WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.019 You know, I've spent the last 40 years asking 00:00:04.019 --> 00:00:06.879 and answering some of life's most important questions. 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:10.640 Where we came from. Why do we exist? What is 00:00:10.640 --> 00:00:14.240 truth? What happens after we die? And all these 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:17.660 issues have led me to one very clear conclusion. 00:00:18.179 --> 00:00:21.780 And today, I want to share that with you. That's 00:00:21.780 --> 00:00:27.500 today. Stay with me. Thanks for listening to 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.120 this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:32.679 Ingram. We are an international teaching and 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:35.340 discipleship ministry that encourages and equips 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:37.979 Christians to live like Christians. We appreciate 00:00:37.979 --> 00:00:40.240 you joining us as we near the end of our series, 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:42.740 Dealing with Doubts, Reaffirming Your Personal 00:00:42.740 --> 00:00:45.719 Faith. And Chip and our guest teacher, John Dickerson, 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:48.179 have covered a lot of ground, haven't they? Chip 00:00:48.179 --> 00:00:50.259 took time highlighting the core beliefs of the 00:00:50.259 --> 00:00:52.640 Christian faith, such as intelligent design, 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.479 the existence of heaven and hell, and Jesus' 00:00:55.700 --> 00:00:58.210 resurrection. When John taught, he focused on 00:00:58.210 --> 00:01:00.469 the evidence that proves Jesus' life on earth, 00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:03.329 the accuracy of Scripture, and the positive impact 00:01:03.329 --> 00:01:06.549 Christianity has had on history. This has really 00:01:06.549 --> 00:01:09.370 been an in -depth and valuable series. So if 00:01:09.370 --> 00:01:11.450 you missed any part, I hope you'll go back and 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:14.750 catch up at livingontheedge .org or through the 00:01:14.750 --> 00:01:17.030 Chip Ingram app. Well, with that, let's join 00:01:17.030 --> 00:01:19.530 Chip for part two of his message, Why I Believe 00:01:19.530 --> 00:01:23.510 in the God of the Bible. I have a friend named 00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:26.010 John. He's actually an author, quite good one, 00:01:26.049 --> 00:01:29.090 John Dickerson. And I asked him to do a little 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:31.329 bit of research for me. And he is like a head 00:01:31.329 --> 00:01:34.909 down, dig deep. And he had these lists of all 00:01:34.909 --> 00:01:37.109 the amazing things that Christians have done. 00:01:37.189 --> 00:01:39.670 I mean, in science, you know, Newton, Kepler, 00:01:39.829 --> 00:01:44.230 Pascal. And then he gave me reams and reams of 00:01:44.230 --> 00:01:47.549 amazing material. Let me just read a quick list. 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:50.879 This is the impact of Christians with regard 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:54.079 to universities and education and what's happened 00:01:54.079 --> 00:01:56.099 as a result of it. They launched the scientific 00:01:56.099 --> 00:01:58.439 revolution. They launched the industrial revolution. 00:01:58.620 --> 00:02:00.879 They created the first society in which girls 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:04.200 were provided equal education. They created and 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:06.980 spread Western democracy as we know it. It was 00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:09.379 Christians that invented eyeglasses and thousands 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.219 of other life -changing inventions. The laws 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:14.219 of planetary motion were discovered by Christian 00:02:14.219 --> 00:02:18.500 scientists. Germ theory, modern hospitals, education, 00:02:19.080 --> 00:02:22.319 life -saving vaccines. They fought for women's 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:25.710 rights and the abolition of slavery. All of that 00:02:25.710 --> 00:02:28.150 occurred because there was a Christian worldview 00:02:28.150 --> 00:02:32.009 that said the dignity of man and this is who 00:02:32.009 --> 00:02:35.669 God is and there is only one God and we are compelled 00:02:35.669 --> 00:02:40.870 to make a difference. The fifth reason that I 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:43.270 believe in the God of the Bible as the one true 00:02:43.270 --> 00:02:46.889 God is what I call the pragmatic evidence. The 00:02:46.889 --> 00:02:49.650 teaching of Jesus and the New Testament, are 00:02:49.650 --> 00:02:52.849 you ready? It works in real life. It promotes 00:02:52.849 --> 00:02:56.069 healthy relationships, strong marriages, honest 00:02:56.069 --> 00:02:59.569 business people, positive parenting, racial reconciliation, 00:03:00.169 --> 00:03:03.129 cultural kindness, and they champion the value 00:03:03.129 --> 00:03:05.990 and the dignity of all human beings, regardless 00:03:05.990 --> 00:03:09.810 of creed, race, sex, nationality, or orientation. 