Dr. Tony Evans

Tony Evans - Releasing God's Work In Your Life

June 14, 2026 | 27:29

Dr. Tony Evans is known as a relevant expositor and is a pastor of pastors and a father in the faith.

#IdentityinChrist #Crucifixion #Self-Esteem #Theology #KingdomofGod #Commitment #Grace #Blessing #Prayer #TonyEvans

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Dr. Tony Evans | Tony Evans - Releasing God's Work In Your Life | June 14, 2026

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Tony evans: the root of my identity
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Is my relationship with jesus christ
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As he defines it.
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That is who i am.
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I am a christian first.
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I am a follower of christ first.
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I am crucified with christ
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Because to be identified with christ
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Often involves a cross.
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♪♪♪
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Tony: a major problem today
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That we all have to be concerned about
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Is identity theft--
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People who steal your identity for their benefit.
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In addition to the issue of identity theft,
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People today are struggling with identity crisis.
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"who am i? am i this?
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Am i that? how do i negotiate my reality?"
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And then there's "identity politics,"
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It's called in the marketplace,
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Where commitment to being a democrat
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Or commitment to being a republican
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Or maybe an independent
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Creates massive divisions in our culture.
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Then there's the issue of racial identity,
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Black or white.
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It's class identity.
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The have versus the have-nots,
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Wall street versus main street.
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And then it's struggle identity.
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"i am a drunkard.
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I am a drug addict."
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"i am," that's an identity.
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You say that's what you are.
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So this word "identity" is a big word,
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And it covers a lot of territory.
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The number-one verse on identity in the bible,
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Bar none, is galatians 2:20.
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Paul says, "i'm crucified with christ;
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Nevertheless, i live.
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Yet not i, but christ lives in me,
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And the life which i now live,
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I live by faith in the son of god,
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Who loved me and gave himself for me.
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I am crucified with christ; nevertheless, i live.
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Yet not i, it's christ who lives in me,
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And the life which i now live, i live by faith
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In the son of god, who loved me
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And gave himself for me."
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Paul speaks to his identity.
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There's no other single verse-- there are passages,
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But no other single verse that summarizes
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The christian's identity like galatians 2:20.
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To appreciate the verse on your identity,
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We're helped by understanding
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The story that the verse concludes.
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This is a concluding verse of a story.
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The story begins in verse 11 of galatians chapter 2.
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"but when cephas came to antioch,
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I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
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For prior to the coming of certain men from james,
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He used to eat with the gentiles,
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And when they came, he began to withdraw
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And withhold himself aloof,
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Fearing the party of the circumcision.
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The rest of the jews joined him in hypocrisy,
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With the result that even barnabas
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Was carried away by their hypocrisy.
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But when i saw that they were not straightforward
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About the truth of the gospel,
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I said to cephas," that is peter,
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"in the presence of all, 'if you, being a jew,
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Live like the gentiles and not like the jews,
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How is it that you compel the gentiles
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To live like jews?'"
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We have a little story.
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To understand the story, it actually goes back
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To acts chapter 10, when peter is having devotions on his roof
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And a sheet drops down from heaven
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With unclean animals on it.
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There's pigs and ravens
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And things that the old testament said
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Are unclean, "you can't eat that."
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'cause he was an orthodox jew to the core.
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That was his history.
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That's how his mama raised him.
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That was his background.
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That was his-- that was all he knew.
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But now this sheet's coming down from heaven
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And god says, "eat."
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Peter goes back to his heritage
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And says, "i can't eat that.
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I can't eat that. that's unclean.
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My mama told me that was unclean.
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My daddy told me that was unclean.
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My people tell me that's unclean.
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I can't do that."
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Then god says, "don't call unclean
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What i call clean.
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If i say it, you change.
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I don't care what your mama taught you,
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What your daddy taught you, what your people taught you,
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When i say it, you adjust."
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So god was telling peter to go to the gentiles,
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A group he didn't associate with,
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"and i want you to bring the gospel to them."
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He gets the message,
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He goes and preaches to cornelius's house,
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They get saved,
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And now peter the jew has connected with the gentiles.
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Galatians chapter 2, it says in verse 11
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He was eating with the gentiles.
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He found out, "them people know how to cook."
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'cause now he's eating pig feet, chitlins, ham hocks.
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He's grubbing.
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He's--it says he was eating with the gentiles.
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So he got the message.
