WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:04.320 Did you know that your joy and your happiness 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:09.039 is largely connected to one very specific word? 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:13.939 It's called expectations. What you expect, whether 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:16.719 they're met or not, can make all the difference 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.539 in the world. Let's discover what God says about 00:00:20.539 --> 00:00:27.300 our expectations. Don't go away. Welcome to this 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:30.239 edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:33.299 The mission of this daily program is to intentionally 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:36.119 disciple Christians through the insightful Bible 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:38.539 teaching of Chip Ingram. And we're nearing the 00:00:38.539 --> 00:00:41.560 end of his series, I Choose Joy. For these last 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:44.399 two programs, Chip will reveal the key to enduring 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.439 our most challenging circumstances and actually 00:00:47.439 --> 00:00:50.509 experience genuine joy through them. If that 00:00:50.509 --> 00:00:52.929 sounds too good to be true, settle in to learn 00:00:52.929 --> 00:00:56.109 why it's absolutely possible. Grab your Bible 00:00:56.109 --> 00:00:59.570 and go to Philippians 1, verse 27, and listen 00:00:59.570 --> 00:01:02.490 in for Chip's talk, Understanding the Power of 00:01:02.490 --> 00:01:06.650 Expectations. If you haven't lived very long, 00:01:06.730 --> 00:01:08.730 you may not know this, and if you've lived very 00:01:08.730 --> 00:01:12.890 long at all, you do. Life is hard. You know, 00:01:12.909 --> 00:01:16.069 life is hard. For some of you, you've been through 00:01:16.069 --> 00:01:18.069 some really, really hard things, and they can 00:01:18.069 --> 00:01:21.469 be hard relationally. family -wise, emotionally, 00:01:21.890 --> 00:01:25.650 financially, health -wise. And here's the thing, 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:28.870 not to discourage you, but it's going to be hard. 00:01:29.629 --> 00:01:33.109 Your future, it's going to be hard. But what 00:01:33.109 --> 00:01:36.549 I don't want you to think is that choosing joy 00:01:36.549 --> 00:01:39.530 is about willpower. If I just have stronger willpower, 00:01:39.670 --> 00:01:43.629 that's not how it works. What we've learned in 00:01:43.629 --> 00:01:46.430 this series is that you can choose joy when something 00:01:46.430 --> 00:01:50.659 happens, when you get... These windows of perspective. 00:01:51.599 --> 00:01:54.219 When you begin to see life not through the human 00:01:54.219 --> 00:01:57.439 lens, but from the divine lens. Look on the front 00:01:57.439 --> 00:02:00.120 of your notes by way of quick review. When you're 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:02.120 going through a difficult time in a relationship, 00:02:02.219 --> 00:02:05.180 or finances, or your health, one of your kids, 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:08.539 or you're sick of being single, or sick of being 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:14.669 married. You can turn inward and it gets from 00:02:14.669 --> 00:02:17.229 bad to worse. But if you'll pause and say, wait 00:02:17.229 --> 00:02:20.330 a second, where's my focus right now? Is my focus 00:02:20.330 --> 00:02:22.810 upward on God and outward on others or on me? 00:02:23.250 --> 00:02:25.669 You get perspective. If you can say, hold on, 00:02:25.710 --> 00:02:28.789 what's my purpose? Is my purpose just that comfort 00:02:28.789 --> 00:02:31.669 and happiness and everything works out for me, 00:02:31.750 --> 00:02:35.129 which it never does? Or how could God leverage 00:02:35.129 --> 00:02:38.080 this challenge to... Help people understand who 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:40.219 Christ is. How could he leverage this to change 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:42.759 me? How could he leverage this to build up some 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:45.319 other Christians? And then you ask yourself, 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:49.020 so where's my hope? Is my hope in this job? Is 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:51.099 it in this family? Is it in this person I'm going 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:53.180 to marry someday? Is it that, you know, finally 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:55.919 I'm going to get healthy