Overcoming Obstacles With God-Given Authority | Tony Evans Sermon

Dr. Tony Evans discusses the importance of obedience and faithfulness in overcoming challenges. Join him as he encourages believers to hold fast to their faith and embrace their role as overcomers, destined for a place of honor in God’s kingdom.

If you would like to download two encouraging, FREE full-length MP3s of Tony’s popular sermons: “The Sovereignty of God” and “How to Handle a Crisis,” you can do so by clicking on this link

Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.

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’re just waiting for nothing, but god likes to come in. Shoot. Suddenly.
He likes to break in when you didn’t expect it, when you didn’t think there was any way to thing could ever get better.
And the reason why you like to do things quickly is so that when it happens, there is no debate on who caused it to take place.
We’re now at the 6th church that the apostle John is written.
The church at Philadelphia. This is the 1st Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.
This Philadelphia in verse 7 of Revelation 3 is located some thirty miles southeast of Sartis, a great commercial city with a major trade route plagged often with earthquakes.
That was the nature of this city.
Inside this city, was a small church, a small gathering of believers, Philadelphia, a Bible Fellowship.
The small gathering of believers found themselves in this pagan realm, and Jesus, who is the spokesperson through the shepherd 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’re not be to be put in a class with anything else.
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, uh, 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 versus 15 to 25.
In Isaiah chapter 22, verses 15 to 25, the steward of the house of David, the kingdom, House of David.
David 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, uh, fired. And when he was fired, a new steward replaced him.
This new steward was Eliah Kim, and Eliah 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 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 2 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, and authority over every door, which is why he says he can open the doors.
He wants 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’re gonna think people are in charge.
We’re gonna think power brokers are in charge. We’re gonna think folk with money are in charge.
We’re gonna think folk with cloud are in charge. They may have a key.
They don’t have a 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 king.
Or as he says in Matthew 28, verse 19.
He says all authority 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.
Uh, to put it in an everyday language, I got the key so I’m in charge.
I rung the show.
Now in Matthew chapter 16, He says, I’m gonna 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 lock any door, but I’m gonna give to my people the church.
I’m gonna 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 because 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? It’s authority.
I’m going to share my authority with you when you are consistent with me.
A 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 key.
See, we go and use the world’s key.
To unlock heaven, those keys don’t fit in that lock.
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 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 gonna shut a door I open, And if I decide to lock them up, they’re not gonna be able to get back in because I’m in charge here.
I’ve got the key to the kingdom. See, we fear the wrong folk.
We fear folk because they got a name. We fear folk. Because they got some money.
We fear folks 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 what’s the problem?
He says in verse 8, 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 they come to church and hear it.
But they do not keep his word and or they deny his name.
They don’t wanna 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 that in 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.
He says, I have set before you an open door.
Even though folks say you are a 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 and 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, and your ministry it’s because you have him.
We got folk wanting god 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.
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.
Jesus says, Fold 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 than a when he opens things up, you were too powerless to open up on your own because you have little power, little notoriety, little name recognition, season.
That’s why the the greatest people in our congregation I’m not necessarily the people with masses and doctorate degrees.
And I’m not necessarily the folks with Mercedes and and Benzos and and Linkins and what have you.
He said, no. It’s not necessarily the folk who who got the 6 figure plus incomes.
Nothing roaming 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 have little power.
But you have access to me.
That’s why, um, I would suggest for me and for us, no matter what position you hold, money you have, or influence you will, keep yourself small.
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.
The god is giving you a nice call, bless god. God is giving you great close. 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.
He says in verse 9, behold I’ve 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 me verse 9, behold I’ve caused those in the sanctuary of synagogue of Satan who say they 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.
Woah. He said all those false folk out there, synagogue of Satan.
They they go to church, synagogue. But they love the devil.
Because just don’t that’s because you in church, synagogue doesn’t mean you love the lord.
