WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.139 It has been said that we can live a few weeks 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:08.400 without food, a few days without water, but only 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:12.160 a few minutes without hope. We all have something 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:15.320 or someone that sustains us and gives us hope. 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:19.379 Here's my question. Where's your hope? We're 00:00:19.379 --> 00:00:22.120 gonna talk today about a hope that can never 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:27.260 let you down. Stay with me. Thanks for listening 00:00:27.260 --> 00:00:30.219 to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:30.219 --> 00:00:33.079 Ingram. We are an international teaching and 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:35.399 discipleship ministry that motivates Christians 00:00:35.399 --> 00:00:38.460 to live like Christians. And in just a minute, 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:41.560 we'll continue our series, I Choose Joy, based 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:44.740 in Philippians chapter one. Last time, Chip shared 00:00:44.740 --> 00:00:48.079 the story of a close friend who faced unimaginable 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:51.020 adversities. Yet through everything he experienced, 00:00:51.259 --> 00:00:54.020 his faith in God empowered him to endure anyway. 00:00:54.729 --> 00:00:57.030 In this program, Chip builds off that inspiring 00:00:57.030 --> 00:00:59.950 testimony by highlighting the three ways God 00:00:59.950 --> 00:01:02.409 delivered people throughout the Bible and how 00:01:02.409 --> 00:01:05.609 those truths apply to us today. So grab your 00:01:05.609 --> 00:01:08.170 Bible and notes as we join Chip for part two 00:01:08.170 --> 00:01:10.989 of his message, Understanding the Power of Hope. 00:01:12.409 --> 00:01:14.829 Deliverance number one, he delivers us out of 00:01:14.829 --> 00:01:19.390 the adversity or the difficulty. Number two is 00:01:19.390 --> 00:01:23.390 he delivers us through them. Jot down 2 Corinthians 00:01:23.390 --> 00:01:27.609 12, verses 9 and 10. This is what Paul is experiencing. 00:01:28.750 --> 00:01:31.890 He tells us that he had this amazing experience, 00:01:31.950 --> 00:01:34.370 and so that he wouldn't get proud, he was given 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:38.170 a thorn in his flesh. Everyone postulates and 00:01:38.170 --> 00:01:40.430 guesses, is it malaria? Is it an eye disease? 00:01:40.590 --> 00:01:43.209 We don't know what it is, but all we know is 00:01:43.209 --> 00:01:46.769 that there was a bad back situation that he was 00:01:46.769 --> 00:01:50.109 struggling with, and he was in pain all the time. 00:01:51.430 --> 00:01:53.870 And God did not, and he prayed. I mean, Paul's 00:01:53.870 --> 00:01:55.150 got a pretty effective prayer life, wouldn't 00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:58.049 you agree? And he asked God in faith, believing, 00:01:58.290 --> 00:02:00.829 take it away, take it away, take it away. And 00:02:00.829 --> 00:02:05.170 God said, no, no, no. My grace is sufficient 00:02:05.170 --> 00:02:07.769 for you, for power is perfected in weakness. 00:02:08.939 --> 00:02:11.080 And then Paul's attitude changed and realized 00:02:11.080 --> 00:02:14.159 sometimes God wants to do a deeper thing in us 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.000 and he doesn't deliver us out of it. He delivers 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:19.120 us through it. And as he delivers us through 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:22.379 it, he refines us and our faith grows and our 00:02:22.379 --> 00:02:25.460 character changes. And it's very difficult. And 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:28.379 he gives us a joy and a contentment and a peace 00:02:28.379 --> 00:02:31.620 that's unexplainable externally apart from a 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:34.439 living God doing something inside of you. The 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:37.560 third way that God delivers us is unto himself. 00:02:38.990 --> 00:02:41.849 We were talking about this as pastors. We were 00:02:41.849 --> 00:02:45.330 going over the study earlier. And one of the 00:02:45.330 --> 00:02:46.810 guys in the group said, you know what's kind 00:02:46.810 --> 00:02:51.509 of odd? Is that in our day, we think the worst 00:02:51.509 --> 00:02:53.270 thing that could ever happen to a person is they 00:02:53.270 --> 00:02:56.610 die. And that doesn't seem to be Paul's perspective. 