The Complete Sovereignty of God

Winter term's Dr. Tony Evans says there's a plan and a purpose even in our perceived vulnerability so that you can experience this is the alternative Tony speaker Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas Texas and president of the alternative times we need God. The most are often the times we trust in the least.

Today Dr. Evans explores the peculiar truth is he takes a look at the lives of two biblical characters examining how the issues they dealt with relate to some of the same struggles. You and I face today.

Let's join him as he begins instead of the great God that you know and love making things better and better. Seems the more you call on him.

He seems to be letting them get worse and worse, such as Paul situation in second Corinthians chapter 12 Paul says in verse seven. These words because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations. For this reason, to keep me from exalting myself. It was given me a phone in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me to keep me from exalting myself. Now Paul doesn't tell us what the phone is there many guesses as many guesses. We know from statements that Paul makes throughout the New Testament. He had problems. He says one place. I've written with large letters, so that you could read them so that he had to be able to see the writing talks about eyes and the number of cases so they could have an eye problem took a bit of physical form to talk some other place about many of the burdens that he faced distress and persecutions and all these men shipwreck and so it could be a circumstantial bird in his life. Any number of burdens or needling. My guess is aghast because he doesn't say well maybe he says depends on how you interpret it, because he says in this verse, a messenger of Satan so it could be a person of his life, who's driving him crazy. Anybody have a message of the devil. The Bible talks about Satan having human messengers.

People who are demonically inspired to make our lives miserable. You can get rid of meadow maybe work next to a woman. Nobody did and transferred, nobody relocated nobody get fired and you can shake it.

Maybe you live with. Here's something you need to know about before.

Nothing but nothing gets to you even if it's from the devil that doesn't pass to God's fingers first, the devil is not sovereign God is powerful, but is not sovereign.

The devil only got to mess with Joe because God located God. Here is will sometimes use the devil to carry out his purpose. So Jesus everybody don't think you accept me, Jesus tells Peter, Satan has requested to suffuse. We which means Satan gets to you by permission. Jesus said but I'm praying for you that your faith filled. Why would God allow the devil to get to me is one of the children. The positive reason that God will allow the devil to get to you is to increase your anointing would one mean by that, to expand the your usefulness for God. God will let the devil mess with you so that you can experience more of God. It would be Paul off of 13 books of the New Testament, the largest New Testament writer.

It would be Paul who would be the master influencer of Christianity for the ages.

God gave him a great revelation for a great purpose.

So what I want you to do now in your phone if you have have one right now that you're dealing with it. I want you to know God has something special going the other reason God gives a full is to correct an actual or potential sin. Here was a surprise for you been to the third heaven. You don't want to been there. You are the man you want is to get the big here. If you don't want that tells us that the problem will have the propensity for the problem apply. So God puts something in his life to keep if not even pray about adversity concerning this. I employed the Lord three times that it might really be glad to get this off me. He says my grace is sufficient because with my grace comes the power in the midst of your weakness.

Therefore, must not be your power could be just the week.

What am I supposed to do. Most gladly then I will boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Okay are you sitting down but I know you are but that's rhetorical. Are you sitting to see these in my weakness because I'm tormented in this situation I can change when I discovered the principle of grace of the sufficiency of grace God supply is enough for my situation and this torment is making me weaker God just said that his what is perfected or matured or developed. When I wake up following is now the legal is making me weaker torment is making me weak, as if breaking me down. He says well it's not broken mess, God is actually setting up a power plant. I will therefore most gladly about my weakness that that's not what we do we complain about a weakness thing is killing me this things drive me crazy. I can make it up up up up up up up up to brag about his week is how I get strong since I want to be strong, brag about week your weakness. See, we want to praise because it's all right. He says praise when it's all wrong, though, is the responsibility he said power is perfected in weakness.

I would rather boast in my weakness.

So the power of Christ may dwell in me, I have it. I want to experience and was going to make what I have my experience by boasting my making a big deal in the midst of my deep anguish. Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, difficulties for Christ sake because I'm maintaining my Christian position for when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul. If I take away your phone this so Paul which would you choose with you before, unless with no power or have a phone great and I'm not being mean, with the full is because I got a great anointing for you and I gotta keep you humble.

So the phone is not trying to be mean, although it does hurt my son Anthony was small, yet its first major asthma attack me the shot of epinephrine. We took him to the doctor this the first time he saw this little needle. The doctor simply said to me, would you hold it down to Susie sorted me to come and he would give her get hit with a four needle and I held him down and he had one question she screamed and hollered, why are you helping him hurt me.

I was helping the doctor heard the doctor with the needle but I understood something he didn't stay in the payment of the needle would be the power that he needed to face the issue while you're waiting for your change and it's okay to wait for your so can we field trip. But while you waited. Don't miss the power or the anointing because when I am weak, then I am strong, waiting for God to bring about the change we long for. Requires faith. Dr. Evans will help us discover the kind of faith that can stand up to any test, as he tells us about a man who face the toughest challenge. Any parent can imagine when he continues with the second part of today's lesson in just a moment but first I like to tell you about Tony's latest book that goes hand-in-hand with today's message is called hope for the hurting and entity offers first-hand spiritual principles can help you face pain and hurt with grace, allowing you to experience more fully the love and happiness that can be found on the other side of it all. You learn how to get through the pain without succumbing to its crushing weight would like to send you one of the first copies of this book is our gift in return for your donation toward keeping this ministry, coming your way and for a few more days along with Tony's hope for the hurting book will also include all 20 messages 10 on CDN 10 is digital downloads from the coming to the comforter audio compilation we been listening to today request a special package of resources right away.

