Tony Evans – What On Earth Is Going On? (March 15, 2020 Livestream)
Tony Evans Speaks on the question, “What on earth is going on?” This sermon was aired on 03/15/2020 at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship.
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where you are sing that with us one more
time while we want to welcome you to our
Sunday morning worship experience me and
my family okay I got my four kids here
my oldest daughter Krystal my
second-born Priscilla
then comes Anthony junior and then the
baby boy Jonathan we’re glad to be here
as a family with your family wherever
you might be to worship we’re in our
sanctuary which is basically empty
because of the restrictions due to the
health challenges that we all know about
but we are with your family wherever you
happen to be and we’re going to just
spend some time in worship in fact with
all that we’re facing today worship is
absolutely critical because we need God
and we need them individually and we
need them nationally so we want to just
welcome you and we are excited that we
get to join you and you get to join us
as we worship God together you’re alone
in your bedroom your kitchen table
wherever you are we just want to invite
you to engage and praise and worship
we’re gonna pray together we’re gonna
have an opportunity to give to the house
of God and we’re gonna have an
opportunity as well I want you to know
this in advance to take communion
together we’ve already got our communion
ready for us and dad dr. Tony Evans is
going to lead us the global body of
Christ at a time of communion so right
now is the time to send somebody
scampering to the kitchen grab whatever
crackers you’ve got on hand or a piece
of bread that you can all break a little
piece off of and a little water or juice
or whatever you have available to you
and at the end of our service today this
faithful Shepherd of the house of God
here at O cliff fybel fellowship which
is our local term
but he’s pastored so many people from
around the world he’s going to lead us
together in communion but in every
aspect of our worship today please don’t
just sit there and watch the screen
please engage if you want to stand with
your hands lifted as we continue in
worship whether you want to stay seated
where you are get down on your knees or
lay prostrate whatever you would do if
you were at your local church today Oh
cliff Bible fellowship you know how we
do when we come into the house of God
engage completely let’s worship together
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lost
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if you’ll nose
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yeah
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the great
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is the
God
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good
Oh
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the our
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they
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and
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see
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he was late
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where is
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she was
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she’s
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gee
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Jesus is that now
here’s the name above
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we bless your name Lord God you honor we
give you praise we are grateful that we
can come together in this way and we’ve
seen you move so many times and we
believe that you will do it again even
in this moment if you believe that
where you are I want you to say
I’ve seen you move
and table
ah
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Oh
No
I’ll see you doing
you can do
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mr. Stan
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and this is my
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oh wait
this is mine
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second Chronicles 7:14 it says that if
my people who are called by my name will
humble themselves and call on me and
turn from their wicked ways then I will
heal heal their land
and I will forgive them of their sins
and so if we want our land to be healed
and y’all know at a time like this we
need our land to be healed if we want
our sins to be forgiven then the
believers the people who are of God and
are called by his name need to humble
themselves need to turn and call on his
name and so that’s what we’re gonna do
right now wherever you are if you’re
with your family or you’re with your
friends or you’re by yourself no matter
where you are we want to take the next
60 seconds to call on his name we want
to take the next 60 seconds to to ask
God to forgive us of our sins so that we
can turn so that we can experience
healing and forgiveness and so right now
with your family your friends or by
yourself call on his name for the next
60 seconds and then I’ll close our time
with a word of corporate prayer
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Heavenly Father right now in the midst