00:02:58.050 --> 00:03:00.030 Christ gets exalted whether I live or whether 00:03:00.030 --> 00:03:01.849 I die. And a little bit later, we're going to 00:03:01.849 --> 00:03:03.569 read that he's not sure whether he's going to 00:03:03.569 --> 00:03:07.039 stick around or die. The dilemma, he thinks it's 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:11.439 far better to be with Christ. I've had both my 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:17.960 parents die of debilitating, painful, long diseases. 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:24.080 When my parents died, by the time they got to 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:28.360 where they died, it was, Lord, thank you. To 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:31.219 watch them live through what they were living 00:03:31.219 --> 00:03:34.199 through at that level was really, really painful. 00:03:35.689 --> 00:03:38.930 And Psalm 116 says, precious in the eyes of the 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:42.909 Lord are the death of his godly ones. You see, 00:03:42.949 --> 00:03:46.930 if all there is is now temporal and someone you 00:03:46.930 --> 00:03:50.449 love dies, I got news, you got nothing. You got 00:03:50.449 --> 00:03:53.819 nothing. But if in fact there is an eternity, 00:03:54.020 --> 00:03:57.379 if there really is a heaven, if what Jesus told 00:03:57.379 --> 00:04:00.120 the disciples the very last night that allowed 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:02.819 them to hang tough and hang on no matter what, 00:04:02.900 --> 00:04:05.680 there's an eternity, there's a heaven, that it's 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:11.879 real, then it's pretty interesting. It sustains 00:04:11.879 --> 00:04:16.370 you. And it's sad and it's hard and we lose those 00:04:16.370 --> 00:04:18.389 that we love. And that's why sharing Christ is 00:04:18.389 --> 00:04:21.149 so important. That's why if you're here or you're 00:04:21.149 --> 00:04:23.089 watching or you're listening and you've never 00:04:23.089 --> 00:04:25.310 put your faith in Christ, you need to know that 00:04:25.310 --> 00:04:28.089 you're going to be in heaven. And that's not 00:04:28.089 --> 00:04:30.850 something from trying to be a nice little good 00:04:30.850 --> 00:04:34.199 person or being a bit moral. Your sins have got 00:04:34.199 --> 00:04:36.879 to be completely covered. You have to receive 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:39.800 the gift of Christ dying on the cross for you 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:42.899 in your place and turn from your sin, repent, 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:45.800 and ask Christ to forgive you and come into your 00:04:45.800 --> 00:04:49.879 life. And he will. And you can know for sure. 00:04:50.579 --> 00:04:54.180 The first reason Paul has joy in the midst of 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:59.079 these horrendous circumstances, his deliverance 00:04:59.079 --> 00:05:04.240 is certain. And he's certain that by the grace 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:07.180 of God, he is going to be faithful. He is certain 00:05:07.180 --> 00:05:09.420 that he's going to be bold in his faith right 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:11.920 into the end. And he's certain that whether he 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:14.720 lives and gets to go on and minister more, or 00:05:14.720 --> 00:05:16.899 whether he dies and is immediately ushered into 00:05:16.899 --> 00:05:21.019 the presence of Christ, that he knows that's 00:05:21.019 --> 00:05:25.500 his hope. But the next reason is equally powerful. 00:05:26.410 --> 00:05:29.949 The second reason that he has this joy is his 00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:34.209 source of joy is unshakable. It's unshakable. 00:05:35.550 --> 00:05:37.870 Circumstances go up, they go down. Incomes go 00:05:37.870 --> 00:05:40.889 up, incomes go down. Hurricanes come, hurricanes 00:05:40.889 --> 00:05:43.970 go. Earthquakes come, earthquakes go. Economies 00:05:43.970 --> 00:05:46.189 go up, economies go down. Marriages are good, 00:05:46.310 --> 00:05:49.569 marriages aren't so good. Kids do great things 00:05:49.569 --> 00:05:51.470 that make you proud. Kids do some terrible things 00:05:51.470 --> 00:05:54.750 that make you sad. You're healthy and working 00:05:54.750 --> 00:05:57.449 out and doing a triathlon this year and next 00:05:57.449 --> 00:05:59.449 year they got a biopsy report and they got tubes 00:05:59.449 --> 00:06:01.810 running in you. Circumstances up, circumstances 00:06:01.810 --> 00:06:05.129 down. You either live your life like a little 00:06:05.129 --> 00:06:08.170 cork on the waves of circumstances of the sea 00:06:08.170 --> 00:06:11.290 of life or you live your life with that leaning 00:06:11.290 --> 00:06:14.910 eagerly expectation and anchor of your soul hope 00:06:14.910 --> 00:06:17.449 that there's a heaven and there's a God and there 00:06:17.449 --> 00:06:19.670 are promises and he will sustain me and as I 00:06:19.670 --> 00:06:23.910 trust him and that's what Paul does. His joy, 00:06:24.009 --> 00:06:26.509 the source of it, is unshakable. He says, for 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:31.490 me to live is Christ. Temporal. Eternal. To die 00:06:31.490 --> 00:06:35.089 is gain. If I'm to live on in the body, this 00:06:35.089 --> 00:06:37.870 will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall 00:06:37.870 --> 00:06:42.689 I choose? I don't know. I'm torn between the 00:06:42.689 --> 00:06:45.550 two. I'm hard pressed from both directions. Having 00:06:45.550 --> 00:06:48.189 the desire to depart and be with Christ, for 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:50.529 that is very much better, yet to remain on the 00:06:50.529 --> 00:06:54.430 flesh. is more necessary for your sakes. And 00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:56.089 then he kind of comes to this moment, and convinced 00:06:56.089 --> 00:06:58.670 of this, as the Spirit of God is speaking to 00:06:58.670 --> 00:07:00.490 me, as I'm writing this letter, as I'm processing, 00:07:00.810 --> 00:07:03.370 he says, I know that this will turn out, that 00:07:03.370 --> 00:07:05.509 I'll remain and continue with you all. Why? For 00:07:05.509 --> 00:07:10.069 your progress and, is this guy like crazy? Who's 00:07:10.069 --> 00:07:15.750 he concerned about? Your joy in the faith, so 00:07:15.750 --> 00:07:17.829 that your proud confidence in me can abound in 00:07:17.829 --> 00:07:22.769 Christ through my coming to you again. For to 00:07:22.769 --> 00:07:28.290 me, to live is Christ, to die is gain. Paul lives, 00:07:28.509 --> 00:07:32.329 there's two platforms in life. You look at life 00:07:32.329 --> 00:07:35.470 from this platform of time, or you look at life 00:07:35.470 --> 00:07:38.350 at this platform from eternity. And he says, 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:41.850 in time, it's Christ, and if it's Christ, I'm 00:07:41.850 --> 00:07:45.600 gonna continue to serve, because... unlike American 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:48.839 Christianity, he thinks the goal of life is to 00:07:48.839 --> 00:07:51.839 love God and to serve him and to know him and 00:07:51.839 --> 00:07:54.699 to enjoy him and to share that with as many people 00:07:54.699 --> 00:07:57.680 as you can before you die and to model the kind 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.079 of life for you and your friends or if you're 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:02.540 married, your children, so that the most important 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:05.279 thing is not what school you go to, not how much 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:07.480 money you make, not what you look like, what 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:09.800 other people think, but the most important thing 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:12.660 is that Christ is the center of your heart and 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:15.800 life and you are, actually reflecting what he's 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:20.060 like. It's called his glory. Everybody and everything 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:23.360 revolves around something. It's interesting, 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.399 you know, take a microscope and right, you know, 00:08:26.439 --> 00:08:29.759 you've got the center of the nucleus and those 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:31.959 electrons are going around it. And now they've 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.019 got super powerful ones and there's stuff inside 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:36.820 of that things going around or, you know, all 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:39.840 the planets go around the sun. They found now 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:42.259 that our solar system and our sun actually goes 00:08:42.259 --> 00:08:46.080 around an axle star. Everything in life goes 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:48.139 around something. The question is, what does 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:51.159 your life go around? Paul said, my life goes 00:08:51.159 --> 00:08:55.480 around the living Christ. He's my anchor. And 00:08:55.480 --> 00:08:59.200 so if I live, it's for him. And if I die, it's 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:02.860 gain. I'm immediately translated into the presence 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:07.059 of Christ. No soul sleep, no purgatory, no waiting. 