Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder, and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets, and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.
can I challenge you today i’ma challenge
myself too in light of all that’s been
going on I want to challenge us to put
our faith over our fears sometimes you
can’t control fear because it just comes
on you and it’s just all up in your
grill I mean it’s just all over you
because the circumstances make you
afraid but my challenge today is to
place faith over your fears when when we
were in school the teacher would give
you a test sometimes it would be a pop
quiz sometimes it would be a major
midterm or final exam the test was
always designed to see whether you had
learned what was taught in preparation
for where you were going next the next
grade level so to go from one grade
level to the next grade level it
involved the test not too many kids that
I knew growing up or adults in and my
graduate education got all excited about
a test but they knew it was part of the
curriculum part of the curriculum for
your life in my life by God is a test
now a good teacher will only test you
over information taught you in other
words they don’t give you tests of an
information you are not supposed to know
but information you’re supposed to know
grasp and be able to recite or utilize
throughout Jesus’s walk with his
disciples he would give them tests and
what he would be testing is their faith
whether they believed what they heard or
whether they were doing what a lot of us
do every Sunday just say Amen without
adopting and incorporating it into our
functional lives
moving it from theory to activity one of
those events is found in mark chapter 4
I love this this event Jesus has been
teaching like crazy and he’s been
teaching about the kingdom of God and he
was just just been laying it on all day
and he was explaining to his own
disciples so that they would understand
this rule of God and understand how they
would live their lives underneath God
and how they would have confidence in
the God that they were to follow on the
next day Jesus says to his followers let
us go to the other side that is the
other side of this eight mile track
across the Sea of Galilee so they all
get in their boats because they hanging
out with Jesus it says as they were
going along verse 37 says there arose a
fierce Gale of wind and waves that were
breaking over the boat so much so that
the boat was already filling up now you
have to understand a lot of these guys
are fishermen so they’re used to being
in the water they used to win and use
the waves they understand how to roll in
this environment but this was different
the Greek word here is the word lilac a
lot lack is a wind storm it’s a storm
the Sea of Galilee sits inside of a
mountain range and so sometimes when the
wind blows up it acts like a funnel and
sucks it down creating a major
disturbance when they left everything
was fine but on their way things got
crazy they were in a lot like we’re in a
lilac Coronas a lilac economic loss is
the lilac people being laid off is a
lilac some stores not getting filled up
as quickly that you need you need supply
that’s a lilac people were in a hospital
in the lilac
while AK is the storm that comes out of
nowhere that disrupts your ordered life
that brings adversity and discouragement
that’s what they’re in but please notice
something they’re in a storm
while they’re also in the will of God
did you hear that being in the will of
God doesn’t mean him it’s not gonna fund
a storm on you people asked why why am I
going through this when I’m serving God
well teachers give tests to good
students and bastards right so they are
in the will of God and in a storm
because both can happen simultaneously
don’t ever let anybody tell you if you
in the will of God it won’t rain
sometimes you haven’t seen rain until
you’re in the will of God so you can be
out of the will of God in the storm but
they are in the will of God and in a
storm the boat is filling up now watch
this it says in verse 38 of Mark for
Jesus himself was in the stern sleeping
on a cushion hello what good is the
Savior who’s gonna sleep on you when you
in a storm have you ever noticed when
you were taking the test how silent the
teacher was you’re in there struggling
with the test and the teacher will tell
you silent please teacher will get quiet
sometimes they even walk out the room
sometimes when you in a storm Jesus will
get quiet on you the telephone line will
seem busy
he’ll seem like a million miles away you
won’t be feeling him Jesus is asleep but
but notice he not just asleep he’s
snoring cuz it tells us he sleep on a
cushion now if you sleep on a cushion
that doesn’t mean you you you you doing
that you’re not not if you put a cushion
as a pillow
he probably had a my pillow you know he
got he got a pill on there if you put a
pillow under you that means you meant to
go to sleep you sleeping on purpose
so Jesus intentionally goes to sleep
when his followers are in trouble
