People want the sermon without the cross and wonder why they're not free. Dr. Tony Evans says knowing about Christ is no substitute for actually knowing Christ. Your relationship spiritually will determine your freedom in all the dimensions of your life. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. On January 1st, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Declaring all slaves in the Confederate States of America were freed. But it wasn't until six months later, on June 19th, that people in Texas received that news.
Well, today, Dr. Evans points out that Christians are free from spiritual bondage because Christ has declared his followers free, and it's time we received and act upon that good news. Let's join him in Luke chapter 4 as he begins: Jesus Christ has now gone public. He is now asserting who he is. As the Son of God and the Son of Man, all God, all man, in one person.
The most unique person who has ever entered history. There is Nobody like Jesus Christ. He is not one among many. He is to be compared with no one. Yes.
Because there's no other name other than the name of Jesus that every knee will bow. And every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father. He is in a class by himself. He is fully God. But he's also fully man.
As a man, his job was to represent God in history. And so he got hungry because he was a man. He said, I thirst because he was a man. He had to sleep because he was a man. But he could walk on water because he was God.
He could raise the dead because he was God. He could move in his humanity. based on his relationship to deity. He comes. to the synagogue in it.
The neighborhood where he grew up, Nazareth. And they hand him up. The book of Isaiah, and he turns the pages and comes to Isaiah chapter 61. And then he quotes it or reads it. He says in verse 18 of Luke 4 as he's reading Isaiah 61: the Spirit of the Lord.
is on me. And he has anointed me. To preach good news. The gospel. The word gospel means good news.
When we talk about the gospel, we're talking about good news. That's what it means. The Huon Gileon, that is the good message. Good news. And it was Good news about freedom.
He says, I have good news for poor people. He says, I've got good news to captives. I've got good news to the blind. And I've got good news to the oppressed. All of them need to be freed from something.
The poor from poverty. The captives from their captivity, the blind from sightlessness, the oppressed. from their slavery. He says, I have come to declare good news. And the Spirit of God is upon me and has.
Anointed me. When he says that he has been anointed, it means he has been. Dooley Dub duh. He has been identified and recognized by God through the Holy Spirit. to proclaim good news.
Jesus Christ has good news to you and me today about freedom. He's the authorized representative of God. as a man to tell other men and women The good news of freedom. In the Old Testament, to be anointed meant to be dubbed. David was anointed as king.
That means he was one recognized as having been identified with God by God as the new leader for Israel or as the next priest. Jesus Christ has been uniquely selected To proclaim To peep. Yeah. Good news. About freedom.
And the Spirit is backing him up. The Spirit of God is upon me. In other words, this is a supernatural offer. This isn't folk talking to other folk about freedom. This is a supernatural offer.
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. Has come here today based on his word to make a supernatural offer because he's been authorized to do so. Ben Annoyington. In order to set The captives free ought to proclaim good news. That is.
Freedom. Is staring you right in the face. And I don't know what you need to be free from, but whatever it is. I know somebody who's duly authorized to offer it. Jesus opens the Bible and says, I've been duly authorized.
Some of us have been trying to be free from something for years. You name it. And there's somebody in here that has it. It may be pornography. It may be gambling.
It may be drugs. It may be alcohol. It may be cigarettes. It may be a cursing tongue. It may be an illegitimate relationship.
It may be whatever it is. You've been trying for years. You've been like a hamster. You ever seen a hamster on a wheel? It's trying to go somewhere.
That hamster is trying to go somewhere.
Sometimes it goes slow and sometimes it goes fast. It's trying, but all it is is going in circles. It's going in circles because it's been boxed in a cage. You know what that hamster needs? It needs somebody to reach in there.
And pick it up out of its situation. Because no matter how hard it tries and how fast it goes, it will never be any further when it finishes than when it started. Why? Because it's boxed in to an enslaved situation. But if somebody that's not locked in can reach in and lift it out, it can deliver it from its wheel kind of life.
And somebody that's been churning on a wheel and you tithe. Of running in the same spot. But I know somebody. who's been duly authorized. And anointed with supernatural power.
To set Captain Shree. There's some here. People that you know. Who feel like it's hopeless? This is my lot in life.
And I'm just gonna muddle through. Try to make it. Get by the best that I can, and you've given up on ever thinking about being free. In other words, you've gotten used to slavery. You've gotten used to whatever mental, emotional, physical incarceration.
you're going through. This has become your lot in life. This is The way it is. You know, how many have gone to Disneyland or Disney World? You've been to either one of those two, okay?
Most of you. Yeah. You know, after about two or three hours. In Disneyland and Disney World. You begin to think.
That all That stuff has been sized correctly.
