If you running all around town to find your blessing, you're looking in the wrong location. Dr. Tony Evans says nothing physical or material can meet the real needs we have inside. Blessings are not first and foremost defined by the external stuff. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. We spend a lot of time asking for God's blessings, but Dr. Evans points out that many times we don't recognize the ones we already have. He'll help us take off the blinders today as he talks about the anatomy of a blessing. The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived.
Jesus Christ proclaims this masterpiece. Jesus saw the crowds. Verse 1 says of Matthew 5, he went up on the mountain. After he sat down, his disciples came to him. He opened up his mouth and he began to teach them.
The purpose of the Sermon on the Mount where we will find the Beatitudes The purpose of the Sermon on the Mount was to Teach kingdom kids the principles of kingdom living. It was to teach kingdom kids the principles of kingdom living. Throughout this sermon, Jesus will address. The major problem that people of his day faced the people of our day face. And that is to look at your life.
From the outside in. The worst thing you can do is view your life from the outside in. That is, start. for what's happening out there to determine how you're doing in here. A blessing is the State of well-being.
Where the kingdom of followers of Christ. Enjoy and extend. the goodness of God in their lives. Let me tell you that again now. A blessing is a state of well-being.
Where the kingdom followers of Christ both enjoy and extend. The goodness of God. in their lives. A blessing. is a state.
A state of being. A state of being means... Your normal modus operandi. It's your, when the Holy Spirit gives joy, it becomes a way of life. Not an event.
Joy, or the work of the Holy Spirit, is called in the Bible an inner river that keeps flowing. The Greek word for blessed The Karios was the name of an island. Off of Greece. The Makarios Aul Island. It was known as the Blessed Island.
Let me tell you why they call this island the Blessed Island. Because the island, the Makarios island, was Self-contained. The residents didn't need to leave the island. In order to get their needs met, because the island offered everything that they needed. The natural resources of the blessed island were so thick.
So rich.
so fruitful, so productive. that everything they needed to enjoy their lives were already built into the island.
So they were self-sustained and self-contained without having to run to another island to get their needs met because the blessed island provided everything they need. They didn't have to look elsewhere. for their well-being.
So they can live there and be okay. Because that was their location. or state. of biggie.
Now watch this. Shh all the stuff You get. The stuff outside of you. The new car, the new house. The new mate, the new money.
All that's fine. But that's extra. Yeah, that's bonus. That's on top of. In the biblical world of blessed, You ought to be okay.
On the island. Just being in the kingdom. With the king. Or to put you in a blessed location.
So if you have to leave the island, that ought to be a bonus trip. Not a necessary trip. One of the no ways you know that you aren't blessed yet in the biblical sense of the word is that you got to keep leaving the island to have fun. You got to keep leaving the island to have peace. You got to keep leaving the island to have joy because you don't recognize what's already on the island.
Because the blessed island was Self-sufficient. If you're running all around town to find your blessing, you're looking in the wrong location. You already own the island. Why? Because if God exist in a blessed state.
And the God who exists in the blessed state. is living in you. then the island you're looking for is already inside you. Because Jesus and God are already blessed.
So the blessed state resides already in you.
So you looking out there for something already located in here. All that other stuff. As great as it is. is extra. That's why Paul could say I've learned to be content.
He said, sometime I got extra money.
Sometimes I'm barely getting back.
Sometimes I'm living in a house, other times I'm living in an apartment.
Sometimes I'm driving a new car.
Sometimes I'm driving an old car.
Sometimes I got a promotion.
Sometimes I didn't get a pay raise. But he says, I've learned the secret. I've learned the secret that whether a base Or abound, I have learned the secret. What's your secret, Paul? I've learned that God and Jesus are already blessed.
And they reside in me.
So the island I'm looking for, I'm already living on.
So, what you're going to hear will go against every commercial you've ever seen. Every billboard you've ever seen driving down the highway that promises you happiness. We're going to contradict everything you've ever heard. But then you're going to discover the island you're living on. is already self-contained.
Everything else. is a bonus. It is the state. of inner satisfaction. Where I get to, first of all, enjoy the goodness of God.
The Bible says every good and perfect gift comes from above. Comes from God. The watch is now. I'm going somewhere. Every good and perfect gift.
Everything good in your life. comes from God. There's no such thing As a good thing in your life that did not come from God, there's no such thing. James 1 says, he is the father of lights. Like the sun is to the stars.
The sun is the father to the stars. God is the father of lights. In whom there is no, watch this, shadow. of turning. That's deep.
He says everything Good. That you receive in your life. Is derived from God, who is the father of lights. All the lights in your life, all the good things in your life, has a father. God is that Father.
In whom there is no Shifting shadow.
Now what does it mean? The earth revolves in a 24-hour day. When the earth revolves half the earth is cast in a shadow. Called nighttime. It's dark.
