April 24, 2025 • 25 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
While we look at methods and we try to find
the best program, God always looks for the best person.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Doctor Tony Evans reminds us that as believers, we need
to be ready to be part of God's solution.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
God can find the right leader.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
We can fix some churches, we can fix some cultures,
but the problem keeps on being people who do not
want God in God's ways.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of Doctor Tony Evans. Harry Truman famously
displayed a sign on his desk that read the buck
stops here. Well in today's classic sermon from Doctor Evans,
he challenges Christians to adopt that same mindset when it
(00:43):
comes to shaping our culture. He argues that if we're
not using our abilities to influence society for God, we're
contributing to its decline. Let's join him in the first
chapter of Nehemiah as he reveals how we can bring
light into our culture.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
This book is not only a about a people, It's.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
About a man named Nehemiah.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But when a man or a woman makes themselves available.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
To God, things can happen.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
While we look at methods and we try to find
the best program. God always looks for the best person,
because God's method is always a person. God can always
create a method if he can find the right person.
And so the scripture says that the eyes of the
(01:32):
Lord run to and fro the earth looking for somebody
he can use. If God could only find the right man,
he could fix some families. God could find the right leader.
He can fix some churches, he could fix some cultures.
He can do a lot of fixing. But the problem
keeps on being people, people who do not want God
(01:57):
in God's ways. We ended in verse four, and that's
where we would like to pick it up, beginning in
verse four today. Now it came about when I heard
these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days,
and I was fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.
(02:24):
When he heard about the collapse of the world that
he loved, of the people that he was a part of,
of his community, if you will, he was so hurt
and so in pain.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
That he fasted and he prayed for many days.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
What I would like to introduce is what I concluded
with last time, and that is that his first response
was prayer, not his last response. He didn't go to
God after he tried all of his human ingenuity, after
he tried all of his human methods, after he had
(03:07):
tried all the secularistic thinking. He went to God first
when that has been a collapse in your life. When
do you go to God after the marriage counseling has failed,
after all your personal efforts have been exhausted.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
No, No, he went to God first, And he went
to God.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
First for many days, and he went to God first
for many days. Fasting we define fasting and giving up
a craving of the body because you have a greater
need of the spirit. In other words, this thing is
so serious that you're willing to sacrifice for it. And
you always know whether something is serious by the price
(03:51):
you're willing to pay for it. And so God provided
the mechanism um fasting to give people the opportunity to
let God know how serious things are, because they will
give up food or even in a marriage relationships, sexual
intimacy on Corinthean seventy five, they will give that up
and the couple will pray together during the time they
(04:12):
would normally be intimate together. It is giving up a
passion of the flesh for a greater need of the spirit. Now,
fasting is a lost art today, but the New Testament
is clear. Some things come only by fasting in prayer.
Some things are of such a serious, devastating nature that
they call for sacrifice.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And so that's what he does. He goes to prayer.
So prayer is.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
His preamble to action, and prayer provides his power for action.
You're going to find out as we go through the text.
He's going to do a lot of things. But this
man is careful to be it. In prayer. You can
(05:04):
always tell how serious people are about their belief that
God must make the difference.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
By their prayer.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
So this man is facing an impossible situation, the collapse
of his beloved civilization, and he prays. We would like
to learn from his prayer, he says in verse five.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Now I said, I beseech.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
The o Lord, God of Heaven, the great and awesome
God who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those
who love him and keep his commandments. Now most of
us would have jumped in and said, fixed this problem.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Lord.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Most of us would have jumped in and said, Lord,
I've got a problem.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Do something.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
But notice how he introduces his prayer. He introduces his
prayer by reflecting on the character of God. He doesn't
start off with his problem. He starts off with his God. Now,
why does he start off with his God before an
(06:21):
analysis of his problem? Because when you've got a big problem,
you need a big God.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
And if you've got a big problem, as Neil.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Mayah has, and therefore you need a big God, you
are to start off reminding yourself of who your God
is and what your God can do. He starts off
by saying, I beseech the O great and awesome God.