of chaos and concern we know that you
are still on the throne that you are
still God Lord we pray for healing we
pray for forgiveness of sins Lord
because we want to experience you on a
whole nother level in our family in our
marriages in our callings and our
purpose and our destinies we want to
make sure Lord that we’re not just
coming to you for you to be a pedestal
that we can stand on so you can take us
higher but Lord we want to be used to
take you higher and to take your name
further to advance your kingdom we pray
Lord for every man for every woman for
every child Lord that they will turn
back to you and live their life in
concert with who you have called them to
be Lord we pray Lord that we don’t do
what the American slogan says to follow
our heart we pray Lord that we demand
that our heart follow the truth we pray
Lord that we’ll be a peculiar people as
your word says holy and set apart that
it would be evident in a trying time
that we are your people and that we are
taking refuge in you so that we can
experience healing and salvation right
now in our land Lord we lift up families
we lift up individuals we lift up
communities we lift up our government
Lord that you have set in place Lord so
we pray Lord that we have healing from
top to bottom and that has everything to
do with turning to you so we pray Lord
for every individual watching this right
now that they would be living their
lives connected to who you are in your
word looking for every opportunity to
serve you
to love you to give to you and to have
faith in you in every area of life even
right now we pray Lord for those who
have been affected by this time and this
disease and this virus that is going on
Lord we pray for healing
we pray Lord for you to be Jehovah Rapha
Lord the God who heals and the God who
provides we pray Lord that you would
come through right now
Lord we were looking to you
bless us right now Lord in Jesus name
Amen
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well the Church of Jesus Christ is
critical at this time keeping the church
strong really doesn’t matter spiritually
that means that the Word of God has got
to go forth ministries have got to stay
strong and vibrant because the world
needs us like it’s never needed us
before we’re talking about the whole
world and God is not going to skip the
church to fix the society he works
through the church and so the way you do
that is giving some of your time
contributing your talents to the
ministries that come out of the Church
of which you are a part but it also
includes your treasures your resources
so we want you to make sure that you do
not use this time as an opportunity not
to be faithful in giving your tithes and
offerings but that you will do that and
you will prioritize it because whether
you are gathered or scattered god’s
program has still got to go on to go to
your own local church and so we want to
encourage you if you’re a member of this
local body yes to continue to give but
even if you have a local body wherever
you live around the world we want to
encourage you to give there as well if
you’re a member of Oak Cliff you know
how to give you can go to ocbfs org
/give or you can give through the mobile
app but if you’re not a member or if you
want to give above and beyond your ties
to your local church no matter where you
no matter where you live you can do that
simply by texting o CBF two four eight
four eight four eight so let’s not let
this part of worship go by the wayside
as we worship God together this morning
we want to welcome you because we know
that whether you are a regular attendee
of Oak Cliff or whether you are
somewhere on the other side of the world
we want you to know that here even at
our table we are glad that you’re here
actually we’re at the table on purpose
today we could have brought in our
praise team and brought in our musicians
they were willing to come the reason why
we’re sitting at the table is because
before there was ever a church of this
size this is what we would do our
parents started Oak Cliff Bible
fellowship in their home with ten
members and we have great memories of
sitting around the table with a Bible or
we were little kids with a flannel board
and having the Word of God taught to us
and we wanted you to understand that
whether you’re by yourself whether
you’re with a roommate with your spouse
with your kids with extended family that
being with God intentionally opening up
his word is something that you can do
even if you can’t leave your home this
is the way we used to do it and this is
the way we’re doing it this morning so
we welcome you with us this morning at
our table but we also want to encourage
you to continue worshiping at your table
throughout the days and the weeks to
come what I’m remembering most about
being around the table is that all the
elements of our worship service today
are things we would do just sitting
around together as a family even right
down I remember to being a little Bowl
and we would put our tithe into the bowl
together and it would be our our way of
being taught the privilege that it is to
give to the house of God so even as
people so their financial seeds today to
their local church to Oh cliff bible
fellowship and are faithful to that that
