When You Feel Like Giving Up | Sermon by Tony Evans

and now father as we humbly come before you through the word not only give us ears to hear but wills to respond so that this is not a wasted gathering we've been in carriage we've been inspired but we know what we really need is to be transformed start with me but encapsulate us all and we will give and pay homage to the son in Jesus name we pray amen when you audit a course in college what you are saying is I want the information without the responsibility I want to learn whatever the course is seeking to teach but don't give me homework and don't give me exams I don't want the work of it I just want the knowledge about it you may be able to do that with college but you cannot do that with the Christian life you cannot audit it what many people do is they come to church to hear the word to be inspired by the word but who don't plan to do any of the work they don't want to incur any of the responsibilities of it but they like the learning about it well in college you need to know that when you order the course you don't get credit for it because you didn't put in what the course required and when you audit the Christian life by coming to hear the word to be inspired and encouraged by the word but to not act on the word that you've heard you may have more knowledge and you may be more inspired but you won't be changed because the transformation in the life through word has to be activated by obedience without that it becomes information with no credits that is no transforming value we're now at the 6th church that the Apostle John is written the church at Philadelphia this is the first Philadelphia the city of brotherly love this Philadelphia in verse 7 of Revelation 3 is located some 30 miles southeast of Sardis a great commercial city with a major trade route plagued often with earthquakes that was the nature of this city inside this city was a small church a small gathering of believers Philadelphia Bible fellowship this small gathering of believers found themselves in this pagan realm and Jesus who is the spokesperson through the Shepard of each one of these churches speaks through this leader to the Saints at Philadelphia Bible fellowship at the church in Philadelphia and notice what he says verse 7 he who is holy who is true who has the key of David who opens and no one will shut and who shuts and no one opens says this so before we get into all the idiosyncrasies of what he has to say to this church he wants to give another description of himself which he has done in each of these churches and he describes himself as he who is holy and true holy means to be set apart as unique special or one-of-a-kind holy means you not be to be put in a class with anything else I describe holy often in using the difference between dishes and the dishes in the kitchen and dishes in the dining room the dishes in the sink are dirty they are dirty dishes that's why they're in the sink the dishes in the kitchen are common dishes you use that for all of your meals but the dishes in the den well they got their own room they got their own glass case because they are special they're not integrated with the common and they're certainly not integrated with the profane the dirty no there and they that that's special they come out on special occasions Jesus says don't put me in a room with anybody else don't don't make me another one of the people you recognize I'm not just a good person I'm not just a great prophet I am holy I am separate I'm one-of-a-kind I am unique I'm in a class by myself in Isaiah 40 verse 25 the Bible says God is holy so when Jesus declares himself to be holy he declares himself to be God so we're not just talking about another name or one of the crowd he says I am unique and therefore must be viewed and treated uniquely I am not only holy I'm also true truth has to do with ultimate reality I'm the real deal anything that contradicts me is false and is a lie and cannot be trusted so you are to measure everything by the truth I am the way the truth and the life so everything is to be measured by its inconsistency and compatibility to me and if it's incompatible and inconsistent with me is wrong no matter who told it to you how long you believed it and how well you know it I am truth I am holy and true not only am I unique and set apart not only am i ultimate reality but now he gets to the nitty-gritty he says I have the key of David I have the key of David now to appreciate what he's talking about this is drawn from Isaiah chapter 22 verses 15 to 25 in Isaiah chapter 22 verses 15 to 25 the steward of the house of David the kingdom house of David Davis was the king of Israel it uses that to speak of the kingdom the key belonged to this steward but the steward did not do the right job so he was fired and when he was fired a new steward replaced him this new steward was Alya Kim and Alya Kim was given the key to the kingdom not given a key he was given the key Jesus says I possess the key of the king of David of the kingdom of David that is I have the kingdom key notice it's a single key because it's a master key anybody who possesses a master key can get any in any door all the doors are available to him because he has a master key so when the Bible speaks of the key it speaks of two things access and authority so Jesus claims access to any door and authority over