Now what's his problem?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Total community collapse, total economic.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Collapse, total social collapse. Crime is on the rampage. He's
got families who can't work together and live together anymore.
He's got a society in ruin. He's got no internal
superstructure to hold things together.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
He's got something the politicians.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Can't solve, something economists can't solve, something the social scientists
can't solve. He's got something in spite of laws being passed,
can't be solved.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
So he says to the Great and Awesome God.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
In other words, he puts his unsolvable problem against the
law sufficient God.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
When you juxta position.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Your greatest problem against your knowledge of the size of God,
you get a proper perspective. See, we panic because this
thing looks so big. We panic because we don't know
we're gonna get the situation in our lives fixed. But
(08:04):
when you see a God who can buy.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
The spoken word create the universe.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
When you put your problem or your need against the
God who is who is able to breathe, breath in
the nostrils of a man and make him into a
living soul. When you see a God who can take
great white shots and appoint them to swallow men in
order to lead them back in his will. When you
(08:32):
see a God who knows every star by name, Well,
what did you say was wrong?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
It is only the Christian who is able to see.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Their problem in light of their God that has the
confidence to move against that.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Problem with carriage. The fact that word great and awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Is recorded also in Neiemyah four or verse fourteen. When
the people were afraid, he says, when I saw their fear,
I rose and spoke to the nobles.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
The officials, and the rest of the people.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
I saw that they were trembling at circumstances, and I said,
do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who
is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons,
your daughters, your wives, and your houses. In other words,
he says, the way you conquer your fear is by
remembering the.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Size of your God.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
You know, while we live in so much fear, we
forget God. And so this man himself was faced.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
By the way.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
It's important that you verbalize your prayers. Some people here
would say, well, I know God is great and awesome. No, no, no,
you may know it academically, but when you're in a crisis,
you don't need academics. You don't just need to know
what's written on the paper. You need to enter into
(10:02):
the experience of it. And that's why the song says,
count your blessings name than one by one, count your blessings,
see what God has done. Count your blessings name and
one by one, and it will reminds you of what
the Lord has done. You see, when we heard the
song that He woke us up this morning. Now we
could academically have said that this morning, yeah, God woke
me up, but it was something to hear it in
(10:23):
praise to remind it. Yes, it is indeed God who
woke us.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Up this morning.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
It is when you're watching a sporting event and there's
a great play and it's your favorite sport. You break
out and you say, wow, good, did you see that?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
That's a miracle.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You jump up and with excitement, you you viterate, you
express yourself with praise. I suppose you just sat.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
There and said, wow, tremendous, awesome.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Now there is something about entering into the experience of praise.
Because God, says, God inhabits the prey of his people.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Doctor Evans will have more on the greatness of God
and his unwavering faithfulness when he returns in just a moment.
Don't go away.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
Impactful, amazing, intense, thought provoking. That's how just a few
students describe their experience since enrolling in the Tony Evans
Training Center. The best part is the Training Center is
wherever you and your online connection are going. Beyond a
Sunday sermon, these compelling Bible study.
Speaker 6 (11:45):
Courses take a much deeper look at scripture, the Bible's writers,
social issues of today, and so much more. Log on
today to learn more at Tonyevans Training dot org Tonyevans
Training dot Org Explore the Kingdom, any Time, anywhere.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
The lesson We're in the Middle of Today is the
second installment in Tony's fifteen part sermon series on the
Book of Nehemiah. In this study, doctor Evans walks through
the incredible story of a man called to rebuild not
just a city, but a people, restoring faith, perseverance, and
spiritual renewal. You'll gain powerful insights on leadership, trusting God's provision,
(12:26):
and standing firm in the face of opposition. This complete
study is available for your personal audio library on both
digital download and either CD or USB stick, and includes
material we won't have time to present on the broadcast.
This is a valuable collection of messages, and for a
limited time we're making them available bundled along with Tony's
(12:48):
compelling book, One Nation Under God. If you're concerned about
the direction our country is headed, this book will equip
you with a Kingdom centered strategy to make a lasting impact,
starting right where you are. Get them both as our
gift with your donation to support the Alternative Broadcast Ministry.