00:03:10.270 --> 00:03:13.509 I mean, even people that I completely, totally 00:03:13.509 --> 00:03:18.650 disagree with, held by the God of the Bible to 00:03:18.650 --> 00:03:21.650 love them and to serve them and to treat them 00:03:21.650 --> 00:03:25.129 with dignity. I mean, it works. I mean, I didn't 00:03:25.129 --> 00:03:28.550 grow up as a Christian and I will tell you, I 00:03:28.550 --> 00:03:31.189 can't believe the marriage that I have, but it's 00:03:31.189 --> 00:03:34.879 based around Christ. My wife came from an alcoholic 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:38.000 family. I came from an alcoholic family. What 00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:40.319 I can tell you, the pragmatic reason is when 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:43.860 believers come together, Jesus is more important 00:03:43.860 --> 00:03:47.020 than rice. I was teaching in the Middle East 00:03:47.020 --> 00:03:50.620 on a series called The Invisible War. And I was 00:03:50.620 --> 00:03:53.400 doing it to leaders from about 22 or 23 Arabic. 00:03:54.020 --> 00:03:56.719 And there were people from Iran and people from 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.580 Iraq. And they were all believers. And they were 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:01.240 going to learn this and take it to their countries. 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:05.099 And as we were teaching it, this guy stood up 00:04:05.099 --> 00:04:06.840 in the middle. He goes, I have something to say. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:10.680 And then he turned and he said, I was a part 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:13.280 of the military in Iran. And when we went to 00:04:13.280 --> 00:04:15.800 war, I killed many of your people. And I feel 00:04:15.800 --> 00:04:19.089 ashamed. And the other guy got up. And he said, 00:04:19.129 --> 00:04:21.410 I have done the same. And in the middle of this, 00:04:21.550 --> 00:04:25.009 more than race, more than background, these two 00:04:25.009 --> 00:04:28.269 men came, hugged one another, forgave each other 00:04:28.269 --> 00:04:31.449 and tears streaming down their face. And you 00:04:31.449 --> 00:04:33.449 know what that is? That's the power of the gospel. 00:04:34.889 --> 00:04:39.370 Jesus changes lives from the inside out. He changes 00:04:39.370 --> 00:04:42.730 relationships. He restores marriages. He helps 00:04:42.730 --> 00:04:45.089 parents know how to model the kind of life that 00:04:45.089 --> 00:04:48.310 raise kids that are productive. The sixth evidence 00:04:48.310 --> 00:04:53.009 is the uniqueness of the Christian message and 00:04:53.009 --> 00:04:56.490 the uniqueness of the Christian messenger. The 00:04:56.490 --> 00:04:59.649 message of the New Testament is different than 00:04:59.649 --> 00:05:03.329 any other religion in the world. It's a message 00:05:03.329 --> 00:05:07.199 of grace. Let me give you a picture. Grace is 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:11.259 literally receiving what you do not deserve and 00:05:11.259 --> 00:05:14.019 it's unconditional. I want you to imagine, if 00:05:14.019 --> 00:05:16.160 you will, that we went to a bowling alley and 00:05:16.160 --> 00:05:18.160 all across here, you know, they come in and they 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.240 have all the balls stacked and you go get your 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:21.959 ball and then you go back over to your lane. 00:05:22.160 --> 00:05:24.100 And I want you to imagine that there's like 10 00:05:24.100 --> 00:05:26.240 balls, they're all black and there's a white 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:28.199 one in the middle, then 10 more and they're all 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:31.269 black. And you get to turn each one. Usually 00:05:31.269 --> 00:05:32.889 we turn them over to find out, you know, is it 00:05:32.889 --> 00:05:35.129 the right size or how much does it weigh? And 00:05:35.129 --> 00:05:38.149 each bowling ball represents, I could do a thousand 00:05:38.149 --> 00:05:40.029 of them and there'd still be one white one in 00:05:40.029 --> 00:05:42.430 the middle. Each bowling ball represents a religion. 