What a lot of folk call blessing, what they really mean is happiness. Dr. Tony Evans says happiness comes and goes with our circumstances. But what the Lord wants to offer is something deeper. What God says is, I come to give you life, and when that runs out, life more abundantly overflows.
This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. People think of a blessing as a little extra something we get from God. But today, Dr. Evans explains that it's really intended to be more of a lifestyle than an event.
Let's turn to Matthew chapter 5 as he explains. We've called The series which we conclude today. How to be truly blessed. We have tried to explain blessing beyond a lot of the external emphasis it is given today. To its It's real essence.
That's why we put in the word truly. Because we've already emphasized you can have stuff and it not be a blessing. The Beatitudes have lined up for us. The character of God's kingdom people and the blessings. that accrue to those who are in fact authentically Blessed.
He says, you've got to start off by declaring spiritual bankruptcy, verse 3. Your inability to fix yourself because then heaven will come to your aid. And then you've got to be mournful over your sin.
So that God can comfort you with his forgiveness. Then you've got to be meek or gentle, willing to submit yourself to the will of God, because then God can trust you. with the inheritance that he has for you. Then you've got to have an insatiable desire for righteousness. Because that's the only hunger God is interested in satisfying.
And then when God does satisfy you. You've got to be willing to come and satisfy somebody else. Blessed are the merciful. Don't burn the bridge over you yourself must cross. Because you too will receive mercy.
Then he says, Blessed are those who are undefiled, undiluted, unmixed. They have a God. Worldview. As a way of life. The pure in heart.
Because those are the ones who will see God intervene. In their circumstances, they will see God. for themselves. They won't have to piggyback on somebody else's testimony. Finally, when you become this kind of person.
It will produce resistance, rejection. For you. There will be persecution. Insults. An evil said about you, but that's okay, he says.
Rejoice. Twice you're blessed. Once you're blessed on earth. Because what's coming to you in history will be yours. You'll inherit.
And then you'll be blessed in heaven. But God will give you an even greater Reward.
Now, that is the essence of the blessed life that. Essence that reflects. The character of Christ. being manifested in and through the life of the believer.
Now I would like to conclude our series with Pursuing the blessed life. Going and getting it. It's one thing to hear sermons about it. It's one thing to feel good because of it. It's another thing to have it.
Well, let's make sure we understand the meaning now. By blessing, what I mean is The inner well-being of character. That overflows. into the external stuff. that we wish to enjoy.
You know when you are being blessed. when the internal and not the external determines your well-being. See, what a lot of folk call blessing, what they really mean is. Happiness. The problem would happen is Happiness depends on what happens.
It's circumstantially driven. Paul says in Romans 14 verse 17. That's what God is offering in his kingdom. It's peace. Enjoy in the Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament, uh Israel got tired of manna. They wanted Quail. They said, look, we tired of this manna. Rather than be grateful they're not starving. They spend all that time complaining, it's not what I want.
I want Queo. And we're going to whine till we get some quail.
Okay, so God, watch this now. Bless them. Uh with quail. And quail started dropping from the sky. Birds will fly over and just boom!
Drop. Crayo just dropped all over. But then there's a statement. God sent them all the quail they wanted and then it says but they had leanness in their souls. They had external blessing.
But they had emptiness of soul and guess what happened? They had so much quail, the Bible says, that the quail, they couldn't keep up with it. They couldn't eat it all.
So the quail began to rot. What was a blessing, they thought? Wind up being a curse. And I'm sure there's some folk here who could testify what they thought was a blessing. turned out to be a curse.
Because the soul was not able to keep up with it.
Now, don't misunderstand me. Nothing wrong with wanting quail. Everything wrong with not being thankful for manna. Christmas. If there's something I don't understand about Christmas, I need a little help here.
Help me out. HBO, help a brother out. I need some help. With this. Why do we wrap gifts?
I don't understand. I do not understand, and I certainly don't understand. paying folk to wrap them. You know, these big stores, you can go, you can pay to get stuff right. I don't understand.
Cause trust me. The person you are giving that gift to is not interested in your rap. That that's not they're not thanking you for the right now they they may placate you oh This bow looks so pretty. This wrapping paper looks so bad. The fact that they don't care about that rap is they're not gonna nicely cut it and they tear that baby up.
Yo kids on Christmas morning. They're not gonna thank you for the rap. Because the rap is a camouflage for what they're really interested in. They're really interested in what's on the inside, not how pretty you didn't package that thing on the outside. They're not interested in that.
We get all hyped and geeked. When we see folk rap well. They driving a well-wrapped car. They living in a well-wrapped neighborhood. They working at a well-wrapped job.
They got well-wrapped. Money, they win well wrapped. And we get all geeks. But what God wants to know is: what is the package covering? What is on the inside?
My granddaughter Kara, she's really good at wrapping.
