One of the reasons many believers are not seeing God come through is because they do not keep his word and or they deny his name. Dr. Tony Evans talks about how the Lord uses his keys to the kingdom to unlock doors for obedient believers. He wants to know that you are a full-time Christian, not a part-time saint. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. A lot of people want to take what Jesus offers, but don't want to follow what he says. Dr. Evans takes us to Revelation 3, 7 today as he explains why that strategy doesn't work. Let's join him.
when you audit a course in college. What you are saying is, I want the information. without the responsibility. I don't want the work of it. I just want the knowledge about it.
You may be able to do that with college, but you cannot do that with the Christian life. You cannot Audit it. What many people do is they come to church to hear the word. to be inspired by the word, but who don't plan to do any of the work. They don't want to incur any of the responsibility of it.
But they like the learning about it.
Well, in college, you need to know that when you audit a course, you don't get credit for it. because you didn't put in what the course required. And when you audit the Christian life, By coming to hear the word. to be inspired and encouraged by the word. But to not act on the word that you've heard.
You may have more knowledge and you may be more inspired. But you won't be changed. Because the transformation in the life through the word has to be activated by obedience. Without that It becomes information. With no credit.
There is no transforming value. We're now at the sixth church that the Apostle John. is written The church at Philadelphia. This is the first Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. This Philadelphia.
in verse 7 of Revelation 3. Is located some thirty miles southeast of Sardis. a great commercial city with a major trade route. Plagued often with earthquakes. That was the nature of this city.
Inside this city, was a small church, a small gathering of believers. Philadelphia Bible Fellowship. This small gathering of believers found themselves in this pagan realm. And Jesus, who is the spokesperson. Through the shepherd of each one of these churches, speaks.
Through this leader, To the saints, and notice what he says: verse 7: He who is holy, who is true. who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut. and who shuts and no one opens, says this I'm not just a good person. I'm not just a great prophet. I am holy.
I am separate. I am one of a kind. I am unique. I'm in a class by myself. In Isaiah 40, verse 25, the Bible says God is holy.
So when Jesus declares himself to be holy, he declares himself to be God. I am not only holy, I am also true. Truth has to do with ultimate reality. I'm the real deal. Anything that contradicts me is false and is a lie and cannot be trusted.
Not only am I unique and set apart, not only am I ultimate reality, but now he gets to the nitty-gritty. He says, I have the key of David.
Now to appreciate what he's talking about, this is drawn from Isaiah chapter 22, verses 15 to 25. The steward of the house of David, the kingdom, house of David, David was the king of Israel. It uses that to speak of the kingdom. The key Belonged to this steward, but the steward did not do the right job.
So he was. Fired. And when he was fired, a new steward replaced him. This new steward was Eliakim, and Eliakim was given the key to the kingdom. Jesus, the one with the key, the master key, has access to every door, which is what a master key gives you, and authority over every door, which is why he says he can open the doors he wants to open and lock the doors he wants to stay locked.
He is in charge.
Now, if you and I don't get that, we're going to think people are in charge. We're going to think power brokers are in charge. We're going to think folk with money are in charge. We're going to think folk with clout are in charge. They may have a key, but they don't have a master key.
Now, in Matthew chapter 16, he says, I'm going to build my church. And I will give my church the keys to the kingdom.
So he has the key, we have the keys. How does it work? When you use the right key, He'll back it up with the master key. But when you use the wrong key, the master key can't back you up because the master key can only be consistent with the keys that he's given us.
So, what's the problem? He says in verse 8: I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut. Because you have little power and have kept my word and have not denied my name. Oh, watch it.
In order for his key to work, for you, for me, and for his church? He says, you must have kept my word. obeyed me. and not denied my name.
So, one of the reasons many believers are not seeing God come through is because they do not keep his word. They come to church and hear it, but they do not keep his word. And or they deny his name. They don't want to be publicly associated with him. He says to them, you have little power.
