2 be
transformed by the renewing of your mind
be transformed by the renewing of your
mind
renewing of your mind key
the word transformed in the Greek text
is passive
passive means it’s not something you do
it’s something done upon you by another
if I say I I went to the store that’s
something I did if I say I was taken to
the store that’s passive somebody else
took me
he says be transformed the passive
in other words
when you say God has all of me when you
say the world has none of me you have
done the greatest single thing you can
do and that is clear up your confused
mind
you see the reason why we’re confused
is because we often live in a world of
spiritual schizophrenia
we are divided James has a word for that
he calls it double-mindedness
we’re trying to live in Two Worlds at
the very same time
he says but when you’ve cleared the
static when when you’ve arranged things
properly then there will be a process by
which the Holy Spirit begins to work on
your mind because you will discover your
calling in your mind
that’s where the will of God will be
revealed to you God will deal with your
thinking
do you know the main the way that the
Holy Spirit speaks to you today
beyond the word of God that’s the
foundational way but the main way he
illuminates or or applies the word of
God to you is in your thoughts
he wants to get access to your mind
because really as a man think if that is
what he is
he says you need a transformed mind so
the holy spirit is free to give you his
thoughts
that’s a great great promise in John 15
John 15. he says if you abide in me and
my words abide in you then you can ask
me whatever you will and my father will
do it
that seems like a pretty open-ended deal
right you abided me my father abides my
word abides in you and then ask me
whatever you want and and it’s gonna be
okay
how can he leave it so open it’s very
simple
the holy spirit because he’s part of the
trinitarian godhead always and only
thinks what Jesus thinks because these
two are one
Jesus only thinks what the father thinks
because the Jesus and the father won
whatever the father is thinking Jesus is
thinking it at the same time the holy
spirit is thinking it because all three
are one they are one in essence they
operate simultaneously
and always in agreement
so when the father thinks something the
Holy Spirit thinks something
because Jesus is thinking the very same
thing
now when you get on your knees and pray
in order for it to come out of your
mouth it must first come from your brain
you must think it before you can speak
it
so that whatever you pray for has to be
thought first
now watch this
when the Holy Spirit transforms your
mind
you begin to think his thoughts after
him
you begin to think what he is thinking
in you because he is recording over the
old tape that you used to listen to
and his thoughts Holy Ghost thoughts are
now transforming the tape recorder of
your mind so that you are now thinking
differently but whatever you are
thinking that the holy spirit is
thinking in you Jesus is thinking it at
the same time because Jesus and the Holy
Spirit are one but whatever Jesus is
thinking that the holy spirit is
thinking and that you are now thinking
the father must think it too because the
Father and Jesus and the Holy Spirit all
are thinking the same thing at the same
time and that same thing is now being
fought in your mind therefore when you
get on your knees to pray for it they’ve
got to answer it because they made you
think it in order to ask it in the first
place
[Applause]
God wants to transform the thoughts
and then he says and you will prove
that’s a great word it means you’ll see
worked out
a great Lynch word a great transitional
word you’ll see unveiled
proven demonstrated
the will of God
in other words you position yourself
a good quarterback
can hit a receiver even though he’s got
the enemy teams defensive back riding on
his back if the receiver is positioned
right
one of the things they look for in
receivers is not only speed Michael
Irvin was not the fastest receiver but
he could get position
and therefore he was a Target you could
still hit
God can hit you
if you’re positioned right
and you will see proven worked out
the will of God
you will see God guide you through your
new thinking into his plan
if you are a sailor who knows how to
handle a sailboat you understand trying
to get the wind to change directions is
not a good idea
you might be out there a long time
you have to adjust
your sale to the direction of the wind
and then the Wind Blows the boat in
concert to where it’s going God wants to
give you a calling but only if your
sales are set to the direction he’s
blowing
to where he wants you to go
what he wants you to do
what he wants you to be