Are you suffering the consequences of making a wrong turn? Tony Evans provides you with the key to making a U-turn and heading back toward God
Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative, chaplain of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and author of over 100 books, booklets & Bible studies. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on more than 1,300 US outlets daily and in more than 130 countries.
when a person has a master key to a
facility that means that they can unlock
any door all doors are subject to this
one key that person may have an
individual key to a room or to their
office but when someone has a master key
it can address all the rules I am sure
many of you hearing about this series
have said I need God to do something
about my unique special applied to me
situation and there are probably as many
variables of scenarios in this room as
there are people you have a unique set
of circumstances that you are having to
deal with that may be totally different
or may be varied from your neighbor but
I want to launch our time together today
by giving you the master key because the
key I’m getting ready to give you will
unlock every door you’re not an
exception to this key it’s a master key
for that whatever the circumstance or
consequence is you are dealing with but
today I want to give you through based
on the Word of God the one key that will
address the masses of scenarios that are
present in the variety of people who are
here
what is the master key that can give you
hope about a reversal in your
circumstances simply stated the master
key for the reversal of consequences
brought on by sin is developing a
lifestyle of repentance they said again
the master key that opens up the door
for the possibility of the reversal of
your life circumstances that have been
brought on by sin is developing a
lifestyle of repentance you read all
through the Bible and this word will
keep popping up or one of its synonyms
one that I will focus on today the word
return is brought up over and over again
in a whole variety of circumstances
where people saw the need to have their
circumstances in life reversed why is
this word the key word that you must
understand if you want God to intervene
at his prerogative into your
consequences now we’ve already
established that most of us if not all
of us are facing various degrees of
consequences due to sinful decisions
we’ve made leading to regrets that we
have and situations we wish we could
reverse and go back and do over again
the problem occurs is that you can’t the
problem occurs is that some things many
things and most things once they hit the
consequence level wind up being out of
our hands
and yet God does offer this word
predicated on his prerogative to open
the door for the many different
scenarios that need reversing due to
sinful decisions
so let’s start off understanding why the
word is needed before we get into what
the word entails the word repentance
repentance is necessary because of the
existence of sin sin may be defined as
any violation of the divine standard any
violation of the divine standard the
biblical word for it is sin the biblical
word is not mistake the biblical word is
not bad habit the biblical word is not
my bad the biblical word for the
violation of a divine standard is the
word sin let me hear you say sin the
reason why I wanted you to say it is
because it’s not like a popular word but
it is the only word god recognizes when
it comes to the need for the repentance
that gives hope for the reversal of
circumstances so whenever we violate
transgress the standard of God
God says that sin now the reason is this
sin has to do with the nature of God the
Bible describes God as perfect and
righteous in all of his ways he is a
perfect being in the same way that you
don’t like trash or garbage God doesn’t
like sin because of his nature in the
same way that a doctor or nurse wants
the surgical room sterile no bacteria or
in viruses is because it contaminates
the area so God cannot have any
relationship with sin and maintain his
holy integrity
so that means sin has to be addressed
before consequences can be addressed
what many people want is God to change
their consequence without them facing
their sin leave my sin alone but get rid
of the problems caused by it don’t ask
me to adjust my sin make me feel better
look better be better help a brother out
help a sister out there can be no
dealing with the consequence unless we
deal with the cause and the cause is sin
which is an affront to a holy God and a
violation of his divine standard so it
isn’t understanding this that gets us
into the process now sin in the Bible
violating God’s revealed righteous
standard is associated normatively
with death you saw it over and over
again in this exact same passage why
will you die repent so that you don’t
die romans 6:23 the wages of sin is
death
James 1:15 when sin is completed it
brings forth death over and over again
Hosea 14 1 your downfall is because of
your sin so death is associated with sin
now let me change it let me put it
another way
whenever you sin you die ok you have to