But he says, I have set before you an open door, even though folks say you are a nothing and a nobody. I have set before you an open door and when I open this bad boy up for you, the folk with the name, with the money, and with the power will not be able to shut it. But the way I will open the door, and the reason I will open the door for you, your life, your world, and your ministry is because you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name.
So if you are ashamed of Jesus Christ, And don't want to be publicly associated with him, forget open doors. You can open your own door. If you've never seen him. Intervene in your circumstances. You have not experienced the authority of Christ.
particularly if you were of little power.
Now, you didn't have the wherewithal, you didn't have the contacts, you didn't have the money, you didn't have the education, you didn't have the notoriety, but you had him. Jesus says Folk may not know who you are. But you know him. You confess him. You obey him.
He got a master key.
So it's okay if we're blessed, just don't become elite. Don't become big-headed. Think you all that no uh-uh uh uh uh on our best day When we've been blessed, the best. You're a sinner saved by grace. That's on your best day.
I'm a sinner saved by grace on my best day. Don't you ever forget that because if you never forget that then you don't look down on people Who don't have your education, your money, your job, your career, your house? You don't look down on anybody. because you may be looking down on somebody who has access to a master key. Says you have little power.
But I have opened up a door. And I've opened up a door for two reasons. You obey me and you don't deny me. 'Cause when you when you get a lot of power, then you get self-sufficient. You know, we have this tendency, we all do, to get self-sufficient.
I can make it on my own. I got Vivian MasterCard, American Express. I can make it on my own. I know people.
Okay? If you know Jesus Christ, you know somebody.
Okay, you know people. And he says, And I open the door and nobody will shut a door I open. I don't care what their name is and how much power they wheel and how much money they have. He says in verse 9. You have kept the word of my perseverance.
And I will also keep you from the hour of testing, the hour that is about to come upon the whole. world. He told me in verse 9, Behold, I have caused those in the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. I will make them come and bow down at your feet. And make them know that I have loved you.
Whoa. He said all those false folk out there Synagogue of Satan, they go to church, synagogue. But they are of the devil. Because just because you're in church synagogue doesn't mean you love the Lord There is a synagogue of Satan.
Alright?
So the religious talk doesn't mean a thing. He says But I'm gonna let them know. That I have loved you. Even though you got a little power. I'm gonna let him know.
Okay. You got more power than you look like you have. And we'll hear a humorous story that reflects this principle when Dr. Evans returns in just a moment. First, though, we're getting close to wrapping up our current sermon series, The Jesus Challenge.
and I want to tell you about a helpful set of resources we put together for in-depth follow-up. The eight lessons in the Jesus Challenge teach us how to set higher standards, deepen our convictions, reinforce our faithfulness, and live like overcomers. And that's the same focus of the second component of the special offer, the Living as an Overcomer book, workbook, and Bible study video. All designed to help you experience victory over sin and prevail in your present circumstances. These resources are yours as our thank you gift.
when you make a donation to help keep Tony's teaching on this station. Find out more at Tonyevans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222-822. where members of our resource team are available day and night to help with your request. That's 1-800-800-3222. I'll have that contact information for you again after the second part of today's teaching.
Here's Dr. Evans. Maybe you remember the story about A big dog and little puppy. German shepherd and a poodle. German shepherd and a poodle were standing at a door, standing at a door, and Big Dog, the shepherd.
looked at the poodle and said you you little puppy You can't do much. Look how small you are. Look how short you are. You know? I'm big dog.
Big dog. Say now, look at this door. I wonder how long it would take you to get open this door. Because I can open this door, I can open this door quickly because I'm big and I can reach the knob. You can't even reach the knob.
In fact, let's have a contest. Let's see who can open the door the quickest. Little puppy say Okay, you go first, big dog. Big dog, you go first. A German shepherd jumped up on the door.
Got his mouth around the knob. Put his mouth all around the knob and started twisting at the knob. And after about two and a half minutes of working the knob, he got the door open. Then he pulled this shut and he said. Beat that, a little puppy.
