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.
when you’re sick and you can’t fix it
yourself
wear over-the-counter medication just
won’t do you go to the doctor and what
you want the doctor to do is you want
the doctor to write a prescription or
often that is what they do to resolve
your physical pain and physical problem
you take that prescription to the
pharmacy you give it to the pharmacist
they fill it you take the medicine home
and you begin the healing process
because of a prescription that was
written by a qualified person that you
took to resolve your medical hurt pain
and discomfort well I’m sure you agree
with me that this virus has been no joke
Korona is not playing around it’s this
invisible invasion that we’re all having
to deal with and it has caused quite a
bit of pain medical pain physical pain
emotional pain relational pain economic
pain political pain I mean it’s just
been painful and you know everybody’s
looking for a resolution looking for a
prescription that will work well today I
want to talk to you about a prescription
for our pandemic but not only our
collective pandemic but your pandemic
the things that are eating at your life
in this environment there’s been a lot
of pain abuse neglect rejection
frustration on so many different levels
but there is a prescription that if we
begin to use particularly those of us
who are in relationship with God and if
we take this prescription seriously we
can begin to see some resolve to not
only the
issue that we all are dealing with but
it’s repercussions throughout our lives
our families and our broader society God
the Great Physician has a prescription
for the big pandemic and for your
pandemic it’s found in Isaiah 58 verses
1 to 12 there are three ingredients to
this prescription three three
medications if you will that if you take
it it’ll begin a process of healing in
your life and in your world God’s people
were facing a crisis and by the way the
reason that the world is facing a crisis
is because we are facing a crisis and
until God can’t get and can tell God can
get his people right don’t expect them
to get the world right he starts off by
saying that the people were religious
they were crying aloud verse one says
and they were raising their voices like
a trumpet they they made all the right
words god we want to know your ways they
said all the right things and on top of
that they fasted fast it is where you
are giving up a craving in the physical
to gain something in the spiritual
fasting is where you give up food or
some other material physical
satisfaction and delight for a period of
time and replace it with deep heartfelt
communication with the Living God
fasting is saying that the spiritual
Trump’s the physical and as bad as the
physical is I need the spiritual to
invade it now we’ve said it many times
remember that if all you see is what you
see you do not see all there is to be
seen everything physical and visible is
always preceded by something invisible
and spiritual so if you want to properly
address the physical visible you must
first address the invisible spiritual so
these people who are struggling
had a religious vanilla on them but yet
they had a problem because they say it
in verse three we fasted but we don’t
see you doing anything we’ve humbled
ourselves but nothing is happening why
isn’t this working why aren’t we seeing
more changes in our lives and in our
families and in our communities and why
aren’t we seeing the supernatural
address the natural well that’s where
verse four comes in this is the first
part of the prescription by the way
behold you fast for contentions strife
and with the wicked fist you do not fast
like you do today to make your voices
heard on high it is a fast this which I
choose a day for a man to humble
themselves it is for bowing one’s head
like a reed and for spreading out the
sack cloth and ashes as a bed will you
call this a fast even an acceptable day
to the Lord the point is you can go
through religious exercise and it goes
nowhere
you can speak Christianese you can go to
church and it doesn’t go anywhere why
because the people wanted God to
intervene without them changing their
ways verse one talks about their
transgression they weren’t willing to
align their lives in obedience to God
while they carried on their religious
activity being religious has a
fulfillment about it it can thicken it
can satisfy you I’m gonna make a
confession right now for breakfast today
I had doughnuts I love doughnuts they
have to be put in the oven for about or
the microwave for about 15 seconds let
them let the sugar melt just a little
bit they’ll be warm and and those donuts
just melt in your mouth
I love the
the problem is while they are sweet to
the taste they offer no nutritional
value there they’re non beneficial
that’s what religion is it can be sweet
the cinnamon can be sweet the singing
can be sweet the fellowship can be sweet
but it can be sugar placebo it doesn’t
offer you anything that changes you it
just makes you feel okay where you are
in fact religion can camouflage
righteousness you can be religious while
not being serious about dealing with the
areas in our lives that block God from
breaking through to us until there is
the pursuit of righteousness I don’t
mean perfection nobody can be perfect
but the pursuit of God meaning
repentance where we are unrighteous then
you cannot expect the prescription to
work everybody wants God to bless us to
bless america
the bless the world while we don’t bless
him that’s backwards Christian soldiers
he says the first thing you’ve got to do
is you’ve got to take me seriously
you’ve got to humble yourself before me
that is pursuing a relationship with me
and a righteous life before me if you’re
not pursuing your relationship and
you’re not pursuing a righteous life you
aren’t pursuing God no matter how