00:05:43.209 --> 00:05:45.750 And as you would turn it over, it has two letters, 00:05:45.850 --> 00:05:50.250 do, turn, do, do. It can be Islam. It could be 00:05:50.250 --> 00:05:53.529 Taoism. It can be pray five times a day. I can 00:05:53.529 --> 00:05:58.379 come over here, do, do, do. Every single religion 00:05:58.379 --> 00:06:02.519 is rooted in, here's what you need to do to appease 00:06:02.519 --> 00:06:05.399 the anger of that God or to get on his or her 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:10.399 good side. But religion is based on do, do, do, 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:13.819 do, earn, earn, earn. And you never know if you 00:06:13.819 --> 00:06:16.939 measure up. And then you come to the white ball 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:19.220 and you turn it over and there's four letters, 00:06:19.420 --> 00:06:29.699 D -O -N -E, done. It's mind boggling. The Christian 00:06:29.699 --> 00:06:32.800 message is not this is what you need to do to 00:06:32.800 --> 00:06:36.720 earn favor with God. This is the God of the Bible 00:06:36.720 --> 00:06:39.540 that saw your hurt and your sin and knew it was 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:42.279 coming and sent his only son. And he lived a 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:45.120 perfect life to explain what the father is like. 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:48.540 And after living a perfect life, he would unjustly 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:52.459 hang on a cross and pay for your sin and my sin 00:06:52.459 --> 00:06:54.980 and the sins of all people in the world. And 00:06:54.980 --> 00:06:57.939 as. The sins came upon him. The father would 00:06:57.939 --> 00:07:00.660 turn away and he would become our sin offering 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:03.730 for that split second. And he would take your 00:07:03.730 --> 00:07:06.470 sin and my sin upon him. And then he would die 00:07:06.470 --> 00:07:09.189 and he would conquer death and conquer Satan. 00:07:09.290 --> 00:07:11.329 And he'd be raised from the dead. And then he'll 00:07:11.329 --> 00:07:13.230 sit at the right hand of the father. And now 00:07:13.230 --> 00:07:16.569 he's our elder brother. And he says, whosoever 00:07:16.569 --> 00:07:19.569 would believe you can have eternal life. It's 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:22.430 the message of grace. It's different than every 00:07:22.430 --> 00:07:26.750 religion, every philosophy, every system. And 00:07:26.750 --> 00:07:28.970 not only is the message different, the messenger 00:07:28.970 --> 00:07:32.180 is different. Jesus was not just a great teacher. 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:34.939 He wasn't just a good moral person. He didn't 00:07:34.939 --> 00:07:39.060 set just a good example. He said, I am the way, 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.560 the truth, and the life. In the beginning was 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:43.420 the word, and the word was with God, and the 00:07:43.420 --> 00:07:47.019 word was God. And we beheld him. And it talks 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:50.199 about in grace and truth. No one has known God 00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:54.500 at any time, but Jesus explained him. Jesus is 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:59.180 God. He's the word itself. Fully man, fully God. 00:08:00.300 --> 00:08:03.980 It is a unique message and a unique messenger. 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:09.560 And I believe it. He rose from the dead. He proved 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:14.220 it's true. And all of life and all of history 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:20.670 is now before and after. The solitary life of 00:08:20.670 --> 00:08:24.810 one rabbi who came claiming to be God and offering 00:08:24.810 --> 00:08:27.730 freely the forgiveness of sins and that when 00:08:27.730 --> 00:08:30.629 a person turns from your sin and in the empty 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:34.909 hands of faith recognizes that only he and what 00:08:34.909 --> 00:08:37.529 he's done for you can save you, receive him by 00:08:37.529 --> 00:08:40.870 faith, the Spirit of God... actually takes up 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:43.570 residence inside your mortal body and you've 00:08:43.570 --> 00:08:45.730 been taken out of the kingdom of darkness. You've 00:08:45.730 --> 00:08:47.990 placed in the kingdom of light and he actually 00:08:47.990 --> 00:08:51.929 lives within you and he walks with you and you 00:08:51.929 --> 00:08:56.409 walk with him. And it's a relationship, not a 00:08:56.409 --> 00:09:00.269 religion. And this may be the most important 00:09:00.269 --> 00:09:05.450 reason why I believe in the God of the Bible. 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:10.190 The final Reason that I believe in the God of 00:09:10.190 --> 00:09:13.029 the Bible is I call it the existential evidence. 