Many of the oppressive scenarios we find ourselves in today is because of our idolatry. Dr. Tony Evans says when we dethrone God, someone or something will take his place. If God is not allowed to be God, then men will try to become God. This is the alternative broadcast, featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr.
Tony Evans. Pride can divide families, destroy communities, and even bring nations to their knees. Yet when people acknowledge God as their only source, he can bring new life out of even the most desolate places. In today's message, Dr. Evans reveals how God humbled a proud nation, then began restoring hope through the miraculous birth of Samson.
A reminder that his power shows up when ours runs out. Let's listen in. The cycle of the book of Judges is because the people went toward idols. And an idol is any noun. Person, place, thing, or thought, any noun that you look to as your source, because idols were not just things, they were things people looked to to do something for them.
So they became a source.
So idolatry can be person, place, thing, or thought that becomes your source. Because for the believer, you only have one source, multiple resources, but consistent with the one source. The people would go toward idolatry. the idolatry would lead to judgment. And when the people got desperate, so that God became their source again.
God would raise up a judge, thus the book of Judges. to deliver the people from the oppression. We saw something interesting as we concluded last time. Last time we saw in chapter nine, I'll just summarize it for you. The people confessed, but God says, I'm not going to deliver you anymore.
Remember, they said, We confess after years of idolatry. We confess. God says, I'm not going to deliver you anymore. Yeah. but then it turns around they confessed again and god says i feel pity on you And I am going to deliver you.
But we saw with the second time. They not only confessed, but what did they do? They removed the idols. The first time they just said, I'm sorry, I sinned. The second time they said, I'm sorry, I sinned, but they got rid of the idol.
And when they got rid of the idol, God changed his mind. And the point we brought out was, God will change his mind. if we change our action. Because God is not in the competition.
So he will not allow competing deities. in his space.
So God must be your source. Anything else is an idol. We saw Jephthah. This is how we ended last time. We ended with Jephthah in chapter 11.
Shh. And Jetha made a commitment. that the first one coming through his door. would be sacrifice to God. but he wasn't thinking that the first one through his door would be his daughter.
So the first one threw his doors his daughter. What was the point? The point was: God would not allow Jephthah to build a dynasty. God told Israel, I want to be your king. Until you make me your king, I don't want you to have a king.
Please. They wanted a king.
So they told Jephthah, we'll make you our king. Death is sad. That sounds like a good idea. God says, bad idea. Because until the nation makes me their king, I don't want you to have a king.
Why? Because then you'll be like all the other nations. And I don't want you to be like all the other nations. Let me put it in contemporary language. Any government you have, I want to be accountable to me.
Like one nation under God. I want to be accountable to me.
So until you have a government that's accountable to me, I don't even want you to have a government until you learn to live under me. Because here's the problem you will always face, particularly in a political season. If God is not allowed to be God. then men will try to become God. We call that statism.
Statism is men controlling other men by force. Which is what engorged governments do. They become bigger because they can control. And God, and that is deifying an institution, or it could even be a person, as in this case, it was a king.
So Jephthah's daughter comes through, and as we saw last time, Jephthah's daughter. is now been given to a life of celibacy. to serve God in the temple as a sacrifice. She accepts that because her father made the commitment. of that and gave her to the Lord.
And so she served in the temple ministering to women, and she did it for the rest of her life, never being able to carry a child or to have a mate because of the vow we made. And our last statement was, If you've made a vow. And it hasn't been completed yet. And you need to undo that thing, undo that quick. I Because God takes vows seriously.
That's the point. And we probably all made them. God get me out of this one. I won't ever do that again, and blah, blah, blah, you know?
Okay.
So we need to get that thing straight quick because God takes our word seriously.
So we're now in chapter 12. Ephraim in verse 1. is a little upset. That Jephthah went into war without him.
Well, we saw this in chapter 8. Ephraim is always upset when they don't get called into the battle.
So he asked them in verse one: why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? How could you go to war without us?
Well, Jephthah said, well, you know, we had this challenge when I called, you do not deliver me from the hand.
