You are part of a bigger picture.
You are not the picture. Dr. Tony Evans says God is seeking the pieces of the puzzle that are connected to the picture. There is a bigger picture that is taking place. If you miss that, if we miss that, then we will miss our purpose for existence. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. Chaos and God's Kingdom.
The two couldn't be further apart. In today's message, Dr. Evans discusses the need for each of us to nurture a divine connection. Without it, our pursuits are hollow, our destiny unfulfilled, and our world chaotic.
Let's listen in to discover the key to unlocking our purpose and the satisfaction we were created to experience. If you've ever opened a puzzle box, there are a myriad of disconnected pieces. That piece of puzzle only is significant to the degree that it fits into a bigger picture.
Isolated on its own, that piece of the puzzle has not discovered its purpose for existence. The purpose for the piece is the picture. The purpose for the piece is not the piece. But if the piece gets so fixated on itself, it not only limits the fuller expression of why it exists, it actually nullifies its reason for existence. You are part of a bigger picture. You are not the picture.
And neither am I. There is a bigger picture that is taking place. And if you miss that, if we miss that, then we will miss our purpose for existence. What God is seeking are pieces of the life puzzles who are connected to the picture. God has one umbrella, abiding picture and purpose for your existence, my existence, and his goal in history that is called his kingdom. Hebrews 12 28 says, since we have received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, the kingdom is the jurisdiction of divine rule. It is the realm of divine authority.
The Greek word kingdom, basilia, refers to a rule or authority that involves a realm. God exists in a realm. It is an invisible, spiritual, heavenly kingdom realm. You and I were created to be participants in extracting up there and delivering it down here. That is your purpose.
Anything that doesn't fit into that, you're operating outside of your purpose. Now you have to understand we are in an environment that offers a rival kingdom. The Bible calls it the kingdom of darkness. So there is a rival kingdom. It's like the ants on your yard. If you have an anthill on your yard, that's a rival kingdom to your grass. The ants build a kingdom, and we know it's a kingdom because they build the anthill to serve a queen. So the ants are building this hill to serve their queen while destroying the greenness of your grass.
And if you get too close, they will sting you. So they don't want interference with the growth of their kingdom. There is an enemy that wants to build a rival kingdom and to shift your purpose from the kingdom of God to the kingdom of darkness. The author of Hebrews says, since we belong to an unshakable kingdom, far too many people, Christians, are living their lives in falsetto.
They're living outside of the normal range of their creation. They're singing outside of their created purpose for being because they have not yet linked who they are and what they do to this kingdom, jurisdiction, divine rule, which is the purpose why each of us were created and then converted. He says, therefore, since we have received an unshakable kingdom or a kingdom which cannot be disturbed, shaken, disturbed. Well, he's used the word shaken previously in the verses preceding it. Let me read verse 25.
See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then. But now He has promised saying, yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven. The expression yet once more denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken as of created things so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we have received a kingdom which cannot be shaken. So He is now making a contrast between things that are created that shake and the kingdom of which we are a part that is unshakable.
He makes this contrast between the shaking and that which does not shake. Have you ever been on an airplane and there's turbulence? It's going up and down flopping back and forth and you you're now getting a little nervous. You tighten in a seat belt that's already tight.
You you grabbing the handles like that's gonna do something. You because you have been disturbed. But you know the feeling you get when the pilot that you don't see comes over the loudspeaker and he speaks into the turbulence and he says well we've hit some turbulence at 35,000 feet. I'm gonna go down a few thousand feet to find us some smooth air.
This will last for about 15 to 20 minutes. Do you know the feeling you get when you just hear his voice in the midst of the turbulence calming the uncertainty of the insecurity that you're in? God will allow or create turbulence in our life and in our circumstance in order for us to pay closer attention because now we want to hear more of what he has to say in the turbulence that we're going through. If he wants to move you to a new career he'll create turbulence in the career you're in. If he wants to move you to a new circumstance he'll create turbulence in the circumstance you're in.
If he finds out you love money too much he'll start breaking stuff down to take away your love for money. He will create a turbulence in the situation because he wants you to hear him a lot closer than you were previously listening. So when God wants to make sure that you are more attuned to listening whether you choose to or not because he says you can refuse it, he will allow or create turbulence or what he calls the shaking or the disruption of the normal activity or the normal movement of things. So rather than get mad at God when there is turbulence he says you better listen more carefully to God when there is turbulence just like when you hear that bad weather is coming.