Just visit us today at Tonyevans dot org. Details of
(13:12):
this special offer are right on the homepage again, that's
Tonyevans dot Org. Or reach out to our resource center
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two
for some in person help. That's one eight hundred eight
hundred three two two two. Well, right, now, let's get
back to doctor Evans. In the first chapter of the
(13:34):
Book of Nehemiah, and.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
So he thinks about the great and awesome God in
verse five, and he talks about his character.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Not only is he great and awesome, but he preserves.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
The covenant and loving kindness for those who love him
and keep his commandments. He says, God is not only
awesomebody's faithful.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
He talked about preserving the covenant.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
The covenant means the binding relationship that God enters into
with his people, and as as people live in contact
with that covenant, they can be confident of God's grace,
God's forgiveness.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
In God's strength.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
When God's people get right with God, they can count
on Him coming through for them. Some time ago, I
had told you about the experience that my family had.
We were on vacation some years ago. We all drove
up and went to the Grand Canyon. But I had
made a great mistake, not as I forgot to make reservations.
(14:39):
And if you've ever been to the Grand Canyon, you'll
know that they're like three or four hotels and then
everybody else kind of has their campers. Well, we weren't
traveling in a camper and we didn't make a hotel reservation.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Now, if you don't get a hotel reservation.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
In the area where the Grand Canyon is, you have
to drive an hour and a half to the nearest
town to get reservations. We had arrived there at some
ungodly hour, late at night or early in the morning.
We went up and said, sir, we would like a room.
There were a whole line of people there and we.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Were told that there were no rooms.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
I knew how Jesus fell no room in the end,
I cannot tell you the frustration of being tired and
can't find a room, to see a hole in the ground.
So we were partnering and we only had one choice,
and that was the drive an hour and a half
(15:37):
to go back to a town that was nearby. We
decided we go to the restroom of the hotel where
there was a restaurant, to clean up ourselves and to
refresh ourselves.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Before we had the drive.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
And we were sitting around eating just before we drove,
and one of my daughters made an interesting statement, said,
you know, Dad, you haven't prayed every now and then.
I'm not very spiritual, and this was one of those occasions.
(16:16):
I really didn't want to pray. I wanted to sleep,
so I said, you pray. So she had a simple prayer. Lord,
we know that you're able to give us a room,
and we know it's full. But if it's your will,
(16:36):
give us a room.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Because we know you're able, children sometimes can pray profoundly.
So she said amen.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
And I was thinking, now let's get on the road
and go to the real world. As we finished eating
and got ready to get up and leave, the hotel
proprietor came by and said, weren't you one of the
people asking about a room. We said yes, well, there
were a lot of people before you, but I can't
(17:08):
find any of him, and one of our guests had
to leave suddenly. Would you still like the room? I
looked up at having it and looked over at my daughter.
Out of the mouth of babe. But Neil Mayah sees
a great problem that he doesn't have a solution for
(17:28):
and all he can say is oh awesome God, verse six.
Not Thine here be attentive, and thine eyes open to
hear the prayer of thy servant, which I am praying
for thee day and night. Now we know he's praying
(17:49):
for many days. In fact, let me tell you how
many days he was praying. You know that in verse
one it began in the month of just left. And
in chapter two, verse one, he doesn't get an answer
till the month of nice sin. Now the difference between
just leven nicelnd is four and a half months. So
he goes some four and a half months praying. One
(18:14):
of the questions I'm often asking is how long do
you pray for something? Well, there's a very simple answer.
Can you get an answer? That's how long you pray?
Sometimes it's a day, sometimes it's a month. Sometimes, like Ima,
it's four and a half to five months. Other times
it's it.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Now, God can.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Only give you one or three answers. There's only three answers,
go and get. He can say yes, now that's the
answer we generally want. He can say no, or he
can say nothing, which means wait until God says no,
you pray.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
You don't quit.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
You pray until you hear something, because often God saying
nothing is God's think. Let me arrange things for the
proper time to say yes. That's why you don't cut
short praying. That's why you don't quit praying, because unless
you've heard no, you assume God is gonna say yes,
(19:19):
gonna arrange things different than what you ask, so that
it might as well be yes, or get you ready
for no.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
He prays day and night. He says, I pray on behalf.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
This is called intersession, praying on behalf of the of Israel,
sons of Israel, Thy servants, now look at this, confessing
the sins of the sons of Israel which we have
sinned against me I and my father's house have sinned.