again? Or is my hope 00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:58.819 in eternity? Is it I have an anchor that won't 00:02:58.819 --> 00:03:02.500 change? See, when you begin to ask those questions, 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:06.300 you get perspective. And God never promised that 00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:08.879 he would eliminate the problems. What he promised 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:12.120 is that he would be with you, that he would supply 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:14.639 grace, that he would help you, that he would 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:18.360 produce things both in you and through you that 00:03:18.360 --> 00:03:21.280 there's no explanation for other than the reality 00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:25.819 that Jesus is who he said he was. The last question 00:03:25.819 --> 00:03:28.680 and the last key word that we're going to look 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:33.740 at is the word expectation. And this, for me, 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:37.139 is one of the most important ones. I have a good, 00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:39.919 really, really good friend. They're family. They've 00:03:39.919 --> 00:03:42.219 been at all of my kids' weddings. They were sort 00:03:42.219 --> 00:03:44.039 of like the grandparents or aunts and uncles 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:46.740 my kids didn't have because we lived so far away. 00:03:47.379 --> 00:03:51.400 And it's a couple. She found out she has pre 00:03:51.400 --> 00:03:54.120 -cancer and some cancer, and she had surgery 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:55.840 Wednesday, and I went to see her a couple days 00:03:55.840 --> 00:04:00.020 ago. Walked in. Bebe, how you doing? She's bright 00:04:00.020 --> 00:04:04.129 and bubbly and great. I said, but didn't you 00:04:04.129 --> 00:04:06.650 just have colon cancer surgery? She goes, yeah. 00:04:07.569 --> 00:04:09.629 And I said, well, I mean, I'm thinking, I'm glad 00:04:09.629 --> 00:04:11.990 you're doing so well, but how are you doing so 00:04:11.990 --> 00:04:15.009 well? I mean, this joyful look. She goes, wow. 00:04:15.610 --> 00:04:18.149 You know, when they, before they did the surgery, 00:04:18.250 --> 00:04:20.290 they said, we're likely going to have to take 00:04:20.290 --> 00:04:23.329 about 12 inches out of your colon. They took 00:04:23.329 --> 00:04:27.110 four. And then if it doesn't fit quite together, 00:04:27.170 --> 00:04:30.129 there's a chance that you might have one of those 00:04:30.129 --> 00:04:32.389 bags on the side for a while, and then we'll 00:04:32.389 --> 00:04:34.250 come back and do another surgery. I don't have 00:04:34.250 --> 00:04:37.269 any bags. And not only that, but you'll be in 00:04:37.269 --> 00:04:40.129 here at least six days in the hospital. And that 00:04:40.129 --> 00:04:41.790 was Wednesday. She goes, I'm going home tomorrow. 00:04:42.990 --> 00:04:48.250 Now, just listen very carefully. Her expectations 00:04:48.250 --> 00:04:54.000 were a foot out of her colon. Six days in the 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.060 hospital and the potential of wearing a bag on 00:04:57.060 --> 00:05:00.680 her side and another surgery. Her experience 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:04.279 is only four inches. I get to go home in a couple 00:05:04.279 --> 00:05:08.000 days. Contrast that with someone else who walks 00:05:08.000 --> 00:05:11.040 in. They do an examination. They say, oh, some 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:13.420 possible cancer. We're going to put you to sleep. 00:05:13.870 --> 00:05:15.709 The colonoscopy didn't show what we needed to 00:05:15.709 --> 00:05:17.670 show. We're going to take a long needle, stick 00:05:17.670 --> 00:05:20.230 it in there. We might have to do a short exploratory 00:05:20.230 --> 00:05:23.329 surgery. It doesn't look bad at all. We think 00:05:23.329 --> 00:05:25.829 it's benign. I've seen this a lot of times. You'll 00:05:25.829 --> 00:05:27.709 only be under for less than an hour. It's not 00:05:27.709 --> 00:05:30.149 a big deal. And you wake up several hours later 00:05:30.149 --> 00:05:32.949 and they say, we took four inches out of your 00:05:32.949 --> 00:05:35.069 colon. You're going to be in the hospital for 00:05:35.069 --> 00:05:37.810 four days. What's the difference? Oh, my gosh. 00:05:39.230 --> 00:05:44.009 Your life and perspective. And mine is geared 00:05:44.009 --> 00:05:47.490 around expectations. Had a young couple come 00:05:47.490 --> 00:05:49.730 to me, and they'd been married about two or