Free to Choose, Part 1

I have been given the freedom to change the freedom to choose for God to Dr. Tony Evans explains why the world doesn't work like it was created to possible but naked celebrating faithfulness. This is the alternative Dr. Tony author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the alternative, the Lord created each of those with the freedom to choose today.

Dr. Evans explores our choices actually have an impact on how God chooses to respond to us individually and collectively draws today's lesson from the book of Deuteronomy. Let's join one time. Well, with a capacity to choose, like a football field that has lines that do not know that you cannot without a whistle being blown sovereign boundaries. Boundaries teens can make choices about the play they call about the actions they take, but not happen within the sovereign boundary lines allow by the league creation. God is sovereign, that is, he has lines that are nonnegotiable in creation, but with no lines, gives freedom, and he allows us to choose. She told Adam and Eve. For example, every tree of the God you may freely eat of the tree of the midst of the garden you shall not eat it unless you die you choose, I'm going to give you the options and I'm going to tell you about the consequence you shall die, but I'm going allow you to make the decision.

He gave them choice, giving mankind choice evil was made possible button then make it actual and so you and I when it comes to our lives with sovereign boundaries that God allows have been given the freedom to choose the freedom to choose for God or the freedom to choose against God. Now God would determine the consequence you shall die that the freedom to choose was not the freedom to determine the consequence when a parent tell the child do this whenever this is the child really does have a choice.

They can choose the decision what they can choose what you going to when they made the decision that's up to you as the parent saw one of the beautiful things that God has given us his choice that certain things within his boundary are not imposed on us. We could choose in our passage today Moses and his angels giving one of the spinal sermons. The children of Israel are about to cross over into the promised land, which is the book of Joshua before they cross over into the promised land. Moses wants to give them a final word and in this final word. He wants to talk to them about their freedom to choose that they can make a decision based on their choice of how life works out for the five. This was not a decision about whether were going to spend eternity without a decision about heaven or hell. It was a decision about the kind of life they were going to live what they live a life of faith and what they live a life that was not favorable and that would be affected by their choice in introducing the sermon where at the end of this portion of Moses the servant is critical to understanding the sermon. The conclusion of the sermon and the choices that you and I have available to us. The word is the word covenant. If you look in chapter 29 here's what you read verse one says these are the words of the covenant.

Verse nine says so keep the words of the covenant.

Verse 12 says that you may enter into the covenant. Verse 14 says now.

Not with you alone.

Am I making this covenant and this oath covenant is a divinely ordained agreement if they divinely authorize bond covenant was an official arrangement. It was officially was not a casual discussion.

For example, when a couple gets married. We call that a marriage covenant. That means that a legal action has occurred, not just a casual hook up or get together. It means by law we are now related Israel was God's covenant to people they work is visually arranged.

People to under stand this rep to understand that when I use the word covenant.

I am talking now legally that's why he says down in verse 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today he's in a courtroom witnesses because this is a formal gathering at covenant was designed to bring people related to God under his covering, so a company provided a cover, if you will ever God's people because they were related to him. He says you have a choice. I establish my covenant with you, but the question is do you choose to operate under my covering you have an umbrella and still get wet umbrellas closed. You can have an umbrella and stay dry because you open up your umbrella and you covered why Israel was God's. The question is are you going to open the umbrella or keep it closed. Would you be covered or not covered by the covenant. Let me put it another way you can have a personal relationship with God because you are converted your Christian you trusted Christ with forgiveness of your sins and the gift of eternal life, but at the same time not enjoy the relationship that I like people to be married would be unhappy. You can be official, but not benefiting from that which you are officially tied to. I was traveling on one occasion and my son Jonathan was with me and I went up to the agent and I said is, are there any upgrades available. Any any first-class seats available. Based on my knowledge with you and they said all yes we do have a few seats so I'll be glad to bump you up.