is a privilege that we have the
opportunity to honor God in our giving
so we’re gonna continue in our service
now with worship Anthony thanks for
leading us you know my dad our our dad
we miss all this stuff started happening
all this stuff we’re facing now together
as a country when all this stuff started
to happen I thought about a trip that we
were on when I was about 12 years old we
were in California we had to drive from
the north northern side of California
down to the southern part and my our dad
decided that he was going to take us on
a detour
that uh it took longer than the freeway
that was we were fine on there was no
traffic or anything he decided to take
us on a detour and we were wondering
what we were doing we didn’t understand
why are we doing this these roads are
smaller we don’t get it and then he told
us it’s gonna take longer to get where
we needed to go when he took us on this
detour and we were mad
we were legitimately mad I remember this
very clearly our mom didn’t even
understand she was trying to be on his
side but she was like um so what that’s
really what happened but we rounded a
corner after about 45 minutes and this
vast amazing view from way high up
opened up to our eyes and it was the
Pacific Ocean as we drove along the
Pacific Coast Highway we had no idea
where our dad was taking us because it’s
a two-lane situation and we rounded a
corner and we had the most amazing views
view that I had never seen I was 12
years old I didn’t even know this
something like this was existed in our
country I didn’t know and as we are
facing this moment right now yesterday I
just literally randomly thought about
this trip when I was 12 years old where
my dad decided to take us on a detour
that seemed like it made no sense but
the views that I got to experience were
views that I got for the very first time
and they were the most beautiful i
opening things that I had ever seen in
this moment where God has us on a detour
together like as a church and as a
country and as I took the world really I
want us to take into consideration that
even though it’s gonna take longer and
it doesn’t feel as comfortable that
there are gonna be views along this road
that we would never get otherwise that
are going to open our hearts to the
understanding that he is still fighting
for every single one of us and he is
still on his throne and he is still
gonna do what he promised which is work
all this together
to our day
you not flashable and you will not be
slow your everything rainbows and you’re
fired
do not disturb hearts not angry closed
even in ways we don’t know
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first
to withstand
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Oh
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miraculous where’s we simply stand here
– we stand
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Oh
true
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you defend us twisted
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spiny
to look back too
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promised keep the dock
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check it out way made
keep the
that is who you
if you
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good
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all right Ziggy with me
a miracle worker promised cable hide in
the darkness my god that is who you are
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Mirek or promise keep mine in the
darkness my god that is
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well I invite you to invite you to get
your your Bible or open up your smart
device that has the Bible on it to
Hebrews chapter 12 I want to take just a
few moments to answer probably the
question on most people’s mind and that
is what on earth is going on some years
ago in Europe they had a very crude way
of analyzing whether a person in a
sanitarium was mentally able to be
released in one of the crude ways they
would use is put the inmate into a into
a janitor’s closet
put a stop in the sink and run the water
let the water overflow onto the floor
and then give the inmate a mop then ask
the inmate to to clean up the mess the
supervisor would then leave for a few
moments come back and if the water was
still running and the stopper was still
in the sink and they were still mopping
up the mess well they knew that person
wasn’t competent to be released because
they couldn’t figure out how to get to
the root of the problem which was to
stop it in the sink with the water
running over well today we’re trying to
mop up a mess we’re trying to clean up a
bad situation not only in this pandemic
but in our lives in our world but I want
to state for you a very important
biblical principle if you really want to
understand what on earth is going on
everything visible and physical is
preceded by something invisible and
spiritual so if you want to deal with
the physical visible problem you must
identify the invisible spiritual cause
let me say it another way if what you
see is all you see
you do not see all there is to be seen
behind every physical reality is a
spiritual reality but if you don’t get
to that I mean look at the pandemic
people are having physical problems