if you’re in the world of God right now
you serving the Lord you obeying God but
she still holds up with this virus you
still got your economic concerns and
Jesus seems a far away far away he’s
there but he’s just not moving yet says
he was asleep in the stern on a pillow
and they woke him that concept is there
the shake-and-bake they had their dare
to get him up then said come on man you
can’t be sleeping at a time like this
Jesus and said to him teacher do you not
care that we are perishing that’s what
it feels like when you’re in a test
you’re in his will and you can’t hear
from him don’t you can’t how can you be
quiet at a time like this how can you
sleep when we are scared to death now
there were three storms happening at the
same time there is the external storm
that’s the winds and the waves putting
the water on the boat that was
threatening their physical lives okay
it’s like this virus that threatens our
physical well-being
there was this external storm that was
invading them but then there was an
internal storm because they were very
much afraid they’re going to be told why
are you so afraid so they’re fearful for
their lives now for professional
fishermen of which a number of these men
were to be scared for their lives mean
this is not a regular storm this is
something that can hurt you this is
something that can second that can take
you under so there’s this external storm
then there is this emotional storm but
then there was the worst storm of all a
spiritual storm because they said
teacher do you not care that we are
perishing do you not care that we are
struggling do you not care that we are
hurting do you not care
because sometimes when you’re in a
crisis it feels like God doesn’t care
cuz if he cared like Martha and Mary
said if you would have been here if you
would have been if you hadn’t delayed a
few days we wouldn’t be going through
this we’re going through this come on
Jesus sometimes to tell the truth you
want to throw up a red flag out on God
you football people know what that is
that’s when the coach reaches in his
pocket pulls out a red flag and throws
it on the field because he believes that
the ref has made a mistake ref has made
a bad call and I want to challenge it
sometimes you want to ask God why you
you don’t know why he’s loudest don’t
you care don’t don’t you care what I’m
going through this red flag you this is
a bad call and yet they’re in a storm
Jesus asleep they wake him up and they
got a storm on it on the inside and the
storm in their soul
you don’t care where is God when it
hurts Jesus gets up in verse 39 and
rebuked the wind and said to the sea
hush be still some of your versions say
peace be still
well no way meant if peace has to be
still that means peace must be moving
see we need to understand a little bit
about peace peace has nothing to do with
external circumstances peace has to do
with internal calm regardless of
external circumstances that’s why the
Bible calls it the peace that passes
understanding because you don’t
understand why you would have it
giving given what’s going on around you
this is the time to be in turmoil and
you are calm when everything around you
is collapsing
it’s like Rahab being calm in our house
when the walls of Jericho are falling
down
peace is being able to rest in God even
though everything is rocky around you
he tells peace to hush be still cool out
calm down chill Jesus speaks to nature
and when he says hush be still
immediately the wind died down and it
became perfectly calm see that’s how
when you know it’s God because it’s Calm
you didn’t expect it’s peace that passes
understanding now this leads to Jesus
asking a question why are you afraid
verse 40 says how is it that you have no
faith now that seems like an odd
question we’re in a storm the boats
filling up our very lives are threatened
you’re asleep and you’re gonna ask us
why are we so afraid and how is it we
have no faith and almost it’s like
asking a swimmer why are you wet I mean
the question doesn’t make sense I can
see Peter because he’s the one who liked
the talk saying oh let’s see maybe we’re
a little bit afraid because we’re
getting ready to die I mean come on
Jesus come on I don’t understand the
question so here it is as we face the
crisis that we’re dealing with and the
ones that will come after this when in
you in the will of God and it’s not
working out and Jesus says why are you
afraid
meaning you shouldn’t be and why do you
have it says no faith because their
little faith was gone here’s the test
jesus said before they left let us go to
the other side let me repeat that
jesus said before they left let us go to
the other side
the test was will you believe my word or
will you believe your problem
the test was is what I say more potent
than what you see faith is the evidence
of things not seen
you see the storm that’s real you don’t
deny the virus it’s real you don’t deny
the problem it’s real you don’t deny the
finances but what did I say I said let
us I just say let me I said all y’all
let us go to the other side other side
