The Faith Walk

Jonathan Evans: Today on the Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans, we live in a generation of a lot of saved busts because they're just not able to take it and put it on the field. It's one thing to take a picture and say I'm saved. It's another thing to live sanctified when the enemy hits you in the mouth.

When you actually have to play the game against an enemy, when you actually have to play the game getting blitzed, when you actually have to play the game and situations and circumstances are tackling you, the question is, can you still execute?

Guest (Male): You're listening to the Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans. In a moment, Jonathan will continue today's message. But first, I want to briefly let you know that this week we have two gifts for you to thank you for your support of this ministry.

The first is the audio series called Discipleship for Everyday, equipping you to live out your faith with authenticity and impact every day. And the second gift is the book Your Time Is Now. In this book, you'll understand that God has a purpose for you, even if you think you're not ready to make a difference.

Later in today's program, I'll give you more details about these special gifts. Or you can visit TonyEvans.org or call 1-800-800-3222. Right now, let's get started with Jonathan's message.

Jonathan Evans: Get ready for the word. Let's stand to our feet and turn to 2nd Peter. 2nd Peter chapter 1, and I'm going to be reading 5, 6, 7, and 8. 2nd Peter chapter 1, verses 5 through 8.

It says, "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Today I want to talk to you from the title "Beyond the Hype." Now, you may be wondering, what do I mean when I say "Beyond the Hype"? Well, it leads me to think about April. Every April, there's something called the NFL Draft. And on Draft Day, that is a hype day.

Because that is a day that these former college players get to don a new uniform. That is the day where they get selected and they take their new uniform and they meet up with the commissioner on the stage and take their picture that they have graduated to a whole new league.

Connected to Draft Day, they also get a big payday where their life has officially changed and gone to a whole other level even financially. This all has happened on this one great day called Draft Day. People show up from all over the country to watch these players get drafted, and they turn on the TV all over the nation to see the hype that's going on surrounding these special athletes that take the stage on that day. It is hype.

There's a whole lot of things that go on, a whole lot of photography, a whole lot of articles being written, a whole lot of things that are being said on that day because that day is just a big day. But connected to that day is a whole lot of subsequent days called game day.

So it's one thing to get drafted on Draft Day, it's a whole other thing to be able to produce on game day based on the Draft Day's expectation. So they take their uniform and they don them for a photo, but then eventually they have to put it on to execute in the game.

The problem sometimes comes when a player who was drafted with all the hype surrounding them on Draft Day is unable to execute based on the expectation on game day. And we have a name we call those players. We call them an NFL bust.

Because they weren't able to live up to the expectation. They took the picture and took the check, but when it came time to execute on the field of play, they weren't able to put all the hype on the ground. See, it moves from a check to having to experience what you're going to do when there's pain.

On the hype day, there's a few photos, but on game day, you get hit in the mouth. And sometimes Hype Day and Game Day don't translate that well for some people. The sad reality today is that many of us as Christians have experienced Draft Day.

If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you donned a new uniform. There are promises connected to you being drafted on that day, and it's a special day, and heaven is applauding. Your family is applauding. People show up for that day. You take a picture with the uniform of Jesus Christ with the commissioner.

And you're able to stand there and say, now I've graduated to a whole new league. I'm playing for a whole other kingdom. But connected to the expectation of Draft Day is a whole lot of subsequent game days.

And the sad reality in the Christian world today is that people take the check of the promise but aren't able to execute on the field. In other words, we live in a generation of a lot of saved busts because they're just not able to take it and put it on the field.

It's one thing to take a picture and say I'm saved. It's another thing to live sanctified when the enemy hits you in the mouth. When you actually have to play the game against an enemy, when you actually have to play the game getting blitzed, when you actually have to play the game and situations and circumstances are tackling you, the question is, can you still execute?

And Peter is in this text talking to those who have been drafted. And he says in 2nd Peter chapter 1, verse 1, he says, "Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ."

So he's saying for everybody that believes like I believe, for everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, you believe by no other name can one be saved other than the name of Jesus Christ.

You believe only by him is the forgiveness of sins, and only by him does he have the power to heal you from all unrighteousness and remember your sins no more. You believe that through him is restoration, through him is peace, through him you have eternal salvation.

If you believe what I just said, let me hear you say amen. That means I'm talking to the right group. I'm talking to those who have held the uniform and taken the picture. I'm talking for those who have gotten drafted as Peter is. This is the right audience for what's being communicated today.

And Peter goes on to talk about Hype Day because he needs you to understand what happened on Draft Day and why there's so much hype surrounding it. He says in verse 3, he says, "seeing that the divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence."