about something they cannot see until
they address what they cannot see they
won’t be able to fix what they really do
see and feel going on in their lives in
their bodies and being transferred to
the human race and so in Hebrews chapter
12 we read these words to help us answer
the question what on earth is going on
beginning in verse 25 see to it that you
do not refuse him who is speaking for if
those did not escape when they refused
when he warned them on earth much less
how will we escape when we turn away
from the one who warns us 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 heavens this 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’ve received the kingdom which cannot
be shaken let us show gratitude by which
we may offer to God an acceptable
service with reverence and awe for our
God is a consuming fire when there is a
cloudy threatening day the weather man
gets a lot of attention because what we
want to know is what the weather man
sees given what the atmosphere looks
like what does he see that we need to
know about is it going to rain do I need
an umbrella do I need a raincoat is it
going to be cold we we shift how we
operate based on what the weatherman has
to
God is talking and one of the ways God
speaks is through allowing circumstances
into our lives and into our world that
are not pleasant he allows those
circumstances to get our undivided
attention it’s a wake-up call it’s sort
of like your alarm clock going off when
your alarm clock goes off and wakes you
up it brings you out of one reality of
slumber and sleep into a new reality of
alertness the further you remove God
from a life of family and a culture the
more chaotic things will become and so
oftentimes in the Bible and in the world
God will shake things what does the
Bible mean by shaking shaking means when
God allows disruption in the normal
order of things
life is going along like you prefer it
like you want it like you desire it like
you love it and all of a sudden there is
an interruption in the affairs of
normalcy that’s what God does all
through the Bible he would shake things
up we want when he wanted to get our
undivided attention the text that we
read says don’t turn away from him who
is speaking and you know he’s speaking
because you’ve been shaken your world
has been disrupted this pandemic has
disrupted our lives our work our play
our sports our travel our fun it has
disrupted our gatherings it has turned
what was normal and made it abnormal in
fact it’s made it in some sectors very
very dangerous but this is a grand
opportunity to return to the God who
allowed the shaking to occur because the
text says when God allows the shaking
it is because he’s trying to get our
undivided attention which means we have
wondered from him
we have marginalized him we have gotten
idols which is any noun any person place
thing or thought that you look to as
your source we’ve gotten something to
replace him God is not just interested
in us singing a song god Bless America
he’s not interested in only a pledge of
allegiance to a nation he’s interested
in a pledge of allegiance to himself and
when he detects that he is being
marginalized and we’re more interested
in blessing America or blessing
something else rather than blessing him
he will allow us a disruption but the
reason he allows his disruption is
because he wants to create a new
opportunity for his favor that’s why I
love lamentations chapter 3 verses 31 to
33 which says God will allow grief so
that we might return to him so he allows
a bad day so that we can desire the
sunshine again and he has the sunshine
ready to break for this sort of like a a
mother in labor that’s a painful
situation the labor part is not
desirable I don’t know that by
experience but that’s what I’m told that
a labor period is not what you you would
prefer but when you know what’s coming
from the labor when you know that
bursting out of this is new life and new
opportunity and new growth then all of a
sudden the labor is good news in a bad
situation we got a bad situation and I
am very grateful for the doctors and I’m
very grateful for the nurses I’m very
grateful for the hospitals and the
medicine and all the effort being put
forth to reduce and ultimately eradicate
this pandemic but if we would allow God
who is speaking
who is shaking up our normality to
become front-page news again I mean look
at what has happened this situation has
got folk talking who weren’t talking to
each other I mean we got folk in
Washington trying to agree on stuff
because they’ve been forced to cuz
there’s something bigger than them
taking place that affects us all
you’ve got people wanting to help other
people
that they didn’t think of before because
they see the crisis
you’ve got people taking care about
cleanliness of about responsibility
because we have been forced into it
God is forcing us to not just say we’re
one nation under God but to start acting
like we’re one nation under God and the
reason he’s doing this according to
verse 25 is that if you belong to God
and you know Jesus Christ you’re part of
an unshakeable Kingdom let me tell you
why I love being a Christian I love
being a Christian not only because it
guarantees my eternal destiny once I
place my faith alone in Christ alone and
that guarantees it for everyone who puts
