The Pursuit of God

It is so this is Dr. Tony Evans is confessing our sin is the first step to drawing closer to God. When you deal with sin and God will be free. You are celebrating 40 years of faithfulness.

This is the alternative Dr. Tony Abbott, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the urban alternative. The Declaration of Independence talks about the right to life liberty and The Pursuit of Happyness pursuing something is no guarantee will find it today. Dr. Evans comments on how to make our pursuit of God more successful. Let's turn to James chapter 4 as we join him must do to remove ourselves from the standing of this world number one verse seven God was the devil will flee from you, not to be a wildly Christian. The God return it meant to get out in your proper ranking it meant to surrender your self to your legitimate already in the proper gain word submit is used throughout the Bible questions. For example, are told to submit to government that is to submit or place themselves under their government to agreement the government is legitimate and requiring legitimate things in life is told to submit to the already over to the degree that he has submitted himself to the authority of Christ. Children are told to submit to parents as long as the parent not requiring all written rebellion against God's own subletting had to do with alignment realigning your life under God what he called a Christian to submit saying to your self already of God. The first thing you will be many of us need without causing them alignment.

All of us here have had alignments in our cars when our car is out of alignment. You don't always see you don't always feel it, but the sure way to know that your name and alignment of your front tires checked because when they check your front tire back and look at the way and the distribution of the wearing of the red to determine that you do not have a tire problem per se.

You have an alignment problem that is the cause of the even aware of the spread particularly on your front tires. Many of us today are looking live with out land where fast with seeing the line of live balanced and uneven with seeing more see that we victory.

Many marriages are being worn down and you think you got a problem when there is an alignment problem.

Many of our personal lives are being worn down. You want to change tires you want to change charges you want to change the environment, but you may have an online problem to realize the exact date of the meaning of the word, yet you don't like not God.

You have displaced yourself from the authority of God that mean practically it means to say on a day by day basis, not my will but thy will be done. It is to say, I am willing to subject my desire to your desire my dreams to your dreams.

My purposes to your purposes. My plans to your plans. My hopes to your hold it is to finally abandon oneself to God. Until that happens, we will not be aligned properly to be able to do the second phase of this which is to resist the devil what he calls us to do our decision to leave the world and come under the ranking of God. Now God will help you God will empower you to make the decision, but what God will not do is to make the decision for you. So to submit to God is a conscious decision to stand against the world again to submit to God is a conscious decision to stand against that this world order that leaves God out.

No longer will have dominating influence over my life anymore. You must decide that as a believer in Jesus Christ. God will help you do it, but he will not make the decision to do it for you.

One of the things we didn't know about the devil if he is not invincible textbook the death of Jesus Christ solve that he has been rendered. Hebrews 2 says powerless. So now you must whip you by deception because he no longer can whip you by power one show, Jesus Christ the devil can no longer make you do anything they can trick you into doing it. Taken to want to do it, but as a believer in Jesus Christ. He can no longer make you do anything so that's why you cannot blame the devil what you do.

Secondly, brought me here to God drawing near, has to do with increasing intimacy. It has to do with snuggling up close to it means if you're going to be in the world and become a vibrant, strong Christian, you cannot have a long distance relationship with God you cannot be a part-time Christian you cannot be a slow Sunday morning only say that this cannot be a lifestyle occupation. It must be an orientation whereby you draw the apostle John's word for drawing me. It was to abide, close to the closer you get to God the more God rubs off on you like being in a hot sun.

The longer the sun the more the sun on you when you sweat, make the sun make you sweat.

You just have to be close to it and the sun is for you for said draw well what me what I have to do the drawing. Because I can never think your hand, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double minded. You cannot draw near, without dealing seriously with sin. It is sin that keeps us at a distance clearly is your hand, you sinners is talking about Christians here because the non-Christians can cleanse the hand for me to be cleansed by the blood of Christ talk about Christians here for functioning like sinners (Jan's enough now this was a ceremonial phrase in the Old Testament the priest before they can offer sacrifice at the clinic. The hands admit to get rid of or defilement means make a decision to change are not external actions make the decision. Since this is dirty. I'm going to stop me but I don't have the power stuff okay, make the decision.