He's saying, let me tell you what happened on Draft Day. By the divine power of Jesus Christ, you've been given everything you need pertaining to life and godliness. So when you got drafted on Draft Day, embedded in Draft Day is everything you need to be consistent on game day.

It's already in there. When these players get drafted, they go to the locker and all their equipment has already been placed in there so that they can have everything that they need to be prepared to execute on game day.

How in the world on Draft Day did I get everything I needed to execute on game day? Because when you were drafted, Ephesians 1:13 says you've been sealed by the spirit of God. You received the spirit of God, and what's the spirit of God's job?

John 16:13 says he is here to lead you and guide you in all truth. So the spirit of God is in you based on your draft status so that you can live out a lifestyle of godliness in consistency because he's leading you and guiding you in the truth of God's word.

Now, what he's using as the tool to lead you and guide you based on your draft status is the word of God. He's illuminating what's true so that you can handle the vicissitudes of life that God walks you through.

Yes, I said vicissitudes. That's a SAT word. I took that too. But you need to know that on Draft Day, you have the spirit of God. The spirit of God is illuminating the word of God. And the word of God, based on 2nd Timothy 3:16 and 17, is inspired by God.

It can train you, correct you, and reproof and train you up in righteousness, teach you in righteousness so that the man of God can be adequate and equipped for every good work, not some good work, every good work.

The word of God is in you by virtue of the spirit of God that you received on Draft Day so that you can be prepared for game day and be consistent as he illuminates something that is inspired by God, the word of God, to teach you and train you up in righteousness, that means practice, so that you can be good when it's time to hit the field and somebody tries to hit you in the mouth.

You know exactly how to respond based on the spirit of God in you leading you and guiding you, not in your truth, not in cultural truth, not in what somebody told you that ain't this, not in what you feel, and not in what your circumstances tell you you think you should do or your friends tell you what they think you should do. That's not his job. His job is to lead you and guide you in this. If it ain't this, it ain't him.

Guest (Male): More of the Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans in a moment. Did you know that God has a purpose for you right now? You may think you're not ready to make a difference in God's kingdom or that you're too young for others to take seriously.

But that's not what God thinks. We want to give you a book by Jonathan called Your Time Is Now. This book is our gift to you as a thanks for your donation to help support the ministry of the Alternative.

And along with the book is Jonathan's six-part audio series, Discipleship for Everyday. This six-part collection goes beyond routine religion, equipping you to live out your faith with authenticity and impact every day. It's designed to help you grow as a disciple and inspire others to do the same, leading to stronger families, more vibrant churches, and communities transformed by the gospel.

Both the book and six-part series are our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Get all the details online at TonyEvans.org. Again, that's TonyEvans.org.

Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Find your way out of distractions and into God's purpose for your life. Now let's get back to Jonathan with the rest of today's message.

Jonathan Evans: You see, many people try to get God to forge his signature on their desires. That's not his job. Your desires is not his job unless your desires line up with God's word.

His job is to lead you and guide you so that when you hit the field of play, you're able to carry out knowledgeably based on the illumination of God's word by the spirit so that you don't become a bust on the field, having received the promises of God.

This is what you have embedded in you on Draft Day. It's already there. And then he keeps going and he says, everything pertaining to life and godliness, verse 3, through the true knowledge of him who called you by his own glory and excellence.

Why did he do it? For his glory, by his moral perfection and excellence. He satisfied the propitiation of sin. In other words, he satisfied God's requirements by his perfection, his moral excellence, not by yours.

You do know you are saved not by your work, but by his work. It's by his life. He satisfied the Ten Commandments, 613 statutes and ordinances which was required by God.

The Bible says the calling on our life is to be perfect as God is perfect. But since we ain't perfect, we needed somebody to be perfect that we can believe in that can impute perfection so that when God sees you, he sees the life of Christ and then says, "You're welcome into the kingdom of God." Are y'all still with me?

All of this is embedded in your Draft Day. And he ain't done. He says in verse 4, "for by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, so that by them we may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption of this world by its lust."

Embedded in it is the magnificent promises of God. When you got drafted, you took your jersey, heaven and earth applauding. Your family and angels applauding.

But embedded in the Draft Day, those guys also have a new life because they get this big check. I mean, it's like a magnificent... that thing got extra commas and zeros that they've never experienced before.

He's saying, embedded in your spiritual Draft Day is the magnificent promises of God. The magnificent promises of God is you have eternal life. You live even if you die. The magnificent promises of God is you will be bodily resurrected just like Jesus was.

The magnificent promises of God is you are forgiven of all your sins and he will remember them no more. The magnificent promises of God is that you share in the inheritance of Jesus Christ.

The magnificent promises of God is you're forgiven, you're resurrected, and then Christ will return for his bride and you get to be his bride. This is... if you understand the magnificent promises of God connected to your Draft Day, you ought to give him praise every day.

