A Challenge to Greater Convictions, Part 2

The grace of God is designed to my not make us comfortable in compromise. Dr. Tony Evans talked about what happens when churches and individuals treat truth like a matter of opinion letter.

God is not open for negotiation when God has spoken clearly this is the alternative with Dr. Tony have another speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative witnesses view events from different angles.

But even though their personal perspective may be relative reality never is today. Dr. Evans will teach us how to resist the world's efforts to redefine the reality of God's word as he takes us to Revelation 212 must join Jesus starts and he speaks last what you said about himself and now says in verse 12 to a sword says this Jesus Christ is talking when he describes himself as a two-edged sword by the Christ, and now he speaks to his church, not as a baby in a manger. A man walking the streets of Galilee.

But now has the risen Lord is raining right now is with a shop so would double ledges coming out of my mouth so this is not baby Jesus, making no this is serious Jesus, you better pay attention to. When Jesus says so what is coming out of my mouth, laying claim to authority from heaven to history from eternity to time from heaven to earth.

Jesus Christ that says the risen Lord ascended on the right hand of the father speaking to his people. The church at Pergamum and he says I'm in charge here he was 412 says that the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword in his piercing and penetrating in its ability and power to affect change for good judgment. Now the problem today is that we and by we I mean even many Christians have lost in the power of the sword that comes out of Jesus's mouth.

We have lost faith in the power of the word we respected because will carry on all Continental and nice. He says to the church at Pergamum sword that comes out of my mouth. My word is sharp.

It cuts it has already. Having said that, he now commends them in verse 14. Know where you dwell I know where you live. On the way you have church. I know the community here and he says that the Pergamum Bible Fellowship. I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is and you hold fast my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days event. The process my witness, my faithful one was killed among you, where Satan dwells. And so he writes this church telling them I recognize what you're going through and that he was seeking to be Christian in the realm of seasonal worship of Zeus motion because they had temples all these false gods as well as the government. Season.

He says he is my problem, while you still clean me you compromise, you still will say I'm a Christian, but you won't tolerate compromise so show with this church is a lack of conviction, the God of the Bible does not accept compromise on biblical principle. My preferences principle, he says, and you got this going on in your church becomes the next person he says who they are. He says in verse 15, so we you also have some women the same way hold the teachings of the Nicollet evidence, the Nicollet items were doing the teachings of Baylon. So here's the problem they tolerated compromise is as you have some in your midst, who are teaching this and you're not saying anything. So women, even if you are not compromising what you tolerate, compromise, you tolerate the Nicollet that is in the church by saying it's okay to compromise your standards compromise your morals.

Compromise your geodesic compromise and God understands they misunderstood grace. One of the greatest words, the greatest word in the Christian language is grace means unmerited favor, but they did not use grace properly. They were using it like Romans chapter 6 verse one shall we sin, that grace may abound less.

Put another way, shall be for just as we know God will forgive me if you've heard people say that "well… Forgive me, so they were using grace as an excuse to sin that is both a misunderstanding and misuse of the greatest works in the Christian language you know you are using grace properly you are using grace properly. Not when it frees you to send out when it is so powerful is freeing you from sin, shall we say that grace may abound God forbid he says at the end of Titus chapter 2. Grace teaches us to godliness not be comfortable in it that's called having the grace of God in vain. The grace of God is designed to free from compromise not make us comfortable in compromise means is either not understood or is not applied. The idea is this great word is a powerful word for victory, but the Nicollet attends when letting phone off the hook, making them feel comfortable in their compromise no job is not to make yourself or people in your circle of influence. Feel comfortable in their compromise, because that compromise could be missing you.

There is this Fallsview well, that's their business I don't judge.

Okay, let's get this straight.

You are not supposed to judge preferences, but you are to judge principles is not that you don't judge at all is a misunderstanding you judge principles because we want sword to be sharp. You tell your children well I meant something with the duodenal judge you kids that nor do you want your kids bringing foreign ideas into your home because those other folk another parents. This is God's house one foreign ideas being communicated in the house. One of the major will unfold on stage.

The job of the church is not to bring the walls ideas into the church.

That's not that's not that's not the job of the church. The job of the charges to bring God's word to its members, whether or not it agrees with the word out there a lot of folk only one church to be made spiritually comfortable not to be spiritually corrected.

And unless you come to be corrected as well as inspired you have misunderstood and so what we wind up doing is going to the old church is no sword to him about getting cut refusal to compromise can cost you money. Refusal compromise quality relationships using the compromise can cost you position refusal compromise can cost you in a variety so I don't want to stand up here and tell you that if you don't compromise is all the work out right then and there, and they will be no price to calls and puts his life, but if you want to see the two which is sort you just want have church on just one of want to "be sing songs and clap your hands, you want sword and not dolled that he says it can't be with compromise to be like the hunter who was running for a band. He was behind me came the big rifle and came upon a big any conflict on that reddish of the bandmaster just a minute just a minute why you will shoot me the Honda Civic because I am: I need a fur coat. The best envelope before before you shoot me. Can we just negotiate.