Now, in other words, these are miniature buildings. When you walk in there, these are miniature buildings. But if you're there long enough, It looks normal. Because That's all you're surrounded with.
So it looks like this is the way it's supposed to be till you come back out. And you're faced with the real deal about the real size of things. In other words, you can be duped into thinking this is how things are supposed to be. Because you've been hanging there Two, three, four, five, or all day. You've been hanging out there.
So, this is the way it's supposed to be. When that's not the real world. You've been duped to think that's the real world because you've been hanging there too long. doctor Evans will show us how to break free from that stuck mindset when he returns in just a moment. First though, today's message is part of his current series, The Spiritual Toolkit.
This 10-lesson collection will help equip you to successfully tackle the challenges you'll encounter throughout life. Using these biblical truths and lessons as tools in your arsenal of life skills, you'll find genuine freedom, experience a growing faith, and discover the keys to a successful and fulfilling life in Christ. The Spiritual Toolkit is available for you to own and review at any time on digital download and CD or USB flash drive, and we're offering it as our gift to you when you come alongside Tony's ministry and make a contribution. We depend completely on your support to keep the alternative on this station, and this is one way we can show our appreciation for your faithfulness. For a limited time, we'll even include an add-on bonus, Dr.
Evans' book Free at Last, which will help you understand your identity in Christ and how it leads to true spiritual life. Freedom. Don't wait. Visit tonyevans.org today to request these resources or call us any time at 1-800-800-3222. Again, that's tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222.
Now let's get back to Dr. Evans and more of today's lesson. Jesus Christ says, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me. And he has anointed me. To proclaim good news.
The gospel is good news. It is good news about eternity. Because when you trust Jesus Christ. That means you're on your way to heaven. When you go to the cross for the forgiveness of sins, You're on your way to heaven.
That's good news. It's good news to know the thing you fear most will never happen. Death. Most people, if they gave their greatest fear, would be to die. The good news of the gospel is, you will never die.
The Bible says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. As soon as you die, you won't be dead long enough to know you died. Because you are immediately ushered into the presence of the Lord.
Okay.
So the thing you fear most. is the thing that will never ever happen. Jesus said, I have come to proclaim. The favorable year of the Lord. Let me tell you about the year of Jubilee or the acceptable year of the Lord, the Lord's year.
Okay, this is the Lord Jesus. He says every 49 years. You are to proclaim the year of Jubilee. Because over this period of time, Society will be set back. You're going to get in debt.
You're going to lose property.
Some people will have sold themselves into slavery. He will go into that later on in that chapter about the setting the slaves free. He says things are going to get out of whack.
So, every 49th year, I want you to introduce the year of Jubilee where I'm going to put stuff right again that y'all have messed up. In the year of Jubilee, all debts were canceled. Wouldn't somebody like a year of Jubilee? In the year of Jubilee, whatever bills were owed were now canceled. And you start it all over again.
In the year of Jubilee, all slaves had to be set free and released. property was returned to its original owner. Because this was the Lord's Jubilee. It was a celebration. that release from debt.
Released from slavery, and God was now putting things right again. Setting people free.
Some of us are in debts that we shouldn't be in, and God says, I got good news. I've got good news for you who are in impressive situations. I've got good news. I've got good news for you who are in addictions. I've got good news.
My good news is the acceptable year of the Lord. But I hear what you're saying. You're saying, but pastor. I can't wait 49 years. You don't have to wait and hope next year is better.
You don't have to wait to January 1 to make New Year's resolutions. God says, Today! Right here, right now is your Jubilee.
So these folk are staring at him like he's crazy, like some of you are staring at me like I'm crazy. He's so crazy. You mean I've been dealing with this thing all these years that you're talking about today? You talk about right, right, right now? He says, today Now let me give you the bad news.
Before I close again with the good news. The bad news is that they didn't get free. That's the bad news. The bad news is that they didn't get delivered. The bad news is that that situation didn't change.
Well, how can he say today? And nothing got better for the Jewish people. And they're still not better. Because he said I have come. to proclaim good news.
Underline proclaim. I'm going to give you the good news. But you must accept the good news for the good news that I tell you about to become good news for you. In other words, you can hear good news. And amen, good news.
Praise the Lord, good news. Hallelujah, good news. And in God, great good news. and not experience the good news for you. You see?
Back in Leviticus chapter 25, verse 9, when God says, This shall be a Jubilee with you. It was inaugurated with the Day of Atonement. In other words. You didn't get the social until you got the spiritual.
Okay, is everybody with me? The Day of Atonement. was when you got right with God. He says, when you get right with me, Day of Atonement. Debts will be canceled.