terrified you’ve become no matter how
many services you go to no matter how
much Bible reading you do no much–how
fasting how much fast and you do know
much how no matter how much praying you
do it won’t go anywhere
because you’re not doing the fast that
he chooses you’re doing the fast that
you choose so all the spiritual
sacrificing that does not pursue a
relationship and the pursuit of a
righteous lifestyle coming out of that
relationship is a waste of time because
God says that’s not what I’m asking for
you’re giving me what you want me to
have you ever have people in your life
and they they’re giving you what they
they’re not giving you what you need
require or requested you know when a
baby is breached in its mother’s womb
it’s turned the wrong way and so a
delivery and deliverance of that baby
through the womb is problematic because
it’s not turned right and so doctors
will often go in the womb and turn the
baby’s head down so it’s faced in the
right position because when it’s in the
right position it’s ready for delivery
well you may be in labor right now I may
be in labor our culture is certainly in
labor but our heads turn the right way
are we breached are we just are we just
going through the spiritual motions
without the pursuit of relationship in
fact they really didn’t want to hear
what God had to say they just wanted to
give him enough religion to make him
satisfied you know a lot of people won’t
get on the scale and the reason why they
won’t get on the scale is because they
don’t want to see what the truth is they
don’t want to see what reality is so
they they somehow feel better by not
getting on the scale well a lot of
people don’t want to be confronted by
their unrighteousness by our
unrighteousness by our rejection of God
in government our rejection of God in
education our rejection of God in
business our rejection of God in
economics our rejection of God in the
definition of humanity in the definition
of marriage and family we do not want
divine interference in our and
righteousness we just want to be made
comfortable says that’s not the fast
that I choose so all the religiosity
that you come up with is not addressing
your camouflaging and it won’t bring
about the very thing that you’re asking
so the first thing that you’ve got to do
is pursue a relationship with the Living
God on his terms
manifested in a increasingly righteous
lifestyle that is your living to please
him based on what he says not based on
what you think what your mama thought
what your daddy said or what the culture
says well that leads us to the second
prescription and the second prescription
reads like this verse six says is this
not the fast which I choose to loosen
the bonds of wickedness to undo the
bands of the yoke and to let the
oppressed go free to break every yoke is
it not to divide your bread with the
hungry and to bring the homeless poor
into your house when you see the naked
to cover him and not hide yourself from
your own flesh he says the second thing
you was do if you want to be healed
yourself will get to you in a moment
I’ve forgotten you but what he says is
that you must minister terribly to
others now let’s get this kind of
ministry straight this kind of ministry
that ministers to others means that
you’re not a selfish saint that you’re
not just thinking about three people me
myself and I but that even in your pain
struggle and stress you are willing to
minister to somebody else who’s worse
off than you and trust me I don’t care
what your status is there’s somebody
worse off than you you’ve already heard
me declare Luke 6:38 given it will be
given to you whatever you need give to
somebody else so that it can boomerang
back to you he says the major sin was
how they were treating other people you
can’t treat other people any kind of way
some kind of way and expect God to heal
your wounds he says I want you to
minister terribly and responsibly
because charity must be done responsibly
the Bible says but to help people who
need your help
particularly those
in the same situation that you’re in
Paul says in the first chapter second
Corinthians to comfort others with we’re
in the comfort that you are being
comforted in other words help somebody
else where you need help God says if you
want a prescription for your own healing
there must be reaching out and he talks
about the hungry and the homeless and
the naked he’s talking about ministering
to others so this gets chatty straight
biblical charity it’s where you serve
the need of somebody else without
expecting anything in return
okay you’re not asking for a quid pro
quo you’re not asking for something in
return that’s called business you know
I’m gonna do this let’s cut this deal
you’ll do that this for that that’s
business
no he’s talked about ministry now
servanthood and everybody has been
called to be a servant if you name the
name of Jesus Christ you’ve been called
to be a servant how how good are you
serving who else have you helped
recently yes I know we’ve been
quarantined for a while but the
prescription says no you better reach
out to somebody else you’re lonely reach
out to somebody else you know who’s
lonely you hungry give food at whatever
level you can there’s somebody else who
needs food you’re struggling with
employment make a contact for somebody
else who needs an opportunity that they
qualify for that you may not they can
come in a million different ways but
you’re seeing yourself as a service it’s
amazing how many people when churches
are open don’t go to worship service
they go to worship selfish they go to
find out what God wants to say to them
how God wants to teach them how God
wants to encourage them and they’ll do
that for days months and years and never
serve in a ministry never help anybody
else he says no if you are unwilling to
be a servant then you can’t cry out to