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:11.659 I die instantaneously. I'm in the presence of 00:09:11.659 --> 00:09:15.899 Christ. And then he begins to think and ponder 00:09:15.899 --> 00:09:21.919 about, wow, what should I do? I'm hard pressed 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.639 from both directions. He desires to part and 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:27.940 be with Christ. I don't think many of us would 00:09:27.940 --> 00:09:33.259 say that if we're just honest, right? See, I 00:09:33.259 --> 00:09:36.200 don't think Christianity was a religion for Paul. 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:40.120 I don't think it was a moral statement. I don't 00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:43.399 think it was, I wanna do really good in this 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:45.379 life and it has a lot of good byproducts and 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:49.159 produces good things and it's important. I think 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:53.639 Christianity for Paul was a life transforming 00:09:53.639 --> 00:09:58.059 moment of a relationship connected to God. And 00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:00.879 he loved God and he got to know, even though 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:03.700 he never met, I mean, we have some visions that 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:07.299 he has, He didn't meet him face to face as far 00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:10.299 as we know. But the Spirit of God living in him, 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.980 just like he lives in us who are followers, he 00:10:12.980 --> 00:10:16.940 cultivated that. And he cultivated it by, he 00:10:16.940 --> 00:10:19.600 took that Old Testament and God revealed to him, 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:24.159 this is his word. And he cultivated a tenderness 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:27.039 to hear the Spirit of God and follow it. And 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:30.169 he was always living in community. In other words, 00:10:30.210 --> 00:10:32.649 it was his relationship and he thought, you know, 00:10:32.730 --> 00:10:35.870 I have this, I've got this barrier still. I still 00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:38.549 have this barrier. I've tasted and I've seen 00:10:38.549 --> 00:10:40.230 and he's changed me and he's revealed things. 00:10:40.330 --> 00:10:44.029 But I have this barrier. It would be better to 00:10:44.029 --> 00:10:49.889 be face to face. But his heart is one of, I want 00:10:49.889 --> 00:10:53.610 to do whatever you want me to do. And these Philippians. 00:10:54.269 --> 00:10:56.049 They could use some good teaching still. They're 00:10:56.049 --> 00:10:57.909 still messed up. You know, these two ladies are 00:10:57.909 --> 00:11:00.470 arguing with each other and under pressure, they're 00:11:00.470 --> 00:11:03.029 not doing so well. In fact, I'm gonna write them 00:11:03.029 --> 00:11:05.429 pretty soon about humility and loving each other 00:11:05.429 --> 00:11:08.210 because they're kind of at each other's throats. 00:11:10.389 --> 00:11:15.850 So Lord, plan A, I'll be with you. Awesome. Plan 00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:21.110 B, I'll stay here as long as you want. I think 00:11:21.110 --> 00:11:26.240 God must want me to stay. Notice the secret is 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:29.200 his vantage point. I looked this up in the dictionary 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:33.940 and I loved it. A vantage is a position or situation 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:37.120 more advantageous than opponents. That's one 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.039 definition, but I think the second one has much 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:42.399 more application for us. A position that allows 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:48.039 a clear, broad view, understanding, a vantage 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.899 point. In other words, what you need to understand, 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:54.480 it's not just where's your hope. but it's from 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:59.980 where are you looking for your hope? You're listening 00:11:59.980 --> 00:12:02.879 to Living on the Edge. We'll return you to Chip's 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:05.580 message in just a minute. But first, let me tell 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:08.019 you, God is doing incredible work through this 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:11.039 ministry all around the world. And if you'd like 00:12:11.039 --> 00:12:13.399 to join us, consider partnering with us during 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:17.000 our mid -year match. Every gift we receive until 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:19.960 midnight on June 30th will be doubled dollar 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:23.539 for dollar. Join us today by going to livingontheedge 00:12:23.539 --> 00:12:30.279 .org or by calling 888 -333 -6003. We appreciate 00:12:30.279 --> 00:12:33.159 your generosity. Well, with that, here again 00:12:33.159 --> 00:12:37.100 is Chip. Paul had been beaten at least three 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:40.740 times, left for dead once, overnight in the ocean. 