The Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans: How many of us have jacked up our lives by experimentation? We tried this and tried that and tried that. We live our lives by the knowledge of the tree of good and evil.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans says trial and error leads mostly to error, and God has a better way.

Dr. Tony Evans: He says I don't want you living life by your own informational discovery.

Guest (Male): This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans. There's more to life than just living from day to day. There's a divine plan behind it and a spiritual battle trying to defeat it. Today, Dr. Evans reveals what's going on behind the scenes and what we were designed to do about it. Let's listen.

Dr. Tony Evans: On numbers of occasions, I've sat with parents who have brought their teenagers for a counseling session of sorts. The reason that this typically takes place is because a conflict has occurred in the home when they hit their teenage years. What begins to take place is that the teenager wants to have their own kingdom in your house. They want to make their own rules. They want to set their own agenda. And a conflict occurs between kingdoms. The rule of the parent and the rule of the kid clash. And people are seeking help to deal with this crisis of independence.

This desire for the teenager no longer be told what to do by mother and father and wants to set their own rules without moving out. And they move out, we wouldn't have an issue. But it's when they want to set the rules while you still pay the bills. It creates a conflict of kingdoms. We're talking about the kingdom agenda. The kingdom agenda we define as the visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life. The kingdom agenda is the visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life.

The word kingdom means rule or authority. The thread that ties the whole Bible together and makes the whole Bible make sense as opposed to being random stories that seem disconnected is the theme of the kingdom. God's concern is his own glory through the expansion of his rule or authority through the expansion of his kingdom. That is God's purpose in history. The Bible was written to facilitate that one purpose. And every event, every story, every personality, every progress of thread from Genesis to Revelation is to stitch together that story. Today, I want to unfold for you why there was even a need for this story to be told.

Before God ever created mankind, he created angels. They were created by the myriads. There are millions of angels that were created and they were all created the angelic host to facilitate the glory of God and his heavenly reign. There was a leader among the angels. Chief angel in charge. He had a name called Lucifer. He led all the other angels in the in the worship of God. He was he was God's masterpiece. There came a day when the shining one, Lucifer, did not want to only lead the angels to God. He wanted to lead the angels to him.

He developed this mindset that wanted to compete with God. And so he rebelled. So successful was his rebellion, the scripture says in Revelation 12 verse 4 that 1/3 of the angels joined him. And so a rival kingdom was established with a rival king named Lucifer. A trial is held. There were three judges, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And Satan or Lucifer and his angels were found guilty of heavenly treason rebelling against God. A sentence was passed. The sentence is recorded for us in Matthew chapter 25 verse 41 which says and hell was prepared for Satan and his angels.

They were found guilty of treason. God created a a new location of permanent exile called hell. Hell was never prepared for a person. Hell was prepared for the devil, the scripture says, and his angels. Matthew 25:41 as permanent exile from the presence of God. God changed his name to fit his character. No longer was he the showroom model. He was now God's adversary and God's enemy. Hell was prepared for Satan and his angels, but he wasn't kicked to hell. He was kicked to Earth. Isaiah 14 says that. Ezekiel 28 says he was booted out of heaven and booted to Earth.

In other words, there was a gap between the sentencing and the carrying out of the sentence. And that gap is called history. But God decided to do something. He decided before we carry out this sentence, let's create a lesser creature. That is an inferior being. God created man to demonstrate he could do more with a lesser creature who would follow him than a greater creature who would be in rebellion against him. So he created man, Psalm 8 says, a little lower than the angels. And in Genesis chapter 1 verses 26 and 27 he says and God created man in his own image.

That is to mirror God in history from the mirror of eternity. And he said three words to them, let them rule. He met he would not rule independently of man. See, a lot of people think there's this battle between God and the devil. Let me explain something. If there is a battle between God and the devil, it wouldn't last long. A created creature is no match for an omnipotent creator. That's not even a fight. The Bible says that what God did was he created an inferior creature, you and me. Cuz you are no competition for angels.

To demonstrate when inferior creatures operated by God's governance, God's kingdom, the inferior creature could overrule the greater creature. You'll notice in Genesis chapter 2 God now tells Adam how to operate. From every tree in the garden you may freely eat except that one in the middle. Don't mess with the one in the middle because the one in the middle is the knowledge of good and evil. What's the deal about this tree in the middle of the garden? Notice the tree. The tree was the knowledge of good and evil. Why am I dealing with evil in a perfect garden?