faith alone in the cross of Jesus Christ
who died on the cross for our sins and
rose from the dead yes I’ve got my
eternal destiny secure but let me tell
you why else I love being a Christian
because I belong to another realm which
he calls another Kingdom another rule of
God which is not subject to the
circumstances on earth he says we have a
kingdom that cannot be shaken even when
things are being shaken you know when
there’s an earthquake things tied to the
ground shake but if you’re in an
airplane you’re not going to shape with
the ground because you’re not attached
what God wants to do is dislodge us from
dependency on this life to him and if he
can dislodge us to him then we’re able
to live this life in the way it ought to
be lived
this is not chance this is not luck this
is not just a another virus it’s too big
for that it’s too awesome for that it’s
too unstoppable for that this is God
saying not making the disease but not
stopping it from doing what it’s doing
yet because he wants a focus on him a
return to him part of this unshakable
Kingdom and I love the way he brings
this home
he says for our God is a consuming fire
what does a consuming fire well it it
burns stuff up right but why well this
is coming from the Old Testament when
they would take sacrifices and put it on
the altar that was bad news for the Lamb
that was being slain or the goat that
was being slain that wasn’t that wasn’t
good news but but the purpose of it was
powerful because that sacrifice meant
sin was being dealt with forgiveness was
being granted and eternal life was being
experienced or life Vinh was being
offered to the people because it was
being consumed let me let me bring it up
to contemporary discussion when you put
on a wrinkled shirt or you wear a
wrinkled blouse ladies that’s not what
you want so what you’re gonna do you’re
gonna put on it some consuming heat
that’s called an iron on an iron boy you
take that iron you get it hot you put
that shirt those pants that blouse and
you put it down there and you begin to
iron it why because you want the
wrinkles consumed by the heat without
after if the shirt could talk it would
probably say leave me alone
it’s too hot up in here up in here up in
here you smoking me to get the shirt
would complain however the reason why
you put consuming fire on the shirt is
because you want to wear it
look good in it so you’re not trying to
hurt the shirt but you need to fire on
the shirt for the shirt to be the shirt
worth you wearing God wants to put you
and me on but not with wrinkles and so
what he does is he lets the fire hit our
lives our circumstances the Bible calls
him trials until he irons out the
wrinkles now how long do you put an iron
on a shirt till you get the wrinkles out
how long do we have to deal with all
this stuff we dealing with until God can
get the wrinkles out of America and out
of the culture and out of the world and
out of our lives and out of my families
and out of my circumstances he wants to
get the wrinkles out and he’ll keep the
heat on no matter how many experts you
get no matter how technically advanced
you are he knows how to bring the heat
in order to get the attention so this
trial that we are going through as
individuals and as a nation has created
an opportunity for you to become part of
this unshakable Kingdom that is no
longer tied tethered and limited to what
earth has to offer I can’t guarantee
that you won’t feel some of the pangs of
this trial that we’re going through what
I am saying is you won’t be controlled
by it or owned by it if you’re part of
this and shakable kingdom that’s why I
love what he says he says as I wind down
here and there’s 25 cents we are a part
assuming you are a part of this
unshakable kingdom you are to give
thanks and you are to serve Him
and he’s talking about when things are
shaking did you know you can give thanks
right now you don’t give thanks for the
problem you give things in it god I want
to thank you right now how you gonna use
this mess to create my miracle how you
gonna use this trial to give me my
triumph and god I am gonna praise you
for how you gonna use this crisis to
bring America together bring it back to
God because it’s wounded far away
and do it in such a way that you get the
glory that you deserve and not just a
prayer meeting in an emergency when we
forget you when the emergency is over
the last thing he says is that what I
want you to do is I want you to serve
hey we’re being told to wash our hands
and to wash our hands a lot well as you
wash your hands I want you to wash
somebody else’s feet I want you to go
and serve your neighbor serve other
members of your family this is not a
time for fighting and arguing this is a
time to serve those who desperately need
your help the homeless and the helpless
this is the time to reach out and not be
selfish with your goods and have to get
it all for you when some can be left for
someone else this is the time when we
can be kind to one another in our nation
and this is a time when we can glorify
our Great God in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ so in closing if you are a
Christian if you’re part of this
unshakable clean Kingdom I want you to
give thanks that this pandemic does not
own you because God owns you and that’s