00:12:43.529 --> 00:12:48.769 been in prison, deeply discouraged. I'm not reading 00:12:48.769 --> 00:12:50.809 into the text. If you read 2 Corinthians pretty 00:12:50.809 --> 00:12:54.850 carefully and look at Acts, he's probably clinically 00:12:54.850 --> 00:12:57.850 depressed at one point, just is almost at the 00:12:57.850 --> 00:13:00.529 end of his rope. And his words, knock down, but 00:13:00.529 --> 00:13:04.970 not out. And then he says this in 2 Corinthians 00:13:04.970 --> 00:13:09.289 chapter four, because I think this is the greatest 00:13:09.289 --> 00:13:11.590 thing that we need out of this passage and in 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:14.539 our life is not to lose heart. Therefore, we 00:13:14.539 --> 00:13:17.960 do not lose heart, but though our outward man 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:20.980 is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed 00:13:20.980 --> 00:13:25.659 day by day. For momentary light affliction is 00:13:25.659 --> 00:13:30.559 producing for us an eternal weight of glory far 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:34.700 beyond all comparison. While we notice perspective 00:13:34.700 --> 00:13:38.080 words now, look and see, while we look not at 00:13:38.080 --> 00:13:41.779 the things which are seen, But we look at the 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:45.179 things which are not seen. For the things which 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:48.620 are seen are temporal. But the things which are 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:54.240 not seen are eternal. But there's a couple questions 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.200 we need to answer as we close. Where's your hope? 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:02.460 See, ask yourself what really gets you discouraged. 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:06.159 Ask yourself when you're frustrated and when 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:09.100 you're angry and when you're mad. Is your hope 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:12.149 in a perfect marriage? Is your hope in upward 00:14:12.149 --> 00:14:15.649 mobility? Is your hope in what school your kids 00:14:15.649 --> 00:14:17.269 get in or how they're doing in their grades? 00:14:17.870 --> 00:14:22.909 Is your hope in your body and how you look? Come 00:14:22.909 --> 00:14:24.490 on, this is just us in here. Don't look at me 00:14:24.490 --> 00:14:28.289 like that. Come on now. We all, here's the thing. 00:14:28.629 --> 00:14:31.590 God loves us so much, he's saying, don't be stupid. 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:35.629 instruct those who are rich in this present world 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:39.110 not to be conceited or fix their hope on the 00:14:39.110 --> 00:14:42.789 uncertainty of riches, America, the uncertainty 00:14:42.789 --> 00:14:46.490 of riches, but on God who richly supplies us 00:14:46.490 --> 00:14:50.490 with all things to enjoy. It's not that money's 00:14:50.490 --> 00:14:53.850 bad. It's not that success is bad, but they make 00:14:53.850 --> 00:14:59.240 really bad gods. They make great idols. And what 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:04.720 idols do is destroy idol worshipers. So the question 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:07.779 for every believer in this room is what's my 00:15:07.779 --> 00:15:10.039 life really going around? Not what I say it's 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:12.139 going around or not what I think it's going around. 