So she wound up wrapping some boxes. Those boxes, about eight of them that were wrapped. Are sitting in the front of our house outside. Outside, there are about eight boxes that are impeccably wrapped, sitting on the outside of our house. These are immaculately wrapped.
Packages, boxes with bows on them. But I am not worried at all about a thief. Coming and stealing any of those wrapped boxes on the outside of our house, ain't nothing in them. Those are empty boxes that were wrapped just to. To look good.
for Christmas. A lot of folk I know and a lot of folk you know are well wrapped. But ain't nothing going on inside. And unfortunately today, that's the blessing many people are looking for. They don't want to be truly blessed, they just want to be well-wrapped.
What he is saying is that true blessing. Starts on the inside, works its way out. Where you discover the divine sufficiency. of God. Where the outside reflects the inside.
Is God set up a playground in your soul? Doctors' offices have Come up with a great Concept now. playrooms in the doctor's office. You go to a lot of doctor's offices and they have playrooms in there. The kid is sick.
You bring the kid. The kid is sick. The kid's not feeling well. The kid needs to see the doctor.
Something's wrong with the kid. But in the playroom. It's designed to distract them from the pain of their problem until their problem gets fixed.
So what the playroom does is give them joy in a bad situation. See, the reason why they're there, it's a bad situation. they need a doctor something's not right but what they construct is a playroom in the middle of a paying room. A playroom in the middle of a negative situation. What God says is if I truly bless you.
Things out here may not be going like you like it, but because I built a playroom in the soul, even though you're in a pain room in your circumstances, I will distract you from your pain due to my provision of the play until your change comes. Until the healing takes place. Dr. Evans will return in a moment to unpack one of Christ's bold statements when he continues this final lesson in our series entitled How to Be Truly Blessed. In this 10-message collection, We've been discovering 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.
Today's the final day we'll be offering this exclusive double offer, so be sure to take advantage of it right away. Just visit tonyevans.org. or call us at 1-800-800-3222 for all the details. I'll repeat that contact information for you after the second part of today's lesson. Here's Dr.
Evans. Jesus made a Staggering statement. In John 10, 10. I have come. to give you life.
He says the thief comes to kill. Steal and destroy. But I have come, John 10, 10, to give you life. And then he says, and to give it to you more. Abundantly.
God's goal for the believer is abundant life. In other words, I'm not come to give you life. just so you can make it. I'm not coming to give you life so you can get by. I'm not coming to give you life so that you can crawl.
I'm coming to give you life overflow. Here's the picture. The picture is of waves coming up on the seashore. the ray waves are coming up on the seashore and rolling up there And then it flattens out and then it contracts back. All into the scope is followed by another wave that rolls back out.
and comes up on the seashore and then it runs out of energy and so it rolls back. only to discover is followed up by another wave that rolls out till it runs out of get up and go and it contracts and restricts back. only to follow up that another wave just rolls out until it can't hang out there any long and then it rolls back. Until another wave just comes out and rolls out until it can't hang no more and then it rolls back. In other words, the waves just Keep on coming.
Because that's the nature of the sea. What God says is: I've not only come to give you life. I've come to give you life and when that runs out. Life. And when that runs out.
Lights! And when that runs out Life. More abundantly, overflow. In other words, overflow. It's to be the normal state.
How do you get the abundant life that God has promised, which is the blessed life?
Well, the first thing you got to do is you got to start in the right place from the inside out, because what God is offering does not start with eating and drinking, outside in. It starts with what the Holy Spirit is doing in the heart and the soul of the individual. And if that's not there, if that's not priority, then you will not see what is on deposit being withdrawn.
So that raises the question. How do I do it? How do I get there? How do I grab grace?
so that I am transformed, okay? Here it is. I want to show you two verses in one chapter. Turn to the book of James. And I want to show you two verses.
They both use the word blessed. Verse 12. Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial, For once he has been approved, He will receive the crown of life. which the Lord has promised to those who love him. Here is a blessing for a person who's persevering under a difficult set of circumstances called a trial.
Verse 25. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty. and abides by it. Not having become a forgetful hearer, but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed. in what he does.
Okay, now, okay. Please note the connection here. I want you, during the week, you read all 25 verses, but right now I just want to connect verse 12 and verse 25. Because both of them use the word blessed, and that's what we're talking about, pursuing the blessed life. He says two things have to happen.
First of all, You must benefit. from your tough situation. Call the trial. And you must utilize the perfect law of liberty. If you're going to be truly blessed.
In fact, he says in verse 2, Count it all joy, my brethren, when you run into a trial.
Now, not many people do that. Because trials are generally, from a feeling standpoint, negative situations. All right, let's go back and let me illustrate this. Principle. Using an Old Testament illustration.
God delivered Israel from Egypt. They were trapped. And he set them free. Supernaturally. Open up the Red Sea.
He was taking them to the middle of the world. to a destiny. called Canaan. the promised land. They were delivered from Egypt.