every door let me say that again Jesus the one with the key the master key has access to every door which is what a master key gives you an authority over every door which is why he says he can open the doors he wants to open and lock the doors he wants to stay locked because he is in charge now if you and I don't get that we don't think people are in charged we're gonna think power brokers are in charge we gonna think folk with money are in charge we're going to think folk with clothes are in charge they may have our key but they don't have the master key they may have a key to our door they don't have a key to every door Jesus says I control the kingdom because I have control of the master key or as he says in Matthew 28 verse 19 he says all afar has been given to me not only in the sweet by and by but in the nasty here and now he says all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth to put it in everyday language I got the key so I'm in charge I run the show now in Matthew chapter 16 he says I'm going to build my church and I will give my church the keys to the kingdom watch this now Jesus says I have the master key that's one key that can unlock any door but I'm going to give to my people the church I'm going to give them the keys plural to the kingdom so what he's given us is multiple keys to multiple doors while he possesses the master key to every door so he has the key we have the keys how does it work when you use the right key he'll back it up with the master key but when you use the wrong key the master key can't back you up because the master key can only be consistent with the keys that he's given us let me put it another way if you skip God's way to get it done whatever it is you're trying to get done then don't just call on God to use his master key when you've ignored the key he gave you he does not want you to skip the responsibility he's giving you and simply call on him cuz he got the master key he wants to know your keys are consistent with his key I will give you the keys to the kingdom well what is that its authority I'm going to share my authority with you when you are consistent with me Authority Kingdom means to rule so God wants to rule not only in heaven but in history through the person of Jesus Christ and he possesses the key see the reason why we are not seeing more of the master key is because God is not seeing more of the use of us using the right see we go and use the world's key to unlock heaven those keys don't fit in that lock I share with you before how I was in New York and I was at the Marriott hotel and I checked out caught a plane to Chicago got into the Hilton Hotel went up 35 floors in the dead of winter with my luggage freezing outside I put my key in the lock click click red light click click red light click click red light so I'm a little ticked off now because I didn't go on up 35 floors cold outside I catch the elevator down I go to the registration desk I say excuse me this key doesn't work he said cuz that key doesn't go to this hotel I've forgotten to throw away my Marriott key and was using a Marriott key in a Hilton lock and those kingdoms don't fit those those those kingdoms although those keys don't fit when you mix and kingdoms and what Christians do is they mix kingdoms and wonder why heaven's door won't open cuz God won't use the King key if you won't use Hill key your key must be consistent with his master key and he says when God moves when Jesus moves specifically he opens and closes doors and he says when he moves with his key that is with His divine authority he says when he does that nobody can shut it ok this ought to do something to you gets it right there right there right there let me tell you what I'll do what you get it what this means is when you're using God's Keys people do not have the last say so mmm see that see we get all shook up about people oh he got the power to let me in or to lock me out he got the power to raise me or to put me down he's got the power she's got the power to fire me or hire me they got the power they got all the power jesus said but I got the master key and when I opened the door I don't care who they are where they come from how much they have what degrees they possess when I have the key if I decide to open that door nobody go shut the door I open and if I decide to lock them up they not gonna be able to get back in cuz I'm in charge here I've got the key to the kingdom see we fear the wrong folk we fear folk cuz they got a name we fear folk cuz they got some money we fear folk because they got some power but you are related to the one who's got the key of David ultimate authority final say-so so ease you know you ever been into a prison two for one reason or another you know they got these pods now these elevated pods whether the gods sit and they got all these keys to let folk in or to block folks out the world wants to hold you hostage and Jesus says but I got the key to every cell I got the key to every door so it's the one with the key who determines it in it if you don't get that and if I don't get that we'll run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get folk to do what folk may or may not be willing to do when you suppose another one who's got the master key to any door that you have to deal with yeah we got to understand who we dealing with here he says I possess the keys so what's the