When you lose the ability to dream about a better tomorrow, you just ruined your today. because you lose hope. Dr. Tony Evans says hope is more than just a wish, it's a God-given guarantee. You're not a loser.
You are more than a conqueror. Because God has a dream of a glorious future for you. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. A dream can be powerful enough to set a whole new direction for our lives if we don't allow discouragement to crush it.
Today, Dr. Evans takes a look at the amazing difference it makes when we dream God's dreams and start seeing them come true. Let's join him. There's nothing like Seeing the future and adjusting the present in light of it. Woe is the individual, is the person.
Who doesn't see anything? When you lose the ability to dream about a better tomorrow, You just ruined your today. Cause you lose hope. In Revelation chapter 5, we get to peer into the future. And if your eyes and my eyes can see the glory.
of the coming of the Lord. then perhaps it will affect a better today. while we look forward to and await the awesome tomorrow. that God has in store for us. He says in the two verses I want to focus on.
And they sang a new song, verse 9, 6. saying, worthy are you to take the book and to break its seal. For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe, every tongue and people and nation. And you have made them to be a kingdom and priest to our God. And they will reign.
upon the earth.
Now, God says that this is the glorious tomorrow to which we are headed. We are headed toward a day. When the recognition of the rulership of Jesus Christ. will be worldwide. and where his people will sing his praises.
and serve alongside of him. in the ruling of this planet. This vision of a better tomorrow. It's supposed to be being mirrored today. through his unique group of people, Christians.
Those who make up the Church of Jesus Christ. The first thing he did was announce a celebration, he says. They sang. A new song. This is a context of worship.
A celebration of praise. But we're told that it was a new song. In the Bible, the phrase new song Refer to a song that was sung. after a victory had been achieved. That's what made it new.
Mm. The song wasn't new necessarily. Because The melody was different. What made the song new was that God had given his people victory. over an enemy so they had something new to sing about.
Many of us have sung a new song. We just didn't know it was a new song because we were using old lyrics. A new song comes when your world is falling apart. Yeah. And every day looks dark and God breaks through and removes the clouds, makes the sun shine again.
reverses the situation and you break out in a song. It's a new song because you've seen a brand new intervention of God into your circumstances. God's dream, if you will. Is that Jesus Christ be Everything. In fact, let me read to you.
Ephesians chapter one, verses nine and ten, it reads like this. With a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ. Things in heaven and things on earth. In him also, we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose who works. all things after the counsel of his will.
He says in verse 10 that God's goal is the summing up of all things in Christ. That's God's dream. If you want to see the coming of the Lord, that's got to be your dream too. That is, your life's dream must be to bring all aspects of my being. under the authority of Jesus Christ.
Without that dream, You can't see the coming of the Lord because that's God's dream. And he gives us a picture of it happening in heaven. I love the Olympics, whether it's Winter Olympics or Summer Olympics. Uh when The athletes hit whatever sporting event they are a part of. It's really about them, but it's not only about them.
In other words, Whoever win the goal, they don't come and say, which your favorite song.
So we can play it. You know the song they play? They play the song of the nation of which they are a part. Why? Because you're not just here for you.
You here representing something bigger? It's not just about you.
Now, it includes you because you're the athlete and you're the one doing it, but it's not just about you. We're going to play the song of your country. Why? Because when you win, your nation wins. He says that God's dream is that people from every race Every background Every orientation in terms of nationality are going to be represented around God's throne.
Yeah. What's going to give them their commonality? The blood. He says the one thing that will make them all alike is that they will approach us with the same blood. That's why Jesus says if I be lifted up, I will draw all men to me.
Why? Because the one price hat, the common currency that brings us into a relationship with God is the blood. Where is our problem then?
Well, the reason why it's difficult in the world is because the church hasn't got it right yet. Because remember the church is supposed to mirror The kingdom of heaven. He says, notice the first line of verse 10, you have been made to be a kingdom of priests to our God. And we talk about this kingdom agenda thing, the rule of God. He says, I have made you a kingdom of priests.
Now priests. Had access to God. That's what a priest did. He ministered to God in worship and in service, and he led the people to minister to God in worship and in service. That's what a priest.
The problem today is that the priests are missing.
Now, the Bible says every Christian is a priest. That is, every Christian has access to God for the purposes of worship and service. The problem is. That instead of being priests to God, we're working at being acceptable to man. Shh.
And if you're not a priest to God because you're trying to please men, then you're not going to hear from heaven. He says they ought to be a kingdom of priests from every tribe, every tongue, and every people.
Now, this is very good because this is a heavenly view.
So, this is very important. Number one, this means... Whatever race you are now will be the race you are in heaven.
Okay, because John says when I looked up in heaven, I could see people from every nation every language every tribe.
Okay, in other words, I saw the differences and they maintained their differences because their differences were still different when I saw them in heaven. He repeats it again in chapter 7. Let's get this straight. Whatever you are now, you always will be. Yeah, right.
