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Giving to Yourself

The Urban Alternative / Tony Evans, PhD
The Cross Radio
December 30, 2020 7:00 am

Giving to Yourself

The Urban Alternative / Tony Evans, PhD

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December 30, 2020 7:00 am

When the offering plate passes by, the most you can put in there is money. But in this lesson, Dr. Tony Evans will explain that our offerings are only the beginning of what it means to really give to God.

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Dr. Tony Evans says that's one of the first to brainwash people who want to be found in your life you will discover you this is the alternative with Dr. Tony, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the urban alternative stocks on 401(k)s are plenty of ways to invest but not all investments are financial today.

Dr. Evans will talk about the investment. God wants us to make in ourselves and the kind of return. He expects let's join them.

People with things about themselves with their looks like the stage that Randall how things are working out how we look, we enter into camouflage phase. When we cover our reality. Now the job helping us the camouflage gets us to buy products that help us look better by to give a better appearance companies today to answer your image or protect your brand. The public perception of who you will because the reality is if we were fully exposed as to who we really were all for many, it would not be a pretty picture. What we do is we pretend that one of the greatest places to pretend is church enough. Praise the Lord enough Singer not raise your hand and not flip the pages in the Bible enough you might give the impression that you and God have gotten hooked up you and God on good terms when the mirror really revealed where we were with God outside of this house, it could reveal that there is a big gap between what we display on Sunday. What's really happening. So what we do. We we play the religious game and we we let the world to find our identity for we flip magazines that tell us, we ought to look pretty like being spoke and get as skinny as they we we watch TV shows that that that give us an impression, commercials, even if you can't afford it. You gotta have I beseech you therefore, brethren, Romans 12 verse one that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in the God which is your spiritual service of worship.

Verse two says be not conformed to this world but be transformed in the renewing of your mind that you will prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. He says God wants you and God you have no claim you can have God and the world about the world we do find it as anything that leaves God out of the equation.

If God out of the equation. You are worldly, even if you are in church. Worldliness is not personal location is a perspective that God is included in the total of my life. He's not a Sunday morning special is not a place I visit a person. I occasionally referenced as the point of reference of all of my life is that there is a payoff for that commitment. If God ever gets to you. There is a payoff at the end of verse two, he says, and you will prove the will of God. That is, God will be at work in your life in such a way that he will express his will for you to you in you and through you and God's will is his purpose for your life using a lot of people don't know who they are because they don't want to. When you know you hear helps you know who you got good news. Jesus said when you find yourself and lose yourself 7C fall to the ground and dies, it shall nowise have life the way you find you is to lose you and then you'll discover you now know that that makes sense because Madison Avenue will explain it like that tell you to find who you are.

Bob is where this high, not with these people do this have this much drive.

This lived here and you are somebody.

God says lose yourself in the end I will locate you for you is the first person saying give me all of you present your bodies a living sacrifice and get world. None of you that don't let it lay claim to be in the world but not of it. In other words, don't let it dictate your value system.

Don't let it dictate your orientation now that you will now begin to see the will of God being worked out in your life and you will discover you not because you are looking for you, but God will locate you and tell you that he says in verse three, through the grace given to me. I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than you think, but to think as to have sound judgment as God is allotted to each one of us a measure of bowling bowling. You have a bowling alley on both sides of the alley, a gunners you control the gotta ball down on the right side you control.

Gotta ball down on the left side which means you're not in the lane says you can think of yourself in one of two faulty ways you can go on. Gotta on backside of the gun. He says you can think to yourself, says because when God starts working in you when you commit yourself to God. Don't get the big you write all that and a bag of chips when God starts to do something in your life. Don't get the wrong perspective because that's the role of gotta ball that's to think more highly of yourself, then you ought to on your best day you're a sinner saved by grace. The other gutter is something too low of yourself wrong. Nothing.

Nobody never going to be anybody told me I'm not going to be anybody you walk around with this pitiful self-image to reduce your self to last thing God recognizes created save you every game to debate as to insult the creator to say nobody.

When God says you are so valuable to me that I became a man from the dead to give you eternal life, and you walk around talk about your nobody knows all about the mess that would let folks think that's the problem when listening to the wrong word says I want you to think sober minded the great words there was a divergence of soul, sober minded. The.