00:09:14.909 --> 00:09:17.629 Millions of lives have changed over the last 00:09:17.629 --> 00:09:22.490 2000 years and they experientially will declare 00:09:22.490 --> 00:09:25.950 that Jesus is alive, that he is who he said he 00:09:25.950 --> 00:09:31.950 is. I'm one of those people. Every day, 85 ,000 00:09:31.950 --> 00:09:34.990 people worldwide are putting their faith in Christ. 00:09:35.929 --> 00:09:38.309 People are admitting, I was blind, but now I 00:09:38.309 --> 00:09:43.289 see. I was lost, but now I'm found. And their 00:09:43.289 --> 00:09:45.870 testimony with all the ups and all the downs 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:50.730 that we all have in real life is peace, forgiveness, 00:09:50.970 --> 00:09:59.750 joy, purpose, significance, love, guilt removed, 00:10:00.049 --> 00:10:07.000 new relationships, new life. If any man, if any 00:10:07.000 --> 00:10:10.639 woman is in Christ, you become a new creation. 00:10:10.899 --> 00:10:14.159 The old things pass away. Behold, all things 00:10:14.159 --> 00:10:18.269 become new. This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:10:18.269 --> 00:10:20.570 Ingram. And Chip will be right back to finish 00:10:20.570 --> 00:10:23.289 today's message. But first, throughout this series, 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:26.149 we are identifying the notable issues that can 00:10:26.149 --> 00:10:28.730 rattle our faith and cause doubt to seep in. 00:10:28.870 --> 00:10:31.389 So let me quickly encourage you to join Chip 00:10:31.389 --> 00:10:34.090 after this message. He'll highlight two valuable 00:10:34.090 --> 00:10:36.970 resources we've bundled to help you process doubt 00:10:36.970 --> 00:10:39.480 and uncertainty when they come. Keep listening 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:42.360 for more details. But for now, let's rejoin Chip 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:45.100 as he continues his talk, Why I Believe in the 00:10:45.100 --> 00:10:48.580 God of the Bible. And so it raises a question 00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:51.820 I don't know about you, but just logically, this 00:10:51.820 --> 00:10:56.519 is a pretty hard deal to say no to, right? It's 00:10:56.519 --> 00:11:00.539 free. It's given. It's life -changing. I mean, 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:04.320 most of all the gods in antiquity were cruel 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.700 and mean, and most of the religion was trying 00:11:07.700 --> 00:11:09.679 to figure a way where they wouldn't come visit 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:12.960 you and hurt you. Actually, a good God, a kind 00:11:12.960 --> 00:11:16.700 God, a benevolent God was almost an oxymoron. 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.960 And Jesus plays the trail through all of that. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:24.559 So here's the question. What in the world could 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:27.919 keep people from receiving this free gift of 00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.720 eternal life, of knowing he's prepared a place 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:34.179 for you in heaven and having a completely new 00:11:34.179 --> 00:11:37.840 life? I'm gonna close with these top three reasons 00:11:37.840 --> 00:11:41.379 why people do not receive the gift that God has 00:11:41.379 --> 00:11:43.659 purchased for them. Number one is ignorance. 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:48.019 Some people, they don't know. Romans chapter 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:50.840 10 verses 14 and 15 is, how can they know if 00:11:50.840 --> 00:11:53.480 there's not a preacher? And how can they preach 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:56.379 if no one has sent? And he goes on to say, blessed 00:11:56.379 --> 00:12:00.570 are the feet of the peacemakers. You know, some 00:12:00.570 --> 00:12:02.769 people in your life, you know why they haven't 00:12:02.769 --> 00:12:05.210 received Christ? They don't know about him or 00:12:05.210 --> 00:12:07.809 all they know is like people I talk to. I literally 00:12:07.809 --> 00:12:10.490 talked with a man on a plane recently. If it 00:12:10.490 --> 00:12:12.649 sounds like I'm on planes a lot, it's true. I 00:12:12.649 --> 00:12:15.009 talked to him recently and he kind of sheepishly 00:12:15.009 --> 00:12:17.370 said, you know, I don't really know the difference 00:12:17.370 --> 00:12:20.450 between Judaism or Christianity. I mean, even 00:12:20.450 --> 00:12:22.549 historically, could you help me kind of understand 00:12:22.549 --> 00:12:25.730 when stuff happened and even the basic beliefs? 