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While he's eating with the gentiles,
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Some of his boys from the hood show up.
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It says some of the jews sent from james came
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And saw pastor peter eating with the gentiles,
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And they wanna know why you eating with them.
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"you weren't raised to eat with them.
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They're on the other side of the railroad tracks.
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You don't do that with them.
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That's not how we roll. that's not how we roll.
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We'll see them in heaven,
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You don't have to eat with them on earth."
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It says that peter, fearing the circumcision,
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Fearing his peeps, fearing his homeboys,
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Fearing what his people were gonna say,
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His neighbors were gonna say,
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Left the gentiles and went over to the jews,
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Not wanting to offend his jewish brothers
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Who were upset that he was eating with gentiles.
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It says the rest of the jews who were with peter got up too
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And left the gentiles.
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So now you got a group exodus 'cause a mist in the pulpit
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Will lead to a fog in the pew.
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And since peter was the leader,
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They followed the leader in the jewish identification.
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It tells us one other thing.
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It says even barnabas was carried away
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By their hypocrisy.
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Well, see, barnabas, known as the encourager,
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Was born in cyprus.
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Cyprus is a gentile colony.
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So barnabas was born with gentiles,
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Went to school with gentiles, raised with gentiles,
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Played ball with gentiles.
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Barnabas grew up in a gentile environment.
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But, see, that's how bad racism can be.
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It can make a good man bad.
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So even barnabas was carried away
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That he got swept up in this jewish identification.
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It was okay until his group showed up.
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But once his group showed up: group identity.
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Pleasing the group,
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Even when you have to displease christ,
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To be accepted by the group.
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This group identity swept--
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Barnabas didn't want to look like the odd man out.
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He didn't want to look like the weird one
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Who didn't want to associate with the group
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'cause, after all,
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If you don't associate with the group,
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You're not one of us, you don't care about us,
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We don't matter.
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Easy to switch when the issue is the group.
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That's what peter did.
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He switched because of the group.
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But paul said, "when i saw what peter did,"
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And the hypocrite calls it hypocrisy.
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What was he being hypocritical about?
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Paul tells him.
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Paul says, "when i saw what he did,"
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Verse 14, "that they were not straightforward
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About the truth of the gospel."
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Oh, he makes a racial issue a theological issue.
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He takes a sociological issue and makes it a spiritual issue.
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Well, you have to understand something.
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The gospel has a message: faith alone
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In the finished work of jesus christ
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For the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
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That is the good news of the gospel
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That takes you to heaven.
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That is the gospel's message.
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But the gospel's message also has a scope,
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And the scope of the gospel is where you apply the message
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To human relationships.
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You're on your way to heaven, you're a christian,
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But the truth of the gospel is
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That you are now to make your decisions
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Based on your new relationship in christ,
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Not your old relationship in color, politics,
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Race, gender.
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Your decisions now are to be funneled
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Through a different grid.
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You're messing with the message of the--
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You are embarrassing christ now.
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This is a christ issue.
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I don't care how you were raised,
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How many people are in your people group,
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When you rejected christ in order to satisfy your group
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To affirm your identity,
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You have messed with the gospel.
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You have messed with the truth.
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Today we are in cultural chaos
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Because people don't want the truth,
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They want their identity.
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"never mind when that identity crosses the truth,
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As long as i gotta be me, i gotta be me."
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Paul says, "i condemned peter before them all.
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I went public on him."
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'cause he did it in public.
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"and you are leading all these other people astray."
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One of the reasons why
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We have so much confusion in the culture
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Is people--christians--
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These are all christians in galatians 2--
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Christians are being led astray from the truth
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Because people wanna satisfy identity.
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And so we don't have answers,
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And we're perpetually talking questions
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Because there's no final word called the truth.
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Not "a truth," not "my truth," the truth.
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And so paul condemns him.
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He speaks to him in the midst of this confusion,
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And it can come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
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See, one of the truths of the gospel is
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That jesus christ erased the mason-dixon line,
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That the divisions that belong
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In the culture don't belong in the kingdom,
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That the crisis in the culture
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Is not to belong to the people of god
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Because they're operating on the truth,
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Not the changing winds of society.
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This abandonment of the truth has led
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To all kinds of chaos and confusion
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And lack of clarity.
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It is at the end of this story
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That paul quotes galatians 2:20.
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"i'm crucified with christ."
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He's quoting that to peter.