The other half is full of light. It's daytime. Why is half the earth dark? And half the earth light? because of the turning Of the earth, not because of the movement of the sun.
The sun does not move. It is the earth that moves. And because the earth is turning and turning and turning and turning in a 24-hour day, there is a shadow cast over half of it. But the only reason the earth is dark For a period of time is because it has turned its back on the sun. It's turning the bat the sun has not changed.
Because the sun only knows how to shine. That's all the sun, 24-7, thousands of years. The reason it gets dark is because the earth has turned its back. on the sun. God is the father of lights in whom there is no turning.
So when you live day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, in the shadow of discouragement, in the shadow of defeat, in the shadow of despair, God hasn't moved. You've been turning. You've been turning and turning and turning because there is no Turning with that.
So to be able to live in the blessed state. In order to enjoy, watch this, the goodness of God, irrespective of the circumstances, you are now. Enduring. Because see on the blessed island, it still rained. On the Blessed Island, they were still bad weather days.
but the bad weather days on the blessed island did not determine whether the island was blessed On bad weather days, it was still a blessed island. On good weather days, it was still a blessed island because that's just the nature of the natural resources. God is set up within you and me. in his kingdom, the blessed island, the blessed state of being. But you and I cannot turn if we want to enjoy the goodness of God regardless of the weather outside.
But the definition said, not only do we enjoy it, we extend it. Dr. Evans will have more when he returns in just a moment to continue this first lesson in his series about how to be truly blessed. In this 10-message collection, you'll discover what Jesus really meant in the Beatitudes, how true blessing isn't about status or possessions. But about living in alignment with the Lord and experiencing joy the world can't take away.
Contact us today, and the entire series is yours with our thanks when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's teaching coming your way. And as an added bonus, you'll also receive a copy of his popular book, Praying Through the Names of Jesus. There are a number of descriptive titles for Jesus used in the Bible, and each one tells us something about the Lord's nature and character, and helps us understand how He wants to relate with us. They can give us direction when we're lost and deliverance when we're stuck, not to mention forgiveness and grace that'll literally turn death into life. Be sure to take advantage of this limited time double offer before it runs out.
Just visit Tony Evans dot org or call us at 1-800-800-322 for all the details. I'll repeat that contact information for you after the second part of today's lesson. Here's Dr. Evans.
Okay, watch this now. This is the part you won't like. God never blesses you simply for you. Ever. Ever.
The moment you are blessed, only for you. You have short-circuited the blessing. God told Abraham, I'm going to bless you. Your name shall be great. And then he said, and through you.
All the nations of the earth shall be blessed. In other words, But bless you. I'm going to give you a lot to enjoy. But I expect you to be a blessing. One of the problems we face today Is everybody wants to come to church?
Everybody wants to come to God for a blessing, but they never get around to discussing being one. Only getting one. And the quickest way. to cut off the flow of your blessing. is to be blessed.
without ever thinking about being blessing That's why the Bible talks about giving. God doesn't just want to give to us so that we can enjoy it. He wants us to give so that other people benefit. That's why the Bible talks about serving because he just doesn't want to serve us, he wants to be able to use his service to us. to serve others.
Isn't it amazing how people who are quick to want a blessing are slow to give one.
So it's more than stuff. And here's how you know you got it. Proverbs 10, 22 says, The Lord will bless you. And he will add no sorrow to it. Proverbs 10, 22.
That's why I said To enjoy the goodness of God. He does not add sorrow to it. When God is happy in you. You are happy with you. Regardless of the weather.
Outside. Until you develop and I develop this attitude toward blessing, we will always be searching for it. and only finding it at a cotton candy level.
Somebody came in here and said, your house is on fire. Your house is on fire. Whatever happiness you have now is going to go out the way because your circumstance is very negative. Conversely, if you came in miserable and somebody just said, uh a rich uncle died and you just got 10 million dollars happiness gonna show up Yeah, you sad, but you ain't that sad. I ain't know him that well in the first place, okay?
$10 million, all of a sudden, you're going to be happy. You know why? Because there was a circumstantial change. And as we go through the Beatitudes, we're going to look at... First of all, The state.
And then the result. Oh, this blessed state is not to be like the diets many of us are on. Up and down. In and out. They tell me that Your eating habits ought to be a lifestyle, not a diet.
I'm still working on that. True happiness will elude you and me. Until we understand the blessed state. It's a state. Not a thing.
The things are great. But they're bonuses. Enjoy your new house, enjoy your new car, enjoy your new clothes, enjoy your new salary. Whatever the the good external things are. Max it out.
But don't misdefine it. That's your bonus. Not your essence. The date was August 14th. 2000.
And three. I was in New York. Sister Stevens and I were in New York. On our way. Bat Dallas.