Slaves will be released. Families will be put back together again, he says in the passage. If you skip. The Day of Atonement. In order to get the social benefits of Jubilee.
You don't get the spiritual and you lose out on the social. See, a lot of people who want God to do stuff in history. Don't want the day of atonement. They want to skip. The spiritual and get right to God pay my bills.
Get right to God, get me out of this addiction. Get right to God, fix my family. Get right to God, make this better when they have skipped the thing that inaugurates the day. If the spiritual is not foundational, if the spiritual is not the first thing, if the spiritual is not priority, if the spiritual gets thrown by the wayside. If all that matters to you when you come to church is to hear the sermon.
You're not gonna get Jubilee. In fact, the most important thing that happens in our church is not the sermon, it's communion because it is there at the cross that I reestablish my relationship with Christ, where I'm forgiven for my sins for sanctification, where I recommit myself to follow under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. That happens at the cross, that doesn't happen in the sermon. But people want the sermon without the cross and wonder why they're not free. The day of atonement had to precede the experience.
of freedom. Today. I deliver this message in your hearing. I am the anointed one. That is, I have the power.
to grant release based on your response to me. The reason why the Jews didn't get free was they rejected him, but they wanted freedom. You cannot sideline Jesus and get victory. You can't sideline Jesus and get freedom. You can't sideline Jesus and be released.
You can't be a secret agent, Christian, and be released. That comes with the full recognition of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And if Jesus Christ doesn't have say so in your life, lordship, rule, control, if the relationship spiritually is not the priority, then don't expect to get the release that he's talking about. And the release that he's talking about, he's offering it. No bad!
You got people running around here saying, I wish I was anointed.
Well, 1 John 2:20 says, you are. It says if you're a Christian, You have the anointing. The Anointed One has already anointed you. Because the Anointed One, if you are a Christian, is living inside of you. You have the anointing.
You looking for something. You already have. I'm looking for my keys. You know how frustrating it is when you can't find your keys? You're in a hurry, you got to go somewhere, you got an appointment, and first of all, you're frantic.
So you go, you're just looking everywhere, you're looking everywhere, you're looking everywhere, and you're just bouncing around. Then you say, okay, this is not working. Let me structure my search. And so now you structure it and you go from room to room, from spot to spot, you know, and you're trying to find it.
Okay, okay. The structure doesn't work.
So now you're looking in places where you were, maybe it fell between the pillars and the couch. And, you know, so now you're looking and it's so frustrating. I couldn't find my keys. I'm late. I'm going nowhere.
Because I can't find my car keys. In the midst of my frustration, I throw up my hands and. my side. I pull the keys out of my pocket. Because I'm searching for something I already have.
I'm searching for something I already have. I'm searching for something I already possess. You already have The check. Tash it! Jesus Christ is already set up to set you free.
He's already proclaiming freedom to the captives. But the day of atonement, that is your relationship spirit. spiritually. will determine your freedom in all the dimensions of your life. If the spiritual is out of whack, Don't expect a song show.
to get ordered. Dr. Tony Evans, talking today about the good news of freedom. And he'll return with a closing thought in just a moment, so don't go away. In the meantime, if you'd like to have a copy of today's message to hear again or pass along to a friend, just contact us for details on the title The Good News of Freedom.
Better yet, get it as a part of our current special offer, the Spiritual Toolkit, along with Tony's empowering book called Free at Last. This offer is available right now as our thank-you gift when you make a contribution to help us keep Tony's teaching on this station. All the details are waiting for you at tonyevans.org. You can also call us at 1-800-800-3222, where members of our resource team are available day and night to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222.
Yeah. Dr. Evans believes every Christian has the power and potential to succeed. Tomorrow he'll explain what the doorway to success looks like and how to use the keys God's given us to unlock it. Right now, though, he's back with this final story to wrap up today's lesson.
Harry Houdini, you know him. The famous escape artist. He bragged that he could escape from anywhere. Anywhere. And they said, well, we have a cell you can't escape out of, Houdini.
He said, Bring it on. They took him to this cell. And he had this metal object he would always use to pick locks and the breakout. He took out the object and he began to work it. And work it.
And work it. But it wasn't working this time. It wasn't working this time. He took off his shirt. and began to work it.
And work it. It wasn't working. He took off his t-shirt. Because he's sweating. He's now four hours into this thing.
And the great Houdini. is stuck. It's not that he's not trying. It's not that he's not sweating and making a resolution, I'm going to break out of here. It just wasn't working.
He threw down his metal thing. and just fell against the door and it flew open. He was trying to unlock something that was already unlocked.
Okay.
He who the sun sets free. It's free indeed. On the cross, Jesus unlocked the cell. And you fighting to get what you already have. And that is Freedom.