other side of the side which means we
all gonna make it so I let a storm come
in to see whether the amens you said on
Sunday you’re believing in your storm on
Monday or whether you just talking a
good game cuz you’re not it’s not
raining yet God wants to appeal what’s
his people to appeal to his word in the
midst of their storm because the storms
of life are tests and tests are always
designed to show us the level of our
faith and to develop us to the next
level of spiritual maturity God wants to
grow us through a storm are you growing
in this quarantine or are you controlled
by your fear or have you decided then
I’m gonna go with God’s Word and I’m
gonna let that Trump my fear my faith
will trump my fear this is a time to
have biblical faith that’s not a feeling
you’ve heard me say before faith is
acting like God is telling the truth hey
hey guys
God said we’re gonna make it to the
other side so he’s a little pill he’s
got he’s got on my pillow let me get my
my pillow y’all get y’all my pillow he
sleep let’s all sleep cuz he said we’re
gonna make through the other side since
he’s not worried and he’s with us then
we know where he is either he’s on the
boat he’s sleeping and he told us we’re
gonna make it to the other side so
either he’s lying or he’s trustworthy
see a lot of Christians ever decided
whether Jesus is trustworthy or not
whether his word is true whether his
word is real whether what he says has
has meat to it it’s time for faith to
Trump care you can’t always stop fear
from coming but you can keep it from
living in you he says why do you have no
faith no but I don’t understand this
guys I’ve been doing all this teaching
all these parables about my authority
all these parables about the Word of God
I’ve been showing you my power and you
still don’t get it yes I let the storm
come on purpose because I want to see
where you are and I want you to see
where you are cuz I already know where
you are I want you to see you I want you
to see whether those amens hallelujah
praise the Lord isn’t God good all that
all that good Sunday talk I want to see
if it got any meat on it and the way
we’re gonna do it is we’re gonna give
you a test right now you passing the
test God gives you the test he brings
into your life or when the test comes do
you throw away your faith because you
didn’t have a faith in the first place
you just had the right Christian
vocabulary you would learn to speak
Christianese because you know Christians
have their own vocabulary you know we
can we can talk a good game god is good
all the time all the time god is good
you know we got we got it going on when
it comes to the right sayings but what
happens when it’s raining thunderstorms
well it says in verse 41 then then they
became very much afraid hmm let’s pause
there for a moment
Jesus says why are you afraid what were
they afraid of the storm their
circumstances had them panicking but
when they saw Jesus do his thing they
were very much afraid what’s the point
God wants you to fear him more than you
feel what’s wrong he wants
fear him more than you feel your
circumstances he wants your fear of him
and his power to be greater than your
fear of your problem no no you can’t
deny your problem you don’t act like the
virus isn’t there the finances aren’t
shaking the money’s not funny you know
you know act like pain isn’t real that
you’re not hurting physically because
then you would be lying but he doesn’t
want you to limit it to that he wants
you to fear him that’s why there’s so
much in the Bible about the fear of God
they said when they saw him work they
said they were very much afraid and they
started talking to one another and
here’s what they said who then is this
that even the wind and the sea obey Him
you say they didn’t know who they were
dealing with hey this this this this
shock the socks off who is this do you
know who Jesus is do you know who you
dealing with let’s talk about who Jesus
is for a moment he was born of a virgin
because it was born of a virgin there
was a human part of his birth and a
divine part of his birth because Mary’s
egg was fertilized the scripture says by
the Holy Spirit so Jesus is the most
unique person that’s ever lived because
he’s one person with two natures he has
a human nature he has a divine nature
that’s why I can be called one time the
Son of God and the next time the son of
man because he’s fully human and he’s
fully divine without any mixture of sin
we call this in theology the hypostatic
Union it’s the fine force in Philippians
chapter 2 when deity all that he has
ever been throughout eternity was poured
into a container called humanity so that
he could reveal God to us and come here
as the sinless Savior to die on the
cross and rise again from the dead
so he’s both at the same time so what
can he do well right here you see it he
can go to sleep because humans get
sleepy but then he can come and put
nature to sleep because he’s also divine
he can be born of a virgin and at the
same time the Bible says he created the
mother
they gave him birth because he created