As you submit and draw nearly got Drawn there, but then say this is sin is one of the reasons why we don't get me to God is that we never call since it God will only deal with you if you deal with sin. Some of us cannot. Some of us don't really want to be world will want to get out. Since then, we just want the souvenirs of sin put on the mantle piece I can look at every man somewhere wildly by Silverleaf studies, which we set things up to give us déjà vu God for the claim. Yet it clearly addicts don't put up the souvenirs to remind you of days gone by the souvenirs, remove the reminders of the world. Don't be duly aligned double mindedness when you deal with sin as sin, then God will be free to draw near to you as you return. Psalm one 4518 says God is near the all call upon him to chronicle 15 two says if you seek him with. If you seek him, he will let you find him. Jeremiah 2913 says you shall seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. Hebrews 416, 10, 22 says drawn there drawn when you come to God, like David didn't say in Psalm 51 against you and you only have us.

How intense is this kind of drawing me look at it verse nine be miserable, and morning and we let your people, not yet. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.

When something serious is going wrong and somebody who should be trick ministers as you would laugh and plan off like no big thing. God is no place in off like is no big thing is a big thing everybody sends my, that I'm talking about drawing near, the drawing near to God.

You have to treat sin seriously. She says stop laughing and start crying when Peter denied the Lord, we know he was certain he went outside and wept bitterly. He wasn't getting over.

This was no joke. God says to take it seriously. And when you take said seriously. God says and I'll take you seriously.

I will be with the infection. I will give you spiritual peroxide to clean the wound. There must be a hot of sincere repentance should not be taken seriously. We must wail not laugh. We must follow, not joke we must feel a sense of dread and gloom because we have heard the heart of a holy God because we don't feel that deep about sin. God is not free to draw near to the second thing is running complex.

Dr. Evans will explain why people who think Christian should be judging each other may have missed the point when he returns. In a moment to continue this message from his brand-new CD compilation 20 Evans top 40, a collection of the most hard-hitting life-changing sermons in his 40 year ministry history that includes messages on our authority as believers praying and waiting for God's timing. The importance of spiritual armor sharing the good news, and much more. These messages can literally change your life for the life of someone you love.

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Humble yourself before God. Verse 10 yourself in the presence of the Lord and he will exalt you. Here's another great promise if you submit you'll be able to resist. If you draw media will draw near to you. If you humble yourself under him bring back the concept of submission will you well.

This is a problem as we been too busy lifting ourselves up and lift yourself up. Bob was not doing nothing.

You good enough to take you mean to humble yourself.

It means to remove all fragments of pride is to remove all fragments of pride in the Bible.

The great men of God were taken out were always taken down first. Joseph was taken down. Egypt put in jail and then he became king of Egypt. Moses was put out in the wilderness, and then he became leader of Israel on David Haggai. Now with the sheets before he could became they had a have experienced down before God could trust him to lift them up the greatest Bible teacher in the Bible. Paul the apostle had to spend three years in the desert before God before God would lift them up if you want God to raise you up in usefulness raise you up in power and victory Ray constraint you don't know why because is not room for two God's universe as well. See if you can raise yourself up and don't be gone all by yourself. But if you can't raise yourself up and you are in desperate need of God to what you do is you go you go, love mercy, using please mercy you say please you humble yourself. There is no place for gifts when sinful man approach a holy God and click on the it's come near please Mr. Welch. There must be humility if God is going to raise you up that be the case and apply God's always starts going down say that's vague give me some I can put my teeth into a new you will ask that question is why Roberson 711 Miriam do not speak against one another brother and he thought to Christians who speaks against brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you not a doer of the law, but your drug of the loss. There is only one lawgiver and judge the one with able to save and destroy, but who are you to judge me. Is that okay let me give you an illustration of what humility means you will always discover humility in how you talk, especially how you talk about somebody else. She says because one of the ways we play God is without one of the ways we act like we think we God is without talk, because he says we use tongs to destroy one another. She read the sin of slander as an illustration of this point of view.

Most of the not unrelated what's gone before yourself and how you spake because instead of having a malicious town that drags people back because you have already gone down and recognized the grace of God.

You don't doubt you know you want to drag people down… Thanks John, though not all good him out when God says you can even draw an enemy of the Senate. No more time with the sin in your life to be taught about line tear down another person's reputation and you or nonconstructive way to clarify something very quickly. The Bible says you are to deal with since the Bible says in Titus 310 that we are to deal with since first repeats five went to confront brothers were sitting slander slander if talking to everybody else but the brother slander send John Doe is messed up and John Doe never gets to hear from you that you love them enough and Not try to help them out of the myth I want 300 other people to know the John Doe was going to the dogs. So the John Doe will look bad in front of the people you think well, people still do it and I don't see the big deal.