So we just went on and took care of this ourselves. And so when I saw that you would not deliver me, I took my life in my own hands and I crossed over against the sons of Ammon.
So y'all were not ready to go when we were ready to go.
So we had to go and take care of our business. But that created a little conflict between Jephthah and Ephraim.
So Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ethram.
So you got. Tribes fighting each other now. Verse 4: The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim because they said, You are fugitives of Gileades. In the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.
So you've got this internal conflict. But they go through this. They capture the fugitives from Ephraim in verse 5. And they do something very interesting. They would say to them, They would pronounce a word to them, Shibiothleph.
Yeah. But they pronounced it differently in verse 6. With an SIB instead of an SHIB.
So they pronounced it differently, which let them know they weren't out of their tribe because they were saying we're part of the same family because they were captured and they didn't want to be captured. They wanted to break away. And so because they couldn't say it right, they knew they weren't part of the tribe.
So it says, for he could not pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus fell there at that time 42,000 of Ephraim. That's a lot of people. Pride That was their problem.
Pride, one of the great sins of the Bible is pride. And that is thinking more of yourself than you ought to think.
So they're being judged because of pride. The big hit.
So let me just say a word about pride. You ain't all that. And a bag of chips. And neither am I. Satan fell because of pride.
wanting to be more than he was created to be. And all of us have to fight pride at different levels. You're going to have to fight pride at different levels. God hates pride. Why?
Because it reminds him of the devil. The devil no longer wanted to be in the place God put him. He wanted to be like God, okay? And so over and over again, you see God judging pride, and that was the problem with Ephraim.
So Ephraim is defeated, and Jethta judges Israel six years, verse seven, and he was buried. All of these judges, you read the same thing, they died. Got bad news for you. You're gonna die. If Christ does not come.
And when you know that, everybody knows it, but when you... When you visit your grave. The concept that one day there'll be a tombstone. over me. The issue is how do you want to end it?
because that will affect how you go to it. See, when you don't have, when you don't think about it, then you're just dealing with today. But when you ask, how do I want to end it? Then that affects the steps you take. If you say, I want to be a doctor, but I don't want to go to medical school, you don't want to be a doctor.
Because you're not doing what you need to do to wind up where you want to wind up. We come now to chapter thirteen, and we're introduced. Two. Samson. Everybody knows about Samson.
Let's learn some things about Sammy.
Okay.
There's a guy named Maniah, verse 2. Yeah. And his wife was barren and had borne no children.
So she was not able to have children. to this point. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold, now you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son.
So the first thing I want to point out to all of you ladies. Is that God can speak directly to you. She was married. She had a husband, Maniah. But God has a word for her.
So never allow Your marital relationship, as central and critical as that is. To keep God from talking to you. about what he wants to do in your life.
Now obviously in a marriage relationship there's going to be a connection there. But the angel of the Lord speaks directly to her. I'm going to do something miraculous. Dr. Evans will show how God turns spiritual barrenness into purpose.
When he continues our message, in just a moment, don't go away. Whether you're facing a decision or a dilemma, it's smart to ask, what would Jesus do? But first you have to know what Jesus did and what God has to say about the situations you face.
Well, if building your biblical foundation is your goal, the help you need is as close as your computer or mobile device thanks to the Tony Evans Training Center. It's packed with online courses covering core concepts of the faith and in-depth scripture studies you can work through anytime you want at any pace you want. Along the way, you'll explore key teachings and learn how to apply them in real-world situations. There's lots of exclusive content from Tony to keep you interested and motivated and an online forum where you can ask questions, get answers, and collaborate with other students. It's almost like having a seminary on your smartphone.