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He's saying, "peter, you forgot who you are."
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I suspect there are folks here with color in your hair,
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That is, what we're looking at is not the real color.
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You've colored your hair.
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You may look like you're all black,
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But you had a little help, you had--you colored your hair.
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So if we really wanna know the color of your hair,
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We gotta go down to the root,
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'cause the root will always reveal the truth.
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Paul gets to the root.
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He says, "peter, here's the root.
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You have compromised your identity in christ.
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Peter, i am crucified with christ."
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In other words, "the root of my identity
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Is my relationship with jesus christ
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As he defines it.
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That is who i am.
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Everything else must be subject to that.
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I am a christian first.
00:15:30.211 --> 00:15:32.814
I am a follower of christ first.
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Jesus is lord first.
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That is the root.
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I am crucified with christ," why?
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Because to be identified with christ
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Will often mean a crucifixion.
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To be identified with christ means
00:15:51.566 --> 00:15:53.835
You won't always be able to go with the group.
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To be identified with christ,
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You may not always be able to go with the democrats
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Or the republicans.
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To be identified with christ,
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You may not go with all the gender views.
00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:07.215
To be identified with christ may mean
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You're out there by yourself,
00:16:09.217 --> 00:16:10.952
But that's the root of your identity.
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"i am crucified with christ,
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Because to be identified with christ
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Often involves a cross."
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This involves a crucifixion because there is great gain,
00:16:29.604 --> 00:16:33.141
But there is some loss.
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When you're not the most popular anymore,
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When you're not welcomed anymore,
00:16:37.578 --> 00:16:39.113
When you're not embraced anymore,
00:16:39.113 --> 00:16:40.548
When you're not going along with the popular views anymore,
00:16:40.548 --> 00:16:43.551
There can be a crucifixion, but that's your identity.
00:16:43.551 --> 00:16:49.057
That's who you are.
00:16:49.057 --> 00:16:52.827
He says, "i am crucified with christ."
00:16:52.827 --> 00:16:55.663
But then he says, "but nevertheless, i live."
00:16:55.663 --> 00:17:00.101
Oh, see, your identity in christ never negates
00:17:00.101 --> 00:17:05.873
Your uniqueness as a human.
00:17:05.873 --> 00:17:10.044
"nevertheless, i'm still me."
00:17:10.044 --> 00:17:13.047
Paul says, "i'm still jewish.
00:17:13.047 --> 00:17:14.682
I'm still a man.
00:17:14.682 --> 00:17:16.117
I'm still me when i identify with christ.
00:17:16.117 --> 00:17:18.820
I don't stop being me,
00:17:18.820 --> 00:17:21.055
But the me that i am is now connected
00:17:21.055 --> 00:17:25.426
To the christ that i'm connected to
00:17:25.426 --> 00:17:29.363
Because the life that i, i, the me, now live,
00:17:29.363 --> 00:17:33.768
I live by faith in the son of god,
00:17:33.768 --> 00:17:36.237
Who loved me and gave himself for me.
00:17:36.237 --> 00:17:38.406
So i don't stop being me,
00:17:38.406 --> 00:17:44.979
But the me that i am
00:17:44.979 --> 00:17:47.415
Is clearly identified with the christ that he is,
00:17:47.415 --> 00:17:52.220
And he is the point of reference
00:17:52.220 --> 00:17:55.423
For my humanity."
00:17:55.423 --> 00:17:58.259
My humanity is first christian.
00:17:58.259 --> 00:18:01.963
It means it's technically wrong
00:18:01.963 --> 00:18:03.764
To say i'm a black christian or a white christian
00:18:03.764 --> 00:18:06.100
'cause then you make black and white an adjective,
00:18:06.100 --> 00:18:08.035
You make christian a noun.
00:18:08.035 --> 00:18:09.570
The job of the adjective is to modify the noun.
00:18:09.570 --> 00:18:12.140
So if you've got color in the adjectival position
00:18:12.140 --> 00:18:15.843
And christianity in the noun position,
00:18:15.843 --> 00:18:18.579
The noun of christianity must always adjust
00:18:18.579 --> 00:18:21.048
To its describing adjective of color.
00:18:21.048 --> 00:18:23.651
Your christianity must always be in the adjectival position,
00:18:23.651 --> 00:18:26.754
Your color in the noun position,
00:18:26.754 --> 00:18:28.623
So if anything changes,
00:18:28.623 --> 00:18:30.124
It's the noun of your humanity
00:18:30.124 --> 00:18:31.459
And not the adjective of your faith.