You know what you do? You pay more attention to the weatherman or weather lady. They get listened to like never before. If somebody says well there's a tornado possibly you're gonna be paying attention because turbulence is on the way. There's uncertainty on the way.
When we had our ice storm the weatherman, the weather lady got undivided attention. We wanted to listen. How bad will it be? How long will it be? And the kids were listening.
How long we gonna stay out of school? Everybody listening because there is turbulence. That is things are outside the natural order. He says God is speaking when there is disruption. Now the good news is God is still talking. You need to worry if you're not talking.
Okay? God is speaking using circumstance, disruption to get our attention so he can reveal to us. And that's good news in a bad situation because he says what he's doing is he is creating a separation. He says the removing, verse 27, of those things which can be shaken. So he's getting rid of something, of created things. He's trying to change something in the physical to replace it with something in the spiritual. You know why? Because he sees we've gotten too attached to the physical as of created things.
The things that the five senses partake of. When we get attached illegitimately to the wrong kingdom, then he will create a disturbance to detach us. He does not want us overly connected to this kingdom, to this world. We're supposed to be in it but we're not supposed to be tied to it.
We're not supposed to have it as our ultimate obligation and so disruption is what he will bring. We'll return with more from Dr. Evans on unleashing kingdom purpose in just a moment. But first I want to let you know that you can dig deeper into today's subject with the help of Tony's 112 page paperback, One Kingdom Under God.
It'll help you put what you're learning about God's truth to work as you begin to think differently about your life, your relationships, and your walk with God. Discover how to unleash real change not just for yourself but for the people you care about. Contact us today and let us send you a copy of One Kingdom Under God.
It's yours when you make a contribution to help us keep the alternative coming your way each day. Along with the book you'll also get all 12 full-length messages in our current series, Unleashing the Kingdom. You can get details of this limited time offer right now at tonyevans.org or call our 24-hour Resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you.
That's 1-800-800-3222. Well Dr. Evans we'll come back with more of today's message right after this. 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. When God creates a disturbance it's generally not comfortable, it's generally not desired, it's generally not preferred, you don't want it, but if you will tune your ear to listening cuz he's talking when he disrupts the natural order of things then he says you will discover that you are a part of a, watch this, unshakable Kingdom. Oh watch this now. If there's an earthquake on the ground, folks in the plane aren't shaking cuz they're not attached. It's the things that are attached that get shaken in an earthquake. But what God wants to do is lift us up to a new spiritual reality of a kingdom that's not attached so it doesn't shake when everything else around you is tore up from the floor up. When everything around you has been disturbed, it's shaking, it's discontinuity and disconnected.
So God is allowing the shaking to reveal the unshakable Kingdom because you are listening to his voice. A young boy was on his plane with flying somewhere and he was sitting next to an older lady and the plane hit some really bad turbulence and everybody was screaming on the plane cuz it was dropping suddenly and it was just going from side to side and felt like you're gonna crash. And the kid was just there, he was just there playing. He was just just having a good time and the older lady was irritated. She was irritated that he was so calm when the whole plane is in disruption. She looked at the little boy she said, well son, how can you be so calm when all this is going on?
He looked at the old lady and said, cuz my daddy is the pilot. See, when you know to whom you are attached, then while everybody else is going through all of this, your connection to God's Kingdom purpose will stabilize you cuz his kingdom up there can't be shaken by circumstances down here. It doesn't mean those circumstances aren't real. It just means they're no longer in control. They're no longer dictating.
They're no longer calling the shots because it is an unshakable Kingdom. You know, when it rains on the ocean, the rain, no matter how hard it hits, can only penetrate the water down to approximately 25 feet. So the rain is coming from up there and it's hitting the water and you've seen the disturbance of rain and wind on water and it can penetrate 25 or so feet.
So what fish do when it's raining is go 26 feet. In other words, the rain is the indication it's time to go deeper. When God disturbs the natural order of things, when your world is turned upside down, when things are in discord, God is saying time to go deeper. Time to go deep. Disturbance is to call our attention to time to go deeper. Okay? So how do you go deeper in God's purpose?
Well, look at what he says. Therefore, verse 28, since we receive the kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude. I want you to be thankful. Now, the tendency when our world is shaken is to complain.
And that's the natural. I don't like this. I don't want this.