Okay.
So if you black man Yeah. You're gonna always be black, okay? In heaven. You gonna be black.
Okay? You are what you are. And you will forever be that. If you're white now. You will forever be white.
If you're Hispanic, I mean, from Hispanic, that's what you're gonna be. Because he says, in heaven, I saw people from every language, every nation, every tribe. I saw the variety because God always intended it to be that way.
So, it's even going to be that way in heaven and for eternity. God wants there to be differences. He doesn't want everybody the same. What he wants you to be though is a priest. That is, regardless of your background, regardless of your history, regardless of your heritage, and regardless of your race, I want that all to operate under my kingdom.
So that you must bring in line what you are to who I am. Is it okay to be different? Yeah, as long as it don't mess with your faith. As long as it does not mess with the fact that you're a priest of another kingdom. You belong to another kingdom.
That means you're under the rule of another king. And Dr. Evans will have more on that when he returns in just a moment. But first, I'd like to tell you about a resource that makes a great follow-up to today's topic. Tony's book, Stronger Together, Weaker Apart, is the perfect prescription for the separation and discord, tearing apart our nation, our churches, and even our families.
It's more than just managing to grit your teeth and get along. This collection of soul-searching prayers and devotions will teach you how to actually love people you disagree with as you work towards spiritual unity. We'd like to send you a copy of Stronger Together as our way of saying thanks for your contribution to help continue Tony's ministry here on the air and around the world. Along with it, we'll also include all eight full-length messages in his current teaching series, Love Will Overcome. But this is a limited time offer, so don't delay.
Contact us right away at tonyevans.org. or give our resource center a call at 1-800-800-3222. where one of our team members will be happy to help you. Again, that's 1-800-800-3222. I'll have that information for you again after part 2 of today's message and this.
How would it feel? to gain timeless truths of Scripture through grounded conversation. The Unbound Podcast, hosted by Dr. Tony Evans. brings clarity to life's toughest questions.
Can we just take a moment to talk about that wrong thinking related to suffering? Find light in your daily struggles with Dr. Evans and his guests. Listen to the Unbound Podcast. The Unbound Podcast with Tony Evans, available on all major podcast platforms.
Right now, let's return to doctor Evans for more of today's lesson. Peter was a super Jew. But one day he got this revelation from heaven. That don't call unclean what I call clean. In other words, you judge based on me.
not based on how you were raised. God then sent Peter to a Gentile house, Cornelius. And He is now fraternizing with the Gentile and discovers how good they can cook. He had never had pork chops before. He had never had ham hats before.
He certainly hadn't had chitlins before. But he discovers these Gentiles know how to eat. And in Galatians 2... He is eating with the Gentiles, the Bible says. It says some of his boys from the hood showed up.
Huh?
Some of the Jews showed up and saw their leader. Eating with the Gentiles. And it says, and they got upset. Gal Agents 2 says. Verse 11 through the end of the chapter, it says, Peter pushed his chair back and got up.
Because he didn't want to offend his race. Then it goes on to say the rest of the Jews who were with Peter. Got up too. But then it goes one step further in Galatians 2. It says, even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
Barnabas was known as the son of encouragement. He was the encourager. Barnabas was born in Cyprus. Cyprus is a Gentile colony.
So he was raised with Gentiles, grew up with Gentiles, went to school with Gentiles, played ball with Gentiles. But that's how bad racism is. It'll make a good man bad. It says, Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
So can you imagine how the Gentiles felt? Sitting down and we good enough to eat with you till your people show up. But now that your people show up and they don't like dealing with us, you now don't want to associate with them because you don't want to offend your people. Bible says Paul came in and saw what was happening. He said, Peter, you acting a fool.
And you leading these folk astray. But guess what his argument was? His argument wasn't social. His argument was: Peter, you are not acting in concert with the truth of the gospel. You are embarrassing the name of God.
You are embarrassing the word of God. You are embarrassing the truth of God. And you're supposed to be the leader of the people of God. And that's when he says, Don't you know, Peter, I've been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I.
It's Christ who lives in me. The life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. In other words, Peter, you don't identify yourself anymore first by your background. He closes this dream of the future, which we're supposed to mirror now. In verse 10, when he says, and they will rain upon the earth.
A woman takes a man's name because of The future. He didn't lie and made all these promises to her and she believed it and she thinks she's got this great future. You take a name because of the anticipation of tomorrow. It involves the future. That's why it involves following me and me leading you, because it involves me going somewhere.
If you take my name.
So naming meant to have dominion over something and to take it somewhere.
So he named all the animals and he even named Eve in order to exercise authority over it. He says, and we will reign with him. In other words, when you are connected properly to Christ, you get to have dominion over the things that God gives you the right to name. Yeah. Dominion reigning ruling.