00:18:31.459 --> 00:18:35.830
You must always be christian first.
00:18:35.830 --> 00:18:39.267
You must always represent christ first
00:18:39.267 --> 00:18:41.536
Without denying the uniqueness of your humanity.
00:18:41.536 --> 00:18:46.407
You don't have to try to undo what god made you
00:18:46.407 --> 00:18:50.178
That is within his word and within his will,
00:18:50.178 --> 00:18:52.613
But you do not deny him to affirm what you are.
00:18:52.613 --> 00:18:58.619
You celebrate who you are.
00:18:58.619 --> 00:19:01.489
John says, "when i'm in heaven--"
00:19:01.489 --> 00:19:03.391
Did you know whatever color you are now
00:19:03.391 --> 00:19:05.226
Will be the color you are in heaven?
00:19:05.226 --> 00:19:08.596
If you're black now, you're gonna be black in heaven.
00:19:08.596 --> 00:19:10.598
If you're white now, you're gonna be white in heaven,
00:19:10.598 --> 00:19:14.101
Every race, hispanics are gonna be hispanics
00:19:14.101 --> 00:19:15.836
In heaven, every-- whatever you are now
00:19:15.836 --> 00:19:18.239
Will be what you are in heaven, why?
00:19:18.239 --> 00:19:20.474
Because john says in revelation 5:9,
00:19:20.474 --> 00:19:22.443
Revelation 7:9, he says, "i saw people
00:19:22.443 --> 00:19:24.478
From every nation, every tribe, every kindred, and every tongue.
00:19:24.478 --> 00:19:27.915
I saw them, and they were all different."
00:19:27.915 --> 00:19:32.520
So you never need to apologize for what god made you.
00:19:32.520 --> 00:19:36.524
You never need to be ashamed of it.
00:19:36.524 --> 00:19:37.992
You never need to apologize for it.
00:19:37.992 --> 00:19:39.760
You ought to celebrate it.
00:19:39.760 --> 00:19:46.400
And you'll never put down other people
00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:48.302
Because they're something other than what god made you
00:19:48.302 --> 00:19:50.972
Because he made a variety of everything he made.
00:19:50.972 --> 00:19:58.679
It also means how you feel is not who you are.
00:19:58.679 --> 00:20:02.917
But let's don't change god to satisfy how you feel.
00:20:02.917 --> 00:20:10.391
You start with how you feel, we start with who--
00:20:10.391 --> 00:20:12.560
Your identity in christ is your reference point.
00:20:12.560 --> 00:20:16.130
That's where you're headed.
00:20:16.130 --> 00:20:17.865
Now, yes, there is work getting there,
00:20:17.865 --> 00:20:19.634
There are things to overcome getting there,
00:20:19.634 --> 00:20:22.069
But without a point of reference,
00:20:22.069 --> 00:20:26.073
You're gonna be lost
00:20:26.073 --> 00:20:27.742
'cause there are a million different voices
00:20:27.742 --> 00:20:29.243
With a million different ideas about what you think,
00:20:29.243 --> 00:20:32.046
How you feel, where we came from,
00:20:32.046 --> 00:20:33.381
What we ought to do.
00:20:33.381 --> 00:20:35.783
You can google yourself to death.
00:20:35.783 --> 00:20:42.323
He says, "i am crucified with christ.
00:20:42.323 --> 00:20:44.692
That is my identity."
00:20:44.692 --> 00:20:49.163
When i wrote the book on race, "oneness embraced,"
00:20:49.163 --> 00:20:52.867
And promoted what i call a kingdom race theology
00:20:52.867 --> 00:20:58.005
On this issue because it applies to every issue,
00:20:58.005 --> 00:21:00.541
It applies to politics, you know,
00:21:00.541 --> 00:21:03.311
'cause we're in this political season now
00:21:03.311 --> 00:21:04.979
And people are gonna be divided,
00:21:04.979 --> 00:21:08.149
And god says in ezekiel 43, he says, ezekiel 43,
00:21:08.149 --> 00:21:13.321
He said, "you people have brought your kings
00:21:13.321 --> 00:21:17.491
Too close to my throne.
00:21:17.491 --> 00:21:20.761
You brought your politics too close to me.
00:21:20.761 --> 00:21:23.597
You done got more political than you become christian.