problem he says in verse eight I know your deeds behold I have put before you an open door which no one can shut because you have little power and have kept my word and have not denied my name Oh watch it in order for his key to work for you for me and for his church he says you must have kept my word obeyed me and not denied my name so one of the reasons many believers are not seeing God come through is because they do not keep his word they click on the church and hear it but they do not keep his word and or they deny his name they don't want to be publicly associated with him he says to them you have little power that means this is a small church that doesn't have big names doesn't have notoriety people doesn't have highly educated folk doesn't have a bunch of rich rich Saints sitting in the sanctuary he says you have little power you not all added a bag of chips people don't know who you are they don't appreciate who you are they don't respect who you are you don't have what people view as substantive significant and worth applauding but he says I have set before you an open door even though folks say you are nothing and a nobody I have set before you an open door and when I open this bad boy up for you the folk with the name with the money with the power will not be able to shut it but the way I will open the door and the reason I will open the door for you your life your world in your ministry is because you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name see we got folk what in the God opened doors when they while they disobey him we got one guard to open doors while they are ashamed to bear his name notice you can't deny his name you can talk about God all you want you can talk about God this and God that that's not his name his name is the Lord Jesus Christ the second person of the Trinity not this generic God no no yeah God is there but God has bequeathed or delegated everything to his son it is at the name of Jesus every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father so if folk don't know your relationship to Jesus you have denied his name even though you may be talking about God bless you all day long you ever did not denied my name Jesus says when you deny me on earth I will deny you before my father who is in heaven when you confess me on earth I will confess you before my father who is in heaven so if you are ashamed of Jesus Christ and don't want to be publicly associated with him forget open doors you can open your own door and that's why we get so messed up cuz we round here trying to get folk to open up the door create the opportunity make their connection give us the money and we do it all this to open up doors and Jesus is sitting there with a master key and and if you've never seen God give you an open door to see you to miss something if you've never seen God swing something open it look like it was closed and see if you've never seen him come through when there was no way Jose if you've never seen him intervene in your circumstances then you have not experienced the authority of Christ to overrule particularly if you were of little power now you didn't have the wherewithal you didn't have the context you didn't have the money you didn't have the education you didn't have the notoriety but you had him sometimes around the church people I don't know will be around and and maybe the custodial staff is not around and they need to get in to someplace legitimately and they're running to me I don't I don't I don't I don't know their name I'm not familiar with them for just because of the number of people and they'll say well pastor can I get can I get in this room to do something legitimate whatever it is well I got a master key I got a master key and even though they're unknown they know me so even though they unknown and it's legitimate and they know me because I got a master key I can open up a door when either folk on around I can open up a good Jesus says folk may not know who you are but you know him you confess him you obey him he got a master key and nothing will make the Lord more real to you then he when he opens things up you were too powerless to open up on your own because you had little power little notoriety little name recognition season that's why the the greatest people in our congregation are not necessarily the people with masters and Doctorate degrees not necessarily the folks with Mercedes and Benzes and and Lincoln's and what-have-you they said no it's not necessarily the folk who who got the six-figure plus incomes nothing wrong with any of those things in and of themselves but but you have to need to know the most powerful people are people of little power who know him and who advertise his name because they have access to a master key now the upscale folk can do that too but he says you of little power but you have access to me that's why I would suggest from me and for us no matter what position you hold money you have or influence you will keep yourself small folk maybe whispering in your Hill you all that and a bag of chips don't believe it you better keep yourself small in the eyes of God pride coming before the fall you better keep yourself small don't don't think you all that cuz cuz pride cometh before the fall and and you need to understand that humility is a big deal to God that you are you don't view yourself that way now other folk maybe