why I love Matthew 6:33 which clearly
says seek ye first the kingdom of God
and his standard his righteousness and
all the rest will be added to you and in
that same passage he says and when you
put my kingdom first I got your back and
I have your worry your worry will dumb
down when your Kingdom commitment rises
up so don’t be a casual Christian this
is the time for full-time Christians not
part-time Saints this is a time for you
to be all-in with the Lord if you’re
here today this morning and you’re
listening and you’re not a Christian you
haven’t come to faith alone in Christ
alone don’t go another day without
securing your eternal destiny and having
divine help in time and the way you do
that is simply acknowledging that you
need a Savior because you’re a sinner
acknowledging that you can’t save
yourself because if you could save
yourself you wouldn’t need a savior so
acknowledging you are a sinner that you
need a Savior
and going to Jesus Christ who died on
the cross as your substitute who rose
from the dead and who offers you the
free gift of salvation if you would
simply receive him as your personal
substitute you do that right now and you
become part of the the kingdom that
cannot be shaken you surrender and now
learn to live under him in a great
church near by you and then you will
grow in your faith and not be shaken by
what’s shaking everybody else
hey there’s good news in a bad situation
in fact that’s great news in a bad
situation become part of the kingdom
that cannot be shaken this pandemic as
bad as it is is subject to a greater
king who is in charge of a greater
Kingdom
amen amen thank you
you know we thought of something because
you know a lot of people like you said
this is kind of an opportunity it’s
given us an opportunity the way this
structure of everything is falling right
now it’s an opportunity that families
are together they may not have time
together in a long time because
everybody’s been too busy or people
might have opportunity for rest or
silence or solitude in their lives and
so it’s given us an opportunity today as
well to kind of come back to the place
we used to be and we still are
frequently around a table like this but
one of the things we used to do and
still do is pepper you with questions
and at okhla final fellowship church on
Sunday dad teaches just like he did just
now a little bit a little bit longer
yeah I don’t have a crowd right now so
yeah I just heard y’all in the
background that wasn’t enough but on
Wednesday nights at Oakland Baba
Fellowship Church a lot of times you
answer questions from the audience I do
so we thought it would be a cool
opportunity just for a few moments
before we conclude our service with
communion to just ask a couple questions
that we’ve heard some of our friends
sort of whispering in our ears questions
that we’ve been talking about that we
hear in regards to what you just
preached on so there’s a few questions
that we have that we want to ask you and
give an opportunity for you to respond
who’s going first yeah you talked about
serving and praying in a hardship why
does serving and being focused outward
help me with my problem because of Luke
6:38 which says give and it will be
given back to you so whatever you want
God to do for you do for somebody else
because God says I’ll boomerang that why
because you’ve now become a conduit and
not a call to sack a call to sag you can
go to but you can’t go through but when
you can’t do it God sees you expressing
his love through you which means you’re
being like him which means he wants you
to do more of it so he’ll circle it back
to you so you can keep doing it
did it wait say that again that’s good I
think that people probably think too
that you talk to us like this when we
were kids like you would stand with your
Bible and preach a whole sermon but our
family dynamic was exactly like they
might picture it would be with four
small children so how did you lead in
devotions when you had you know a two
year old and a four year old and a six
year old and and chaos around what are
you about to say Chris I was gonna say
Jonathan was usually under the table he
was usually under the table that’s right
so how for someone that’s thinking well
this is great for this Sunday morning
because you all are leading us how do I
do this on on Monday or on Tuesday just
gathering my family together to read a
few verses of Scripture today well first
of all it became clear when we were
going through all that the child needed
to be converted so that was that was one
of the things but what we were trying to
do was emphasise principles so it maybe
read a verse emphasize the principle and
talk about that principle with life and
try to make it age-appropriate so you
can do it based on age that many
devotional books Jonathan and I wrote
one for families to gather around the
table but extract a principle above God
and about life attached that principle
from God to life and and then let them
repeat it back to you because that that
helps you to know whether they got it
whether they picked up that principle or
not and repetition is the key if you
around the table once a year the Bible
says and Psalm 128 verse three that the
way you grow your children is around the
table so you don’t just come the table