three 00:05:49.730 --> 00:05:52.569 years, and they were committed to the Lord. They 00:05:52.569 --> 00:05:56.089 were involved in ministry. We both waited. I 00:05:56.089 --> 00:05:57.930 said, what do you mean? We did not have sex before 00:05:57.930 --> 00:06:00.709 we got married. We did it God's way, and we thought 00:06:00.709 --> 00:06:02.730 it would be great, and we'd have great sex in 00:06:02.730 --> 00:06:09.449 our marriage. It's terrible. Expectation. I remember 00:06:09.449 --> 00:06:11.649 playing golf with a guy a couple years ago, driving 00:06:11.649 --> 00:06:15.470 around in a cart in Indiana. Really nice guy, 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:18.370 had done really well, didn't start his family 00:06:18.370 --> 00:06:20.449 till late, had a couple small kids, and his wife 00:06:20.449 --> 00:06:22.810 had this burden for international kids. They 00:06:22.810 --> 00:06:25.730 adopted three kids from China. I mean, you know, 00:06:25.810 --> 00:06:30.110 money, time, energy, all that they've done. How 00:06:30.110 --> 00:06:32.410 could you do something better and more loving 00:06:32.410 --> 00:06:35.579 than adopting kids from China? And they just 00:06:35.579 --> 00:06:37.500 thought, you know, God's blessing, his favor. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:39.500 Well, you know what? His blessing and his favor 00:06:39.500 --> 00:06:41.980 was there. But all three kids have been in counseling. 00:06:42.339 --> 00:06:44.120 They've been in counseling. The medical bills 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:45.660 have been off the charts. They've had two or 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:48.279 three special surgeries. And he sat across from 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:51.459 me and he goes, I just, I didn't know if our 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:53.740 marriage was going to make it. I didn't know 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:56.819 if I was going to make it. And then he said this, 00:06:57.019 --> 00:06:59.759 I don't know if I would have done it if I would 00:06:59.759 --> 00:07:03.029 have known how hard it is. But my expectations 00:07:03.029 --> 00:07:06.589 were so out of whack, it's taken about four or 00:07:06.589 --> 00:07:09.649 five years to realize it's really, really hard. 00:07:09.810 --> 00:07:13.149 And then he smiled, and it's really, really worth 00:07:13.149 --> 00:07:16.050 it. Here's the question. Where's your expectations? 00:07:16.550 --> 00:07:19.589 What do you expect from God? What do you unconsciously 00:07:19.589 --> 00:07:21.509 think, especially if you listen to some of the 00:07:21.509 --> 00:07:24.829 current teaching? If you love Jesus, your marriage 00:07:24.829 --> 00:07:27.310 will be great. If you're single, you're... This 00:07:27.310 --> 00:07:29.490 person is going to walk into your life. If you 00:07:29.490 --> 00:07:31.769 love Jesus and especially send some money to 00:07:31.769 --> 00:07:34.230 their ministry and just think positive thoughts, 00:07:34.490 --> 00:07:36.550 everything's going to be great. Your kids are 00:07:36.550 --> 00:07:38.170 going to turn out right. Everything's wonderful. 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:40.829 Do you know why so many Christians are disillusioned? 00:07:42.029 --> 00:07:44.610 Because here's the principle. The distance between 00:07:44.610 --> 00:07:47.910 your expectations and your experience is disappointment. 00:07:48.709 --> 00:07:53.509 And if you have unrealistic, delusional expectations, 00:07:55.399 --> 00:07:58.959 You get devastated. Open your notes. Let's learn 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:02.339 from the Apostle Paul very specifically. What 00:08:02.339 --> 00:08:08.399 can we expect from God? And what does God expect 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:13.639 of us? He's in prison. He's chained to these 00:08:13.639 --> 00:08:16.740 Praetorian guards. He's wondering whether I'm 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:19.680 going to be executed or whether I'm going to 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.259 be released. His circumstances are terrible, 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:24.339 but he has an upward focus and an outward focus. 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.060 He's asking the question, what's my purpose? 