stick with me whenever you sin you die
oh wait a minute we don’t drop dead
every time we send a woman would be
empty you know we don’t drop dead in the
Bible death does not mean annihilation
death does not mean
ceasing of existence that’s never what
death means in the Bible in the Bible
death means separation a separation
occurs when we sin a death occurs
because a separation occurs what’s the
separation fellowship with God is lost
when sin is introduced God must separate
from sin since we are sinning he has to
separate from us in terms of our
personal relationship which I’ll explain
in a moment a distance occurs when sin
is introduced into a scenario with that
gap occurs because sin has been
introduced that space due to the gap
caused by sin then becomes filled with
consequences there is a spacing issue
where consequences fill in the gap where
the sin created the separation because
God is no longer there to block it now
we are all familiar with physical death
you’ve got a coffin you’ve got a casket
you got a cadaver well that person
hasn’t ceased to exist it’s just that
the soul in the spirit has left the body
so there is a separation that has
occurred causing the consequence that
the body can no longer function because
the life principle is no longer
operating in it for it to function the
separation has a deadly consequence when
we talk about physical death you
remember when God told Adam the day you
eat the fruit that same day you will die
but he didn’t fall down dead that day
you didn’t physically die that day oh
but he died because the Bible says that
God removed him from the garden and from
intimate fellowship with him so there
was a spiritual death there was an
emotional death it says fear took over
and controlled him emotional death is
when you can’t live with you
people can become so distraught that
they want to die or commit suicide
because they can no longer live with
themselves there has been a separation
of themselves to themselves relational
death we hear we hear couples say when
they are getting a divorce the death of
a marriage there is a relational death
that can occur there is economic death
where your bills are controlling you and
you’re not controlling them and so there
is the death economically that can occur
so there are all these kinds of deaths
and they’re all death in the Bible
because the biblical meaning of death is
an illegitimate separation and of course
then there is the worst death of all
eternal death we call it hell eternal
death is where a person is separated
from fellowship with God forever it’s
all all those are called death in the
Bible so you must now clear your mind of
limiting the definition of death to a
funeral and understand that death is any
illegitimate separation so then what is
life life is the coming together of
things that should not be separated it
is the spirit in the body it is the
relationship on track it is the
economics in harmony life or what the
Bible calls eternal life is not a
place that’s heaven it’s an experience
that his life in the Bible is
experiencing God’s reality in harmony
with you and in the various scenarios of
your life so if you’re a dead man
walking or a dead woman walking in some
category there has been an illegitimate
separation that needs to be harmonized
again and the word that God uses to
bring the illegitimate to the legitimate
is the word repent that is this word of
turning death into life sin is the word
for taking life and turning it into
death that’s why he could speak in this
passage and says to the wicked man if
you deal with your transgressions
you will live he says to the righteous
man if you go to your transgressions you
will die
so these are polar ends death in life
and their various shades in between some
folk here today are more dead than
others because the separation is worse
than others so there’s a continuum
between these two polar ends of life and
death he says the answer to that is
repent so that you can experience the
coming together that sin has
illegitimately
divided so that’s why repentance is the
master key for whatever the scenarios
are today opening the door
based on God’s prerogative – reversing
limiting cancelling or giving you the
capacity to handle consequences it’s his
prerogative
but you don’t even get position for that
prerogative without the word repent that
is the word so let me now give you the
meaning of repentance what does it mean
repentance is defined as an internal
resolve and determination to turn from
your sin repentance is an internal
resolve and determination to turn from
your sin sin creates a broken
relationship where consequences brought
on by Satan or situations or even what
God allows to enter into your life
because there has been a rupture
repentance is God’s Way of sewing back
together
the rupture with him when the rupture
with him is sewn back together through
repentance the possibility of reversal
of consequences now exists repentance is
the internal resolve and determination
to turn from your sin without that
internal resolve and determination thus
no real repentance then you and your