Well, now you broken the law because the law that you love your God with all your heart, my Microsoft and love your neighbor as yourself. That's what the law sums up into a black hole 10 Commandments are really commandments of love, no other God. That means love to be fickle.

It must be single-minded commandment number two no idols.

That means love must be loyal in its practice commandment number three. Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain that Ms. me love must be respectful and not you think the way commandment number four. Remember the Sabbath keeping holy means love must be devoted with disaffection commandment number five.

Honor your father and mother love must be submissive to limit legitimate commandment number six you shall not means love should value other people and not try to love is to be pure and not not not not not tell… Not topic about the content of what you have dealt a 10 minutes of stated in a negative way the Bible is very quickly to Matthew chapter 7. This gives you the proper balance about judging people because you heard people say well Bible don't judge. Well, not quite.

Do not judge, lest you be judged.

For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you and why do you look at the speck that is in your brother.but do not notice the law that is in your own you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your and behold the log you hypocrite, first take the log out of your own and you will secretly take this out of your brother's eye, the Bible.

If not, don't judge, it is watch how you judge missing because how you judge will be the basis of how you will be just as strong somebody else.

This lady gets what God says what goes around comes around that you're going to get and you know what many things were going through the God Pan is back in the very thing we do what others we never made the connection. The God of bitmap to me what I'm doing over there within and while they may need to be corrected, which we should do what they should be condemned for wrong but judging should all to build up and they should be with the law removed from your because of you have a tree trunk sitting outside your fix.

There's no way you can see us back in somebody else's so fix you first before you judge because when you judge it will be measured to you know what the problem with wrong judgment. Judge verse 12.

There is only one lawgiver judge and one with able to kill and keep alive and will you judge a late neighbor, not worth that only one God and you 90 you're not.

He is dealing with righteous judgment, biblical judgment, clear judgment, judgment that is humble as well. The Bible says taking evil thinking friends lest he falls you safe at what John did all day.

God says what watches. Don't you know that's a possibility, and you to look up a prostitute. But you know you were born in the right side of town on the rights of the sun that could be you.

When you understand it could be you, you humble yourself in the Bible stories told by way of application of two Jews went to the temple furnace. He said I thank you. I'm not like other men, Luke 18. Thank you.

I'm not immoral.

Thank you that I'm not a fee. Thank you that I'm not like the dogs out there. Thank you everybody else than the public in the faith came in and beat his chest. The Bible/insert all God said and done all of those things I tell you what, that it will probably give one away just say when awake things things is what we want, but the mantle don't allow said women past, I haven't drawn me. I haven't submitted little bit too proud if it too late. We know in football, they have have to know what to do have to go in and get things straight.

You find out what's been causing you to lose and you readjust a strategy, no matter how many points the other team escort and have to you can always come out. I have, hope you know what does it mean at least that many points can be scored in one is now your turn score your home team a Abuja because the other team got up when you have to at half time you listen to the crowd, coach, no matter what anybody else is saying about you coaches saying let's go back out on the field when this day Jesus Christ is calling you to the second half of the second half enough of this world.

Dr. 2011, encouraging us to choose the team were committed to. As we pursue God. Today's lesson was part of Tony's new audio compilation called 2011 stop 40.

There's lots of bonus content in this collection, including entire messages we won't have time to present on the year but will send you volumes one and two of this four volume set as our gift. If you can help us keep Toni's teaching on the station by making a contribution along with it will include the booklet on fasting.

I told you about earlier, but only if we hear from you before this limited time offer runs out making arrangements today at 2011's.org or let one of our team members help you by calling 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222.

A lot of people think God's offer to be close to us is too good to be true.

Next time, Dr. Evans will explain how the devil perpetuates that attitude and what you can do about it right now though, will wrap up our time together with this quick shout out.

We received from Dr. Ed Young in celebration of 40 years of God's faithfulness to the ministry of the urban alternative is my privilege to say a word of congratulations from 40 years of service to God 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, one of ministry. What a 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 is like utilizing urban alternative celebrating 40 years of faithfulness and generous contributions listeners like you