00:08:28.019 --> 00:08:30.579 And now he doesn't know whether he's going to 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:32.440 get to see this Philippian church that he loves 00:08:32.440 --> 00:08:35.240 deeply or whether he's going to die. And he's 00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:37.299 gotten some reports from one of their members, 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:39.980 Epaphroditus, and there's some disunity in the 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:43.539 church. And there's also a culture in Rome and 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:46.360 a culture in Philippi that is, I mean, anti, 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:51.090 anti, anti -Christian. It's described as these 00:08:51.090 --> 00:08:52.889 are the people that have turned the world upside 00:08:52.889 --> 00:08:56.350 down. And in Acts, it describes them as everywhere 00:08:56.350 --> 00:08:59.990 people speak of this sect negatively. So if you 00:08:59.990 --> 00:09:01.330 feel like the world's getting a little harder 00:09:01.330 --> 00:09:03.850 for Christians in the United States, if you feel 00:09:03.850 --> 00:09:05.929 like there's some persecution happening, if you 00:09:05.929 --> 00:09:08.470 think that you're labeled, they've got this on 00:09:08.470 --> 00:09:12.870 steroids. And so in his final thoughts about 00:09:12.870 --> 00:09:17.279 choosing joy in chapter 1, He wants to set clear 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:20.179 expectations. He wants them to understand, look, 00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.960 this is what God expects of you in terms of your 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:27.159 behavior, in terms of your beliefs, and in terms 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:29.200 of your boldness. And then he's going to say, 00:09:29.340 --> 00:09:32.019 but I want you to also know this is what you 00:09:32.019 --> 00:09:35.200 can expect from God. Because if you don't get 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:38.720 clear, accurate, biblical expectations, you can 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:40.960 actually have a pretty good life and be miserable 00:09:40.960 --> 00:09:43.299 because you think it ought to be a perfect life. 00:09:44.349 --> 00:09:47.450 In one of my deepest times of marital struggle, 00:09:47.590 --> 00:09:50.769 and after lots of counseling, and I had such 00:09:50.769 --> 00:09:54.570 skewed expectations the first few years, I remember 00:09:54.570 --> 00:09:57.370 reading a line by Francis Schaeffer in one of 00:09:57.370 --> 00:10:00.190 his books. And he just said in passing, you know, 00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:03.889 a lot of people give up on a good marriage because 00:10:03.889 --> 00:10:07.649 it's not a perfect marriage. And I was one of 00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:09.850 those people that privately inside was, it wasn't 00:10:09.850 --> 00:10:12.190 perfect, it wasn't what I thought, every area 00:10:12.190 --> 00:10:15.789 wasn't. And so I want you to begin to ask yourself, 00:10:16.110 --> 00:10:18.549 what's the issue that you're struggling with 00:10:18.549 --> 00:10:21.230 or the person? And then I want you to listen 00:10:21.230 --> 00:10:23.389 carefully because God's going to tell you, this 00:10:23.389 --> 00:10:25.750 is what he expects of you. And by the way, when 00:10:25.750 --> 00:10:28.690 you give to God what he expects of you, there's 00:10:28.690 --> 00:10:31.049 this domino effect where he begins to provide 00:10:31.049 --> 00:10:34.029 for you what you need. And he changes what happens 00:10:34.029 --> 00:10:37.929 on the inside. So with that, we pick it up. Paul 00:10:37.929 --> 00:10:40.110 says, this is my final lesson. What does God 00:10:40.110 --> 00:10:44.820 expect? He expects consistent conduct. Verse 00:10:44.820 --> 00:10:48.220 27, whatever happens, he's finalizing literally 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:53.019 at all costs, conduct yourselves in a manner 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:59.220 worthy. It's an interesting New Testament word. 00:11:00.019 --> 00:11:02.779 The Philippians would immediately recognize where 00:11:02.779 --> 00:11:05.100 he's going. He's kind of taking part of their 00:11:05.100 --> 00:11:07.340 personal experience, and he's going to give them 00:11:07.340 --> 00:11:11.299 this little parallel. Philippi was a Roman colony. 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:13.600 Now, it's not all that close to Rome, but there 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:16.639 was a war earlier, and between some generals 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:19.139 and Caesar and the little... The town of Philippi 00:11:19.139 --> 00:11:21.340 decided we're going to go with Caesar, and Caesar 00:11:21.340 --> 00:11:23.940 won, and so Rome made them an official colony. 