consequences must learn to live together
the best way you can cuz you are stuck
with them that is why many people who
don’t want to deal with their sin go to
other ways to deal with their
consequences they try to buy they went
way out of them entertained
we out of them find relationships to
cause them not to think about it and
they’re constantly going to things to
distract them from the consequence
because they don’t want to deal with the
season but without dealing with the sin
you don’t get God’s help for the
consequence you get everybody else’s
help so you may get temporary
distraction like drugs they can give you
a temporary distraction and a good
feeling but they’ve not dealt with the
issue and it sure it’s quiet in here
right now but that’s okay it’s it’s that
kind of message God says if you will
repair your relationship with me through
the internal resolve to deal with your
sin you have set the stage because I’m
now back hooked up with you to intervene
in your consequences based on of course
His divine prerogative when John the
Baptist came on the scene in Matthew
chapter 3 verses 1 to 12 he comes on the
scene and he says repent for the kingdom
of God is at hand Kingdom means the rule
of God if you want to see God rule your
situation you got to repent first if you
don’t repent first don’t bother to pray
about it okay don’t don’t don’t waste
your time to ask God to deliver you from
a consequence you are unwilling to
repent because you’re wasting your time
the rule of god comes he says when you
repent
repentance is the master key to
reuniting your relationship with God so
that he is free to intervene and the
consequences at his prerogative it’s a
change of mind with a view of reversing
a direction so let me break it down
break it down break it down this word
repent let me tell you the ingredients
that you need to stir together to get a
real repentance number one to repent
starts off with a recognition of sin
there is a recognition of sin to see if
you don’t believe it’s sin then you
don’t need to repent of it it is sin
because there’s a violation of a divine
standard that’s what makes something sin
so you must recognize it to be so first
John 1:9 says that if we confess our
sins he’s faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness
the Greek word confess means to say the
same thing that’s what the griot
mulligan means to say the same thing you
must say about that thing what God says
about it not what your neighbors say
about it not what the television says
about it not what your peach say about
it not what you think about it you must
say the same thing that God says about
it if God says it’s a sin don’t call it
a bad habit God said there’s a sin don’t
call it a mistake God says it’s a sin
don’t don’t just say you know I’m only
human you must call it what God calls it
in order for God to address it and to
repair the relationship
so that must be the recognition of sin
you must confess and say the same thing
secondly there must be remorse over what
you now recognize there must be what the
Bible calls in 2nd Corinthians 7 verses
10 and 11 godly sorrow godly sorrow is
I’ve hurt God now you may have hurt your
neighbors you may have hurt yourself but
the one thing has offended the most is
God so he says godly sorrow leads to
repentance that this thing whatever the
thing is has hurt the heart of God God
has been the one offended God has been
the one who has been rebelled against it
is God david said against me and the
only have I sinned there must be a sense
that there are tears in the eyes of God
over my sin he says it must be godly
sorrow not the world’s sorrow
worldly sorrow is you got caught godly
sorrow is I’ve hurt the heart of God
godly sorrow guilt and shame over sin
must be the reaction to the recognition
of sin
then what’s recognizing it and being
remorseful over it that must be the
decision to reverse it the decision to
reverse it
John called in Matthew John the Baptist
called in Matthew chapter 3 verse 8
bring forth fruits of repentance now
nobody has ever seen invisible fruit
we’ve never seen invisible fruit fruit
is something you can always see it comes
in different shapes and different sizes
but it’s always visible in other words
you know it’s an apple tree because you
see some apples you know it’s the pear
tree cause you see some pears those
large tree because you see some oranges
how do you know if you are really
remorseful how do you know that this
thing is real that you really want to
deal with it fruit in other words you
are doing something that demonstrates
you want a reversal you are taking
action steps that says I’m going to do
something differently because I
recognize it I’m remorseful about it and
so I’m going to reverse what I am doing
in relationship to it it is the decision
to reverse then why do I use the word
decision because we all know reversal
can be very difficult depending on how
long the sin has been there how deep the
sin is gone if you have you been on
drugs all your life or a large part of
your experience and you decide I’m going
to get off drugs
that’s more than a notion for most
people to get the monkey off their back