To a destiny called the promised land. That's the whole point. They were delivered for a blessing. The problem is To get from Deliverance. to destiny They had to go through a piece of land for their Development.
It was called the wilderness. The wilderness, God didn't take them. from deliverance. to destiny. He took them from deliverance.
Through development. To destiny. Folk come to church. Because they want to go from deliverance. to destiny and skip development.
You can't go. From deliverance. to destiny without making it through the wilderness. Because the design of the wilderness. Watch this.
is to develop you. For the destiny. Because if you are not developed for the destiny, You gonna mess up. At the place of destiny. Because you're not ready for destiny.
Because there has been no development. In the wilderness. While God is working on our development. He is also Fixing up our destiny. The Bible says he told his people.
When you arrive at the promised land, There will be wells that you did not dig. There will be land that you did not farm. I will set it up. And I'm gonna use the sinners to do it. I'm going to tell the Canaanites, why don't y'all build y'allselves some wells?
I'm going to tell the Canaanites, why don't you work the land?
So that by the time the development has occurred, so that I can give you the destiny. It'll already be set up for you. The problem was They did not want the development. They just wanted the destiny. They were going in circles.
For 40 years. because they wanted destiny without development. And if God can't bring development. Then he has to delay you arriving at destiny. It reminds me of the story of the dog that inadvertently fell into the well.
The owner decided, I ain't spending all that time, energy, on that old dog. I'm just going to bury it right there where it is.
So the dog's at the bottom of the well, and he starts digging dirt. and pouring it in the well to bury the dog. The dog is terrified. The dog knows what's going on. The dog knows that it's really getting buried alive at the bottom of the well.
So he's shaking and it's nervous because it's in a bad situation and it's in a situation it can't get itself out of. And it sees hopelessness and just death around the door. But as the dirt started piling in, the dog came up with an idea. When the dirt came in, the dog would shake it. And then take a step.
And then shake it. And then take a step. And then shake it. and then take a step and then shake it. And then take a step and then shake it.
And then take a step and then shake it. And then take a step and then shake it. And he'd take a step until he walked out the well. When circumstances are piling on you. And God is testing you.
Shaiga! Take a step. Shaker! Take a step until you walk into your promised land, your place of blessing. He says.
That when the perfect law of liberty hits. When you go to a calculator, one and one plus two. that calculator has already been designed to resolve your problem. It's already set up. On the inside is your solution.
You bring the problems. Let the inside come up with the answer. The perfect law of liberty has already been designed to address your problem. The perfect law of liberty has already been designed to turn that thing around. When you are ready.
Dr. Tony Evans on How to Live a Blessed Lifestyle. And he'll return with a final thought to wrap up our series on the Beatitudes in just a moment. Don't forget, today is the last on-air installment in Tony's series called How to Be Truly Blessed. And that means it's also the final day to request your own copy of the complete ten-part audio collection, bundled along with Dr.
Evans' powerful book, Praying Through the Names of Jesus. Both are yours with our thanks when you make a donation to support the ministry of the alternative. To take advantage of this exclusive double offer, just visit us at 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 Tony Evans.org. or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. Too often, even those who believe they were created by God don't realize they were created by God for a reason. On Monday, Dr. Evans will help us find ways to both understand and carry out our calling.
Right now, though, he is back with a final thought for today. In closing not You have to decide. We have to decide. I have to decide. Am I going to be a ship or a submarine?
You know what a ship, the ship is on top of the water. And as long as the waters are calm. The ship is calm. But when turbulence hits that water, the ship gonna be rocking too. Because it's gonna be at the at the behest of mother nature.
And Mother Nature sends a storm and the ship is bouncing all over the place because circumstances are bouncing all over the place. See, because how Happiness is based on what? Yeah. And so, if circumstances are smooth, I'm sailing smooth. When times get rough, I get bouncy.
Now, a submarine can come to the surface too. and can ride the smooth times too. But a submarine is not limited to the surface. Because a submarine can change its direction, and when things get bad. On the surface.
The submarine can dive down deeper. Let me tell you something about weather. No matter how bad the weather gets on the sea and on the ocean, it can only affect the water 25 feet down. No matter how bad things get up here, it can only go down 25 feet. But let me tell you about a submarine.
Submarine can go down 26 feet. Submarine could go down 126 feet. Submarine can go down 526 feet. The reason why a submarine is not worried when stuff out here is chaos is that it doesn't live up there. It can dive downhill.
God doesn't want you to be a ship that's bouncing all over the place. He wants you to be a submarine.
So when stuff gets crazy up here, you say that's okay. Let me dive on down because I got something on the inside. that doesn't depend on what things are like on the outside. How to be truly blessed. You pursue the blessed life by applying the perfect law of liberty to your difficult times until the Lord says you're well done so that he can take you to the place he saved you to get to.
That is how you are truly blessed.