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:27.139 And to have citizenship was like, whoa. I mean, 00:11:27.159 --> 00:11:29.899 there were privileges, the Roman army, all the 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:32.500 aqueducts, everything that came with being a 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:35.240 Roman citizen, Philippi really felt like, wow. 00:11:35.980 --> 00:11:38.559 But there was also responsibility of being a 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:42.100 Roman citizen. You paid taxes to Caesar. There 00:11:42.100 --> 00:11:43.759 were certain laws that you kept. There was a 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:47.539 certain way that you would be aligned. And so 00:11:47.539 --> 00:11:50.220 this word, really what he's saying is, here's 00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:56.000 what God expects at all costs, literally. Live 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:00.620 like a citizen of the kingdom of God. He said, 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:02.059 you're getting pressured. There's persecution. 00:12:03.019 --> 00:12:04.860 He's going to tell us in just a minute, you're 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:07.340 experiencing the same conflict, the same persecution, 00:12:07.539 --> 00:12:09.379 the same difficulties, both within and without 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:13.379 that I am. Here's what you got to do. You need 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:15.379 to be one of those Christians that actually lives 00:12:15.379 --> 00:12:18.720 like a Christian. I don't know where I heard 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:22.139 that before. But after traveling around probably 00:12:22.139 --> 00:12:25.059 six, seven years ago, and after kind of traveling 00:12:25.059 --> 00:12:27.440 around America and teaching in a lot of churches 00:12:27.440 --> 00:12:30.840 and being with pastors, and then I had a suspicion. 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:33.700 And then I remember picking this book up by John 00:12:33.700 --> 00:12:36.100 Dickerson, and he started to talk about that 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:39.299 the numbers of genuine Christians in America 00:12:39.299 --> 00:12:42.710 is highly inflated. They're more hated. The church 00:12:42.710 --> 00:12:45.370 in general is going bankrupt next 15 or 20 years 00:12:45.370 --> 00:12:47.629 at the current rate of giving and commitment. 00:12:47.730 --> 00:12:51.289 The morality in the church, he goes through and 00:12:51.289 --> 00:12:56.450 basically does a diagnostic evaluation of born 00:12:56.450 --> 00:12:58.549 -again evangelical people who actually believe 00:12:58.549 --> 00:13:01.029 the Bible following Jesus and says they're on 00:13:01.029 --> 00:13:04.149 life support. The church in America is descending. 00:13:04.450 --> 00:13:09.789 And this sparked a movement among pastors. And 00:13:09.789 --> 00:13:13.480 the answer, he said, is, discipleship. And that's 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:17.019 really how God connected our hearts. And what 00:13:17.019 --> 00:13:19.480 the apostle Paul was saying back then was the 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:22.080 problem with the Philippians is you're in danger 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:24.419 of being Christians that don't live like Christians. 00:13:24.700 --> 00:13:27.779 Your behavior, your morality, your finances, 00:13:27.899 --> 00:13:30.919 your priorities, your family, you say you love 00:13:30.919 --> 00:13:34.820 Jesus, but your beliefs and your behavior is 00:13:34.820 --> 00:13:38.279 telling two different stories. And I don't know, 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:40.360 when I grew up, when your beliefs said this, 00:13:40.750 --> 00:13:42.950 and your behavior said this, we call it hypocrisy. 00:13:43.990 --> 00:13:46.169 And what God wants is, you know, we're never 00:13:46.169 --> 00:13:48.350 going to be 100 % aligned, but what he wants 00:13:48.350 --> 00:13:52.809 is integration. He wants alignment, not perfection. 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:56.629 The alignment between what I say and how I live. 00:13:56.970 --> 00:14:01.570 The alignment where my words, my life, my energy, 00:14:01.669 --> 00:14:05.970 and my money align with what I say I believe. 00:14:06.629 --> 00:14:10.919 And when they don't, it's not that I'm all, Terrible 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:14.019 person. I ask God to forgive me, and I'm honest 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:16.200 and vulnerable about I'm still on the journey. 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:18.980 And what Paul is saying is this is what God expects. 