00:21:23.597 --> 00:21:28.169
You didn't--you talk more about who's running for office
00:21:28.169 --> 00:21:31.906
Than who's sitting on the throne."
00:21:31.906 --> 00:21:35.609
That's why paul says in 2 corinthians 5, verse 16,
00:21:35.609 --> 00:21:38.245
He says, "i know no man after the flesh."
00:21:38.245 --> 00:21:41.682
In other words, "i don't relate to people first physically.
00:21:41.682 --> 00:21:45.019
I relate to them spiritually first.
00:21:45.019 --> 00:21:47.688
That's my point of reference.
00:21:47.688 --> 00:21:49.490
The physical is there, but that's not where i start.
00:21:49.490 --> 00:21:53.928
I always start with the biblical,
00:21:53.928 --> 00:21:55.629
The theological, and the spiritual,
00:21:55.629 --> 00:21:58.332
And that becomes my point of reference."
00:21:58.332 --> 00:22:07.508
We must stop starting our worldview sociologically
00:22:07.508 --> 00:22:10.544
And start starting it theologically.
00:22:10.544 --> 00:22:15.216
And you say, "okay, what has that got to do
00:22:15.216 --> 00:22:18.719
With releasing god in my life?"
00:22:18.719 --> 00:22:20.888
Stay with me here now.
00:22:20.888 --> 00:22:22.857
"how can i get more god by getting my identity straight?
00:22:22.857 --> 00:22:29.430
What's going to happen if my point of reference
00:22:29.430 --> 00:22:34.402
For all of my life is my commitment to christ,
00:22:34.402 --> 00:22:38.139
Not just to go to heaven, but for my decisions on earth?
00:22:38.139 --> 00:22:40.941
What can i expect?"
00:22:40.941 --> 00:22:45.045
A verse you hardly hear read is verse 21.
00:22:45.045 --> 00:22:48.149
After paul talks about he's crucified with christ
00:22:48.149 --> 00:22:50.084
In verse 21, he says,
00:22:50.084 --> 00:22:51.852
"i do not nullify the grace of god,
00:22:51.852 --> 00:22:56.257
For if righteousness comes through the law,
00:22:56.257 --> 00:22:58.526
Then christ died needlessly."
00:22:58.526 --> 00:23:01.529
Mmm.
00:23:01.529 --> 00:23:04.999
"i do not nullify."
00:23:04.999 --> 00:23:07.334
The "nullify" means to cancel.
00:23:07.334 --> 00:23:11.272
You mean the grace of god can be canceled?
00:23:11.272 --> 00:23:14.875
He's talking about i, paul's a christian.
00:23:14.875 --> 00:23:16.844
He says, "i don't wanna cancel god's grace."
00:23:16.844 --> 00:23:20.648
Ooh, so god's grace can be canceled
00:23:20.648 --> 00:23:25.586
By refusing to identify with christ.
00:23:25.586 --> 00:23:29.356
Let me say that again.
00:23:29.356 --> 00:23:30.925
You can cancel god's grace.
00:23:30.925 --> 00:23:32.593
So what is grace? grace is favor.
00:23:32.593 --> 00:23:35.095
Grace is unmerited favor. everybody wants blessing.
00:23:35.095 --> 00:23:37.498
Everybody wants grace. we need grace.
00:23:37.498 --> 00:23:39.500
Grace can never be earned, but it can be released.
00:23:39.500 --> 00:23:43.637
You can't earn grace 'cause grace is always free.
00:23:43.637 --> 00:23:46.974
Okay, you go to your sink and you need water.
00:23:46.974 --> 00:23:53.714
There's a spigot.
00:23:53.714 --> 00:23:56.784
You turn the spigot on and water is released.
00:23:56.784 --> 00:23:59.887
You didn't create the water, but you released it to flow.
00:23:59.887 --> 00:24:05.860
You turn it off, the water is still there,
00:24:05.860 --> 00:24:09.697
But it's unreleased.
00:24:09.697 --> 00:24:11.966
It's ready to flow, it wants to flow,
00:24:11.966 --> 00:24:14.802
But it can't flow because it's been nullified.
00:24:14.802 --> 00:24:18.739
It's been canceled by the turn.
00:24:18.739 --> 00:24:24.345
Let's say you come to your spigot,
00:24:24.345 --> 00:24:26.213
You look at it, and you say, "i need some water.