Because big dog been showing you you can't even reach the knob Yoper. Little puppy came up to the door. Gave a small bark. Scratch the door. The man on the inside came and opened it.
Cause see, when you know who's on the inside. You ain't got to go through all that for So don't don't let it bother you if you're a little puppy. Because if you know the Lord He's got the key. And he can open up what the big dogs can't help you with.
So if you're in a situation and the door has not yet opened, He says, consider it a test. And he says, and I'm going to walk you through the test. Until I Reverse it. He says, I'm going to make your enemies your footstool. Ooh.
Nothing makes God real than when he reverses the irreversible. Nothing makes God more real than when He flips something that looks unflippable. Nothing makes God so powerful to you when there was no way out. You were trapped. The devil looked like he was running the whole show.
And then he reverses it. But you may say, but But I don't see him doing anything. Oh yeah, well look at the next verse. He says, You're going through this test, and I'm going to keep you through this hour, but I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have.
so that no one will take your crown. Oh, I love this word. I am coming quickly. That means suddenly That means unexpectedly. That means out of nowhere.
See, when God is silent, that doesn't mean he's still. I know you don't see him doing anything. I know it looks like you're just waiting for nothing, but God likes to come in. Suddenly. He likes to break in when you didn't expect it, when you didn't think there was any way that this thing could ever get better, that this trial could ever end.
He loves to do something suddenly. And the reason why he likes to do things quickly or suddenly is so that when it happens, there is no debate. on who caused it to take place, because it came out of nowhere.
So don't worry about it. If you don't have all the degrees, and if you don't have all the money, and you don't have all the prestige, and you don't have all the power, and people don't applaud you when you walk into the room, don't worry about it. Just obey him. Don't deny his name. And then wait for the Lord, I say.
Wait upon the Lord. Because he comes. Suddenly. So, what did he tell you to do in verse 11? Hold fast.
Hold fast. I know you want to give up. I know you want to quit. I know you're tired. He says, hold fast.
Make sure you're obeying. and not denying Galatians 2, 9 says that Peter, James, and John were the pillar of the church. They were holding up the church. In other words, he speaks of these people who overcome the propensity to give up as being in closest proximity to God. And he says, for these folk who are overcomers and who are in close proximity to God, they will have.
A name. And he keeps saying name, name, name, name, name, name, name, name. In verse 12, over and over again, he keeps talking about name of this, the name of that, name of this, the name of that. He says, you will have a name in the New Jerusalem, but let's get something straight. Everybody is not equal in heaven.
You can have a 40-watt bulb, a 60-watt bulb, a 75-watt bulb in your house, a 100-watt bulb in your house, 150-watt bulb in your house.
Now, all of them are bulbs, and all of them will light to their capacity, but everybody's capacity isn't the same. A 40-watt can give you 100 watts because it's not. established to be able to reduce like that.
Well, All Christians are Christians, but they don't have the same watts. And so they don't exude the same experience because they don't have the same relationship. Jesus said in St. John chapter 2, verses 23 to 25, it says, many believed on him. Many believed on him, but he would not commit himself to them because he knew what was in them.
They got saved, but they had not yet got committed. They were on their way to heaven, but he couldn't use them on earth. They were forgiven for their sins, but they didn't want folk to know that they were Christians. They went to church, but they wouldn't obey the word.
So they believed in him, but he would make no commitment to them. There are a lot of Christians who Jesus is just not deeply committed to in a practical way because they want to be 40-watt Christians expecting a 100-watt blessing. And it doesn't work that way. He wants to know that you're all in, that you are a full-time Christian, not a part-time saint. He wants to know that you will not deny him and that you will obey what he has commanded.
And he says, To that one, I will give him a name. You know, when people go to the cowboy game, there are folks who are sitting in the stands, we don't know their name.
Now, they're in the location, but we don't know their name. In fact, that's the majority of the folk who are in the building. The majority of the folk in the building are in the stands, and they're just popping. Part of the crowd, and we don't know their names.