but you can always take a repentance
step even when you’ve not yet reached
the repentant Gold
if there is no fruit that is an action
step taken to reverse then you have a
right to question whether there was the
internal resolve and determination mean
if you tell me I really want to get a
job I really need a job and I’m living
with the consequence of being broke and
so I’m getting on my knees every day
asking God to give me a job and I’m
sorry about the fact that I’m not
working in bringing in an income I’m sad
about that and you are offered an
employment opportunity but you refuse to
make the phone call refuse to going for
the interview refuse to file the
application I am going to conclude
you’re not serious about getting the job
because there is no fruit one of the
worse things in counseling it’s to
counsel people tell them about the sin
tell them about what God wants to do and
they come back next week having done
nothing you know what they want to do in
most cases talk about it and don’t feel
so bad about it but in removing or
addressing the consequence that God’s
prerogative he wants to see you
demonstrate you are serious at some
level it may not disappear tomorrow but
you can take steps to demonstrate you
are seriously repentant
so it’s quiet in here
he uses the word over and over in
Scripture return return Zechariah
chapter 1 verses 3 & 4 return to me so I
can return to you Malachi chapter 3
verse 7 return to me
so I can return to you I want to come
back to you but you keep dying on me by
refusal to address the sin having the
sin is one thing not addressing it is
another you remember how it was before
seatbelts were required you always knew
when couples were happy because the girl
was sitting right up under the guy he
saw you thought sometime only one person
was in the car they were sitting so
close together so you knew that was an
issue when he was sitting behind the
wheel and she was sitting all the way
over on her side next to the door of the
passenger side one lady said to him do
you remember when we used to sit next to
each other the husband look that aren’t
there yeah and I have moved well God is
saying I haven’t gone anywhere but you
have separated from me and there is now
distance and the consequence has filled
in the space we need to close the gap I
do want you to look at this passage
James chapter 4 and James chapter 4 the
people were concerned that their prayers
were not being answered they were
praying and nothing was happening
he says you have not because you ask not
in verse 2 verse 3/3 you ask but you
still don’t receive because you ask with
wrong motives so that you may spend it
on your own pleasures your adulteresses
don’t you know that friendship with the
world is hostility toward God whoever
wishes to be a friend of the world makes
himself an enemy of God God has enemies
in his own camp because he’s writing to
Christians
or do you not think that the scripture
says to no purpose he jealously desires
the spirit which he is made to dwell in
you why this a big deal of God to thee
the jealous person he saved you for
himself but he gives greater grace o
he’s giving you divine favor therefore
it says God is opposed to the proud you
can do it without him but gives grace to
the humble so what should you do submit
yourself therefore to God resist the
devil and he will flee from you
don’t miss read that he didn’t tell you
resist the devil he said submit to God a
lot of people say oh I can’t get rid of
this devil and you won’t because he’s
got space to work in so he first says
submit to God submit means to place
yourself underneath the authority of
someone
place yourself under the authority of
God and then resists the devil why
because once you get God on your side
you got help with the devil so if the
devil is bringing these consequences and
you want to get the devil off of your
back you’ve got to first come underneath
God so God can work with you in getting
the devil off of you because the devil
can handle you he can’t handle God
working with you and how do you do that
verse 8 says draw near to God and He
will draw near to you cleanse your hands
you sinners and he’s writing to
Christians purify your hearts you
double-minded stop trying to go both
ways on God be miserable and mourn and
weep for your laughter to be turned in
the morning and your joy to gloom when
it comes to reversing consequences this
is not party time this is not Showtime
at the Apollo this is not fun time this
is this this is the time if you really
want to invite God’s greater grace in
the
situation this is the time for sorrow
over sin the worst thing in the world is
that somebody laughing and joking and
something that you talk trying to talk
to them seriously about he says when it
comes to this issue there are plenty of
things we rejoice in the Lord over
there’s plenty of things that’s joy in
the Lord about but when it comes to this
issue of sending consequences he says
it’s no joke this is the time for
mourning and weeping solemn assembly it
was a time of gnashing of sackcloth and
ashes it was getting right with God so
God could intervene with us bring forth