We have acted very corruptly against thee, and have not
(19:52):
kept the commandments, nor the statues, nor the ordinances which
thou distcommand, Thy servant, Moses, Now let me say something
that will not be popular. But unless you leave it
and take it seriously, nothing else will matter.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
And that is that.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Deterioration in your personal life, family life, or societal life
can be traced back to sin. Let me say that again,
because this is what we've missed, even Christians have missed us.
The walls are broken down. You would say, well, what
(20:40):
you need is a contractor you don't have walls. You
need somebody to know that to Bill Walls. No, no, no,
The walls were broken down because we have acted corruptly.
Society dissipates because we have acted corruptly. There is a
(21:01):
breakdown in the culture, because we have acted corruptly. You
can trace the headlines of the morning news in terms
of what's happening in crime, and what's happening in economics,
and what's happening in social deterioration and racial strife to
sin that a city council don't want to hear that.
(21:26):
But this is something Christians have got to come to understand.
The Bible says sin is a reproach to any people
that when there is a breakdown in righteousness in a culture,
there is a breakdown in the culture. And what people
focus on are the effects, not the cause.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Doctor Tony Evans reminding us the true change begins when
we turn to God in prayer for the transformation our
world desperately needs. But that transformation starts in us first.
Tony's back now with a follow up challenge about encountering Jesus.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
You're not a Christian because you're religious, or because you
go to church, or even because you believe in God.
You're a Christian because you've accepted Jesus Christ as your
personal sin bearer.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Being religious, doing good works.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
That's nice, but it's not sufficient when God demands perfection.
Tewod Corinthians five twenty one says, he who you know sin,
became sin for us that we might become the righteousness
of God in him. So what God has said is
he placed your sin on the cross, on the Christ,
and then judge Christ for your sin. If you will
(22:41):
go to Christ, he will take Christ's righteousness, which is perfect,
and he will credit it to your account. So you
will stand before God as though you've never sin, not
because you're sinless, but because you've got a sinless credit
on your account. If you will receive Jesus Christ right now,
if you will invite him into your life believing that
He died for you and rose for you personally, he
(23:01):
will credit your account with perfection because He's already credited
your sin on the Jesus Christ. So go to Christ
right now and get this free gift of salvation that
he's offering all who come to.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Him for it.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Find out more about what it means to be a
real Christian. Visit Tonyevans dot org and follow the link
that says Jesus. You'll get a straightforward explanation from Tony
and some free resources to get you started off right again.
That's Tonyevans dot org. And while you're there, don't miss
your chance to take advantage of the resource package I
(23:35):
mentioned earlier. All fifteen messages from both volumes of Tony's
current sermon series on the Book of Nehemiah, along with
his inspiring One Nation under God book. They're yours with
our thanks. When you make a donation to help keep
this listener supported program coming your way, Just visit Tonyevans
dot org to make the arrangements, or call our resource
(23:57):
center at one eight hundred eight hundred three two two
two where team members are standing by to assist with
your request. That's one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two
twenty two, or online at Tonyevans dot org. We've all
been there, waiting for something to change, but feeling like
nothing is happening. Neemiah faced a similar challenge, a huge
(24:21):
problem and no clear solution except for prayer. Next time,
Doctor Evan shows how Neemiah's prayers remind us that when
we align with God's will, change is already in motion,
even when we don't see it. Be sure to join
us for that
While we look at methods and we try to find
the best program, God always looks for the best person.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Doctor Tony Evans reminds us that as believers, we need
to be ready to be part of God's solution.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
God can find the right leader.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
We can fix some churches, we can fix some cultures,
but the problem keeps on being people who do not
want God in God's ways.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless Biblical teachings
from the archives of Doctor Tony Evans. Harry Truman famously
displayed a sign on his desk that read the buck
stops here. Well in today's classic sermon from Doctor Evans,
he challenges Christians to adopt that same mindset when it
(00:43):
comes to shaping our culture. He argues that if we're
not using our abilities to influence society for God, we're
contributing to its decline. Let's join him in the first
chapter of Nehemiah as he reveals how we can bring
light into our culture.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
This book is not only a about a people, It's.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
About a man named Nehemiah.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
But when a man or a woman makes themselves available.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
To God, things can happen.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
While we look at methods and we try to find
the best program. God always looks for the best person,
because God's method is always a person. God can always
create a method if he can find the right person.