Cuz the angels are already here. Satan has already been kicked to Earth. So when God creates a perfect man, he creates a perfect man in the midst of a hellish environment. I don't want you to discover good and evil by your experimentation. I want you to live your life by revelation, not by experimentation. How many of us have jacked up our lives by experimentation? We tried this and tried that and tried that. See, we we live our lives by the knowledge of the tree of good and evil. We eat this fruit, that was good. We eat that fruit, that was evil, but we didn't know which one was which.

Adam was to live by revelation. Why did God even do this? Because men must be free to choose. See, once you lose freedom to choose, you lose your humanity, your creative humanity. Just as Lucifer had the freedom to say no, you have the freedom to say no because you're created to be free. God has given Adam instruction. He's given him an environment. He's given him a beautiful home. He's given him every fruit of the ground. He's given him all the animals and he's given him authority. I want you to rule. But in chapter 3 verse 1 of Genesis now the serpent was more crafty than any of the beasts of the field which the Lord God had made.

And he said to the woman, indeed hath God said you shall not eat from any tree of the garden? Whoa. Don't read that too fast. You got to talking snake. That ought to mess with you. You you got a talking snake here in chapter 3 verse 1. Why do you have a talking snake? Angels are spirit beings. Okay? They're spirit beings. They're invisible beings. They do not have a physical form. So in order for angels to do anything in time and space, they must find a form they can use. You remember the sci-fi flicks where the aliens needed a host?

They needed something physical so that they could do their thing in the visible world from the spiritual realm of which they were a part. Well, that's a true reality. You remember when Jesus sent the demons from the demoniac when they were the legion, they were inhabiting the man. And when he told them the demons to leave, the demons says well, let us go into the pigs. We got to go somewhere where we can express ourselves. Do you remember the scripture says in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 for our wrestle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and world forces located in heavenly places?

Your problem isn't just the person you're sitting next to. Your problem is the fact that an angel may have inhabited them.

Guest (Male): Dr. Evans will give us an example of that when he continues our message in just a moment. First though, I'd like to tell you about a great way to follow up on what we've been learning today. It's the complete six-part teaching series from Dr. Evans called The Kingdom Agenda. These messages offer a comprehensive look at what it means to live the Christian life the way God intended, helping you understand how God's kingdom should shape your priorities, your relationships, your decisions, and your influence. We'd like to send you all six full-length lessons as our thank you gift when you make a contribution to help support Dr.

Evans' ministry here on the radio and around the world. The series is available on CD, USB flash drive, or instantly downloadable MP3s. And as an added bonus, we'll also include Tony's One Kingdom Under God paperback which can help you put what you're learning about God's truth to work as you begin to think differently about your life and your place in his kingdom. Take advantage of this special offer today at toneyaevans.org or call us day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. I'll repeat that information after part two of today's message and this.

Guest (Male): On the Unbound podcast with Dr. Tony Evans, guests speak honestly about finding hope in the hardest moments.

Guest (Female): Grief is a club that nobody wants to be a part of, but you're forced into it.

Guest (Male): Through their real-life stories, they offer perspective on healing and resilience even when the pain doesn't quickly pass.

Guest (Female): Grief is a language. The goal of a language is not to finish. It's to become fluent.

Guest (Male): Unbound with Dr. Tony Evans. Listen now.

Guest (Male): You can hear The Unbound podcast anytime of the day or night on your favorite podcast streaming platform. Well, Dr. Evans is back now with more of today's lesson on the need for the kingdom agenda.

Dr. Tony Evans: Satan needed a host. He needed a vehicle to express himself. So he found slick in the garden. Slick. He said now them snakes are slick. They know they be they they wobbly in and out. They they smooth operators. They they slick. So he said let me use slick. And let me talk through slick. And so she engages with a snake who talks and who walks because this snake had legs. You say how do I know the snake had legs? Cuz when God judged it, he says now you going to crawl from now on. So we got a talking walking snake.

The first conversation between the devil and a human being is about God. He says hath God said? But it's about God's word. What did God say? Because Satan knew to get rid of God's rule and his kingdom, he had to get rid of the authority of God's word. God's word could not carry authority if man was going to give up his rule. He knew to get rid of man's authority. He had to get rid of man being under the rule of God's word. But notice what he did not get rid of. He did not get rid of religion.

The whole conversation is about God. In fact, he tells him you can be like God. But notice the word that's left out in the first six verses of Genesis when Satan starts talking. He says God God God God God, but what he doesn't say is Lord God. In chapter two it was Lord God Lord God Lord God Lord God. That means God who is in charge. He says to Eve and ultimately to Adam let's keep God, let's leave out in charge. Let's still say mama and daddy just as long as they no longer telling you what to do.