Visit tonyevans.org today and connect with the Tony Evans Training Center where you can explore the kingdom anytime, anywhere. You can find out more about the Tony Evans Training Center when you visit our website at tonyevans.org. And while you're there, be sure to check out how you can receive a copy of Tony's current audio series, simply titled Judges. This twelve-message collection gives insight into the consequences of moral and spiritual compromise. And stresses the need for unwavering faithfulness to God even in times of crisis.
when you make a financial contribution to help support the alternative. We'll send you this complete series as our thank you gift. And if you do that today, we'll also include an added bonus, Tony's book, Kingdom Authority. Chapter by chapter, you'll learn practical strategies that put your God-given power to work, getting to the root of spiritual problems, and living a more confident, victorious life. Request your copy of this exclusive resource package online today at tonyevans.org.
or call us at 1-800-800-3222. Or a member of our friendly resource team will be glad to assist you. And be sure to check into the opportunity to upgrade your package to include the Kingdom Authority Leader's Kit. Perfect for those who lead or want to lead a small group Bible study on the powerful topic of being custodians of God's creation. Right now, let's get back to Dr.
Evans with more of today's message. There's a second observation I want you to make for all of us. And that is When God allows barrenness. Meaning, you're not producing what you think you ought to produce. or should produce By this time.
You can be barren in your career. You can be barren in your economics. You can be barren in your relationships. Nothing is happening that you want to happen and that should happen because it's natural for a woman to get pregnant.
So you're barren. It's not happening yet. God Never allow something with no reason. Yeah. So God speaks to her.
And he says to her, You are going to have a son.
Now, why does he tell her that?
Well, in verse 1 of chapter 13, the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord.
So the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines.
So, the reason all this is happening is they wandered away from God. They went back to idols.
So, now they're under the control of the enemy. and they're under their control 40 years.
Okay, 40 years.
Well, now God wants to deliver them. And you're going to conceive and have a son. But let me tell you what I want you to do with this boy. Verses four through six. I want you to give him the Nazarite vow.
The Nazarite vow. The Nazarite vow is spoken of in Numbers chapter 6. Verses one through eight. That's the Nazarite vowel. Let me tell you what the Nazarite vow is.
Cause he tells him. Don't drink wine or strong drink, nor eat unclean things. You shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come upon his head. for the boy shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb.
And he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, a man of God came to me. And his appearance was like the appearance of the angel of God. Very awesome. And I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his name.
But he said to me, Behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son. And, you know, the Nazarite vow. Then Maniah entreated the Lord and said, Oh, Lord, please let the man of God whom you have sent come to us again, that he may teach us what to do for the boy who is to be born. And God listened to the voice of Maniah, verse 9, and the angel of the Lord came to the woman as she was sitting in the field.
So she went and said, the man appeared to me. Maniah rose, verse 11, found his wife. And when it came to the man, he said to him, Are you the man who spoke to the woman? He said, I am.
Now, when your words come to pass, what shall be the boy's mode of life and vocation?
So now they get more detail.
So the angel of the Lord said to Maniah, let the woman pay attention to all that I said. She should not eat.
Okay, the Nazarite vowed. Then Maniah said to the angel of the Lord, Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you. The angel of the Lord said to Maniah, though you detain me, I will not eat your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, then offer it to the Lord, because this was a spiritual exercise. For Maniah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord.
So Maniah is thinking that this is just a man sent from the Lord.
So he wants to prepare him a meal. The angel of the Lord says, no, you prepare a sacrifice. And so, verse 17: Maniah said to the angel of the Lord, What is your name?
so that when your words come to pass we may honor you. Who are you? But the angel of the Lord said to him, Why do you ask my name? Seeing it is Wonderful. Whose name is Wonderful?
Jesus' name is wonderful. Isaiah chapter 9.
Okay, I'm full of wonder, shock. Surprise. Please. Don't put God in a box. He's full of wonder.
We box him in to what we think he should do, is going to do. How he's gonna do it. And He will shock you every time. He will come out of left field. On you.
Okay? He is the unpredictable deity. He's the unpredictable deity. And all through the Bible, you have these shocking things. When we move in faith, that he does at his time.
To achieve his purpose.
So he describes himself as full of wonder, wonderful.
So he says, that's my name.
So Maniah takes the young goat. With a grain offering and offers it. On the rock of the Lord. On the altar, and he performed wonders while Maniah and his wife looked on.