to eat you come to table to bless to
pray for to to encourage to to correct
and to give spiritual principles so grab
a principle extract that principle and
give a biblical reference for that
principle and then discuss that
principle to the age-appropriate level
of your children you can take principles
from the sermon that you heard on Sunday
from the pastor of the church that you
go to and say here’s what we learned
today
extract the principle repeated haven’t
repeat repeated back to you
now what you’re doing is you’re building
roots
and you’re building a boomerang
principle here’s the principle every
parent needs to know when you in stand
still biblical principles you’re
instilling a boomerang so that if they
do depart they can’t go but so far
because you’ve you’ve put a bungee cord
over on them and they got a bounce back
because you have given something that
their spirit cannot get away from so put
it in and let the Holy Spirit keep
reminding them of it I was looking up at
you I think this is the first time since
we were kids when we’ve sat at the table
with just the four of us and you did
what you did growing up like gave us a
this is a longer Bible lesson today but
I was thinking about that what I have in
me because of you doing this your whole
life just right here well I was looking
up at you talking I was flashing back to
being a kid like he’s done this since I
can remember where he’s instilled
principles and it’s along the way where
if we struggle we get we get pulled back
so I’m just a testament to what you’re
saying he’s not just giving instruction
to you guys we are sitting around this
table and it’s just an amazing this is a
beautiful moment in the deep this is the
detour just started really when it comes
to us and all the crazy stuff we’re
going through but this moment is a
beautiful view your mother was a
critical part of that because when I
couldn’t be there she was there and she
would do it and make sure it continued
when I was absent so so it was a team
effort
and the beautiful thing about the two of
you is that your parents were chain
breakers they made decisions that change
the trajectory of our family so for
somebody that’s watching maybe they are
single and haven’t been married yet or I
don’t have children of their own or
someone that their parents didn’t set
the pace for them they have the
opportunity to be the one that breaks
the chain and sets a whole new course
for their life and you’ve modeled that
as well I was thinking as you were
talking this passage you said well the
scripture says see to it that you do not
refuse him and you were talking about
how we are a part of a kingdom that’s
unshakable but of course we’ve had a
couple of years of a lot of shaking and
I was thinking about the person who’s
not sitting at their table you know with
their family they’re at the table by
themselves they’re in the middle of
their own difficulty maybe like us
caused by grief and they don’t have the
family support like we do or maybe
they’re shaken because like so many
people recently have found out they they
can’t go to work it has immediate
implications on their ability to provide
to get food or whatever and so when
we’re looking at this passage and we
talk about us sitting at the table and
all of the wonderful things that have
come about in our family as a result you
know we’ve been shaken and I’m thinking
about all of the people who are
currently shaking can you speak to the
person who is not refusing God who has
been faithful and while they understand
this principle of not being shaken they
are very much so feeling yeah shaken
because I have felt shaken yeah
sometimes still do and I know lots of
people are sitting here watching us
right now and they’re like this is great
and I’m trying but I am shaking in my
boots can you give a word to that person
to that person that you just described I
want to send you in a hurry to Isaiah 40
I there 40 spends most of the chapter
talking about the sovereignty of God he
comes down to the last few verses and
people are asking questions they’re
saying why am I going through this and
life isn’t fair we’ve all felt that and
what he tells you is that even when you
do not understand why and how and all of
the questions that we all ask you must
return to the character of God if once
you leave that you’re in you’re in
quicksand to your emotions to your
circumstances to your pain to your fear
you rush back god is good god is
faithful God is sovereign God is love
and even though times are bad that’s not
who God is and God makes a promise at
the end of Isaiah 40 if you will return
and make your focus on me it’s like a
phone that’s losing its power and you
take it back to the base to get
recharged God’s character is the base
and you go back to that base of the
character of God while he may not answer
all your questions he says what I will
give you is new strength I will give you
the ability to keep going when you get
up and go is gotten up in God that’s
what Joel found out he said even though
I’ve lost everything my eyes had seen
him and now that my eyes have seen him
chapter 42 I’m I can handle my situation
because I went back to the base go back
to God’s character if not you’ll be
awash in your circumstances and finally
dad would you just speak to all of the