And so the scripture says that the eyes of the
(01:32):
Lord run to and fro the earth looking for somebody
he can use. If God could only find the right man,
he could fix some families. God could find the right leader.
He can fix some churches, he could fix some cultures.
He can do a lot of fixing. But the problem
keeps on being people, people who do not want God
(01:57):
in God's ways. We ended in verse four, and that's
where we would like to pick it up, beginning in
verse four today. Now it came about when I heard
these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days,
and I was fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.
(02:24):
When he heard about the collapse of the world that
he loved, of the people that he was a part of,
of his community, if you will, he was so hurt
and so in pain.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
That he fasted and he prayed for many days.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
What I would like to introduce is what I concluded
with last time, and that is that his first response
was prayer, not his last response. He didn't go to
God after he tried all of his human ingenuity, after
he tried all of his human methods, after he had
(03:07):
tried all the secularistic thinking. He went to God first
when that has been a collapse in your life. When
do you go to God after the marriage counseling has failed,
after all your personal efforts have been exhausted.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
No, No, he went to God first, And he went
to God.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
First for many days, and he went to God first
for many days. Fasting we define fasting and giving up
a craving of the body because you have a greater
need of the spirit. In other words, this thing is
so serious that you're willing to sacrifice for it. And
you always know whether something is serious by the price
(03:51):
you're willing to pay for it. And so God provided
the mechanism um fasting to give people the opportunity to
let God know how serious things are, because they will
give up food or even in a marriage relationships, sexual
intimacy on Corinthean seventy five, they will give that up
and the couple will pray together during the time they
(04:12):
would normally be intimate together. It is giving up a
passion of the flesh for a greater need of the spirit. Now,
fasting is a lost art today, but the New Testament
is clear. Some things come only by fasting in prayer.
Some things are of such a serious, devastating nature that
they call for sacrifice.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
And so that's what he does. He goes to prayer.
So prayer is.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
His preamble to action, and prayer provides his power for action.
You're going to find out as we go through the text.
He's going to do a lot of things. But this
man is careful to be it. In prayer. You can
(05:04):
always tell how serious people are about their belief that
God must make the difference.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
By their prayer.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
So this man is facing an impossible situation, the collapse
of his beloved civilization, and he prays. We would like
to learn from his prayer, he says in verse five.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
Now I said, I beseech.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
The o Lord, God of Heaven, the great and awesome
God who preserves the covenant and loving kindness for those
who love him and keep his commandments. Now most of
us would have jumped in and said, fixed this problem.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Lord.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Most of us would have jumped in and said, Lord,
I've got a problem.
Speaker 3 (05:58):
Do something.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
But notice how he introduces his prayer. He introduces his
prayer by reflecting on the character of God. He doesn't
start off with his problem. He starts off with his God. Now,
why does he start off with his God before an
(06:21):
analysis of his problem? Because when you've got a big problem,
you need a big God.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
And if you've got a big problem, as Neil.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Mayah has, and therefore you need a big God, you
are to start off reminding yourself of who your God
is and what your God can do. He starts off
by saying, I beseech the O great and awesome God.
Now what's his problem?
Speaker 3 (06:53):
Total community collapse, total economic.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Collapse, total social collapse. Crime is on the rampage. He's
got families who can't work together and live together anymore.