So he's wonderful, so I'm gonna perform some wonders. For it came about when the flame went up from the altar toward heaven, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame. At the altar. When Maniah and his wife saw this, they fell on the their faces to the ground. I guess so.
No good? The Maniah knew. He was the angel of the Lord. But watch this.
So Maniah said to his wife, We will surely die. For we have seen God.
So the angel of the Lord. gets equated with God. We've seen God. There's a triune Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
God is a spirit. The Bible says God is the spirit.
Okay.
Jesus Christ is the manifestation of God in history. The Bible says when Israel was going through the wilderness, And Moses hit the rock. And water came out of the rock. The New Testament says, and that rock was Christ. Yeah, okay.
So, in the Old Testament, before his incarnation in the New Testament, Jesus Christ would Take the form, because he's always existed with the Father. In various ways. to manifest God's visible presence. because you couldn't see God the Spirit.
So there would be these manifestations. Jesus Christ Is God's mechanism? From the invisible into the visible, he is called wonderful. It says, Wonderful Father of time, everlasting Father, the Father who initiated time, which means he existed before time.
So God roots his activity in history. On behalf of his people. Through Jesus Christ. That is why. God will relate to you and to me as we relate to Jesus Christ, not merely as we relate to God.
The father. Yeah. For the Father does all things through the Son. when it comes to his people.
So if you miss Jesus, that's why Jesus told the followers, he says, If you don't recognize me, you do not know the Father. If you miss me, you miss the Father, no matter how much God talk you're doing.
So the centerpiece of history. Is Jesus Christ. He is the S-O-N like the S-U-N.
Okay, is the centerpiece of our solar system, the SUN? The SON is the solar system of God's working in history. That's why Jesus Christ is a big deal. He's not just just an addendum. He is the centerpiece.
So when you pray, And you say, in Jesus' name, you throw that, that's not just a tag. That's not an end tag. No. That is the reason God will or will not do it. Because he wants to know how you have positioned his son, or as Colossians chapter 1 says, that Jesus Christ might have first place in everything.
Do not be ashamed of Jesus Christ. Because when God wants to enter history, He's looking for how you are relating to Jesus Christ. Uh Encouraging words from Dr. Evans for those who commit to follow Christ. If you haven't yet done that, Tony has this offer for you.
Do you feel like You're too sinful. too flawed too rebellious that you failed too much. for God to ever forgive you? Guess what? You are a perfect candidate for salvation.
Jesus said, that he didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners.
So if you're big sinner, you've got a bigger Saviour. If you go to Jesus Christ now, Carry the boat load of sins with you to the cross, Acknowledge him to be your Saviour. Acknowledge your sins needing to be forgiven, And trust him to do the forgiving that you desperately. desire. He promises He will forgive you, give you eternal life.
and offer you the free gift of salvation. I don't care how big your basket of sins are. Carry them to Jesus. he's ready to empty them for you. Learn more about how that process works.
Visit TonyEvans.org today. and follow the link at the top of the home page that simply says Jesus. Tony has a video message and some free resources waiting for you there. Many people live desperate, defeated lives because they haven't made that decision to commit to Christ. And sometimes, even those who have don't fully recognize the power God has delegated to them.
But the Bible has a lot to say on the subject, and that's the message in Tony's powerful book, Kingdom Authority. As I mentioned earlier, you can get a copy of this book along with all 12 lessons in his current two-volume teaching series on Judges. They're yours with our thanks when you support the Ministry of the Alternative. Make the arrangements today by visiting Tony Evans dot org. You'll even have the opportunity to upgrade this deal by adding the Companion Kingdom Authority Leaders Kit, if you'd like.
Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or call our 24-hour resource center at 1-800-800-3222. That's one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two.
Sometimes the Lord starts working in our lives long before we realize it. arranging circumstances, shaping our story, and setting us apart for his purpose. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans continues his look at Samson's life. to show how God's calling isn't based on our own perfection.
but on his unstoppable power and plan. Be sure to join us for that.