the fruit of repentance submitting to
God is like a sergeant saying to his
soldier about-face reverse ship your
direction and I don’t care how much you
talk if you’re still facing the same way
your words don’t mean anything you
aren’t serious yet and the less serious
you are the more the consequences lasts
and the deeper they go when I show up at
the airport when you go to the airport
you can tell them your name all you want
they want to see your ID what a picture
they want to see your driver’s life and
then taking your word that you were who
you say you are they want some visible
validation and verification so you can
tell God I’m sorry all you want he wants
to see some fruit of repentance and
Jesus didn’t die for I’m sorry he died
for sin repentance is to be a lifestyle
it’s a way you will operate it’s not an
event it’s a lifestyle
but we
we teach our kids to say I’m sorry right
these people would say you say I’m sorry
on Sunday they don’t cover you the rest
of the week no you tell them to say I’m
sorry or we say I’m sorry as needed you
know when we’re sorry for something we
tell another person who we’ve done
something oh I’m so sorry
in other words saying you’re sorry about
something to people is the lifestyle
it’s the way you operate repentance is a
lifestyle of acknowledging to God our
sin with the remorse that I’ve heard God
with the request that he intervenes in
not only my forgiveness but in my
circumstances and repentance opens the
door for him to limit postpone avoid
reverse cancel or empower in the midst
of dealing with the circumstance it’s
his prerogative but you’ve opened the
door for one many or all of the above
that’s why whenever you see or almost
every time you see repent connected with
the word return he tells you what he’s
gonna do for you if you do it you gonna
see that as we go along in the series he
will he will literally tell you in
advance if you repent and you return
this is what’s gonna happen and it
usually involved a reversal of
circumstances so if you want to see God
intervene in your financial
circumstances in your emotional
circumstances in your relational
circumstances and your spiritual
circumstan whatever the circumstances
are same key what can I expect you say
okay I see what you’re saying and I want
to live and not die out I don’t want
this illegitimate separation they’re
carrying in my world what am i what can
I expect if I take this thing seriously
it’s all through the Bible this word
repent it shows up off it about
he says you will establish now the
grounds for God to deal with your
consequences Isaiah 30 verse 15 says
your deliverance is in your repentance
oh I love what Acts chapter 3 says
verses 19 to 21 therefore repent and
return so that your sins may be wiped
out in order that times of refreshing
may come because it’s never what you
want when you got consequence I want to
be refreshed from them refreshing may
come from the presence of the Lord and
that he may send Jesus the Christ
appointed to you whom heaven must
receive until the period of restoration
of all things about which God spoke
about by the mouth of his holy prophets
from ancient time he says repent and
return so that you can be refreshed so
he offers this over and over and over
again according to his prerogative let
me explain something about repentance
the master key to your consequences
stick with me here theologically for a
moment repentance has to do with the
forgiveness of sins acts 3 says that
your sins may be wiped out
erased
but the purpose of repentance is
relational let me explain if you steal a
car and they take you before the judge
the judge the judges purpose is not
forgiveness that’s not that’s not the
judges purpose the judges purpose the
centerpiece of the judges purpose is
guilt or innocence that’s his concern
are you guilty of the crime the Bible
says all have sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God as judge he has
pronounced the whole world guilty
because all have sinned so when we
relate to God judicially as a judge
we’re guilty so what the judge did god
what sent Jesus Christ to the cross to
bear our guilt God can only accept you
into heaven if you are as perfect as he
is anybody have anybody in their life
who’s just too clean
they just to clean they just clean it
all the time they just they just find
it’s tough to clean this that’s too
clean God is too clean not one iota of
sin can be practiced in heaven so you’ve
got to be as good as God to get there
well nobody can meet that standard so
what God did was become a man down the
cross and credit the righteousness of
Christ to all who come to Christ for it
so judicially as a judge you stand I
stand we spend all who come to Christ
stand before God as though we’ve never
sinned because God has credited to our
account the righteousness of Christ he
who knew no sin became sin for us so
when it comes to your eternal destiny
guilt has been covered which is why you
can’t lose your salvation guilt has been
covered by the death of Jesus Christ
because when it comes to your eternal
salvation
the judge has acquitted you once you