There is a synagogue of Satan. Alright? So so the religious talk doesn’t mean a thing.
He says, but I’m a let them know that I have loved you.
Even though you got a little power, I’m a let them know you got more power than you look like you have.
Said you got you got the synagogue of Satan, and they messing with you.
Uh, they’re calling you wholly of invalid.
They say, oh, you wanted them bible people and you you you got you bring up Jesus all the time and you got you wanted them, but, yeah, they could make you feel bad.
He says in the synagogue of Satan, is making it tough for you, but I can keep watches.
I can keep you from the hour of testing. He calls it you in a test. Watch this.
So if you in the 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 said, I’m a make you enemies your foot stool.
Oh, nothing makes god real than when he reverses the irreversible.
Nothing makes god more real than when he flip something that looked unflippable.
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’re going through this test, and I’m a keep you through this hour, but I am coming quickly.
Hold fast what you have. So that none 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’re just waiting for nothing.
But god likes to come in. Shoot me.
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 is so that when it happens, there is no debate on who caused it to take place because it it came out of nowhere.
Quickly. You wonder, whoo, where did that come from?
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 and you don’t have all the prestigious and you don’t 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 sh suddenly.
And once you have this perspective, you’re free.
Because, you know, them people don’t have the last say.
They have us say they don’t have us 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, I know the devil may be nipping at you.
The synagogue of Satan may be nipping at you, but when you got god’s perspective, it changes what you’re looking at.
So I’m coming quickly.
I’m a come suddenly.
So what did he tell you to do in verse 11? Hold fast. Hold fast.
Don’t I know you wanna give up. I know you wanna quit. I know you’re tired. He says, hold 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 till my change come.
You know, as rough, it’s 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 anymore.
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 deadweight name name name name name name.
First of all, he says I’m gonna make you a pillar. A pillar that holds a building up.
I’m gonna make you a pillar in my temple. A temple is god’s house.
The pillars are located in god’s house.
Galatians 29 says that Peter James is John, where the pillar of the church, they were they were holding up the church.
In other words, he speaks of these people who overcome the 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 saying name name name name name name name name name in verse 12 over and over again.
He keeps telling me, name of this, the name of that, name of this, the name of that.
He says you won’t have a name in the New Jerusalem. Let let’s get something straight.
Everybody is not equal in heaven. Okay? Let’s get this straight. Okay.
You can have a forty white bulb a sixty watt bulb, a seventy five watt bulb in your house, a hundred watt bulb in your house, a 150 watt bulb in your house.
Now all of them are both And all of them will light to their capacity, but everybody’s capacity isn’t the same.
A 40 watt can give you a hundred watt 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 versus 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 them 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 wanna be 40 watt Christians expecting a 100 watt blessing, and it doesn’t work that way.
He wants to know that you’re all in. That you are 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 kinda sorta.
Cause if I were to ask you to name the name of the right god, many of you couldn’t do that.
If I ask you to name the name of the punter, many of you couldn’t do that because even though they have a name, because 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 in publicity because of the role they play on the team.
But then, not only do you have the folk in the crowd and, uh, the folks on the team, some more nameless than others, some with a higher name, you got the ring of honor.
In the ring of honor, those are folks who’ve made a name. You see, the players come and go.
But the folks in the ring of honor stay there because over time, they held fast.
Over time, they played the game. Over time, they didn’t quit when they were injured.
Overtime, they stayed committed to the task. In fact, That name is not only in the ring of honor.
That name is in Canton, Ohio in a bust in the Canton Hall of Fame.
So that generation after generation will know who their name was.
God has a lot of Christians In fact, Ocliff has a lot of Christians that are in the stands.
They just show up to watch the game.
All they wanna 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 because they’re not there to participate. They’re just there to watch the show.
But then there are some folks in the kingdom of god and an old clip who don’t wanna just stay in the stands, they wanna 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.
Oh, it’s not just the folk who’s the people who you know their name.
It’s 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 wanna 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 let 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 wanna tell you the truth.
You’re gonna get blocked a little bit on the field. You’re gonna 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 because 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 saint who does not deny him, you are an overcomer.