Encountering the Power of God, Part 1

What you don't see Dr. Tony Evans is the middle of a crisis is the perfect place to encounter the power of the Lord is doing news with him. He will do it in the midst of this is the alternative with Dr. Tony, author, speaker and pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative.

We expect God to be the one who gets us out of trouble.

Not the one who gets us into it. But today Dr. Evans will take us to Exodus chapter 13 for look at why sometimes that's exactly what happens. Let's join him at the church one day a mother asked her son. What did your Sunday school teacher teach today in Sunday school. He said well mama Sunday school teacher told us about Israel crossing the Red Sea.

She said well what did the teacher say about Israel crossing the Red Sea. He said well it was like this. Israel built the bridge over the Red Sea. They got in Boston's and crossed over the bridge. Then when the Egyptians came after them.

God send some F-16 fighters and drop bombs on them so that they would destroy the mother said come on now. Your peaches couldn't have explained Israel crossing the Red Sea like that to which he said well of you heard was, she said. You wouldn't believe. Because the reality is this is one of those stories that are ugly when talking about divine encounters how to encounter God by experience, not merely by information, you can go to church for years and never have an encounter that is an experience with the living and true God.

Yet God wants to have an encounter with you, me and individually and collectively encounters with God typically come in the context of contradictions encounter with God typically comes when you are facing conflict encounter with God typically does not happen when things are normal but when things are out of kilter. When there is something happening that does not make sense. So if you are facing something or will think something that does not make sense. It's contradictory.

It's common afflicting then you could be well positioned for what I'm calling a divine encounter. Today I want to look at him encounter with God's power in this encounter with God's close in the context of a dilemma is a situation where there is no clear answer I dilemma is a scenario where in the direction you look there is confusion delivers have a lot of nicknames that some people call a dilemma in the jail other people call a dilemma. Being in a Catch-22.

Some people call a dilemma. Being in a predicament. Others call a dilemma.

Being in a pickle. Others call it being up a creek of the skull being in the developing up a tree.

Some called being a dilemma being in the corner of the skull being in a dilemma being in a dating situation.

Still others call bigger than your back up against the wall. Another simply say I'm between a rock and a hard place.

Have a good friendship because Benjamin is a dilemma being electric bag. This being a deal where it's a no-win situation so I dilemma is when you're in a no win situation. Anybody ever been a dilemma. It's not with me any direction that you look in his allusions you're in a dilemma.

The most noted story in Israel's history, the crossing of the Red Sea, which was its biggest celebrated miracle happen when they were simultaneously in a dilemma. The most celebrated story, the one that's repeated over and over and over in the Old Testament is the story of the crossing of the Red Sea is repeated in the New Testament when the author of Hebrews talks about the great Hall of faith in Hebrews chapter 6 he says that without faith it is impossible to please God. In verse six and really comes in verse 29, he says, by faith Israel crossed the Red Sea and the Egyptian army was destroyed and so this is no small deal but what I want you to catch today is that they had their divine encounter with God's problem in the context of a dilemma Catch-22 trick bag up no-win situation so I want to prepare you today for an encounter with God, but also want to prepare you for the dilemma that provides the context for that encounter. Now the background of this is very clear. Moses has come through the 10 plagues Eddie's now leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, Pharaoh has responded. Now, finally, to Moses: let my people go, and so the people now are on their way out from slavery to freedom. Very excited. They are looking forward they've been told that the promised land. This purpose of God that God is going to come to.

Things are looking rosy as they leave on their way out. It says in verse 17 of chapter 13 that God did not leave them by way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near. I want you to catch verse 18 hits God led them. So what's this that dilemma is going to come about when God is leading. That dilemma is going to happen when they're in the will of God, is going to occur when they are being obedient because it says God was leading them. Not only was God leading them into what would be a dilemma. It says God led him the long way around. She did not leave them in the short distance you know is first-rate when God got no direct route is frustrating when God has to go from a to F to come back to see to wind up next to take me to T, why can't God just do a straight line and take it from here today with all all of the zigzagging of my life in between. So the will of God. But God did not take them on the near, he took them on the loan so that God taking longer than normal journey where God is taking not only that, but God was going before them. Verse 21 of chapter 13 says appellant, Damien a pillar of fire by night.

He's walking with them at every step of the way and when they are doing this zigzagging through the wilderness. It says in chapter 14 Farrell will save the sons of Israel. Verse three.

They are wondering, mostly in the land in the wilderness has shut.

In other words, they don't look like they know what they doing Farrell says that wandering aimlessly number that is going in circles really think that going and the wilderness will shut them in other words, those folks on their way to a cul-de-sac to shut in me the way out. I live in a cul-de-sac that means you can drive in but you can go through.

The only way out to where I live is the Jew came in so many says and the wilderness shall shut them in that going to be in a no-win situation that they can get out of without coming back toward us and it says and God was leading he was leading them into a cul-de-sac or what you and I would call a trap for a lot of us figured. God wouldn't do that God does do that and the reason God does.

That is because only in those context will you see that he's God, because the one thing about a dilemma is you can get out of it. The one thing about a dilemma is you don't see an exit in every direction you look in is a trap. When God is ready to move you to a new spiritual experience with him, he will regularly do it in the midst of a contradiction in a conflict and that is that scenario. Dr. Evans will have some biblical advice about how to cope with the Red Sea situations in your life when he returns in a moment with more of today's lesson.