me and your crisis to be sir
by me remember it’s more blessed to give
than to receive why is it more blessing
because that is the way to receive the
way to receive is by being a giver and
yes that includes money but it includes
time and talents as well because people
can write checks or give dollars as an
excuse not to be involved that’s why we
tell our church members when they hand
out the act of kindness cards they’ll
just they’ll just do a good deed but pre
with the person and share the good news
of the gospel with the person because
you’re caring about people not just
fulfilling a program that’s also why
wherever you serve serve with your heart
in it your heart and your hands word and
deed let people know wherever you are
serving that you care about them and
that you’re not just fulfilling a job
description he says if you want to see
me then I need you to serve somebody
else it reminds me of the lady who the
lady who went to the mailbox one day and
she saw a letter in the mailbox that
said I’m coming to your home tonight for
dinner and underneath it said signed
Jesus Wow Jesus is coming to my house
for dinner so she wanted to make
preparations on her way to the store she
ran by a hungry family and she paused
for a moment found out what they needed
and gave them something to eat and she
came out of the store because you
remember she’s getting things for Jesus
she ran across a homeless man without a
coat she went back in and got the
homeless man a coat she went home
because guess what Jesus is coming for
dinner and she went home she saw a note
on the door and the note on the door
said thank you thank you for providing
me a meal and a coat sign
Jesus you see the way you show Jesus
that you love him
is how better off your neighbor is
because you love it the way you show
Jesus that you are serious and not just
religious it’s because your ministry
minded with the heart that cares for
others we live in a dog-eat-dog world we
live in a Me Myself in our society but
I’d like to suggest to you that the
prescription for this pandemic to get
God to intervene in our affairs all of
them including including the virus yeah
because the plagues don’t escape God’s
hand we can see that all over Scripture
he says I’ll heal the plague when you’re
operating by my plan and I know that
doesn’t look like the two of connected
but they’re very connected and so first
of all there must be the pursuit of
righteousness out of a relationship
secondly of all there must be the
service to others and then I know this
is the one you’re waiting for
and then then after you’ve done the
first part righteousness the second part
servanthood then you come to verse eight
then your light will break out like the
dawn mmm and your recovery will speedy
spring speedily spring forth and your
righteousness will go before you the
glory of the Lord will be your rear
guard then you will call and the Lord
will answer you will cry and he will say
Here I am if you remove the yoke from
your midst the thing holding you back
the pointing of the finger and speaking
of wickedness and if you give yourself
to the hungry and satisfy the desire
they flicked it then your light will
rise in darkness and your gloom will be
come like midday and the Lord will
continually guide you and give strength
to your loins and your bones and you
will be like a watered garden and like a
spring of water whose waters do not fail
those who among you will rebuild the
ancient ruins you will rise up the old
foundations and you will be called
repairers of the breach the restorer of
the streets in which you dwell our
streets are in trouble aren’t they
we’ve got injustice taking place
insensitivity taking place
unrighteousness taking place
we’ve got calamity and divorce calamity
and abuse and then we have on top of
that all this medical stuff the streets
are in trouble you’ve got conflict
between police and citizens between
Democrats and Republicans between black
and whites often between male and female
the streets are in trouble but he says
if you want me to take care of the
street if you want me to join you in
your predicament then you’ll have to do
this my way you know in baseball you
don’t start off at third-base that’s not
where you start in baseball you just
can’t come up to bat and then run left
down to third base it doesn’t work that
way no if you want to get home you got
to go in another direction see a lot of
us want to start on third base so that
all we got to do is one thing and go
home no no you got to go to first second
and third man you can come home well
first base is where you remove the bond
of wickedness he says that is where you
identify sin in your life you
acknowledge that it is sin and then you
repent of it let me define repentance
repentance is the internal determination
and decision to turn from sin repentance
is the internal determination and
decision to
turn from sin now how do you know your
internal is real how do you know that
you really mean it he says because
you’ll show fruit of repentance you can
talk about an apple tree all day long
but until you see some apples you’re not
convinced you can talk about a pantry
all you want but until you see some
pears it’s not convincing no matter
what’s happening underneath the ground
until you see something it has not
demonstrated itself to be real so
anybody can talk a good game amen praise
the Lord hallelujah God is good all the
time all the time God is good but he
says no you must loosen the bonds of
wickedness you must identify and we all
must do that from pulpit to pew and we
must repent with fruit of repentance
where we demonstrate to God and as
necessary others that we’re serious
about our faith and then he says then
you must minister to others you must
serve others you must come alongside of
others and then he gives a whole litany
a whole list of benefits that will