write you out but but but but how you think about you you better keep yourself small because Jesus says even though you have little power I'm gonna open up a door for you because you have obeyed me and you have not denied my name if God has blessed you praise God if God has given you a great job bless God if God has given you a big house bless God that God has given you a nice car plants car God has given you a great clothes bless God just so long as you know you know better than the widow on fixed income because God will open doors for those with little power so it's okay if we're blessed just don't become elite now become gonna become big-headed think think you all that know uh on our best day when we've been blessed the best you are sinner saved by grace that's all your best day I'm a sinner saved by grace on my best day don't you ever forget that because if you never forget that then you don't look down on people who don't have your education your money your job your career your house you don't look down on anybody cuz you may be looking down on somebody who has access to a master key so you have little power but I have opened up a door and I've opened up a door for two reasons you obey me and you don't deny me see cuz cuz when you when you get a lot of power then you get self-sufficient you know we have this tendency we all do to get self-sufficient I can make it on my own I got V then MasterCard American Express I can I can make it on my own I know people okay if you know Jesus Christ you know somebody you know people and he says and I open the door and nobody will shut the door I open I don't care what the name is and how much power they wheel and how much money they have he says in verse nine behold I you have kept the word of my perseverance and I will also keep you from the hour of testing the hour that is about to come upon the whole world he told him verse nine behold I've caused those in the sanction synagogue of Satan who say there are Jews and are not but lie I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know that I have loved you whoa he said all those false folk out there synagogue of Satan they go to church synagogue but they love the devil because just don't discuss you in church synagogue doesn't mean you love the Lord there is a synagogue of satan all right so so the religious talk doesn't mean a thing he says but i'ma let them know that I have loved you even though you got a little power imma let them know you got more power than you look like you have maybe you remember the story about a big dog and little puppy German Shepherd in a poodle German Shepherd of the poodle was standing at a door standing at the door and big dog the Shepherd looked at the pewter poodle and say you you little puppy you can't you can't do much look how small you are look how short you are you know you got that little little little little girl Bob I'm big dog big dog say look at this door I wonder how long it would take you to get open this door cuz I could open this door I can open this door quickly because I'm big and I can reach the knob you can't even reach the knob in fact let's have a contest let's see who can open the door the quickest little puppy said okay you go first big dog big dog you go first German Shepherd jumped up on the door got his mouth around the novel and put his foot his put his mouth all around the knob and started twisting at the knob and after about two and a half minutes of working the knob he got the door open then he pulled his shutting he said beat that a little puppy cuz big dog then shown you you can't even reach the knob yo turn little puppy came up to the door gave a small box scratch the door the man on the inside came and opened cuz see when you know who's on the inside you ain't got to go through all that screw around so don't don't let it bother you if you're a little puppy cuz if you know the law he's got the key and he can open up what the big dogs can't help you with say you got you got the synagogue of Satan and they messing with you they calling you holier than thou they think they think they they they say oh you wanted him Bible people and you you you got you bring up Jesus all the time and you got you wanted in the end they can make you feel bad he says in the synagogue of Satan it's making it tough for you but I can keep watches I can keep you from the hour of testing he calls it you and a test watch this so if you in a situation and the door has not yet opened he says consider it a test and he says and I'm gonna walk you through the test until I reverse it he says I'm gonna make your enemies your footstool who nothing makes God real than when he reverses the irreversible nothing makes God more real than when he flips something and look unflappable nothing made God so powerful to you when there was no way out you were trapped the devil was looked like he was running the whole show and then he reverses it but you may say but but I don't see him doing anything oh yeah well look at the next verse he says you going through this test and I'm gonna keep you through this hour but I am coming quickly oh fast what you have so that nun no one will take your crown oh I love this word I am coming quickly that means suddenly that means unexpectedly that means out of nowhere see when God is silent that doesn't mean he's still I know you don't see him doing anything I know it looks