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:22.000 And then the very next line, you can imagine 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:24.019 them thinking, well, how would you ever know 00:14:24.019 --> 00:14:26.620 for sure whether you're a Christian who's living 00:14:26.620 --> 00:14:28.980 like a Christian, whether you really are kind 00:14:28.980 --> 00:14:33.639 of a kingdom citizen living consistently? You're 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:36.080 listening to Living on the Edge, and Chip will 00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:38.539 be back in just a minute to finish today's talk. 00:14:38.759 --> 00:14:41.179 But quickly, this program is supported by the 00:14:41.179 --> 00:14:44.240 generosity of listeners like you. And right now, 00:14:44.240 --> 00:14:46.779 during our mid -year match, it's a great time 00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:49.639 to partner with us. Between now and June 30th, 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:52.559 every gift we receive will be doubled dollar 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:56.360 for dollar. You can give today by going to livingontheedge 00:14:56.360 --> 00:15:02.899 .org or calling 888 -333 -6003. Well, with that, 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:06.159 here again is Chip to continue his message. Well, 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:09.299 in the very next verses he explains. He says, 00:15:30.840 --> 00:15:32.519 that they will be destroyed, but that you will 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:36.940 be saved, and that by God. In essence, he says, 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:39.360 okay, now, if I die, I'm not going to get to 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:42.120 see you again. If I live and I'm released, I'm 00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:44.879 going to come see you again. But whether I see 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.840 you again or don't see you again, let me give 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:52.379 you three specific ways that God measures whether 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:54.940 you're living a consistent life, a life that's 00:15:54.940 --> 00:15:58.190 aligned with his purposes and his will. Now, 00:15:58.230 --> 00:16:00.350 I'd like you to circle three words, and I tried 00:16:00.350 --> 00:16:02.350 to make it as easy as possible. You notice they're 00:16:02.350 --> 00:16:05.529 in bold, right? Okay, I want you to circle. He 00:16:05.529 --> 00:16:06.950 says, the first thing is that you're standing 00:16:06.950 --> 00:16:10.210 firm and then underline in one spirit. He said, 00:16:10.269 --> 00:16:11.830 and I'll explain it in just a minute. You're 00:16:11.830 --> 00:16:14.289 standing firm in a culture that is against you, 00:16:14.350 --> 00:16:18.429 but notice you're doing it in unity, in one spirit. 00:16:18.549 --> 00:16:21.629 You're together on this. Second, circle the word 00:16:21.629 --> 00:16:24.769 contending as one man. Literally, it's one soul. 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:27.600 You're in this together, but you're contending 00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:30.019 for the faith. Put a box around the word faith. 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:33.539 This isn't private faith. He says, you're contending, 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:36.279 you're striving, you're in mortal combat. The 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:39.379 word was used for gladiators going arm in arm 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:42.340 and fighting against other people. You are contending 00:16:42.340 --> 00:16:48.019 for the truth, the doctrine, the reality that 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:51.240 Jesus is God, that the second person of the Trinity 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:55.779 became a man, that he rose from the dead. absolute 00:16:55.779 --> 00:17:00.159 crazy claims based on his resurrection and his 00:17:00.159 --> 00:17:02.820 teaching, that he said the word of God is true, 00:17:02.919 --> 00:17:06.400 that the Old Testament is true, that what I have 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:10.460 shared with you, Paul is saying, what was written 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:14.140 in the prophets, the law, and the Psalms, and 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:15.960 then predicting what the New Testament writers, 00:17:16.200 --> 00:17:20.559 he's saying, I want you to contend, to battle 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:26.920 for the faith. And then third, He says, don't 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:30.279 be frightened. Do it without being frightened. 