He's got a society in ruin. He's got no internal
superstructure to hold things together.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
He's got something the politicians.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
Can't solve, something economists can't solve, something the social scientists
can't solve. He's got something in spite of laws being passed,
can't be solved.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
So he says to the Great and Awesome God.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
In other words, he puts his unsolvable problem against the
law sufficient God.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
When you juxta position.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
Your greatest problem against your knowledge of the size of God,
you get a proper perspective. See, we panic because this
thing looks so big. We panic because we don't know
we're gonna get the situation in our lives fixed. But
(08:04):
when you see a God who can buy.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
The spoken word create the universe.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
When you put your problem or your need against the
God who is who is able to breathe, breath in
the nostrils of a man and make him into a
living soul. When you see a God who can take
great white shots and appoint them to swallow men in
order to lead them back in his will. When you
(08:32):
see a God who knows every star by name, Well,
what did you say was wrong?
Speaker 3 (08:38):
It is only the Christian who is able to see.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
Their problem in light of their God that has the
confidence to move against that.
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Problem with carriage. The fact that word great and awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Is recorded also in Neiemyah four or verse fourteen. When
the people were afraid, he says, when I saw their fear,
I rose and spoke to the nobles.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
The officials, and the rest of the people.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
I saw that they were trembling at circumstances, and I said,
do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who
is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons,
your daughters, your wives, and your houses. In other words,
he says, the way you conquer your fear is by
remembering the.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Size of your God.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
You know, while we live in so much fear, we
forget God. And so this man himself was faced.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
By the way.
Speaker 1 (09:40):
It's important that you verbalize your prayers. Some people here
would say, well, I know God is great and awesome. No, no, no,
you may know it academically, but when you're in a crisis,
you don't need academics. You don't just need to know
what's written on the paper. You need to enter into
(10:02):
the experience of it. And that's why the song says,
count your blessings name than one by one, count your blessings,
see what God has done. Count your blessings name and
one by one, and it will reminds you of what
the Lord has done. You see, when we heard the
song that He woke us up this morning. Now we
could academically have said that this morning, yeah, God woke
me up, but it was something to hear it in
(10:23):
praise to remind it. Yes, it is indeed God who
woke us.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Up this morning.
Speaker 4 (10:32):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
It is when you're watching a sporting event and there's
a great play and it's your favorite sport. You break
out and you say, wow, good, did you see that?
Speaker 3 (10:45):
That's a miracle.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
You jump up and with excitement, you you viterate, you
express yourself with praise. I suppose you just sat.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
There and said, wow, tremendous, awesome.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Now there is something about entering into the experience of praise.
Because God, says, God inhabits the prey of his people.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Doctor Evans will have more on the greatness of God
and his unwavering faithfulness when he returns in just a moment.
Don't go away.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
Impactful, amazing, intense, thought provoking. That's how just a few
students describe their experience since enrolling in the Tony Evans
Training Center. The best part is the Training Center is
wherever you and your online connection are going. Beyond a
Sunday sermon, these compelling Bible study.
Speaker 6 (11:45):
Courses take a much deeper look at scripture, the Bible's writers,
social issues of today, and so much more. Log on
today to learn more at Tonyevans Training dot org Tonyevans
Training dot Org Explore the Kingdom, any Time, anywhere.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
The lesson We're in the Middle of Today is the
second installment in Tony's fifteen part sermon series on the
Book of Nehemiah. In this study, doctor Evans walks through
the incredible story of a man called to rebuild not
just a city, but a people, restoring faith, perseverance, and
spiritual renewal. You'll gain powerful insights on leadership, trusting God's provision,
(12:26):
and standing firm in the face of opposition. This complete
study is available for your personal audio library on both
digital download and either CD or USB stick, and includes
material we won't have time to present on the broadcast.
This is a valuable collection of messages, and for a
limited time we're making them available bundled along with Tony's
(12:48):
compelling book, One Nation Under God. If you're concerned about
the direction our country is headed, this book will equip
you with a Kingdom centered strategy to make a lasting impact,
starting right where you are. Get them both as our
gift with your donation to support the Alternative Broadcast Ministry.