00:12:26.399 --> 00:12:29.360 Do you know there's people in your world? There's 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:31.419 people in your coffee shop. There's people where 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:33.580 you drop off the dry cleaning. There's people 00:12:33.580 --> 00:12:35.860 in your neighborhood. There's people in the cubicle 00:12:35.860 --> 00:12:38.159 next to you. There's someone on the job site 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:39.679 where you're out there doing, you know, your 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:43.360 plumbing or electrical work. They don't know. 00:12:45.159 --> 00:12:48.360 And that's why you're there. You are God's ambassador. 00:12:49.210 --> 00:12:51.769 And my prayer is that through this series, you'll 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:54.649 have a boldness because you would believe not 00:12:54.649 --> 00:12:58.250 just here, but here and have a boldness and a 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:00.490 conviction because you realize you're not throwing 00:13:00.490 --> 00:13:03.049 your brains in the trash. You're being wise and 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:05.909 shrewd and doing what really counts. The second 00:13:05.909 --> 00:13:11.110 reason why people don't believe is pride. Let 00:13:11.110 --> 00:13:13.570 me ask you to open your Bible and actually read 00:13:13.570 --> 00:13:15.629 this because I want you to see it with your own 00:13:15.629 --> 00:13:19.009 eyes or open your phone, that works. I'm in John 00:13:19.009 --> 00:13:23.210 chapter 12 and Jesus has been preaching and teaching 00:13:23.210 --> 00:13:25.750 about being the light of the world. He says, 00:13:25.789 --> 00:13:28.429 nevertheless, many of even the rulers believed 00:13:28.429 --> 00:13:31.389 in him, but because of the Pharisees, the religious 00:13:31.389 --> 00:13:34.789 leaders, they were not confessing him. In other 00:13:34.789 --> 00:13:36.190 words, they weren't believing to the point of 00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:40.250 going public. Lest they be put out of the synagogue. 00:13:40.330 --> 00:13:43.409 Now listen to this, for they love the approval 00:13:43.409 --> 00:13:47.500 of men rather than approval of God. You know, 00:13:47.539 --> 00:13:51.139 there's people in your network and actually some 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:53.600 of you listening right now that you're so afraid 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:55.120 of what people would think. Oh, you became a 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:57.340 Jesus freak or you got religion or what about 00:13:57.340 --> 00:13:59.320 this or what about that? I got news for you, 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:02.759 man. I got news for all of us. There'll come 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:05.100 a day when you will really care less what anyone 00:14:05.100 --> 00:14:08.539 else thinks except God the Father and the judge 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:11.879 Jesus Christ. So can I encourage you? Forget 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:14.419 what people think. But that pride, boy, that 00:14:14.419 --> 00:14:17.309 kept me back. All I could think of was, oh my 00:14:17.309 --> 00:14:19.570 gosh, what are the guys on the basketball team 00:14:19.570 --> 00:14:21.730 gonna say? Or, you know, my family, what will 00:14:21.730 --> 00:14:24.269 they think? I will tell you what they think. 00:14:24.309 --> 00:14:27.070 They saw a change in my life that led the rest 00:14:27.070 --> 00:14:30.110 of my family to Christ. After my sister, then 00:14:30.110 --> 00:14:32.529 me, then the rest of the family. And it changed 00:14:32.529 --> 00:14:35.070 our whole family and the trajectory of our whole 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:38.389 future, both now and forever. The third reason 00:14:38.389 --> 00:14:43.389 that people do not believe is a moral problem. 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:48.460 You know, we often read John chapter three, verse 00:14:48.460 --> 00:14:50.620 16, you know, for God so loved the world that 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:52.940 he gave his one and only son, that whoever would 00:14:52.940 --> 00:14:55.519 believe in him shouldn't perish, but have everlasting 00:14:55.519 --> 00:14:59.259 life. But we don't usually read much farther. 