00:17:30.559 --> 00:17:34.140 The word here was a word used for a noise or 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:36.619 something that would spook horses and they would 00:17:36.619 --> 00:17:39.799 stampede. He says, don't let persecution, don't 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:41.859 let what your boss thinks, don't let what's politically 00:17:41.859 --> 00:17:44.779 correct, don't want what everyone says, don't 00:17:44.779 --> 00:17:47.059 let labels that people are giving you in the 00:17:47.059 --> 00:17:49.819 21st century, don't let it frighten you to where 00:17:49.819 --> 00:17:52.859 you shrink back and become sort of the secret 00:17:52.859 --> 00:17:56.920 agent Christian. He said eternity is on the line. 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:00.380 People's lives, people's souls. People don't 00:18:00.380 --> 00:18:02.460 have to believe the right thing, but the consequences 00:18:02.460 --> 00:18:05.339 and the pain of what happens when people turn 00:18:05.339 --> 00:18:08.740 away from God are devastating. And so he says 00:18:08.740 --> 00:18:11.839 those are the three ways that you'll know that 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.099 you're standing firm, that you're living the 00:18:14.099 --> 00:18:16.380 life, that you have a consistent conduct. And 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:18.220 then he says when you do that, it'll be a sign. 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:21.380 Literally, it's a token. It'll be a proof. And 00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:23.200 after I explain these, I'll tell you why it's 00:18:23.200 --> 00:18:27.849 a sign. And how it demonstrates the future of 00:18:27.849 --> 00:18:30.130 those who oppose you and how it also demonstrates 00:18:30.130 --> 00:18:33.509 your future because of your commitment and boldness. 00:18:33.569 --> 00:18:34.990 Let's go through these three words. It says, 00:18:35.069 --> 00:18:40.390 stand firm. Literally, don't give up. Don't give 00:18:40.390 --> 00:18:44.069 up. Anybody here ever get discouraged and feel 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:46.210 like, I mean, I don't have any biblical grounds, 00:18:46.269 --> 00:18:51.069 but the world says, you shouldn't be this unhappy 00:18:51.069 --> 00:18:54.009 in this marriage this long. I think I'll give 00:18:54.009 --> 00:18:57.069 up. All the other salespeople are padding their 00:18:57.069 --> 00:19:01.430 reports. I'm going to give up. You know, I know 00:19:01.430 --> 00:19:03.230 I should take a stand here in the hospital about 00:19:03.230 --> 00:19:05.849 this issue about life, but I might lose my job, 00:19:05.849 --> 00:19:09.349 and I'm afraid. I think I'll give up. I know 00:19:09.349 --> 00:19:12.869 what the Bible says about sexual purity and all 00:19:12.869 --> 00:19:14.829 the stuff that's happening in the world, but, 00:19:14.869 --> 00:19:17.769 you know, psychology's come a long way, and I 00:19:17.769 --> 00:19:20.940 can't imagine that Jesus would really... expect 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:23.240 us to have sexual purity and not live together. 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:27.200 I mean, how bad can it be? I look at a few pictures 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:32.619 now and maybe more then. You know, everybody 00:19:32.619 --> 00:19:37.019 does it. I know my finances don't really reflect 00:19:37.019 --> 00:19:41.109 my heart, but... You know, there's a lot of pressure, 00:19:41.150 --> 00:19:43.109 and there's financial demands, and life is really 00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:45.990 hard. And, I mean, God certainly can't expect 00:19:45.990 --> 00:19:48.549 me to give back, I mean, the very first and best. 00:19:48.609 --> 00:19:50.789 I mean, 10%, I can't even live on what I'm going 00:19:50.789 --> 00:19:57.829 now. So what we have is a church that is in danger 00:19:57.829 --> 00:20:00.170 of shrinking back and giving up on what they 00:20:00.170 --> 00:20:06.029 believe, both corporately and giving up individually. 