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.200 And if you want to know, just go home and check 00:15:14.200 --> 00:15:17.720 your finances. Then go check where you go on 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:20.159 the internet. And then go check where your time 00:15:20.159 --> 00:15:22.559 goes. And check who are your closest friends 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.559 and what do you talk about. And you'll know exactly 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:28.000 what your life is going around. You can sing, 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:30.320 I love Jesus and come to church and try and be 00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:32.600 a good person and your life really go around 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:37.919 a married person, your kids, your work, your 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:41.200 money, your future and your stuff. And we all 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:44.279 do it. So God brought us here together on this 00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:51.279 day to repent of that. For some of you, he brought 00:15:51.279 --> 00:15:53.960 you today to give you the biggest gift you'll 00:15:53.960 --> 00:15:56.960 ever receive in your life, eternal life. You 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:58.759 don't have an eternal hope. Well, you've got 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:00.779 temporal stuff and you might be successful. You 00:16:00.779 --> 00:16:02.799 might even be moral. But I'll tell you what, 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:07.820 add cancer and a week to live, you better have 00:16:07.820 --> 00:16:11.009 what's on the other side of this wall. And so 00:16:11.009 --> 00:16:13.330 he just brought you here to say, it's really 00:16:13.330 --> 00:16:16.669 not that complicated. Yes, you lose control to 00:16:16.669 --> 00:16:18.990 an all -knowing, all -powerful, good God who 00:16:18.990 --> 00:16:20.889 so demonstrated his love, he died in your place, 00:16:20.950 --> 00:16:23.289 rose from the dead, and for 2 ,000 years has 00:16:23.289 --> 00:16:25.450 been transforming the world, and now he wants 00:16:25.450 --> 00:16:31.590 to transform you. Father, thank you for how good 00:16:31.590 --> 00:16:36.549 and how kind. Thank you that you love us. God, 00:16:36.610 --> 00:16:40.559 I thank you that... As hard as life has been 00:16:40.559 --> 00:16:44.259 and as many mistakes as I have made, I've just 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:46.679 seen thousands upon thousands upon thousands, 00:16:46.740 --> 00:16:51.000 and myself included, experience a hope that no 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:54.340 difficulty or tragedy or challenge can change. 00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:58.960 And so I want to pray now for those that would 00:16:58.960 --> 00:17:01.200 say, you know, I'm not sure whether I have eternal 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:03.779 life. And if that's you, I would like you to 00:17:03.779 --> 00:17:06.690 bow your heart. Your eyes are already closed, 00:17:06.789 --> 00:17:10.210 but bow your heart and be as honest as you can 00:17:10.210 --> 00:17:15.269 be and say, Almighty God, I'm the God of my life 00:17:15.269 --> 00:17:23.690 and I'm running my life. And I repent. I ask 00:17:23.690 --> 00:17:29.890 you now to forgive me of all my sins, past, present, 00:17:29.970 --> 00:17:34.119 and future. I believe that when Jesus died on 00:17:34.119 --> 00:17:36.440 the cross, he died for my sins and rose from 00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:39.519 the dead. I accept that gift and ask you to come 00:17:39.519 --> 00:17:43.500 into my life right now and then give me the courage 00:17:43.500 --> 00:17:47.819 to tell someone this very day, Lord, help me 00:17:47.819 --> 00:17:50.039 to understand your word as you start to speak 00:17:50.039 --> 00:17:53.319 to me. And God, would you please provide a community 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:58.200 of friends to help me grow? And if you're a follower 00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:00.380 and you realize some of those idols have crept 00:18:00.380 --> 00:18:05.779 in, would you just tell God, no more. I need 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:09.720 a hope that won't change. I need a future that's 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:14.480 secure. And then would you covenant with God 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.119 to tell at least one person before the sun goes 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:20.500 down on this day, this is a baby step I'm taking 00:18:20.500 --> 00:18:24.000 to make Jesus the center of what my whole life 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.960 goes around. And you probably need some help 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:33.720 to get there. Before we go any further today, 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:36.779 I want to pause and give you the opportunity 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:39.680 that I gave the people in our church when I taught 00:18:39.680 --> 00:18:43.039 this. Maybe the Spirit of God is speaking to 00:18:43.039 --> 00:18:45.059 you and there's a real battle going on in your 00:18:45.059 --> 00:18:49.039 heart right now. And you're saying, oh