like you just waiting for nothing but God likes to come in suddenly he likes to break in when you didn't expect it when you didn't think there was any way that this thing could ever get better that this trial could ever end he loves to do something suddenly and the reason why you like to do things quickly or suddenly and so that when it happens there is no debate on who caused it to take place cuz it it came out of nowhere quickly you wonder where did that come from and it becomes inextricably clear that this was heaven invading history because God wants to join a favorite R&B group so that when you have seen him come through suddenly you can start singing that song didn't blow your mind this time didn't I he wants to blow your mind and so boom he comes through suddenly he says and I will come quickly so don't worry about it if you don't have all the degrees and if you don't have all the money you don't have all the prestige and you have all the power and people don't applaud you when you walk into the room don't worry about it just obey Him don't deny his name and then wait for the Lord I say wait upon the Lord because he comes suddenly and once you have this perspective you're free because you know them people don't have the last say they have a say they don't have the say they look like they run in the show until God swoops in on them and changes them or changes their mind or changes you or changes the circumstances it's like it's like that time the folks we were getting our church the folks told us we couldn't meet in the school anymore we didn't have a place to go they were going to vote whether they want to let us stay or to put us out God calls there to be an accident on the freeway so the people who are going to vote against those who arrive in the same car couldn't get off the off-ramp and when the council couldn't wait for them any longer they voted without them we won five to four soon as the vote was over they came rushing in it was too late because god over over over turn that thing and if you if you've never seen God do that if you don't know what God can do then you then you just live in the you're just living with base on what man can do and then you not have the final say-so that's why that's why you free you free your free people don't get the final word cuz they don't have a master key to your life to your world to your family they don't they don't control it he says I have the master key that must be your perspective perspective is everything it's like the Tanna Montana put out a thing for catching wolves and they were they were gonna pay $5,000 for any trapper who caught it with $5,000 per wolf Sam and Jed decided to go wolf hunting in because that's five thousand dollars of work so they went wolf hunting in Montana they put up their tent they got in their tent because the next day they were going home for some wolves to get five thousand dollars a wolf they go to sleep Jed wakes up first in the morning when Jed wakes up there are 50 wolves hungry wolves surrounding their tent with blood-red eyes with with saliva dripping down the side of their mouth with them growling and no sharp key 50/50 wolves right there at their tent hungry wolves Jeb woke up Sam said Sam Sam get up Sam say what Jeb said we're rich see it all depends on your perspective it it all depends on how you see things I know the devil may be nipping at you the synagogue of Satan may be nipping at you but when you've got God's perspective it changes what you're looking at so I'm coming quickly i'ma come suddenly so what did he tell you to do in verse 11 hold fast hold fast don't I know you want to give up I know you want to quit I know you're tired he says how fast make sure you're obeying and not denying you do you hold fast to your obedience and non denial and at his time suddenly don't let him take your crown that's the right to rule even small folk had been called a rule and now he gives us his final statement he who overcomes overcomes what the tendency to give up he who overcomes the tendencies to stop obeying and to stop denying he who overcomes that and says God as the old folks say I'm a hold on to my change come you know as ruff is tough but I believe you and not my circumstances as the final arbiter of my situation he says you hold on he who overcomes look at this I will make him a pillar in the temple of my god he will not go out from it any more I will write on him the name of my god and the name of the city of my god the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my god and my new name you see the word dead with name name name name name first of all he says I'm gonna make you a pillow a pillow it holds a building up I'll make you a pillar in my temple a temple is God's house the pillars are located in God's house Galatians 2:9 says that Peter James John with a pillar of the church they were they were holding up the church in other words he speaks of these people who overcome that the propensity to give up as being in closest proximity to God and he says for these folk who are overcomers and who are in close proximity to God they will have a name and it keeps in neatly name name name name name name in that in verse in verse 12 over and over again it keeps on a name of this and name of that name it is a name of that he says you will have a name in the New Jerusalem let's get something straight everybody is not