Because you live even if you die. You're resurrected. You have the inheritance of the Son. You have forgiveness of sins. All of that is embedded because you said yes to Jesus.

All of it is embedded in Draft Day. Somebody ought to be giving him praise that I get to live, death won't be my story, I'll be resurrected, I have the inheritance of the Son, I'm totally forgiven. There's no bigger payday than the magnificent promises given to you by Jesus Christ by his divine power.

So not only did he give you everything pertaining to life and godliness by his spirit through his word, then he gave you a payday of something you never deserved. It's called being a partaker of the divine nature.

What does that mean? I get to partake in what should only belong to Jesus. Jesus was raised from the dead. That wasn't supposed to be your story. But you get to partake in it. Jesus gets eternity with the Father. That wasn't supposed to be your story. But you get to partake in it.

Jesus has an inheritance and a fullness thereof. That was not supposed to be your story. But you get to partake in it. All of a sudden, on Draft Day, you get to partake in what belongs only to Jesus Christ because you have been selected by the King.

So Peter goes into Draft Day so that we can have an understanding of what all is involved in that moment. You say, but Jonathan, I thought you was going to take us beyond the hype. Well, I had to get you hyped first.

Because first you gotta understand what's packed in there. Escaping the world's corruption, for God to see you as righteous. And if you think about who we are now, our past, our struggles, he sees us as righteous and we've been raggedy.

But after you're drafted, you gotta play. Too many Christians are taking the check of the promise and being satisfied with the bench. They don't want to play. I've heard them say, well, at least I can get in.

Satisfied being an useless player for the kingdom. And that's the reason why they call them a bust. It's almost like stealing. You took that check and you can't play?

So then in verse 5, Peter goes, now that we understand that, let's talk about the game. And God is looking for a complete player. We can't be disciples unleashed on the world if we're just like the world we're unleashed on.

So in verse 5, he says now. Now that we talked about that. And now that it's time to don the uniform, not just take pretty pictures with it. He says there's something that we have to be responsible for now for this very reason, that you have received all of the things from verse 1 to verse 4, also applying...

Okay, let me stop right there. You do know that you have to apply the word? Like, in order to play the game, sitting in church isn't good enough. In order to play the game, just being able to quote the scripture isn't good enough.

In order to play the game, just being satisfied that you memorized, just being satisfied that you clapped and you raised your hands during worship, just being satisfied that you intellectually understood the sermon, that's not good enough for game day.

On game day, you have to apply all the things that have been attributed to you on Draft Day. It's time to move beyond listening, learning, all of those things and get to doing. We cannot just be hearers of the word. We have to be doers of the word, lest you delude yourself.

And too many Christians have been shaken up by their circumstances. Like a soda, if you shake it up long enough, the next time you take it, it ain't going to have no fizz. And we live in a generation of Christians with no fizz because they're so easily shaken. And he says now, it's time to apply.

My daughter Kelsey is 15. That means it's time to drive. Y'all pray for me. We was in the car the other day, and, you know, it was yellow lines. That means stay on this side.

She said, "well, it's time to turn left and get over across the yellow lines to make a left turn." I said, "oh yeah, we gotta practice. This is for the birds. Somebody else do this."

Now, this generation is different than ours. We couldn't wait to drive. They want to be chauffeured. I said, "Kelsey, it's time for you to drive." She said, "I'm tired." Did you just say you tired? You know, I feel like a parent now. "Tired?" She be talking about, "I've had a long day."

Guest (Male): That was Jonathan Evans. Before you go today, I want to remind you that we have a couple of gifts for you. Jonathan's book called Your Time Is Now and his six-part audio series, Discipleship for Everyday.

You may think you're not ready to make a difference in God's kingdom or that you're too young for others to take seriously. But that's not what God thinks. The book Your Time Is Now by Jonathan is our gift to you as a thanks for your donation to help support the ministry of the Alternative.

And along with the book is Jonathan's six-part audio series, Discipleship for Everyday. This six-part collection goes beyond routine religion, equipping you to live out your faith with authenticity and impact every day.

It's designed to help you grow as a disciple and inspire others to do the same, leading to stronger families, more vibrant churches, and communities transformed by the gospel. Both are a gift to you to thank you for your donation to help support the ministry of the Alternative.

It's our way of showing appreciation for the continued support of listeners like you who make this program possible. Get all the details online at TonyEvans.org. Again, that's TonyEvans.org.

Or you can call our 24-hour resource request line at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222. Thank you for listening to the Faith Walk with Jonathan Evans.

The Faith Walk is produced as a part of the Urban Alternative, a ministry of Dr. Tony Evans.