I said what my son is with me. Would you because you have American Airlines as companion upgrades is my companion will you bump him up to. She pulled up his name and she said oh I am so sorry we cannot bump them up. I said but you have companion upgrades or yes he's my companion. Yes you bumping me off was just but we can't bump them up, but I said why not. If you have companion upgrades. She said because when I pulled up his name he was not ticketed with you. He was ticketed on a separate reservation and the benefit of the companion upgrades only come if you are ticketed together. Now what she was saying had absolutely nothing to do with our father-son relationship, but it had everything to do with whether he could piggyback on it for personal benefit. If you come to Jesus Christ. Your relationship is eternally been addressed but how much you can piggyback on him for life on earth is tied to whether you are ticketed your reservation with them or whether you are getting your own reservation independent of it has to do with the choice and so introduces this company when you read about this Mosaic covenant is what we call it in chapter 28 chapter 29 upturn when you read that he tells them the benefits of operating under the divine umbrella or the loss of benefits because of the blessings of the Cushing's, which were the opposite of the benefits he says now if you do not choose me, which you have the right to choose matches me, but if you don't choose what you need to understand that that which was working for you will no longer be working for you. It will be working against you because you've chosen to keep the role of the covenant covering closed not operate under my shed and therefore you're going to get wet. Not because I'm being mean, it's just that you no longer on the cover no longer covered by the company. Now, some may say but wait a minute that's Old Testament that's the law of Moses when you look at Hebrews chapter 7 verses 22 to 25. The author of Hebrews says and Jesus has given us a better covenant is the same word covenant that is an official covering an agreement and he says this covering of agreement S (to the old one. If you are undercover that is operating underneath the Lordship rulership of Jesus Christ because many Christians choose not to do that he says when you are operating under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, you are undercover and Jesus Christ has a full-time job in heaven, making intercession that is interfering with your life on an as-needed basis. Dr. Evans will explain why we are dealing with many of the issues we are when he continues this message from his current series called consequences. We love to send you a copy of this brand-new six lesson collection is our gift.

All we ask is that you include a donation to help us keep Tony's teaching on the station will also include his popular booklet 30 days to overcoming emotional strongholds. It explains how in a single month. You can be set free from destructive feelings, even if they've held you captive for years you get those consequences, and 30 days to overcoming emotional strongholds with our thanks when you request them and make your donation online@tonyevans.org or let one of our resource team members help you by calling 1-800-800-3222 anytime of the day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222 will get right back to today's message.

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Discover how find out more. Tony Evans.org we are dealing with. We are dealing with because we don't have, not because we don't have a Savior, but the role of his covenant has been closed. The Bible says when you take a million you introduce the new covenant. The new arrangement. The new agreement which outpaces the old one in the Old Testament. Let's go deeper when mom was preaching a sermon to the Israelites as they were getting ready to get on the banks of the Jordan River the crossover to the promised land. They were going to run into problems in the promised land because in the promised land were Canaanites, Hittites, Jebusites, that were the enemies of God in the promised land. So there were problems in the promised land. So when you think about the promised land.

Don't think about heaven because there is no Canaanites, at times, Jebusites, enemies and glory for you to deal with when you go to heaven you will not have any adversaries that can affect you. So the promised land was not a perfect location in the sense that it was not a problem with location being incompetent with God does not mean there are no problems, no struggles, stresses, difficulties, trials, temptations, tribulations both exist even in the will of God because when they were the promised land.

They were in the will of God with problems that they had effects. The difference is because they would be undercover ring when they ran into the problems. The problems would not have.

The last thing so they would not disappear but they would not have the last say so what I want you to understand it. Understand also understand is that your choice the first choice is to accept Jesus Christ as Savior.

But the next choice is whether I am coming under his divine will have a child who says mother and father not do what you say will do what you say. They have made a choice against your little authority they do not lose their biological relationship with you, but they do lose their intermittent benefit from. He wants us to understand that there is a choice between them chosen God are not choosing God. There is no twilight zone.