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The course is intense work through it at your own pace and get all the help you need online for and course is custom content from Tony not available warehouse connect with the Tony Avenue and's training center and Tony Evans.org. It's like having a seminary on your smart phone or other device. Start today Tony Evans or Romans chapter 15 verse four says that the Old Testament was written to give us instructions and examples to give us in the New Testament days. Hope so. The story of the Red Sea is designed to give you hope for your ritzy. The story of the Red Sea to try to give you hope for your trap scenario. The story of the Red Sea is designed to give you perspective in the situation. You don't see an exit sign for in your life. They were written for our instruction but not only that God is leading them so that God's will that zigzagging so they don't quite know why God is taken of the long way around.

He leads us to a place that we ought trap because we are shut in because he leading up to the Red Sea and the only thing that's out there is water on top. Verse four says of chapter 14 verse I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will chase after the means to make you more rebellious than you already were not meet the make you meaner than you already were is to make you worse than you already were. I think the process and God Farrell's.

This is when the boss gets me the make gets meaner the circumstance becomes more negative, and God made God Farrell's so that Pharaoh would chase, you mean to tell me God is involved in making things worse for me it takes the anger of Farrell and make him more angry. The hatred of Farrell and make him hate more the persistence of Farrell against Israel and makes the process more while he puts his real trap and it says that God was behind it all, because when God is ready to give you a new experience with him, he will allow you to be put into a situation that only he can get you out when God is ready to make this move that matter who you know what contact you have much money you you possess where you live or the car you drive, when God is ready to give you a new experience with him, he will regularly trap you where you are and so they find themselves in a bad scenario where God is only option in this all takes place when they're in his will is when God is getting ready to let you see him in a way you've never seen it before, but you will be in a situation that you can handle. If you don't know this and you got this false view of God or the limited view of God that if something is wrong, it must be the devil. Maybe if it if you being outside of the will of God. But if you are seeking to live inside of the will of God. Don't ascribe to the devil what may be the hand of God because their smack dab in the will of God. He's leaving them day and night verse eight of chapter 14 says the Lord. Harden the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he chased after the sons of Israel, could you leave people alone. Leave them alone. They finally got out the been praying to get out one thing that frustrates me about God and Mattel driven shame. What frustrates me about God is he will make it look like your prayer to pray for them to raise your hand in the air like you just don't care you all excited, you ready to give no testimony admitted goes left on they finally get to Egypt.

He let somebody to come after.

Looks like he changed his mind. Boss tells you you going up in the company. The next day you get a pink slip. Finally found the person you think God's will for your life is full.

Just stuff God doesn't fit connects but you're in the will of God, you are operating in the will of God. God was leading and he was telling the evil Farrell to go get because unless you understand and accept the sovereignty of God, you will be confused about what, in the words of Marvin Gaye is going. So now they say that camping Battersea in verse nine for the candle.

That way, but Pharaoh's heart has been hard in God and said go after so they can't go this way going through will be slaughtered. That's called a dilemma that looks look.

There was no other direction to go in escrow sent me a shot in.

We got him now. We as Farrell drew near verse 10 sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them and so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord want to hear Pharaoh and his charioteer and closing in on the Jews and so they are terrified, so they feel like many Christians do they cry out to God, how while simultaneously complaining to me. Verse 11 they said to Moses if you because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness, why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt. Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt said leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians, for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness so that they are in the Red Sea and the Egyptians produces a spiritual conflict within them because on the one hand it says they cried out on the God said they complained to Moses.

Some called on God but him blaming me. Not only that, but I'm confused. The billable confusion. They said didn't we tell you. Leave us alone and enslaving them cornfields will just swing low Sweet chariot we would just have to slay nevermind that they had been crying out to God all the time for God to get a body they said no graves that you bring wilderness but that with every fifth day that we could die there as slaves better to be a slave alive and that there than the guy out here in this wilderness and if the truth be told with caught in a dilemma. We cry out to God, but we complained to me we do both simultaneously shuffle cousin in a dilemma. Dr. Evans will come back in a moment with the final piece of advice about how to deal with the dilemma successfully for so don't forget to request your copy of our current double resource package. Tony's new book kingdom encounters plus his current eight message teaching series divine encounters. As I mentioned, they're both yours with our thanks for your donation to keep this listener supported program coming your way. This special offer won't be available for long, so don't wait visit Tony up and start or before time runs out to make the arrangements or color resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 anytime of the day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222 when we're up against the kind of impossible circumstances we heard about today is perfectly natural for what we feel to contradict what we believe but tomorrow Dr. Evans will explain why our emotions aren't as important as what we choose to do next. Right now though he's back with a closing thought for today so will give you something you must do when you caught in a dilemma, and God himself is confusing. You must appeal to someone if you cannot appeal to yourself, who has a spiritual perspective. See if you confusing you only talking up other confused people do not share a proper view of God that all you're going to do is reinforce the frustration of your dilemma.

If God be there because you're in the will of God. Even though you are confused God alone has to give you clarity and so they were complaining about Moses, only Moses could give them the proper perspective. Because Moses was in touch with the alternative with Dr. Tony Irvin alternative is made possible by the generous confusion