The new American Standard sound judgment. The world had to do with somebody who was drunk and sober when a person is there not thinking straight so they can't walk straight they stammered the words they drive crooked and that is because their judgment has been impaired. If you left the world to find you, you will become a drunk Christian and not on little laying out because you becoming toxic payment with the wrong definition of that's why we use the wrong definition of success.

Use the wrong definition of humility comply. Humility is not like it's not true when it is true that humility sliding his thinking more of yourself and the Col. was just promoted to Col. and he's an Army Col. Mansell. You know he's feeling guilty, smelling himself, he pretty pretty up on himself, Col. Matt got a knock on his door in his new office about it was knocking. He said yes says it's private. Johnson may I come in sir.

He said just a minute private picked up the phone while the phone to his ear and spoke very loudly. Yes, Mr. Pres., I know, Mr. Pres., I understand Mr. Pres. Yes, I'll be right there to see you, Mr. Pres. Okay any real Pres. thank you. Click Mr. Johnson. Now you may come in Johnson private Johnson Watson introduces himself. The Col. says I'm sorry had to wait that my conversation with the president, but what can I do for you private. Johnson always, I just I just came look up the phone thinking more of yourself and you are so what people do is they wind up they wind up pretending they wind up going to the motions and that's why people want us not with folks who have a name so they can piggyback and I know him. The beautiful thing about full surrender is to be who you will you get to pick who you are. If God intended you to be somebody else, you would've been somebody else gave you all some friends and it cannot be duplicated by almost 7 billion people in the world because God intended you to be you but we get so bad the world that we can never knowing knowing we were supposed to be covered big by everyone else. God wants to do a big Jim wants to give you but he can't give you until you give you you you. And so we got a generation of people who don't know Dr. Evans will come back with a little positive name-calling from God when he continues her message just a moment, we pray your encouragement. Every time you connect with urban alternative where there's online or on the air right now we are asking for your very best hearing can't to help keep that encouragement coming your way.

Your financial support will help cover the rising cost of broadcasting production to ensure nothing is to be cut and that more people like you to continue to be encouraged by God's word in here hand please visit Tony Evans that Lord to give today we're counting on. So please help us continue bringing you 20s teaching in the new year. Get in touch with us today. Make your contribution and letter sent you a thank you gift the best of Tony Evans 2020. It contains 20 of his most hard-hitting life-changing lessons of the past year, including messages on experiencing the power of God. Coping with crisis living a life that matters.

And as a special bonus will also send you a devotional book from Tony can help you understand how your passion and purpose are linked and how your obedience to God can make your calling clear called for a purpose, and the best of Tony Evans 2020 yours with our thanks when you visit Tony Evans.org and make your year-end donation again that's Tony Evans.org or call our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222, I'll repeat that contact information after part two of today's lesson. Here's Tony Stich. God calls you a masterpiece. Christian's he says in Ephesians 210 for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which you have created beforehand that we should walk in the Greek word for good works is the word masterpiece masterpieces are rare.

Masterpieces are special masterpieces have great value and masterpieces bear the name of the person who did it. So guess what God calls you as he created you and redeemed you a masterpiece which means you are rare, special, valuable, and you walk around with his name. So what that means is Hope you masterpiece Doug no and was most know you well because you were redeemed to be exploited in motion masterpiece. But if you find you or me because we've not given ourselves to God.

We will never recognize how will always walk around trying to look like a model trying trying to be a star, letting the world tell us we probably should look what we should wait when we should live what we should drive giving us false definitions of success. Why would God show you you stick with why does God want you to know you and you can only know you if you fully bother him. He tells you he says in verse four for just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. He says I will show you, you can benefit somebody else. The reason God once you give Yoda him so he can show you you really want to show you your first three to benefit somebody else that the connection he says you are members of one another and he talks about a body physical body parts and so you hands, feet, nose bleeds with web body parts and their called members. That's where the idea of membership comes from members. My body parts. Here is our are actually coming did parts that are connected like this God show you use odor can only be about the church so I can get less. I can get God to do so from day so that God will deliver breakthrough as okay as long as you recognize you're not an only child. It can only bring about you. You are members of the body that I watch this now gone by some of your spiritual growth to how you relate to others, some of your spiritual goal related to how you relate. But the reason we going to go through the one another little script all over the Scripture in the New Testament is because God so what he's going to do with you based on how you relate to others, so if you're not letting you cut what he wants to do for you and that's why you have to understand as part of a bigger connection. The always connected part of the body that growls you remember the Adams family. Don't you thing the hand that will go all over the place. It was good but it will have a disconnection the groans, because things grow back in relationship.