There is no in between area of non-choice not choosing to choose toys that I come before you and I sent this before you I'm I'm putting it on the table. You can choose. You can make the decision I'm going to give you the options. Everything relates to your relationship to the covenant your alignment to the covenant are you MRI with the rule of God. Are you out of line with the will of God, regardless of whether you are a child of God is an alignment issue. What many Christians do not understand is that because they insist on being out of alignment. They are not experiencing what Jesus said in John 1010 I have come to give you life and to give it to you more abundantly. I think you two things, not one I can give you life salvation as we normally speak of it, but then on top of that I came to give you abundant living problem with living but fulfillment in living, but the alignment must be there at the docs that you once before and I went to the garage to put the garage door wouldn't open the garage door would push the garage door wouldn't open. Called Roger. Mandy said walk over to the door, walked over to the dorks. He said those canvases on the left and right, which when a patient is that what one displays the other.

The other is facing out. He said that's your problem, but not in alignment. Is not working. I simply turn the one the face. The other they got the message.

The door opens doors that refuse to open before was too heavy for me to open all my old open once the alignment was straightened out.

And so today we have Christians who insist on not being aligned to divine rule, while at the same time asking God for divine favor that the contradictory requests because of the nature of a covenant.

It's a divinely created bonds to which we must be in alignment.

So what would be the problem of God's people not being in alignment because of her 70 but if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away in worship of the gods and serve them. I declare that you will perish. What would be the problem.

What you heard it over and over again. It would be a problem of vitals to the Canaanites, Hittites, Jebusites, and right safe. They have other gods. What's this, so they would be going to a promised land will by pagans. Their whole environment would surround them with anti-God philosophies worldview perspectives education entertain X all that would be surrounding the people of God in the place of blessing God says now when you go to my place of blessing, which for them was the promised land, which is for us, our salvation on the relation of Jesus Christ. When you go into that land. You're going to be surrounded by anti-God sentiments anti-God worldviews anti-God's philosophy, anti-God's perspective, if you go after them give you reneged on me because they sound good to you, then you have to understand you have removed your self from my cover because you have chosen another God's will know when you've chosen and title, remember, and I know is any authorized now, person, place, thing, and I will is any authorized now, person, place, thing for God hasn't okayed it you know it's an idle or you know what you truly worshiping what this biker who gets to make the final decision.

Whoever makes the final decision is God because they're the ones that you obeyed that the ones that you served so if the secularist make a final decision at the entertainment industry makes the final decision.

If the economics makes the final decision on authorized something what God is saying what that person, place, thing, or thought up at that moment in that decision became your God as you move from under the umbrella covering no longer work.

Once you choose Dr. 2011 with a look at the covering God provides for our lives when we choose to follow his direction and divine standard. Now I want to encourage you one more time to take advantage of that special offer. I mentioned earlier, if you can help us continue this broadcast by making a donation to the urban alternative will send you six messages in Tony's current series consequences along with the companion booklet 30 days to overcoming emotional strongholds is our gift and appreciation the special offer ends tomorrow, so don't wait for a buyer website Tony Evans.org or you can get all the details and make the arrangements or call our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 to get some in person help with your request anytime of the day or night.

Again, that's 1-800-800-3222 God gave us boundaries in life, but he also gave us the freedom to choose. So what happens when we abuse their freedom, or Dr. Evans will continue our exploration of this topic tomorrow I hope to be back with us for that right now though, will wrap up our time together with this quick shout out recently received in celebration of 40 years of God's faithfulness to the ministry of the urban alternative.

Here's Dr. Ed Young is my privilege to say a word of congratulations for 40 years in service to none other than my brother and my friend Dr. Tony having he rightly divides the word of truth. They by day and weekend by weekend, not only to his church, but really he's a spokesman for Christ around the world. Tony, what a ministry. One of blessing you been to countless millions of people in these 40 years, and I'll tell you a secret. The best is yet to be congratulations.

I'm thrilled to be your brother and I'm thrilled to just follow in your weight as you make a wide swath for the kingdom of God throughout this world. God bless you and your terrific family. The alternative with Dr. Tony have brought to you by the urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you