Just visit us today at Tonyevans dot org. Details of
(13:12):
this special offer are right on the homepage again, that's
Tonyevans dot Org. Or reach out to our resource center
at one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two twenty two
for some in person help. That's one eight hundred eight
hundred three two two two. Well, right, now, let's get
back to doctor Evans. In the first chapter of the
(13:34):
Book of Nehemiah, and.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
So he thinks about the great and awesome God in
verse five, and he talks about his character.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
Not only is he great and awesome, but he preserves.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
The covenant and loving kindness for those who love him
and keep his commandments. He says, God is not only
awesomebody's faithful.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
He talked about preserving the covenant.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
The covenant means the binding relationship that God enters into
with his people, and as as people live in contact
with that covenant, they can be confident of God's grace,
God's forgiveness.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
In God's strength.
Speaker 1 (14:16):
When God's people get right with God, they can count
on Him coming through for them. Some time ago, I
had told you about the experience that my family had.
We were on vacation some years ago. We all drove
up and went to the Grand Canyon. But I had
made a great mistake, not as I forgot to make reservations.
(14:39):
And if you've ever been to the Grand Canyon, you'll
know that they're like three or four hotels and then
everybody else kind of has their campers. Well, we weren't
traveling in a camper and we didn't make a hotel reservation.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Now, if you don't get a hotel reservation.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
In the area where the Grand Canyon is, you have
to drive an hour and a half to the nearest
town to get reservations. We had arrived there at some
ungodly hour, late at night or early in the morning.
We went up and said, sir, we would like a room.
There were a whole line of people there and we.
Speaker 3 (15:12):
Were told that there were no rooms.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
I knew how Jesus fell no room in the end,
I cannot tell you the frustration of being tired and
can't find a room, to see a hole in the ground.
So we were partnering and we only had one choice,
and that was the drive an hour and a half
(15:37):
to go back to a town that was nearby. We
decided we go to the restroom of the hotel where
there was a restaurant, to clean up ourselves and to
refresh ourselves.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Before we had the drive.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
And we were sitting around eating just before we drove,
and one of my daughters made an interesting statement, said,
you know, Dad, you haven't prayed every now and then.
I'm not very spiritual, and this was one of those occasions.
(16:16):
I really didn't want to pray. I wanted to sleep,
so I said, you pray. So she had a simple prayer. Lord,
we know that you're able to give us a room,
and we know it's full. But if it's your will,
(16:36):
give us a room.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Because we know you're able, children sometimes can pray profoundly.
So she said amen.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
And I was thinking, now let's get on the road
and go to the real world. As we finished eating
and got ready to get up and leave, the hotel
proprietor came by and said, weren't you one of the
people asking about a room. We said yes, well, there
were a lot of people before you, but I can't
(17:08):
find any of him, and one of our guests had
to leave suddenly. Would you still like the room? I
looked up at having it and looked over at my daughter.
Out of the mouth of babe. But Neil Mayah sees
a great problem that he doesn't have a solution for
(17:28):
and all he can say is oh awesome God, verse six.
Not Thine here be attentive, and thine eyes open to
hear the prayer of thy servant, which I am praying
for thee day and night. Now we know he's praying
(17:49):
for many days. In fact, let me tell you how
many days he was praying. You know that in verse
one it began in the month of just left. And
in chapter two, verse one, he doesn't get an answer
till the month of nice sin. Now the difference between
just leven nicelnd is four and a half months. So
he goes some four and a half months praying. One
(18:14):
of the questions I'm often asking is how long do
you pray for something? Well, there's a very simple answer.
Can you get an answer? That's how long you pray?
Sometimes it's a day, sometimes it's a month. Sometimes, like Ima,
it's four and a half to five months. Other times
it's it.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Now, God can.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Only give you one or three answers. There's only three answers,
go and get. He can say yes, now that's the
answer we generally want. He can say no, or he
can say nothing, which means wait until God says no,
you pray.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
You don't quit.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
You pray until you hear something, because often God saying
nothing is God's think. Let me arrange things for the
proper time to say yes. That's why you don't cut
short praying. That's why you don't quit praying, because unless
you've heard no, you assume God is gonna say yes,
(19:19):
gonna arrange things different than what you ask, so that
it might as well be yes, or get you ready
for no.
