Reviving Defeated Christians

Dad, you have a Dr. Tony Evans is it won't come from politics will program come from the Lord will allow God celebrating this is the alternative Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the alternative. Sometimes it feels like life is hidden so hard we're down for the count.

There's no we were getting back to her feet today. Dr. Evans is God is in our corner and he'll lift us up even when nothing else can once listen as he sets the stage for today's encouraging truth on December 17, 1924 and S for submarine was RAM just off of Cape Cod submarine began to sink 40 sailors and rushed to the only compartment left with oxygen on the submarine that was sinking.

They began to send the cold out with a question low on oxygen sinking. They asked is there any hope there were in a situation that they could not fix their running out of the ability to brief, they will lock them up to so they couldn't see whether there was any help available. All they could do was send out a message with the question, is there any hope when you look at our world today unraveling at warp speed. That would seem to be the appropriate question. Is there any hope Candace hot mess be fixed individual asking this question.

Is there any hope what I be able to get back to life as normal people are arguing about what we could do what we should do single female wants to know is that any hope that I will never have meaningful relationship with the good man is there any hope couples raise the question. Is there any hope for this relationship. Divorce looks like it's the only resolution is the radio and the culture is there any hope for racial unity is any hopeful political order, is there any hope for ability to return because I don't know about you but you look at blues long enough, you're reminded is not good regardless of your political persuasion. It is clear, that Meadows in the White House because the calamity continues to unravel.

So the question is, is there any hope every time it looks like there is a little lighter turned out to be the light of an oncoming train because things just revert back to being problematic again.

The question is, is there any hope. I want to call your attention to a passage of Scripture well known by all of us were acquainted with our Bibles in the book of Ezekiel, the most well-known chapter in the book of Ezekiel's you know what is the valley of dry bones. Ezekiel 37.

That's the question that the prophet has to raise. Is there any hope. Let's look at the situation, the hand of the Lord is upon me verse one says he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley and it was full of bones which all of the universe to and they were very dry. We told in verse 11. Bones are dried up, and hope has perished. We are completely cut off the paints a picture of desperation, despair, defeat disunity because our hope is gone. We have been cut off with cut off from God and would cut off of each other gifts in the picture among the ossuary and ossuary is a coffin. He sees this huge coffin encompassing the whole valley and the bottles were very dry. He says, in other words is been this way a long time and I just drive them very dry. We been in this stupa for a long time. The bows he says in the past were all disconnected the biggest best pitch I can give you is a puzzle box when you see the puzzle box.

The pieces all rambled and disconnected. They don't fit together. Yet if not fitting the gap. He calls them later on in the chapter and Army. So when looking at a defeated Army and Army. They can fight with an army that's been beaten up from the floor, looking at what he called verse 11.

The whole house of Israel and other words this was a crumbled nation Israel was the people of God in the Old Testament, the church is the people of God in the New Testament he says of the Old Testament people of God. We are a different culture of the fetid nation transposing that today. I call this message reviving defeated Christians because we supposedly God zombie. We are full of bones dried up for very long time now to set the context for this situation. You not understand why they are where they are, why are they in this desperate defeated situation better in Babylonian captivity was prophesying out of time when Babylon has been used by God to discipline his people. The reason for the discipline. As stated in verse 25 of chapter 36 then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean.

I will clean you from openness and all your idle you see what is really God is in it brought into the culture and adopted the values of the secular nations around it and incorporated values into God's people. I will always produce spiritual distance number words, once you what and I don't it will automatically disconnect you from God and so this distance had placed God's people, Israel, into a major predicament which causes you'll to hear God raise a question is the question God brings verse three he said to me. God says the residual Son of Man can these bones live if I would ask you, how do we fix the church out of the church, then impact the culture had to say.

You know, in other words, the last me the last me because I can help with that question is to messed up. Only you know God cousins go take some admissions to fix this sees the situation so bad that he doesn't see that they can be fixed. There was no light at the end of the tunnel was there. Keep in mind. Now we have an unfixable problem you may have an unfixable problem in your life.

I'm sure if I asked everybody would drop boldly and raise your hand to be Samantha go up because you're in a situation you can fix is too big it's too complex is out of your control. You have even the get up and go to go get it. You just stop discouraged on some level.

Dr. Evans will come back to tell us what God does next when he continues this message from his brand-new series divine reset if you're feeling troubled backed into a corner and defeated this life-changing collection of lessons is for you. There are messages on moving beyond complacency unlocking God's power in your life fighting triumph after trials at experiencing God in this life and the one to come. We want you to realize all God intended for you, so will send you all 10 full-length CDs or digital downloads.

In this set is our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's teaching on the station along with it will include his helpful booklet winning your spiritual battles. This valuable resource can offer hope and guidance as it helps you identify areas of spiritual weakness and prepares you to stand firm against the devil's attacks on your life you get both of these resources with our thanks when you make a donation and request them online@tonyevans.org or let someone on a resource team help you by calling 1-800-800-3222 anytime of the day or night. That's 1-800-800-3222. Dr. Evans will come back with part two of his message right after this coming to theaters this November. Hearing the place where Lazarus was raised from the place where it's believed was to which Jesus rings Tony heaven springs the New Testament gospels to line as he visits the locations of Jesus earthly ministry connecting them to their significance in kind. Today I relationships I guess what Jesus is can take things like November 15, 16th and 17th travel with Dr. Tony heaven, life-changing, eye-opening journey with Jesus buying showtimes and learn more Tony Kevin stop for something.