00:24:26.213 --> 00:24:29.817
Let me pray."
00:24:29.817 --> 00:24:33.554
You pray, "god, i need water.
00:24:33.554 --> 00:24:35.756
I gotta wash my hands.
00:24:35.756 --> 00:24:37.358
I need water. i gotta cook this food.
00:24:37.358 --> 00:24:39.226
I pray--" no, you go get your bible.
00:24:39.226 --> 00:24:41.896
You go get your tony evans study bible.
00:24:41.896 --> 00:24:45.499
You open up your bible, and you say,
00:24:45.499 --> 00:24:47.434
"i'mma read some scripture 'cause god is the water of life.
00:24:47.434 --> 00:24:51.672
And god, i need some water.
00:24:51.672 --> 00:24:54.174
Please provide me some water."
00:24:54.174 --> 00:24:58.546
You ain't gonna get no water.
00:24:58.546 --> 00:25:00.681
I don't care how much you pray, read your bible,
00:25:00.681 --> 00:25:03.884
Because the flow has been nullified.
00:25:03.884 --> 00:25:07.454
It's been canceled.
00:25:07.454 --> 00:25:09.290
So the water that wants to flow, can flow,
00:25:09.290 --> 00:25:11.792
Is there to flow, won't flow
00:25:11.792 --> 00:25:14.528
Because it has not been opened up
00:25:14.528 --> 00:25:19.400
By clarity of identity.
00:25:19.400 --> 00:25:24.972
When you refuse to be identified with christ,
00:25:24.972 --> 00:25:28.375
You have cut off the spigot of the flow.
00:25:28.375 --> 00:25:32.079
God says, "i'm not gonna flow with you
00:25:32.079 --> 00:25:34.682
When you don't even wanna be associated with me."
00:25:34.682 --> 00:25:39.920
So let me ask you a question, let me ask you a question:
00:25:39.920 --> 00:25:42.256
On your job tomorrow,
00:25:42.256 --> 00:25:45.292
They'll know you're a man, they'll know you're a woman.
00:25:45.292 --> 00:25:47.528
They'll know you're black, they'll know you're white.
00:25:47.528 --> 00:25:49.597
They'll know you're tall, they know you are short.
00:25:49.597 --> 00:25:52.266
But will they know you are a follower of jesus christ?
00:25:52.266 --> 00:25:58.472
Or will you simply be a secret agent christian,
00:25:58.472 --> 00:26:01.508
A spiritual cia representative,
00:26:01.508 --> 00:26:03.744
And a covert operative?
00:26:03.744 --> 00:26:05.813
Your identity in christ is your reference point.
00:26:05.813 --> 00:26:10.384
When that is your reference point,
00:26:10.384 --> 00:26:12.753
You've opened up the spigot so favor can flow.
00:26:12.753 --> 00:26:19.994
He says, "and if you refuse to do it,
00:26:19.994 --> 00:26:21.795
Then as far as the benefit of your life is concerned,
00:26:21.795 --> 00:26:24.164
Christ died needlessly."
00:26:24.164 --> 00:26:28.802
He died to flow from heaven,
00:26:28.802 --> 00:26:30.537
But he also died to flow from earth.
00:26:30.537 --> 00:26:32.973
And yes, that will include a crucifixion.
00:26:32.973 --> 00:26:38.545
So the question is
00:26:38.545 --> 00:26:41.915
Are you ready to go public outside of church?
00:26:41.915 --> 00:26:51.392
See, 'cause it's easy to be a christian this morning.
00:26:51.392 --> 00:26:56.463
Ain't nobody disagreeing with you.
00:26:56.463 --> 00:26:59.466
Ain't nobody fussing, cussing, and fighting with you.
00:26:59.466 --> 00:27:02.703
But when you have to go there with your peeps,
00:27:02.703 --> 00:27:05.839
When you have to go there
00:27:05.839 --> 00:27:07.241
With people wanting to compromise race
00:27:07.241 --> 00:27:09.309
Or class or culture with your christian commitment,
00:27:09.309 --> 00:27:13.647
Are you then christian,
00:27:13.647 --> 00:27:17.951
Or are you what paul called peter: a hypocrite?
00:27:17.951 --> 00:27:21.255
♪♪♪
00:27:21.255 --> 00:27:28.095

Tony Evans - Releasing God's Work In Your Life

June 14, 2026 | 27:29

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