all things the animals that were in the
stall when Jesus was born was created by
the Jesus the baby that was born in the
same stall fact the wood that made the
manger come from a tree that he made
because he created all creation that he
had to utilize as a baby he could get
thirsty as a man but because he’s the
son of the Living God he can walk on the
water he can get hungry because it’s a
man but he can take sardines and
crackers from a little boy and turn it
into a moby-dick sandwich and feed 5000
men not counting women and children he’s
a man so he can die
oh but as a living son of God he can get
up out the grave you see you need to
know who you dealing with he’s the man
Jesus who’s the eternal son of God what
manner of man is there who are we
dealing with say we’ve dumbed down Jesus
we’ve made him nice and soft and
sometimes even weak we don’t know he’s
the glorified son of God and He is the
means to get to the Father that’s why we
end our president Jesus name what was
what we’re saying is we need you to
authorize this request we need you to
stand behind what we’re asking the big
Mahathir the Heavenly Father what we’re
asking him to do because the beautiful
thing about Jesus is because he’s man he
can touch us because he’s God he can
touch to touch the Father so he can hook
the two up what manner of man is this
you need to know who you’re dealing with
when you’re dealing with Jesus and let
me tell you something about God’s
testing he believes in retesting when
you fail he will retest you
as many times as you fail so you keep
failing you and keep getting retest in
that same general vicinity until you
learn the lesson so why don’t we start
passing some tests so we can move on now
I know in the next grade you won’t get a
new test but that means you’ll have new
information to take the next test
because the only tests you offer
information he’s given you so it’s time
now for us to pass some tests not just
take tests so that we can now go to the
next spiritual level well you and I
learn who Jesus is when you and I
learned how awesome he is when you and I
learned how great he is you see he knows
when we when we knows when we’re playing
a game it’s like you can cook meat and
it looked done on the outside but you
stick that fork in there and you realize
it’s not done it had the appearance of
being done but inside it wasn’t cooked
so what do you do you put it back in the
oven again until you get it just right
God wants to get us just right and he’s
not satisfied with how we look on the
outside because we look Christian we
look spiritual we look full of faith we
look like we’re growing we look like
we’re depending we look like we’re
prayerful we look like we’re victorious
because we’ve got all the right things
hang out with the right people go to the
right church and we look like we looked
the part but when he sticks the fork in
we’re not done because we’re not passing
the test God’s gonna test you and he’s
gonna retest you and he wants you to
pass so he can take you to the next
spiritual level of development
Coronas is one of those tests as you
said home why you passing the test or
are you living in fear Jesus may be
silent but when he’s silent he’s not
still a little boy was on a plane and
the plane was in massive turbulence
he was sitting next to an elderly lady
who was terrified she was scared to
death
trembling the boy was playing with a toy
she said boy how can you be so calm when
we’re in this much trouble he says well
Reed’s not gonna be calm as my daddy is
the pilot see when you know who’s at the
controls doesn’t mean you won’t be in
turbulence
but you knows in control to get you from
where you are to the other side of where
it wants you to come
one of the great offers of our Savior
Jesus Christ is life plus abundant life
that means a fulfilled life so many
people are existing because they don’t
possess the life of God if you don’t
know that you possess the life of God
let’s get that fixed right now Jesus
Christ is offering you his life the
Bible says he that hath the son had life
so if you want life not existence the
forgiveness of sins the the guarantee of
heaven and having Jesus Christ involved
with your life on earth all of that is
in this package called life and he’s
offering it to you for free well not a
lot is for free today but this is life
for free how do you get it you simply go
to Jesus Christ and trust him alone for
it you don’t work for it you don’t earn
it you don’t you don’t go to church for
they can’t none of that can give you
life only the person of Christ can give
you life
so I’m gonna pray a prayer you pray it
after me you just have to mean it for
yourself well Jesus I know I’m a sinner
I know I can’t save myself but you’ve
offered me the free gift of eternal life
in exchange from my sin so I place my
sin next to your cross believing you
died as my substitute and I received now
the eternal life that you say you would
give me for free if I came to you for it
so I received that now and thank you for
my new salvation in Jesus name Amen god
bless
you
you