come to Christ but now suppose you are
before the judge and you stole his car
now you’ve entered into a twofold
relationship with the judge he must
judge you judicially but he must be
willing to forgive you personally
because you got this new relationship
with the judge now when it comes to
repentance
you are re-establishing the personal
relationship because the judicial
relationship was satisfied on the cross
first John 2:2 makes it clear that at
the death of Christ he died in
propitiation for our sins but not for
our sins only but for the sins of the
whole world it says the judge has spoken
on the cross as a judge but he has not
spoken in relationship without
repentance so you can be on your way to
heaven but not in fellowship with him on
earth
everyone who has a biological child
understands this if your child was born
biologically from you that can never
change but that don’t mean the two of
you are in good terms they can forever
be your child and you’ll never speak to
each other because you bear a two fold
relationship a judicial one by biology
but a personal one by relationship and
repentance is designed to restore the
personal so he says your deliverance is
in your repentance if you’ve ever gotten
an invitation for a recall on your car
because something wrong with your car
and they recalling all these cars I’ve
never had an invitation for a recall
where they came to pick up my car they
never said we’re gonna recall five
thousand cars will be better pick it up
uh-oh I gotta take it in in repentance
God is making a recall but you got to
bring you in
you’re not gonna force a recall
he’ll come pick you up for a recall he
wants to know you want to recall so
let’s conclude with the u-turn you’re
driving south on the highway as you’re
driving south on the highway it dawns on
you you should have been going north for
whatever reason you are paying attention
and you’re going the wrong way but now
you recognize it
I recognize I’ve been traveling in the
wrong direction you not only recognize
you’re going south when you ought to be
going north
you all messed up over it
you’ve sad about it cuz this isn’t
taking you out way out of your way and
you’re miles away from where you were
going and you you may be lost or
whatever so you recognize it and now you
really feeling bad now that you’ve
recognized it in fact you’ll keep
talking to yourself boy are you going
the wrong way well you all know what
you’re doing boy you know you shouldn’t
be going this way but you keep passing
exits you keep driving and any of you
wives any married their husbands who do
that and please don’t say nothing
because they don’t want to hear that so
so so they’re going the wrong way
talk about know where I’m going you know
that’s what the Bible calls pride that
comes before the fall so you recognize
you’re going the wrong way you’re sad
that you’re going the wrong way but you
keep passing exit then you have not yet
repented you’ve recognized it you feel
bad about it but there has been no
reversal or attempt to reverse you
didn’t pull up your GPS to say what
should I do now the girl talking to you
over the GPS you ignore them shut up
Siri I
but this when you feel bad enough long
enough then you keep on driving you find
out it’s nice stuff I see along the way
but I’m not getting anywhere the way I’m
trying to go and you feel bad enough
long enough it dawns on you I better do
something different so you see an exit
coming up 1/2 a mile you move over to
your right leg and you exit off of
confession off-ramp I agree that I’ve
been going the wrong way
I confess south is not the right way so
I’m getting no now you haven’t solved
the problem yet but you’ve acted you’ve
acted you got me
it may not be big fruit but it’s some
fruit and you’ve acted and you’ve pulled
off on confession our friend but there’s
a bigger problem getting all doesn’t
solve your problem
coz loss is over there but there is a
connection between the rebbe you got off
and the rep you need to get on we’ll
call it grace overpass because the Bible
says grace is greater than our sin so
when you get off the confession off-ramp
there has been a buttress bill for you
to make it right so you now cross over
grace overpass on the other side of the
overpass is an on-ramp we’ll call that
restoration on-ramp so you get off on
confession exit a friend you cross over
grace overpass you get back on
restoration on ramp and guess what
you’re headed in the right
now depending on how long you’ve been
going wrong it may take you a minute to
get back fully on the right road but I
got some good news for you if you’ve
ever been on a long trip and gone on a
long journey and that was time to come
home have you ever noticed it seems to
take less time to get home then it did
going there now wait a minute it’s the
same amount of miles if you take in the
same route
it may be the same amount of distance
because you’re taking the same route but
it feels different and you know I feel
different
cuz you go at home God says if I can
just get you to come home it may take a
minute it may take some time but because
you’re coming home and I want your home
it’s gonna feel