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:03.860 Let me read as it continues in John, because 00:15:03.860 --> 00:15:06.679 Jesus is going to point out at the heart of why 00:15:06.679 --> 00:15:09.620 some people don't believe. He goes on to say, 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:13.360 he who believes in him isn't judged. He who does 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.000 not believe has been judged already because he 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:18.019 has not believed in the name of the only begotten 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:21.340 God. And this is the judgment, listen carefully, 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:25.679 that light has come into the world and men love 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:28.159 darkness rather than the light because their 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:32.919 deeds are evil. For everyone who does evil hates 00:15:32.919 --> 00:15:36.120 the light and does not come into the light lest 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:41.429 his deeds be exposed. You know, I talk to people 00:15:41.429 --> 00:15:43.570 sometimes and they have all these apparent intellectual 00:15:43.570 --> 00:15:46.809 reasons about Christianity or about this or about 00:15:46.809 --> 00:15:51.230 that. At the heart of a great many people, the 00:15:51.230 --> 00:15:54.129 reason they don't believe is they're living in 00:15:54.129 --> 00:15:56.470 a way that they know is wrong and it's morally 00:15:56.470 --> 00:15:59.490 wrong. And they're unwilling to confess that 00:15:59.490 --> 00:16:02.190 that is wrong, turn from their sin and receive 00:16:02.190 --> 00:16:05.789 the free gift of God. Can I ask you, where are 00:16:05.789 --> 00:16:10.580 you at? I mean, where are you at today? I don't 00:16:10.580 --> 00:16:12.740 mean, did you pray a prayer or, you know, raise 00:16:12.740 --> 00:16:16.620 your hand somewhere? Does your life and lifestyle 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:20.980 demonstrate that the living God by the person 00:16:20.980 --> 00:16:24.919 of the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and your 00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:28.080 values and your love and your capacity and your 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:31.899 future and your priorities reflect you are a 00:16:31.899 --> 00:16:35.799 followers of Jesus Christ. See, I had this great 00:16:35.799 --> 00:16:39.080 fear, especially for American Christians. I have 00:16:39.080 --> 00:16:41.019 a fear that people have intellectually agreed 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:43.879 with almost everything I've said. But if we looked 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:47.940 at your life, it is so dissimilar to Jesus that 00:16:47.940 --> 00:16:50.080 I would question, are you really in the faith? 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:53.360 Because what I can tell you is people that genuinely 00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:56.320 know him and genuinely love him, we have our 00:16:56.320 --> 00:16:59.179 struggles, but our life changes. Father, I want 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:02.440 to pray right now. And I want to ask you in the 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:05.259 name of the Lord Jesus Christ that your spirit 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:08.670 would move powerfully. that you would convict 00:17:08.670 --> 00:17:13.109 of sin and righteousness and justice. Lord, that 00:17:13.109 --> 00:17:15.490 you would convince people in their heart of hearts, 00:17:15.549 --> 00:17:18.170 even as they're listening, that you love them, 00:17:18.309 --> 00:17:21.130 that you want them. And if you're one of those 00:17:21.130 --> 00:17:23.109 people that have never received Christ right 00:17:23.109 --> 00:17:25.829 now at this moment, you can cry out to God, Lord 00:17:25.829 --> 00:17:29.190 Jesus, I believe. I believe you died in my place, 00:17:29.250 --> 00:17:32.029 rose from the dead. I'm asking you, come into 00:17:32.029 --> 00:17:36.170 my life, be my savior and give me the power to 00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:40.190 follow you. Make me your son. Make me your daughter. 00:17:40.950 --> 00:17:43.950 And Lord, I pray for those of us that are followers 00:17:43.950 --> 00:17:47.170 of Jesus, would you give us a holy boldness and 00:17:47.170 --> 00:17:49.670 a concern for others, some that haven't heard 00:17:49.670 --> 00:17:52.269 and some that haven't seen a real Christian live 00:17:52.269 --> 00:17:54.569 out the life so they would ask about the hope 00:17:54.569 --> 00:17:56.970 that's in us. Lord, we know that's your will, 00:17:57.029 --> 00:18:04.440 so we pray powerfully in Jesus' name. Amen. Before 00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:08.539 we go on today, I want to pause because in the 00:18:08.539 --> 00:18:11.559 message I talked about the three reasons why 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:14.579 people don't believe. And I believe I'm speaking 00:18:14.579 --> 00:18:17.799 to some people right now that as I went over 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:20.599 those three reasons, you literally self -identified. 00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:23.859 It's not an accident that we're having this conversation. 