God, what 00:18:49.039 --> 00:18:52.759 would this look like in my life today if I put 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:57.079 all my hope in you? You know, I travel a lot 00:18:57.079 --> 00:19:00.960 and I get to meet people and I am both surprised, 00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:04.819 amazed, and so deeply encouraged by how many 00:19:04.819 --> 00:19:07.500 people will tell me, you know, I was driving 00:19:07.500 --> 00:19:11.259 in my car and just pushing some buttons and you 00:19:11.259 --> 00:19:15.059 came on and as I listened, God spoke to me. And 00:19:15.059 --> 00:19:18.819 it was in my car that I actually paused and recognized 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:22.769 for the first time that I needed Jesus. that 00:19:22.769 --> 00:19:25.289 I needed forgiveness, that I needed a hope that 00:19:25.289 --> 00:19:28.710 would never go away. And I actually, in that 00:19:28.710 --> 00:19:33.950 moment, paused. I stopped. And I confessed my 00:19:33.950 --> 00:19:37.210 sin. And in the name of the Lord Jesus, I asked 00:19:37.210 --> 00:19:40.390 him to forgive me. If you have never done that, 00:19:40.490 --> 00:19:44.650 today is the day of salvation. God is speaking 00:19:44.650 --> 00:19:48.289 to you. He knows all about your life, all about 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:51.849 your struggles, all about your fears. all about 00:19:51.849 --> 00:19:54.509 the things that you're ashamed of that are in 00:19:54.509 --> 00:19:57.829 your past. And he's saying to you, come unto 00:19:57.829 --> 00:20:02.410 me. I want to forgive you. I came for you. I 00:20:02.410 --> 00:20:05.890 lived a perfect life. I died in your place upon 00:20:05.890 --> 00:20:08.829 the cross to take all of the sins that you've 00:20:08.829 --> 00:20:12.549 committed and place them on me. But you need 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:15.690 to receive this as a free gift by faith. And 00:20:15.690 --> 00:20:17.849 so if you want to do that in your heart of hearts, 00:20:17.970 --> 00:20:22.009 you can speak to God. Oh, God. Today, I believe 00:20:22.009 --> 00:20:26.430 Jesus died in my place to pay for my sin. And 00:20:26.430 --> 00:20:29.210 I'm asking you to come into my life and forgive 00:20:29.210 --> 00:20:32.809 me, to make me your son, to make me your daughter. 00:20:33.210 --> 00:20:35.829 I believe that you paid for my sin on the cross 00:20:35.829 --> 00:20:38.170 and you rose from the dead to prove that it's 00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:41.190 true. I want to follow you with all my heart 00:20:41.190 --> 00:20:44.789 and with all my strength. Please give me your 00:20:44.789 --> 00:20:48.190 power. And I want you to know that the God who 00:20:48.190 --> 00:20:52.190 created all that there is cares for you. And 00:20:52.190 --> 00:20:54.630 at this moment, the biggest and most important 00:20:54.630 --> 00:20:57.730 thing you can do is to share that with the best 00:20:57.730 --> 00:21:00.269 Christian you know. The scripture says that believing 00:21:00.269 --> 00:21:02.930 in our heart and professing with our mouth, we 00:21:02.930 --> 00:21:06.289 are saved. He wants to love you and help you 00:21:06.289 --> 00:21:09.190 and encourage you. You need to find a great Bible 00:21:09.190 --> 00:21:11.829 teaching church this weekend and then come to 00:21:11.829 --> 00:21:16.150 us at livingontheedge .org. That's livingontheedge 00:21:16.150 --> 00:21:20.009 .org. And we have some free resources to help 00:21:20.009 --> 00:21:22.789 you begin to grow in your brand new relationship 00:21:22.789 --> 00:21:26.039 with the God who loves you. Thanks, Chip. Well, 00:21:26.099 --> 00:21:28.559 if you prayed to receive Christ, we do have a 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:30.599 free resource we'd like to put in your hands 00:21:30.599 --> 00:21:33.400 that was created specifically for new believers. 00:21:33.599 --> 00:21:36.299 This tool will help you understand what it means 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:39.740 to trust in Jesus and what to do next. Request 00:21:39.740 --> 00:21:44.240 this free resource by calling 888 -333 -6003 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:48.539 or by visiting livingontheedge .org, then clicking 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:51.970 the New Believers button. That's livingontheedge 00:21:51.970 --> 00:21:58.650 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. Let us help you 00:21:58.650 --> 00:22:01.470 get started in your faith journey. Well, Chip's 00:22:01.470 --> 00:22:03.269 still with me in studio. And Chip, you know, 00:22:03.289 --> 00:22:05.950 many of our listeners are familiar with our discipleship 00:22:05.950 --> 00:22:08.490 work here in the U .S., but Living on the Edge 00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:11.109 