believers who are scattered they’re not
in their local church as they remember
you know historically that’s what
they’ve done that’s what they’ve always
done every Sunday now they’re at home
would you just talk about number one the
role of the body of Christ globally
during this time but also individuals
responsibility and commitment to the
local church even while we’re gathering
in homes and gathering in unconventional
ways a Christian who is not meaningfully
attached to a local church
it’s like a body part not immediately
immediately attached to the body you
have limited the blood flow of the
Spirit of God when you are a detached
Christian you are a disobedient Saint
and God is not going to bless your
disobedience when you are holding back
the body of Christ because the body
needs you and you need it you should be
contributing to it time talents and
treasures and it should be contributing
to you growth and ministry and support
during your times of need so strengthen
your local church whatever that church
is let the pastor your leadership know
you’re not a you’re not a smoke Sunday
morning only you’re not a you’re not
just a person who shows up occasionally
though you are a vital part of the
program of God and you want God to use
you because he blesses you when he knows
he can trust you and when he knows he
can use you God is not going to skip the
church house to fix the white house so
God is waiting on the church so he can
do something better in the culture we
know that many of you have local
churches and as data say we’re still
mentioned it’s important for you to be
plugged in where you are we’re in Dallas
and we want you to know what’s happening
here at our church our dad has been
speaking through a series on the Holy
Spirit and those messages are on our
website if you’d like to know more about
our church more about our ministry here
if you just want to be connected maybe
you’re in Dallas and want to know more
about our church we want to encourage
you to go to OCB of Church org you can
find out all about our body and then a
little lower on the bottom of the page
you can click to join our mailing list
to find out more about what we’re doing
here in our local body we’re glad you’re
here with us this morning and we hope
that wherever you are at your kitchen
table or in your bed sitting on a
rocking chair on your back porch that
you have been encouraged that you have
been fed and that you have been reminded
that there is nothing that our God
cannot handle and that he has his eye
you well it’s time for us to have
communion together the verses before the
passage that I read says that Jesus is
the mediator of a new covenant a new
relationship
he is your link to the Father the Bible
says if you reject the son that you
can’t have intimacy with the father
because he loves the son and he that
hath the son hath life and that means a
new relationship a new family connection
and so communion is your reminder that
Jesus is your point of access he’s your
point of connectivity with Almighty God
and chameleon this new covenant this new
arrangement this this special
relationship is is your reminder that
he’s not a long-distance God he’s an
up-close-and-personal one and you can
keep him close right now you and your
loved ones and so we reminded of his
sacrifice which is the bread this bread
speaks of his body that was broken for
you he was beaten he was crucified he
was shredded so that you don’t have to
be as you chew this bread remember he
got chewed up on the cross so that you
can live forever in a glorified body
let’s eat together
remind ourselves that he was broken so
you don’t have to break
and of course there’s the blood without
the shedding of blood the Bible says
there’s no remission of sins the blood
had to be shed to satisfy the demands of
a holy God you may not like it you may
not want it but the reality is the life
of the flesh is in the blood
if the blood goes bad everything else is
wrong this precious blood of Jesus
Christ makes everything right because it
satisfies God when you wrap your life
around the blood God is satisfied
because the blood represents the
sacrifice of his beloved son Jesus
Christ who’s alive right now because
three days later he rose from the dead
so we can give thanks for his blood that
was shed for us on the cross so you stay
close you stay close with the Lord with
eachother with your local church and
then you do good in your community so
that God’s name is made great through
his people and for those of you who came
to Christ welcome to the family
because our Lord Jesus Christ has been
waiting for you
father thank you for this time thank you
that we could celebrate as family with
families with our local church with
Saints who are online and who are
watching and listening raise your church
up raise your people up to represent you
with jam-packed love but with clear
biblical clarity that we don’t
compromise the truth but we communicate
it with the right spirit and we’ll give
you the glory and honor for you are
worthy in Jesus name Amen
from the evidence family to your family
god bless you and have a great Sunday
together
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it’s
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you
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amen