00:18:24.680 --> 00:18:27.059 And so in this moment, I'd just like to review. 00:18:27.160 --> 00:18:29.839 One is ignorance. For some of you, you're listening 00:18:29.839 --> 00:18:32.609 and you're thinking, Even if you're a moral person 00:18:32.609 --> 00:18:34.970 or maybe you went to church or maybe, you know, 00:18:35.009 --> 00:18:38.009 you don't see yourself as religious at all, you 00:18:38.009 --> 00:18:41.210 would say, up until today, I was ignorant. I 00:18:41.210 --> 00:18:43.670 didn't know this. And I want you to know that 00:18:43.670 --> 00:18:47.549 God wants you. He loves you. He's for you. He 00:18:47.549 --> 00:18:50.170 wants to forgive you. He wants to come into your 00:18:50.170 --> 00:18:52.970 life. He wants to direct you. He has a plan. 00:18:53.230 --> 00:18:55.450 It doesn't mean it'll be easy, but he'll be with 00:18:55.450 --> 00:18:59.710 you. The second is there's others that, down 00:18:59.710 --> 00:19:03.130 deep, As I was speaking, it was hard to admit, 00:19:03.250 --> 00:19:06.609 but you're proud. You're this independent, I 00:19:06.609 --> 00:19:08.890 don't want anyone telling me what to do. And 00:19:08.890 --> 00:19:12.049 it's couched in, you know, you're more scientific 00:19:12.049 --> 00:19:15.869 or you're more intellectual. But the fact of 00:19:15.869 --> 00:19:17.950 the matter is, is God's breaking through and 00:19:17.950 --> 00:19:20.630 he's saying, you know what, you can't handle 00:19:20.630 --> 00:19:24.099 all of this. You don't know everything. I made 00:19:24.099 --> 00:19:27.039 all that there is. I made you. You know your 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:29.500 failures when you're honest. I want to forgive 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:33.500 you and love you and receive you. And then there's 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:37.660 some that you really know the story, but your 00:19:37.660 --> 00:19:42.200 appetites currently, they're drowning out God's 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:45.500 voice because the guilt that comes when you think 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.940 about really following Jesus the way that you 00:19:47.940 --> 00:19:50.880 know how and how you're currently living, it's 00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:54.180 just like, It's a train wreck. And what started 00:19:54.180 --> 00:19:57.180 out as pleasure and freedom, now you're a slave 00:19:57.180 --> 00:20:00.519 to it. And Jesus would say, I want to deliver 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:03.940 you. And so I want to pray for all three of these 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:06.099 groups and those of you that God has destined 00:20:06.099 --> 00:20:08.960 on this day, in this moment, that we would have 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:11.680 this conversation. And I would invite you to 00:20:11.680 --> 00:20:15.740 say, Lord Jesus, you know everything about me. 00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:19.980 There's no use hiding or pretending. I want to 00:20:19.980 --> 00:20:23.809 tell you, I need you today. I desperately need 00:20:23.809 --> 00:20:28.950 you. I admit, I fall short, I've sinned, I've 00:20:28.950 --> 00:20:32.509 done things wrong, but today I want you to know 00:20:32.509 --> 00:20:36.230 I'm turning from my way and I'm asking you right 00:20:36.230 --> 00:20:40.829 now, Almighty God, will you forgive me of all 00:20:40.829 --> 00:20:44.329 my sins based solely on what Jesus did on the 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:47.509 cross in his resurrection? And I take up your 00:20:47.509 --> 00:20:50.190 offer where you say that you're knocking at the 00:20:50.190 --> 00:20:52.369 door of my heart, and if I would open the door, 00:20:52.529 --> 00:20:55.430 that you would come into my life and live with 00:20:55.430 --> 00:20:59.130 me and guide me and direct me. So today I ask 00:20:59.130 --> 00:21:03.250 you, forgive me, come into my life, make me your 00:21:03.250 --> 00:21:07.529 son, make me your daughter. And Lord, thank you 00:21:07.529 --> 00:21:11.390 for your forgiveness. Now help me to grow and 00:21:11.390 --> 00:21:13.910 help me to follow you all the days of my life. 00:21:15.079 --> 00:21:18.960 In Jesus' name. As you have prayed that with 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:21.480 me, it's not some little spiritual activity. 00:21:22.099 --> 00:21:25.579 If it is the intent of your heart, the Bible 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:27.700 says when you believe in your heart and confess 00:21:27.700 --> 00:21:31.599 with your mouth, you shall be saved, delivered, 00:21:31.940 --> 00:21:35.319 forgiven. You need to text the best Christian 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:37.880 you know or give them a call and tell them exactly 00:21:37.880 --> 00:21:40.569 what you did. And you need to go to our website 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:43.829 at livingontheedge, all one word, livingontheedge 00:21:43.829 --> 00:21:46.549 .org. And we don't want to sell you anything. 