also has a really prominent presence all over 00:22:11.109 --> 00:22:13.329 the world. Would you take a minute and tell us 00:22:13.329 --> 00:22:15.990 a bit more about that? I'm thrilled to, Dave. 00:22:16.269 --> 00:22:19.119 In the book of Acts, Jesus commissioned those 00:22:19.119 --> 00:22:22.619 early disciples and us. He said, you will be 00:22:22.619 --> 00:22:27.099 my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and 00:22:27.099 --> 00:22:29.720 even to the uttermost parts of the world. And 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:32.240 what has happened, especially in the last five 00:22:32.240 --> 00:22:34.539 to seven years through Living on the Edge, is 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:38.059 a global movement. It's been amazing to be able 00:22:38.059 --> 00:22:42.019 to, I think we've now trained about 330 ,000. 00:22:42.640 --> 00:22:45.680 pastors and leaders in multiple countries around 00:22:45.680 --> 00:22:48.619 the world. That little book, The Art of Survival, 00:22:48.700 --> 00:22:51.839 it's been translated in 28 languages, and God 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:54.880 is using it and passing it all around as people 00:22:54.880 --> 00:22:57.079 struggle with the challenges and the difficulties 00:22:57.079 --> 00:22:59.660 that's coming at them. In fact, one of the most 00:22:59.660 --> 00:23:02.720 encouraging things globally to me is our outreach 00:23:02.720 --> 00:23:05.200 in the Middle East. We have a partnership with 00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:08.500 all the Protestant churches in Egypt, a new partnership 00:23:08.500 --> 00:23:13.089 out of the Gulf states, and believe this, 479 00:23:13.089 --> 00:23:15.269 Muslim background believers have come to know 00:23:15.269 --> 00:23:17.910 Jesus personally through our outreaches there. 00:23:18.089 --> 00:23:20.130 And this isn't like a click on the internet. 00:23:20.210 --> 00:23:23.230 We had over a million visitors in just a couple 00:23:23.230 --> 00:23:26.730 months to our The Real God in Arabic. And out 00:23:26.730 --> 00:23:28.789 of that came people that were searching, that 00:23:28.789 --> 00:23:31.410 led to conversations, that led to private meetings, 00:23:31.609 --> 00:23:36.269 that led to 479 Muslims trusting Jesus for their 00:23:36.269 --> 00:23:39.130 salvation. If you have a heart for the world, 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:41.240 If you want to be a part of the Great Commission, 00:23:41.519 --> 00:23:44.500 what I can tell you is we are seeing God work 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:47.700 in and through living on the edge in ways that 00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:50.619 we never dreamed. But as He opens all these doors, 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:53.500 the need for prayer support and the need for 00:23:53.500 --> 00:23:56.700 financial assistance is bigger than ever before. 00:23:57.259 --> 00:24:00.799 Jesus is on the move. Here's my request. Are 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:03.119 you willing to join Him? Well, if you'd like 00:24:03.119 --> 00:24:05.519 to help us share the good news with unbelievers 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:08.980 and disciple Christians all over the globe, now's 00:24:08.980 --> 00:24:11.480 the time to partner with us. Up until midnight 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:14.920 on June 30th, every gift we receive will be doubled 00:24:14.920 --> 00:24:17.819 dollar for dollar. To give toward our mid -year 00:24:17.819 --> 00:24:21.640 match, visit livingontheedge .org or call 888 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:30.019 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge 00:24:30.019 --> 00:24:34.359 .org. App listeners tap Donate. And thanks in 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:36.579 advance for doing whatever God leads you to do. 00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:39.309 Well, as we close, if you're looking for a way 00:24:39.309 --> 00:24:41.869 to get more out of our teaching, let me encourage 00:24:41.869 --> 00:24:44.529 you to download the message notes. This helpful 00:24:44.529 --> 00:24:47.809 tool is available for every program. They include 00:24:47.809 --> 00:24:50.210 a clear outline, all the scripture references, 00:24:50.390 --> 00:24:52.930 and lots of fill -ins to help you remember what 00:24:52.930 --> 00:24:55.839 you're learning. You can get them at livingontheedge 00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:59.279 .org under the broadcasts tab. App listeners 00:24:59.279 --> 00:25:02.500 tap fill in notes. Well, until next time, this 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:04.619 is Dave Drewy saying thanks for listening to 00:25:04.619 --> 00:25:06.680 this edition of Living on the Edge.