Now, when it comes to the players, We know their names kinda sorta. Because if I were to ask you to name the name of the right guard, many of you couldn't do that. If I asked you to name the name of the punter, many of you couldn't do that. Because even though they have a name, because they're on the team, you may not know the name because of the position that they play. But now, when we upgrade and start talking about wide receivers and quarterbacks and running backs, well, you know those names because those names have achieved a greater name in publicity because of the role they play on the team.
But then not only do you have the folk in the crowd and the folks on the team, some more nameless than others, some with a higher name, you got the ring of honor. In the ring of honor, those are folk who've made a name. You see, the players come and go, but the folks in the ring of honor stay there because over time they held fast. Over time, they played the game. Over time, they didn't quit when they were injured.
Over time, they stayed committed to the task. In fact, their name is not only in the ring of honor, their name is in Canton, Ohio, in a bust in the Canton Hall of Fame, so that generation after generation will know who their name was. God has a lot of Christians that are in the stands. They just show up to watch the game. All they want to see is what the choir is singing and what the preacher is preaching and they just come for the show.
Now, folk in the crowd don't get dirty, don't incur responsibility, don't get knocked down, don't get blocked, don't get tackled, because they're not there to participate. They're just there to watch the show. But then there are some folk in the kingdom of God who don't want to just stay in the stands. They want to get on the field. They serve in ministry.
They help other people. They give to the advancement of the cause of the Lord. And then you got some superstars. Those are the ring of honors. Oh, it's not just the people who you know their name.
It's folk who are the unknown folk, but you can count on them. You can depend on them because they are forever holding their role, loving the Lord, serving the saints, giving to the Lord, and giving glory in their witness for the Lord.
So I want to challenge you today: if you want God to put you in the ring of honor, if you want when he hears you and sees you to say, well done, my good and faithful servant, if you want him to call you out of the crowd and let all of heaven know you're one of his choicest servants, I challenge you to leave the stands, to come on the field.
Now, I want to tell you the truth. You're going to get blocked a little bit on the field. You're going to get tackled a little bit on the field. But when they start handing out Super Bowl rings, you're going to get a Super Bowl ring because you are a Super Bowl saint.
So let's get busy glorifying the Lord, obeying the Lord, not denying the Lord, because if you are an obedient saint who does not deny him, you are an overcomer. Dr. Tony Evans, wrapping up a message he calls a challenge of obedience.
Now we only had time to share about half of Tony's lesson today. But you can get the complete full-length message as a part of our eye-opening sermon series, The Jesus Challenge. As I mentioned earlier, we are offering all eight messages in this collection as digital downloads and on your choice of either C D or USB flash drive, along with the Living as an Overcomer book, workbook, and Bible study video. It's a great package of life-changing resources, and it's a gift to you with our thanks when you make a contribution in support of Tony's ministry. Give our Resource Center a call at 1-800-800-3222 to get the details and make the arrangements.
or visit us online at tonyevans. org. That's TonyEvans.org. or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. Doctor Evans says it's pretty easy to spot a Christian who looks the part, but not as easy to spot one who lives the part, a believer who's the real deal through and through.
You'll discover how to become that kind of disciple tomorrow. as we explore Jesus' challenge to be authentic. Right now, though, he's back with this quick but important word. You can hear a Bible lesson like the one we just brought you and go on with your day like nothing happened. Or You can take an honest look into your heart and ask, what does God want me to do with this?
If you're already a Christian, well you've got the Word of God and the Holy Spirit inside to help you find the answer. But if you're not, the first step before anything else is to take the Lord up on his offer to forgive every mistake in your past, no matter how many. or how bad, and to make you new from the inside out. That can happen for you today when you admit you can't be perfect on your own and ask Jesus Christ to become Lord of your life. I put together a video that explains how it works.
To see it, just go to my website, tonyevans.org, and click on the Jesus link. I picked out some free follow-up resources for you as well. I hope you'll check them out today.