First of all, giving all to God. But as a result of that you not know your members of one another and that's why the principal gift and will be given back to you what you want God to do for you is that the extent not somebody else so that you know you know is not only about you only child situation. It's our father who art in heaven, not my daddy only and he says nothing shows your humility more than women. God uses your own security that is going to give to you because you give yourself fully to God.

The benefit somebody else. When a Christian gets so stuck up that is only about. We have cut off God because he says you are members of one it's bigger than you know the chief sentiment. God hates in the Bible is pride of all this, and you can commit nothing can compare with thinking more of yourself and your creator has given you to think legitimately in the story of the two ducks in the fraud introduction. The fox crossed upon the palms getting dry, but the frog probably couldn't get across the pond was too big – you could get across productivity. Vinegar fly across the front of the stick over there so don't want if you grab one of the distinct conduct to the mistakes I grab it with my mouth.

Both of you fly in sync and you can carry me across the pond and we can keep our fellowships as we crossed upon the other side. The ducks thought that was a great idea.

One Doc took this into perspective… Is this fix the frog put his mouth in the middle and they were taking him across flying across the farmer looked up the wall. I've never seen the in my life that was a great idea. Get the phone calls I want to lose idea that was.

The project was probably do try, God does not want us to have a joking view about self. He wants us to have a can do about self, which is why he calls it a measure of faith. The measure of faith and at the end of verse three means a biblical view that you can trust God with what you just make up stuff you want to have a divinely prescribed masterpiece so that it sounded and that benefits others, nothing will ensure growth in God. Like giving yourself a little God was wanting to understand who you really are verse three connecting benefits others throats .5. Now he says you off.

You are connecting in the way God intended. And then it gets expressed. Finally, in verse six. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given us.

Each of us is to exercise them accordingly in order to improve the lives of others. He calls that gifting biblical word for gifting seat when you give everything to God. God shows you who you want to show you you walk, you can benefit other than then he gives you the capacity for the benefit everybody in here has been given something by God. You may not know what it is yet what you have been given this supernatural capacity to benefit the people of God, and the program of God and the kingdom of God for the glory of God through your gifting hope whatever you do for a job you are good when you're trying to become good go to work and say well it is sloppy and sloppy.

That's just who I am. Idea is to become an addict to maximize your capacity. The problem is will maximize things for men downtown and give God junk for the kingdom will maximize things for money, but we will maximize things. What is he says give me all of you and show you who you ACTUALLY benefit others the way you benefit others is through the thing that you chose to benefit the program the plan and the people and if you never made that full commitment to God by way of a real-life relationship with Christ. Visit Tony Evans.org today and follow the link that says Jesus there.

20 will explain everything you need to know about what being a real Christian is all about and how to start a brand-new life and there's nothing better you could do to start the new year. That's Tony Evans.org you can get the latest on Tony's ministry and resources and signed up for his free email devotional attorney Evans.org is also the place to go for details on getting a full-length audio copy of today's lesson giving to yourself.

Better yet, get it is a part of 20 special year-end audio compilation the best of Tony Evans 2020. As I mentioned earlier were including all 20 lessons in this giant collection bundled along with Tony's popular devotional book called for a purpose.

This special double offer is only good through tomorrow so visit us online@tonyevans.org to make a contribution today or call our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 again that's Tony Avenue and is.org or call us anytime of the day or night at 1-800-800-3222, exercise more, lose weight, get organized. There are plenty of resolutions we can make for 2021 tomorrow.

Dr. Evans was here for essential biblical concepts that can ensure a positive future. I hope you will be with the alternative with Dr. Tony Avenue by think of an alternative is made possible by the generous contributions of listeners like