accrue when you get to third base when
you get to number three the third part
of the description he says your darkness
will become light in other words God
will meet you in your confusion because
when things are dark you can’t see
things clearly and aren’t there a lot of
decisions that we have to make today do
we go back to school do we keep schools
closed do we go out to work do we not go
out to work but what about my agent and
propensity to the illness and what how
far do I go you know we got all these
decisions to make in terms of the
collective but we also have all these
decisions to make regarding ourselves
and things get dark
Jesus says God says in his word I will
turn your darkness into light that is
I’m going to clear up things for you I’m
gonna replace your hopelessness with
hope he says when you do this I will
begin to work in you to bring soul
satisfaction I’ll bring harmony and
peace where you have chaos and calamity
he says not only that but I love this
you will rebuild the ancient ruins you
know we’re not looking at evolution of
society we’re looking at the devolution
of society we going down here we’re not
going up hill I don’t care what the
economy looks like I don’t care what the
you know prognosticators that saying we
going downhill as a community of people
the conflicts the strife the rebellion
all of this the the redefinition is we
we going south God allows crises he
allows calamities he allows them to
drive us to our knees to Humble us so
that we become be began to recognize
that we got to do this thing his way
there must be a radical return to God on
his terms and when there is this radical
return to God on his terms they will see
God radically invade our circumstances
our situations our lives and this starts
with the church it starts with
Christians we want to start pointing at
the white house when we can’t even get
straight our house when we have
illegitimate divisions along lines that
God never never would authorize he will
prepare your broken life your broken
home and our broken nation if we will be
broken before him stripped of our
independence and self-sufficiency you
know in April 15th
well not true in 2020 but normally on
April 15th that’s tax day and when you
do your taxes you hope to get back
something that was given you want to get
something back they don’t just want to
pay in you want to get something back
and one of the things that determines
your tax
or tax income what you will get back is
what you served you know charitable
giving what you gave in terms of dollars
we want to return based on our kindness
well God gives a return based on our
service he says then you will see God
work on your behalf you know when a
person goes to jail or finds a crime one
of the things that they they hope to get
his community service instead of being
locked up and oftentimes dependent upon
what the crime was that was committed
the judge will give them a certain
amount of hours of community service
in lieu of either a fine or in lieu of
jail time or maybe both they say let’s
do some community service and through
your community service reduce your
sentence maybe you feel like like as
sentenced you may be your that single
parent you feel like you’ve been
sentenced to aloneness maybe you’re that
abandoned child and you feel like you’ve
been sentenced to life without guidance
maybe you’re that man and you’ve been
sentenced then not being able to be
identified for the person you were
created to be maybe you’re that person
who feels lost and you feel sentenced
about what your destiny will you ever
realize it well God is allowing
community service if you get right with
him become a servant to others then he
will meet you in your place and when
those three things happen together you
will have taken the prescription even in
this pandemic for your healing and if
enough of us do it for the healing of
our land I think it’s only appropriate
that as we take communion today we think
about these three things I want to
challenge you to enter a time of fasting
if you haven’t already
well you give up a meal or you give up
your favorite TV show and you spend some
concentrated time on your knees on your
face before God where you confess to him
every area that you are aware of where
you fail with an internal determination
to turn and then you do something that
validates what you just decided so that
it doesn’t just wind up being a feeling
for the moment but an action taking you
in a whole nother direction find
somebody to serve in an appropriate way
given the context of our situation now
and then tell god what you need from him
I want you to do that I want you to
spend a moment with God so that we can
see God in vain your life and our
circumstances and he’s bringing healing
to the streets including the street that
you live on Jesus died to bring us back
into fellowship with God that’s why he
died to reconcile us with the father his
body was broken and that’s what the
brand is all about his body broken when
you chew it up he was chewed up for you
give him thanks now as we eat in
remembrance of him
without the shedding of blood there’s no
remission of sin God has determined that
for sin to be forgiven blood has to be
shed shed and so what he did was shed
his own blood in the second member of
the Trinity Jesus Christ so you could be
forgiven and restored and then used in
all his party package and return to your
purpose and you know the good thing
about getting right with God he can hit
a bull’s eye with a Crooked Stick so I
don’t care how messed up you been God
can still hit the target for your life
if you give it your life it’s all
because of the blood shall we drink in
remembrance of him father we thank you
for the privilege of worshiping you and
giving you the glory to your name
receive your people as we take the
prescription in the midst of our
pandemic and your name we pray amen