Now the first thing he said was the first question, he said I came in for that question only you can bet again. He says in reverse for proper size over these bones and save available here, but were of the Lord.

So these bones can still hear now. Maybe they ready to listen to the word of man were the culture.

The word about the experts of the elite lifted every other words, so I want to prophesy several times you're not ready to listen to God. Yet, until something got bad enough long enough deep enough that you're not willing to pay undivided attention because there's no way out. But notice what he told them to do. He says prophesy to the bones. Prophecy is a form of preaching, but it is just informational disclosure. The profits spoke God's will into a specific situation.

That's why the New Testament says despise not prophecy is not thought about go to church to hear the preacher say despise not God's word being spoken into a situation so one of the things in your own drabness. You should ask God for is April word not just assume that the Lord verse five the Lord God of these bones.

Behold, I will cause breath to into to you that you may come to life. So I want to say to you here today I drive situation. You have a future dad drive situation appears to be. You have a future but will come from politics or programs will come from the Lord when he spoke the word of hope still dry bones, but something happened. Verse seven says when I prophesied, there was a noise click click click click click click click click click there was a rattling bones came together bones about the bones started rattling something happened when a prophetic word was spoken into the situation will just be general preaching today. We had to make a mess, but we need the prophetic word spoken into the situation so the bones can the problem. Verse eight. Was rattling there was no breath in very sad to me.

God said to me, prophesy to the breath he said I prophesied as he commanded me the breath came up to them and they came to life and stood on their feet and exceedingly great army.

While what is the breath verse 14. I will put my spirit within you the river while we are not alive is the spirit is missing. Even if you have word but the word connects with the spirit, things began to live again that look like they could ever elbow function again and not only did they live. They became a exceedingly great army, do you know what Chris is retreating read well in this message because we were retreating army huge army by loving Jesus retreating to the church and abandoning the culture to the devil. It is always second review 317 and 18.

He says about you all, with unveiled face, he says, coming into his presence.

And when you do you look into the middle of his word and then the spirit takes all while transforming you must have both now almost feel bad now, if you just show up for the sermon. All you get is a rental. Maybe it's a prophetic word for you. You will never get transformation from a sermon, the reason he tells of the prophesied to the spirit which is the breath is because in the Bible.

Jesus says the spirit is the spirit of truth. In other words, the spirit will only respond to the truth when you mix human opinion with the truth. He will not respond. God told in John chapter 5, he said you search the Scriptures we read your Bible, but you don't have life so look at this picture is me come to conclusion stated in verse 12 also the Lord. Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come about your graves, my people and I will bring you into the land of Israel, words, bring you back to what you lost. We forsaken you we've abandoned you would not repent. We don't going away. Do you mean as long as we been doing our own thing. You still let us live again when you go do that.

Verse 13 then you will know that I am the Lord. In verse 14, then you will know that I am the Lord have spoken and done, the claim, God will let us get so low when we have been in rebellion against him that only he can fix no humans get the credit will be no program get the credit you know is me. Could you bury you in your grave.

Jeremiah 29 says that you know how to play presentable and peppy while big enough for your calamity to give your future to give you all and then he says that you will seek me and he will look for meeting will find me when you search for me with all your heart becomes verse 14 it says and I will restore your fortunes will reconstitute this Dr. Tony Evans will conduct a share a story from his youth and the insights he gleaned from it when he wraps up today's message just a moment for so I want to let you know that Monday is the last day to take advantage of that special offer. I mentioned earlier, all 10 full-length audio messages from Tony's powerful message series divine reset which today's broadcast comes from at a copy of his popular booklet winning your spiritual battles. Together these helpful resources can redefine your focus. Turning your attention to what's truly important in life and giving you the tools and insights to allow you to overcome complacency and issues of your past their yours is our thank you when you request them and make a donation in support of the ministry here on the station and around the world make your resource request. When you visit Tony Evans.org today or you can also sign up for Tony's free weekly email devotional again at stony Avenue and start over a or color 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our friendly team members assist you. That's 1-800-800-3222.

There are times when the going gets so tough we are tempted to throw in the towel and say I quit. But tomorrow Dr. Evans will point out there are things we can do to help keep us moving to a strong finish. Right now though his back with this story I was growing up. What I did on many Saturdays we go to the Lafayette bowling alley back then bowling wasn't sophisticated like it is now the technology was not as it is. So when you rolled and not down the pins.

The technology was so bad it often would not be able to pick up all the pins that a been not been so at the Lafayette bowling alley.

When I was growing up there was a man behind each of the Allen's who would walk from lane to lane, picking up pins that had been knocked over peppy equipment didn't get God's grace is what you saw his feet and all he did was go from lane to lane to lane to lane, picking up pins not that the machinery didn't get. Boy was I knew if he was able to take something that had been rolled and set it up right. You feel like your life is been rolled over by your circumstances. And there is no hope. If you feel like things are gone and I can get better what it looks like you know somebody who can go from life to life, family, church, the church counterculture and he does not that it did not over and set them up right again. So don't you quit. Don't you give up on the town.

Keep going you will you keep going you will know you know is the alternative with Dr. Tony is brought to you by the celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you