equal in heaven okay let's get this straight okay you can have a 40-watt bulb a 60 watt bulb or a 75 watt bulb in your house 100 watt bulb in your house 150 watt bulb in your house now all of them are bulbs and all of them will light to their capacity but everybody's capacity isn't the same a 40 watt can't give you 100 watts because it's not established to be able to produce like that well all Christians are Christians but they don't have the same watts and so they don't exude the same experience because they don't have the same relationship jesus said in Saint John chapter 2 verses 23 to 25 it says many believed on him many believed on him but he would not commit himself to them because he knew what was in them they got saved but they had not yet got committed they were on their way to heaven but he couldn't use him on earth they were forgiven for their sins but they didn't want folk to know that they were Christians they went to church but they wouldn't obey the word so they believed in him but he would make no commitment to them there are a lot of Christians who Jesus is just not deeply committed to in a practical way because they want to be 40 white Christians expecting a hundred white blessing and it doesn't work that way he wants to know that you're all in that you're a full-time Christian not a part-time Saint he wants to know that you do will not deny him and that you will obey what he has commanded and he says to that one I will give him a name you know when you when people go to the cowboy game and they go to the cowboy game that folks who are sitting in the stands we don't know their name now they're in the location but we don't know their name in fact that's the majority of the folk who are in the building the majority of the folk in the building are in the stands and they're just part of the crowd and we don't know their names now when it comes to the players we know their names kind of sorta because if I were to ask you to name the name of the right god many of you couldn't do that if I asked you to name the name of the punter many of you couldn't do that because even though they have a name cuz they're on the team you may not know the name because of the position that they play but now when we upgrade and start talking about wide receivers and quarterbacks and running backs well you know those names because those names have achieved a greater name implicitly because of the role they play on the team but then now only do you have the folk in the crowd and the folks on the team some more nameless than others some with a higher name you got the Ring of Honor in the ring honor those are folk who made a name you see the players come and go but the folks in the Ring of Honor stay there cuz overtime they held fast overtime they played the game overtime they didn't quit when they were injured overtime they stay committed to the task in fact that name is not only in the ring honor that name is in Canton Ohio in a bust in the Canton Hall of Fame so they generation after generation will know who that name was God has a lot of Christians in fact Oh cliff has a lot of Christians that are in the stands they just show up to watch the game all they want to see is what the choir is singing and what the preacher is preaching and they just come for the show now folk in the crowd don't get dirty don't incur responsibility don't get knocked down don't get blocked don't get tackled cuz they're not there to participate they're just there to watch the show but then there are some folk in the kingdom of God and it Oh cliff who don't want to just stay in the stands they want to get on the field they serve in ministry they help other people they give to the Advancement of the cause of the Lord and then you got some superstars those are the Ring of Honor's oh it's not just the focus people who you know their name its folk who are the unknown folk but you can count on them you can depend on them because they are forever holding their role loving the Lord serving the saints giving to the Lord and giving glory in their witness for the Lord so I want to challenge you today if you want God to put you in the Ring of Honor if you want when he hears you and sees you to say well done my good and faithful servant if you want him to call you out of the crowd and that all of heaven know you're one of his choices servants I challenge you to leave the stands to come on the field now I want to tell you the truth you're gonna get blocked a little bit on the field you will get tackled a little bit on the field but when they start handing out Super Bowl rings you're gonna get a Super Bowl ring cuz you were a Super Bowl safe so let's get busy glorifying the Lord obeying the Lord not denying the Lord because if you are an obedient safe who does not deny him you are and over come on let's stand to our feet

Channel: Tony Evans

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Keywords: when you feel like giving up, feel like giving up, Tony Evans sermons, Tony Evans, Dr. Evans, Pastor Tony Evans, sermon don't give up, don't give up, Christian sermons, Christian encouragement, strength to overcome, open doors, trust in God, sermons, encouraging, motivational, motivational video, tony evans, tony evans radio, dr tony evans, tony evans sermons

Id: ZfYhOJPyDR4

Length: 43min 4sec (2584 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 13 2016