I don't agree with this. You know, it's to complain. He says, let us show gratitude. But how can I show gratitude if I'm in a disturbance? You're not showing gratitude for the disturbance.
You're showing gratitude for the purpose. You're saying, Lord, I don't like this. I don't want this. I don't agree with this.
I don't desire this. But because you're talking and because you have something to say, which means it's worth hearing, I want to thank you for how you're gonna use this to take me deeper in my purpose with you. I'm not thanking God for the problem. I'm showing gratitude for the purpose. God was taking Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land. The purpose was the Promised Land.
The wilderness was development for the Promised Land. He says, I let you get hungry so that you could see I could feed you. I let you get thirsty so you could see I'm your provider for your water. So yeah, I let you get hungry. I let you get tired. I let you get weary. I let you get thirsty because I knew you would depend on me more to have to come through.
Why did I do that? Deuteronomy says so that when you get to the Promised Land and when you got houses that you did not build, farms that you did not develop, blessings that you did not grow, that you should not forget the Lord your God. So he says with gratitude, and then he says, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service. We call it here kingdom servants. One developed kingdom disciples, visible verbal followers of Christ, who are kingdom servants that make a kingdom impact. That's what we want to do in our ministry. How is God using you to advance His name? How is God using you to advance His truth? How is God using you to meet the needs of others? How is God using you?
Or do you just want to get from the king and his kingdom, but the king and his kingdom can get nothing from you? He is saying that you are to give acceptable service. You know, when you get an appliance, you get a warranty. For a certain amount of time, they're going to stand behind the product.
They're gonna say, if this appliance stops working, call us and we will, if it's a reputable manufacturer, we will fix or replace your broken-down appliance. You get a warranty. God has a warranty on your life as long as you're plugged into His kingdom purpose. But the moment you start living outside of His kingdom purpose—you're living for me, myself, and I, you know God can't get you to serve, you're an ungrateful Christian— then what you're doing is voiding the warranty of your covering from His unshakable kingdom. You are to be God's kingdom representative in whatever you do, wherever you go, you are representing the king and his kingdom.
Just like when you go to another country, you still are an American. When you go to your job, you still are a Christian. When you go to your neighborhood, you still are a Christian.
When you go to your friends, you still are a Christian. You are a representative of the king and his kingdom, and he is a consuming fire. So no, he's gonna disturb something in all of our lives, but it's always designed to take us to the next level. We'll return to Dr. Evans in a moment with a final illustration about how God will operate in our lives when He's preparing to use us. Before we do though, I want to remind you that what you've been hearing is part of a brand new sermon collection called Unleashing the Kingdom. The full length versions of all 12 messages in this series are available to review again or to share with a friend or family member. Best of all, we're making them available for a limited time as our gift when you make a contribution toward the alternative broadcast ministry. Along with the audio messages, we'll also include Tony's powerful paperback, One Kingdom Under God, as well as our thanks for making this ministry possible.
This is a limited-time deal, so don't miss your chance to take advantage of this offer while it's still available. All the details are waiting for you at tonyevans.org. Again, that's tonyevans.org, or get some in-person help from one of our resource team members when you call 1-800-800-3222. Feel free to call any time of the day or night. The number again, 1-800-800-3222. Salvation is a free gift from God with no strings attached, but tomorrow Dr. Evans explains that following Christ here on earth comes at a price that not everybody is willing to pay. Be sure to join us for that.
Right now, though, let's listen in as he wraps up today's message with this final story. On Sunday morning, when Sister Evans was here, she would take my shirt and make sure the wrinkles were out. She put it on the ironing board, and then she put the iron over the shirt, and I'd see steam coming up from the shirt. That's because the iron was hot.
But she knew how much heat to put and how long to leave it, so that while it was throwing up smoke, it was not being destroyed. But the reason why she would put the iron on the shirt is she knew I was gonna have to wear the shirt to church, and she wanted me to look good in the shirt. Because she wanted me to look good in the shirt, she subjected the shirt to heat, but only because there were wrinkles that needed to get out. And she wanted the wrinkles out because she wanted me to look good in the shirt. When God sees a wrinkle that needs to be brought out in your life, he may disturb it with some heat, but he knows how hot it is, and he knows how long to leave it. But the only reason he's doing it is because he wants to wear you, and he wants to look good on you. And because he wants to wear you and look on you, there'll be some consuming fire to get out the wrinkles so that he can get greater glory from you.