We went to LaGuardia Airport. to catch our flight. I went to curbside checking to check in our bags. The line was not moving. I waited 20 minutes, no movement in the line.
I got out the line to find out what was going on. The baggage handler said The airport has no power. We found out we were caught in the blackout of 2003. Where the whole East Coast went dark due to a power grid failure, if you will remember. They said we have no power, so we no planes are coming in, no planes are going out, we can't check people in, the magnetometers aren't working, the conveyor belts to deliver the baggages aren't working, because there's no power here.
So we're waiting. We waited three hours along with thousands of other people at the airport, thousands of people. We're stuck. in a miserable situation. It was miserable.
Hot August day. Miserable. with no solution in sight. Finally, as darkness was coming over the city of New York and therefore the airport. We were told the airport was shutting down.
No power. No light, no life, no nothing. We can't function.
So thousands of people like ourselves were stuck. We'd already checked out of a hotel room, no place to go. I got on my telephone, the cell phone, and called back. My assistant and said Just call every place you can find see if you can find a hotel room Cause now everybody in New York, because trains were stopped, the whole thing was stopped, because there was no power, everybody looking for a room. She calls me back and she says there is one room left at the Crown Plaza LaGuardia.
One more. And they will hold it for you for 10 minutes. Because people are lining up like crazy. Hail down a taxi. Got in a taxi, it's dark now.
go to the Crown Plaza La Guard and get there just in the nick of time. The Crown Plaza LaGuardia. was now being lit by candles because there was no power. We registered by hand because the computers weren't working. No TVs, no air conditioning, no hot food because nothing was working.
Everything is dark. No streetlights as we drove there. No house lights because there was no power in New York. We make our way up to the room by flashlight. We get in the room, but there's no light in the room.
Because there's no power at the hotel, because there's no power in the city, there's no power in the East Coast. It's blazing hot because there's no air conditioning.
So we have to try to open the window. To see if we can get some nights. little night air that was out there into the hotel room. We pull back the shades. to open the window to get some air and knowing all we can do is retire for the night and try again tomorrow.
And when we opened the curtain, that's when we saw it. Immediately across the street. From the The LaGuardia Crown Plaza. was a Marriott Hotel lit up. Marianne Hotel was lit up.
I mean, this place was popping. We open the window, music is playing. And it's right across the street. Those who know New York, Crown Plaza, the Marriott, it's right across the street. It's lit up.
Music is playing and it's so close, you can see people moving around eating. Outside the whole care.
So it's clear to me we in the wrong place. We're in the wrong place. I have one simple question. How can there be that much light in this much darkness? It's about nine o'clock at night, but I have to get my inquisitive question answered.
So I walk back down the steps. cross over to the Marriott. Cause I want to know. Like Marvin Gaye, what's going on? I want to know what's happening.
I walk in an air-conditioned narrow hotel. They got TVs lined up against the wall talking about how dark New York is. Folks are lined up at the restaurant to get hot food. There is all this light and joy and music and laughter and excitement. in a dark situation.
I'm trying to find out how could such a thing be. I go over to the assistant manager. And I said, I do not understand. If DOCK everywhere. The airport is right over there.
The airport's everything is dark, and you are lit up like a Christmas tree. I said, how can this be? And that's when he told me. He said it's really fairly simple. When we built this hotel.
We built it with a gas generator. He said we got power on the inside That is not determined by circumstances on the outside. And even though there's nothing happening out there, there's plenty happening in here. and because it's happening in here we can do what they can't do out there When you accepted Jesus Christ, he came in here.
So what's happening out there? Shouldn't determine whether you got a lighthouse in here. What's happening out there shouldn't determine your joy. This joy I have, the world can't take it from me. The world didn't give it, so the world can't take it away.
This peace I have, The world didn't give it to me. And since the world didn't give it, the world can't take it away. This happiness I have. The world didn't give it to me. And if the world didn't give it, the world can't take it away.
This love I have. The world didn't give it to me. And if the world didn't give it, the world shouldn't be able to take it away. God has given you your own island. He's given you the blessed island.
You got inside your soul a generator. And when you discover what God's kingdom principles are, you will not be determined by what's happening out there. to determine whether you okay in here. Dr. Tony Evans, helping us understand how blessed we really are as believers in a message entitled The Anatomy of a Blessing.
Now, don't forget to request your copy of Tony's complete 10-part series called How to Be Truly Blessed. Along with his powerful book, Praying Through the Names of Jesus. Both are yours with our thanks when you support the ministry of the alternative. To take advantage of this double offer, just visit TonyEvans.org, where you can find all the details right on the home page. Or call our Resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 for some in-person help.
Again, that's Tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. At one point in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, the main character declares, It's no shame to be poor. But it's no great honor either.
Well, next time, Dr. Evans will talk about one kind of poverty that has some divine advantages. I hope you'll join us for that.