You know let's have a meal together because I'm hungry before we carry this out. You want to code on hungry likenesses discusses about 30 minutes later the bear came walking out the forest so everybody got the print out. Wait a minute, I give you time the man's stomach was falling pedicle St. Luke's for compromise. We can eat you up because he knows that compromise even he is already against you, and he knows compromise will bring God when Dr. Evans comes back in a moment, to warn us about the lure of going with the flow. Give us advice on how to deal with that temptation stay with us. God is granted all of us more power than we realize power to overcome hatred power to heal division power to unify others in love and power to impact our world for Christ.

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Let's get back to today's message here is Dr. Evans living in a day when more and more churches are compromising to please the world, as though God is open for negotiation of God is not open for negotiation, not when God is spoken clearly on the subject says I want you to repent, repent of your compromise and tolerating the compromise of influencing others. The compromise and then he comes to the great verse, verse 17 he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives so now what he's talking to the churches. He says on speaking to every individual. So now it's self-examination to the one who overcomes that's outward.

The Whole Nike overcomes what overcome the temptation to compromise to tolerate compromising to the one who overcomes to the one who operates by divine conviction, particularly among believers can talk with what was happening in the church to the one who overcomes his what I'm going to do. I'm going to give them first hidden manna when they went to the wilderness. That was the covenant that was a little chest with a long and there was a jar with manna in the really put the jar in the box was told that they would remember that God was there. Provider just as he supplied manna he will be your provider was hidden because it was up in heaven until he was ready to release to the one Thomas.

I will give you her hidden manna.

What that means is God's got some stop. He wants to do a show yet is hidden reddish so not ready to let you see yet and it won't be released until he sees in overcoming compromising you be holding back some God wants to release but he can't really convince hidden give them freedom to release it because of compromise will overcome when they stand before the Lord, that will get the reward of special provision not available. Every Christian you will know if you go there; you are not getting full not going to feed you join coach that everyone first class, I give you food that much to talk about but that give you some food if you would first they'll even come and pull the curtain between first cousin coach so you can see the hidden man. They will let you see that is given to the people in first class now bodies on the plane but everybody on the plane is not treated the same.

You may all be Christians… Mean God is relating to all Christians the same way St. John chapter 2, believed on him many, God say, but he would not commit himself to because it was all they were saying they were committed and what God asked today to say uncommitted people.

A lot of Christians who love the Lord on Sunday and compromise on Monday in the private service in their weekly activity. The bigger question on the job that would not be enough evidence to convict them because they compromise like everybody else on the job and he says the man is there will be something when you get to heaven, God will say I would have gone but there was too much compromise one free and these are the reward you lose out. Even then, he says, and then I'm going to give me one who overcomes temptation to compromise white stone 27% of whites and white stone so are you married you got to have a wedding ring, you got a diamond on your finger or if he was chief cut glass that looks like you have a stone on your finger. That still means your special Stoneleigh is one of the crowd. There's a special relationship on the stone. He says I'm going to write a name. Nobody else knows for $0.17 secret name when you go to concerts if you are a special person. Of note, they will give you a backstage pass the backstage pass allows you to go places that the general public can go and depending on what the past allows for the different degrees that you can go back and if you got an all access pass. You go back to meet with the stock of the show because you have gained access at a deeper level probably was go to heaven but all believers don't have backstage passes those of segmented based on how special you are and how special you will determine some of what you get now and some of your rewards been dictated on how you view your commitment of compromise so you chart my name I like that but you compromise and tolerate compromising is perfect, but he's talking about ration of it rather than a resistant Dr. Evans will be back shortly with a story about name-calling. Stay with us for that right now though I like to encourage you to take advantage of our current triple offer, the Jesus challenge study guide and companion DVD plus all eight full-length audio messages from this current series, both digitally and on CDs.

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Time is running out so don't wait visit us today at Tony have in stock or to make a request or call us at 1-800-800-3222 let one of our resource team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. I'll be back with the word about what's coming up next time right after this important word from Dr. Evans. You only have two options to get the one you can be as good as God that's perfect because God is perfect and he only accepts perfection but you can't do it that way. Here is another way and that is grace. He will give you salvation free of charge by your accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior. He will give you perfection and credited to there's more to the story.

Dr. Evans would love to share it with you. Just visit Tony up and start organ, follow the link that says Jesus. He has a short powerful video that explains what real Christianity is about, along with some free follow-up resources. It could be the most important few minutes of your life one last time that's at Tony have in stock org. Sometimes the church's efforts to bring more people in can wind up pushing God's word out tomorrow. Dr. Evans will take a look at the danger of dumbing down God's standards. Right now he's back with this closing thought number of years ago I was at a conference for thousand people at this conference, I was one of the 4000 and the crowd the speaker at this conference was then Pres. George W Bush was the speaker everybody showed up to hear what the president had to say so we were sitting there in the crowd of 4000 ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome the president of the United States, George W. Bush. So the crowd applauded as the president of the United States walked, he said I want to greet you all and thank you for the privilege of being able to address you today in many parts. He looked over into my section. All evidence I see you over there you doing because we become friends when he was governor, and so we went Tony I got 4000 people looking at me for my two minutes of fame. I got people get me because the money and he called my name out in the midst of all people because of relationship, name was a special moment in everybody's name they called mind a lesson one day the King of Kings and Lord of all flow and all will be around but don't you want to be one of my daddy made out with me Jesus Christ will get their names called because they review is made possible by the generous confusion