00:21:46.730 --> 00:21:49.450 We just have some free information that will 00:21:49.450 --> 00:21:52.289 help you understand this new step and to help 00:21:52.289 --> 00:21:55.309 you grow. Now find a good Bible teaching church 00:21:55.309 --> 00:21:58.329 this weekend and you don't have to know anything. 00:21:58.490 --> 00:22:01.029 Just go and let some people love you. God bless 00:22:01.029 --> 00:22:03.680 you and keep pressing ahead. Well, if you prayed 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:06.119 to receive Christ, we do have a free resource 00:22:06.119 --> 00:22:08.279 we'd like to put in your hands that was created 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:11.539 specifically for new believers. This tool will 00:22:11.539 --> 00:22:13.819 help you understand what it means to trust in 00:22:13.819 --> 00:22:16.819 Jesus and what to do next. Request this free 00:22:16.819 --> 00:22:22.140 resource by calling 888 -333 -6003 or by visiting 00:22:22.140 --> 00:22:26.440 livingontheedge .org and clicking the New Believers 00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:30.880 button. That's livingontheedge .org or call 888 00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:35.819 -333 -6003. Let us help you get started in your 00:22:35.819 --> 00:22:38.339 faith journey. Well, Chip's with me in studio 00:22:38.339 --> 00:22:40.880 now. And Chip, before we go, you wanted to take 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:43.039 a quick minute and share some encouragement with 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:46.039 our listeners. Absolutely, Dave. What I want 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:48.759 to share now is really important. For those of 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:52.339 you who support our ministry in prayer and in 00:22:52.339 --> 00:22:55.259 your generous financial giving, I just want to 00:22:55.259 --> 00:22:57.869 say thank you. You know, when we share the gospel 00:22:57.869 --> 00:22:59.829 like this, I can just tell you statistically, 00:23:00.309 --> 00:23:03.630 it's amazing. The powers in the message, many, 00:23:03.750 --> 00:23:06.809 many, many people come to know Jesus, are transferred 00:23:06.809 --> 00:23:09.269 from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of 00:23:09.269 --> 00:23:11.809 light. And I just want you to rejoice with us. 00:23:11.869 --> 00:23:15.029 And I want to thank you for being a part of living 00:23:15.029 --> 00:23:17.329 on the edge and what God is doing. Thanks for 00:23:17.329 --> 00:23:19.849 praying. Thanks for giving. Let's keep pressing 00:23:19.849 --> 00:23:22.369 ahead together. Thanks, Chip. Well, if you'd 00:23:22.369 --> 00:23:24.990 like to join us in spreading the gospel and discipling 00:23:24.990 --> 00:23:27.210 fellow believers, consider becoming a financial 00:23:27.210 --> 00:23:30.309 partner today. As Chip just said, your support 00:23:30.309 --> 00:23:32.650 can have an eternal impact on someone's life. 00:23:32.869 --> 00:23:35.309 To learn more about becoming a financial partner, 00:23:35.549 --> 00:23:41.369 go to livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003. 00:23:41.630 --> 00:23:47.109 That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:23:47.109 --> 00:23:52.059 .org. App listeners, just tap donate. As we close, 00:23:52.220 --> 00:23:54.200 would you stop for a minute and pray for Living 00:23:54.200 --> 00:23:56.660 on the Edge today? We've never seen a greater 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:59.160 need for God's truth to go out than right now. 00:23:59.420 --> 00:24:02.160 And by God's grace, Living on the Edge has provided 00:24:02.160 --> 00:24:05.000 encouragement, teaching, and personal discipleship 00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:07.859 resources to more people than ever. So thank 00:24:07.859 --> 00:24:10.380 you to those who support us in prayer. God is 00:24:10.380 --> 00:24:13.390 doing amazing things. Hey, you're not going to 00:24:13.390 --> 00:24:15.650 want to miss our next broadcast as we'll share 00:24:15.650 --> 00:24:18.150 Chip's enlightening conversation with best -selling 00:24:18.150 --> 00:24:20.789 author and renowned Christian apologist, Sean 00:24:20.789 --> 00:24:23.329 McDowell. They'll discuss the intentional ways 00:24:23.329 --> 00:24:26.309 parents, grandparents, and pastors can help young 00:24:26.309 --> 00:24:28.730 people navigate doubts and faith challenges. 00:24:29.049 --> 00:24:31.509 That's coming up on the next edition of Living 00:24:31.509 --> 00:24:34.029 on the Edge. I'm Dave Drewy, and I hope you'll 00:24:34.029 --> 00:24:34.650 join us then.