Tony Evans.org or you can also get the companion hope for the hurting Bible study DVD and study guide. Just go to Tony Evans.org for all the details or let one of our resource team members help you by phone, day or night at 1-800-800-3222 again that's 1-800-800-3222 with Dr. Evans will come back with part two of today's message right after this I'm standing here in Alaska.

One of the most glorious places in God's great creation and I want to invite you to join me permit alternative called the Alaskan cruise going to have a magnificent time in God's word in God's creation we going to enjoy great fellowship. Great great and I'm looking forward to meeting and greeting on our CUA Alaskan cruise registered. Can't wait to be with more unforgettable Alaskan cruise, visit Tony Evans.org to Tony Evans.org. If God is making things worse. He is typically preparing for something and nothing brings this out anymore than the story in Genesis 22 now it came about after these things God tested Abraham said take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac and go to the land of an offer him there was a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you. Can you imagine is apparent the emotional crisis that puts you with not only is your son going to diabetes will die. Abraham rises early in the morning sounds daunting and took two of his young men with them and Isaac and his son and split the wood for the burnt offering arose and went to the place where God told on the third day Abram raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance, verse five verse five that often talk about talk numbers.

Abraham said to the young men stay here with the donkey and I am the lab will go up over there and we will worship and return to you is that many of the lab don't we go to go worship and will return to you whether he was just told to go to kill his son, Abraham was thinking God made a promise that my descendents would come through Isaac and God can't lie words once is now what do makes absolutely no logical sense but because I know he is able able to rule the order of things.

Isaac speaks to Abraham in verse seven behold the fire in the wood but where is the Lamb for the burnt offering something missing here, to which Abraham says verse eight that he looks at Isaac, God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son. What is telling.

If God have to fix this one and Abraham built the altar. Verse nine of the rings would download his Isaac and laid them on the altar on top of the wood and Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slice.

This is what you call completing your obedience.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven said Abraham.

Abraham remembers whatever God called him twice its serious Abraham.

Abraham, he said, here I am, he said do not stretch your hand against the lab and do nothing to him.

For now, I know that you fear God said you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.

God knows everything actual God knows everything potential. But God doesn't know everything experiential. God has not experienced everything that he knows so he could tell you what sin was a good thing with some will do, but he can't tell you what it feels like to do with it never works best not in his experience to commit one of the reasons the Bible says that God became man and he was Paul was so that he might simplify that many feel what we think the people were hungry and yet have you ever been hungry before he became a man, no, because you have to be human hungry often difficult to be hungry so he became a man to experience the Bible says was I got to do with the Lord why you killing me you have everything to do with it. Now I know verse 12. I know that you fear me that you take me seriously since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. What God loves to experience us choosing him over. The most important thing in our lives, your son, your only son you love.

That was his most precious gift he says I know how you feel about me because you were willing to give up him for me.go through this rising process to enter into the historical experience, not knowledge. He knows when Abraham would would not do, but the historical cookies and no experience. God loves it when we choose him first, but to choose and first let me come before some else when he is placed in the preeminent position in our lives over and against the we love most. We want most, where impassioned about most. Watch this some other point I want to make do not stretch out your hand against the lab. Verse 12 and do nothing to him. For now, I know that you really think you not withheld from it. Then Abraham Ray eyes and look behold him a ram caught in the thicket by its horns and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him for burnt offering in the place of his solution to his problem was right next to this sweet sweet his solution. God's gotta supply himself sacrifice but is ready to slay his son because his son sacrifice. What's this not tell he chooses God first. Does he find out about the solution God is provided God the solution stuck the solution. What going nowhere. Binstock had been caught.

But wait a minute.

If you have been caught. That means it's been there for second the mighty quiet caught ram gift card lift ticket is trying to wiggle its way out. It is making noise and and we know it was a way this is that means people saw some cohorts on the cause of the low so he just had with do you know some of you looking for God.

Got a call just a little bit noisier than the big noise yet because he still waiting to see what you will do what you don't do which go choose you sing about him. First you say on first you talk first let you choose some let you make a choice, a decision decision to slay the thing Dr. Tony Evans talking about trust in God even in the times when were not sure what he's up to in our lives. If you'd like to get a full-length copy of the lessons included in today's broadcast part of the comprehensive audio series I mentioned earlier coming to the comforter available with 10 messages on CD and 10 Morris digital downloads the complete collection is yours with our thanks when you make a contribution to help keep Tony's teaching coming to the station and other outlets around the world and for a limited time, along with the coming to the comforter series will also send you Tony's newest book hope for the hurting, as always. The details are waiting for you online@tonyevans.org you can browse through our huge library of resources and sign up for Tony's free weekly email devotional and if you want to explore this topic even further. Check out the companion hope for the hurting Bible study DVD and study guide again as Tony Evans.org or let one of our friendly resource team members, assist with your request at 1-800-800-3222 that's 1-800-800-3222.

There's a saying that kindness is a gift everyone can afford to give.

As we mentioned before, Dr. Evans believes kindness is a gift that our society can't afford not to give take the time to show kindness to those you meet today and in the name of Jesus look for opportunities to demonstrate kindness to someone who needs a touch from God you help make your community a better place. When you demonstrate the love of God through your acts of kindness Jesus resurrection is the centerpiece of history and the pivot point between eternal life and death tomorrow. Dr. Evans will explore the validity, value and victory of the Lord's resurrection and examine how we can experience God's comfort when we acknowledge his complete sovereignty. I hope you'll join us for this powerful lesson the alternatives with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you fighting made possible by the generous contributions listeners like