Speaker 3 (19:27):
He prays day and night. He says, I pray on behalf.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
This is called intersession, praying on behalf of the of Israel,
sons of Israel, Thy servants, now look at this, confessing
the sins of the sons of Israel which we have
sinned against me I and my father's house have sinned.
We have acted very corruptly against thee, and have not
(19:52):
kept the commandments, nor the statues, nor the ordinances which
thou distcommand, Thy servant, Moses, Now let me say something
that will not be popular. But unless you leave it
and take it seriously, nothing else will matter.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
And that is that.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Deterioration in your personal life, family life, or societal life
can be traced back to sin. Let me say that again,
because this is what we've missed, even Christians have missed us.
The walls are broken down. You would say, well, what
(20:40):
you need is a contractor you don't have walls. You
need somebody to know that to Bill Walls. No, no, no,
The walls were broken down because we have acted corruptly.
Society dissipates because we have acted corruptly. There is a
(21:01):
breakdown in the culture, because we have acted corruptly. You
can trace the headlines of the morning news in terms
of what's happening in crime, and what's happening in economics,
and what's happening in social deterioration and racial strife to
sin that a city council don't want to hear that.
(21:26):
But this is something Christians have got to come to understand.
The Bible says sin is a reproach to any people
that when there is a breakdown in righteousness in a culture,
there is a breakdown in the culture. And what people
focus on are the effects, not the cause.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
Doctor Tony Evans reminding us the true change begins when
we turn to God in prayer for the transformation our
world desperately needs. But that transformation starts in us first.
Tony's back now with a follow up challenge about encountering Jesus.
Speaker 4 (22:06):
You're not a Christian because you're religious, or because you
go to church, or even because you believe in God.
You're a Christian because you've accepted Jesus Christ as your
personal sin bearer.
Speaker 3 (22:17):
Being religious, doing good works.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
That's nice, but it's not sufficient when God demands perfection.
Tewod Corinthians five twenty one says, he who you know sin,
became sin for us that we might become the righteousness
of God in him. So what God has said is
he placed your sin on the cross, on the Christ,
and then judge Christ for your sin. If you will
(22:41):
go to Christ, he will take Christ's righteousness, which is perfect,
and he will credit it to your account. So you
will stand before God as though you've never sin, not
because you're sinless, but because you've got a sinless credit
on your account. If you will receive Jesus Christ right now,
if you will invite him into your life believing that
He died for you and rose for you personally, he
(23:01):
will credit your account with perfection because He's already credited
your sin on the Jesus Christ. So go to Christ
right now and get this free gift of salvation that
he's offering all who come to.
Speaker 3 (23:12):
Him for it.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
Find out more about what it means to be a
real Christian. Visit Tonyevans dot org and follow the link
that says Jesus. You'll get a straightforward explanation from Tony
and some free resources to get you started off right again.
That's Tonyevans dot org. And while you're there, don't miss
your chance to take advantage of the resource package I
(23:35):
mentioned earlier. All fifteen messages from both volumes of Tony's
current sermon series on the Book of Nehemiah, along with
his inspiring One Nation under God book. They're yours with
our thanks. When you make a donation to help keep
this listener supported program coming your way, Just visit Tonyevans
dot org to make the arrangements, or call our resource
(23:57):
center at one eight hundred eight hundred three two two
two where team members are standing by to assist with
your request. That's one eight hundred eight hundred thirty two
twenty two, or online at Tonyevans dot org. We've all
been there, waiting for something to change, but feeling like
nothing is happening. Neemiah faced a similar challenge, a huge
(24:21):
problem and no clear solution except for prayer. Next time,
Doctor Evan shows how Neemiah's prayers remind us that when
we align with God's will, change is already in motion,
even when we don't see it. Be sure to join
us for that
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