Let let's keep the title but leave out the Lord, the ruling part. Let let let's not let him tell you what to do. We're challenging his word. The issue in the garden was whose word would be final, not whose church do you like best. Now whose word would be final? In fact, if you look at your life, the battles that you have bow down to whose word will be final. Will it be my friends? Will it be my neighbor? Will it be my word? What I think? Whose word would be final? God says don't eat of the tree.

The devil said it tastes good. It's good to look at. Let me show you how serious this is. God says his word is to rule so high that even the person you're married to is not to overrule it. I didn't make that up. Look look at chapter three verse 17. He says then to Adam he said because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten the tree which I commanded you saying you shall not eat, cursed is the ground. Your mate should not be able to overrule God's word. That's how that's how high this thing is.

So you know if your mate can't even overrule God's word, your homeboy sure shouldn't be able to do it. Your culture shouldn't be able to do it. He says because you did because you you disobeyed my word, the ground is cursed. That, brothers and sisters, unfolded what we call the angelic conflict, the battle between men and angels. But you don't see the angels. You see the people that the angels are working through because both sides have to work through people. God said let them rule. I'm only going to work through humans. Satan says I want to rule, so I'm going to find me some folk too.

The battle in your life and my life, in your world and my world is both sides are fighting for their word in us. God is fighting for his word to be operated through us, and the devil is fighting for his word to be operating through us. And what we do is we try to operate on both words. We all face it. We all fight it because it is this word that will determine cursing versus blessing. Many of us have said to our teenagers if you'd have just listened to me it was over the word. It was over the word.

And now history unfolds. See, if Adam had have eaten of the tree of life and not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil we would have gone into eternity. There would have still been people being born and all of that, but without all this stuff there would have been no issues because he would have been confirmed with life. But he became confirmed with death and so did his children and his children's children. And sin passed, the Bible says, from life to life, generation to generation, country to country, culture to culture. Because men chose the rule.

Let me explain what happened. When Adam disobeyed and ate of the fruit knowingly, willingly, and with eyes wide open here's what he did. He turned the Earth over to the devil. The Bible says and so the devil became the God of this world. See, who you obey tells you who you're ruling under. So it was handed over to the devil. That's why when Jesus was tempted of the devil in the wilderness the devil said if you worship me, I will give you all the kingdoms of this world. The reason the devil could tell Jesus I could give it to you is cuz Adam gave it to me.

I run this show. Me and my demonic host run this Earth. This is our territory. So guess what the Bible is all about? Reclaiming what God originally gave to Adam. That's what the Bible is all about. History is all about. That's what your life is all about. The visible manifestation of the comprehensive rule of God. When you switched over by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savior, you switched to the other side. Well, God doesn't want you on his side working for the enemy. He is seeking to reclaim this process. And that's all history is.

You say well, how long is history going to go? It's going to go till God lays claim back to what he originally created. So you're not just living a life to live a life. You're living a life to advance a cause. The cause of God in history, but he will not do it apart from you. He will not do it apart from man because he said let them rule. And they can rule for good or for bad. They can rule for me or against me. And I will respect their rule within my boundaries.

Guest (Male): And Dr. Evans will return with a final thought to wrap up this lesson in just a moment. Before he does though, I want to let you know that today's message, The Need for the Kingdom Agenda is part of that powerful teaching series I mentioned earlier called The Kingdom Agenda. Now's the time to get in touch with us to find out how you can receive all six full-length messages in this collection including material we won't have time to present on the air. We'll send you the series on CD, USB flash drive, or digital download as our thank you gift when you make a contribution to support this ministry.

And for a limited time, we'll also include The One Kingdom Under God paperback from Dr. Evans. Together, these resources can help you understand the Kingdom Agenda and begin putting its principles into practice in your everyday life. Details are waiting for you online at toneyaevans.org or let one of our team members help you by calling 1-800-800-3222. That's toneyaevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222. Many Christians live life playing defense, just trying to fend off the enemy's attacks. Tomorrow, Dr. Evans talks about how believers can switch to the offense and start moving toward the goal God has given them.

Right now though, he's back with this closing word.

Dr. Tony Evans: Like many of you, I grew up watching Soul Train. I used to love to see Don Cornelius with his fro and with his different colored suits. And I lived for the end of the program. I wish you love, peace, and soul. But in every program there was the Soul Train scramble board. That's where the word was jumbled up. The letters were all out of order and there was chaos on the board. They gave the contestants a certain amount of time to turn those letters into something that made sense, into the name of a entertainer or a group.

They were to take chaos and bring order to it. And then they could go back to doing their thing. You know, they could go back to doing their thing. What Satan has done is he's jumbled up the word. And with the jumbling of the word has jumbled up our lives. But what God says is I want you to straighten up the word cuz then you can go back to living again as I created it when I established my kingdom.