He being in charge of that's authority. When you have this biblical worldview, That I'm a ruler. I'm a king with a small cat. I'm not the king. There's only one, the king, but I am a king with a small K.
Because I get to name things. You know, you get the name your children. Because you're in authority over them, but why are you naming them to get them ready for the future? See, you get to name things and woe is the person, the Christian in general, and most certainly the male Christian, who spends his life never reigning over anything. Never ruling.
Every Christian in general and every male Christian in particular has been called to rule. To speak a name over something. and to declare its future. It says that we will reign with him. We will reign with him what in the future?
Over the whole earth. Because the Bible says that we will be given assignments. and we will rule the earth with him the earth will come under our management The Bible says even angels will be judged by us. That's rulership. See, if you if you don't understand, you You got a small K in front of your name, because you get the rule.
Then you don't act like a king. You don't act like a king because you don't think like a king. And every Christian has been brought into this dream. of ruling with Christ. Of partnering with him and being alongside of him in God's philosophy of history.
We all have homes. And in our homes we have what you might call House rules. The rules that govern how we operate.
Now, a conflict automatically erupts. when there is rebellion against house rules. What? This is particular with parents and children. You automatically enter a conflict.
When somebody living in your house disregards the rules of your house. Because it's your house. If you drink And you're coming to my house. Then you need to leave Jack Daniels. in its bag outside.
Okay.
Okay, because in my house, you know, You don't drink. If you slow. There are no ashtrays. in the house.
Okay.
Well, I would ask you Would you mind going outside? This house rules. 'Kay. Yeah. But there is an automatic problem.
If you want your rules to work in my house, because this ain't your house. Go to your house And abide by your house rules where you live, but don't impose your rules in my house. You say what? I don't like the way the furniture is arranged. Hey.
You didn't buy it? And there is automatic conflict. When you want to operate your way in my house, we gonna be at odds with one another. This is God's house. And he only functions by his rules.
Okay.
So when you bring your rules into his house, you got a conflict.
So one of our problems today is many of us are living in conflict. With God. As individuals, we're living in conflict with God. As families, we're living in conflict with God. Many churches are living in conflict with God.
And most certainly the society is living in conflict with God, so we're constantly at war. But like I always say, like a rebellious teenager, when we need something. We still want to go to daddy.
Now we in conflict, but I need some tennis shoes. We in conflict, but I need some new clothes. We in conflict, but I need some gas in my car. We in conflict, but I need the keys. How you expect me to be happy?
About giving you all you ask for when you don't respect. House rules. Jesus Christ is simply saying, I'm sovereign. There is a dream out there. And you're going to get the right to sing a new song.
The ultimate song in the future, where you get some practice sessions today. and their songs of victory.
So it's funny how bad the world is. The world is going to hell in a handbasket. You're not a loser. You are more than a conqueror. Even on your bad days.
Because God has a dream of a glorious future for you. Especially if you recognize House rules. It's his kingdom. He's the king. and you are there to service.
Yeah. Just bow your head right now. And perhaps you need to want to reaffirm. Your commitment to the king. and to follow him.
so that you can sing a new song.
So that he can bring back into you. Joy. A sense of victory even though you don't have it yet. But he'll let you see it. Your eyes will see the coming of the Lord.
And it will be based on his house rules. Dr. Tony Evans with some encouragement on embracing God's dream for you and your part in his kingdom.
Now, if you'd like to get the full-length version of today's message, including quite a bit of material we didn't have time to present on the broadcast. Just ask about the title, Dreaming with the King. It also comes as part of Tony's audio series Love Will Overcome. Bundled along with his popular devotional book, Stronger Together, Weaker Apart. designed to help believers pursue unity through the power of prayer.
This special resource package is available as our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help support our work here at The Alternative. Details are waiting for you at tonyevans.org. or call our resource request line at 1-800-800-3222. where team members are standing by day and night to help you. That's 1-800-800-3222.
I'll tell you about what's coming up next time, right after this. This October Journey Through Israel with Tony Evans. We're going to gather together with many of our friends to survey the sites of the Holy Land. We're going to go to the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, the Garden Tomb, the Garden of Gethsemane. We're going to open God's Word together and watch its truth leap off of the pages of Scripture as we walk where our Lord walked and see.
God, give us new excitement about His greatness and about the truth of His Word. Ah. It's an unforgettable experience that'll change the way you understand scripture. Space is limited, so visit tonyevans.org today to get all the details and register before it's too late. That's tonyevans.org.
10 wonderful days in the Holy Land. Looking forward to meeting you as we tour Israel together. Most of us can absorb a fair amount of hurt aimed at ourselves. But when our children are affected, our perspective shifts.
Well, next time, Dr. Evans helps us see why God feels that same protective concern for his family, the church. And how that truth should shape the way we live and serve together. I hope you'll join us.