00:20:08.159 --> 00:20:11.559 You got to hang tough in tough times. It's in 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:13.380 the difficulty. It's in the pain. You have to 00:20:13.380 --> 00:20:16.380 lean in when it's hard. At the end of the day, 00:20:16.420 --> 00:20:19.039 it always revolves around this one issue. Do 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:22.319 you believe and trust God? Do you believe and 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:24.660 trust God enough that if you take a stand, that 00:20:24.660 --> 00:20:26.500 even if you get fired, God can get you another 00:20:26.500 --> 00:20:29.039 job? If you put your priorities where they need 00:20:29.039 --> 00:20:32.259 to be and your job says, oh, no, I need you here 00:20:32.259 --> 00:20:34.180 from 6 .30 in the morning until 9 .00 at night, 00:20:34.220 --> 00:20:36.650 and you say, that... That doesn't square with 00:20:36.650 --> 00:20:38.769 the kind of man or the kind of woman that I need 00:20:38.769 --> 00:20:40.769 to be for my family. And they say, well, go someplace 00:20:40.769 --> 00:20:44.329 else. Are you willing to, by faith, set some 00:20:44.329 --> 00:20:47.349 boundaries and say, I'm going to have consistent 00:20:47.349 --> 00:20:51.789 conduct. I'm going to live by God's grace and 00:20:51.789 --> 00:20:54.009 by his power in the community of people like 00:20:54.009 --> 00:20:57.069 a Christian. Because see, when you do that, that's 00:20:57.069 --> 00:20:59.109 when you're light. That's when we're light. That's 00:20:59.109 --> 00:21:00.809 when we're salt. That's when we make a difference. 00:21:01.829 --> 00:21:05.269 The conclusion of the secular world today is 00:21:05.269 --> 00:21:08.049 there is not a nickel's worth of difference between 00:21:08.049 --> 00:21:10.650 the average Christian and the average non -Christian. 00:21:11.130 --> 00:21:13.789 And they see how most of us live and where our 00:21:13.789 --> 00:21:16.349 priorities are and our behavior and our morality 00:21:16.349 --> 00:21:18.809 and basically are saying, why should I trust 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:21.630 in your Jesus? I mean, that's harsh, but that's 00:21:21.630 --> 00:21:28.809 the lay of the land. This is Living on the Edge 00:21:28.809 --> 00:21:31.089 with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to 00:21:31.089 --> 00:21:33.430 part one of Chip's message, Understanding the 00:21:33.430 --> 00:21:36.710 Power of Expectations, from our series, I Choose 00:21:36.710 --> 00:21:39.490 Joy. Chip will be back shortly to share some 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:42.430 helpful application for us to think about. How 00:21:42.430 --> 00:21:44.829 do people know you're a Christian? What is it 00:21:44.829 --> 00:21:47.150 that sets you apart and causes others to say, 00:21:47.269 --> 00:21:49.950 I want to be like them? Through Chip's study 00:21:49.950 --> 00:21:53.049 in Philippians chapter 1, he reveals the supernatural 00:21:53.049 --> 00:21:56.569 work of joy in a Christian's life that intrigues 00:21:56.569 --> 00:21:59.410 those around us. Discover how joy can affirm 00:21:59.410 --> 00:22:02.450 your purpose, energize your expectations, and 00:22:02.450 --> 00:22:05.109 renew hope in your life. If you've missed any 00:22:05.109 --> 00:22:07.490 part of this series or want to share one of these 00:22:07.490 --> 00:22:09.930 messages with a friend, check out the Chip Ingram 00:22:09.930 --> 00:22:13.390 app. Well, Chip's joined me in studio now. And 00:22:13.390 --> 00:22:15.390 Chip, you know, right at the end of the message, 00:22:15.430 --> 00:22:18.150 you said, the conclusion of the secular world 00:22:18.150 --> 00:22:20.529 today is that there's not a nickel's worth of 00:22:20.529 --> 00:22:22.809 difference between the average Christian and 00:22:22.809 --> 00:22:25.490 the average non -Christian. Take a minute and 00:22:25.490 --> 00:22:28.319 explain why people think that. I'd be glad to, 00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:31.740 Dave. We've got millions of people going to church, 00:22:31.759 --> 00:22:34.759 going through the motions, many of them sincere 00:22:34.759 --> 00:22:38.640 but ignorant about the gospel, about truth. Their 00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:41.200 lives don't change. We have a whole generation 00:22:41.200 --> 00:22:44.660 of young people saying, you can have your Jesus 00:22:44.660 --> 00:22:47.440 and your churchianity and I'm out of here because 00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:50.400 they don't see reality. And Living on the Edge 00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:54.769 has been called to declare war on religious activity 00:22:54.769 --> 00:22:57.650 that doesn't align with the Jesus of the New 00:22:57.650 --> 00:23:00.869 Testament. But we can't do it without you. I 00:23:00.869 --> 00:23:03.309 grew up in that environment and I turned away 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:06.170 from God. And I just praise God that he brought 00:23:06.170 --> 00:23:09.329 people into my life that... clearly explained 00:23:09.329 --> 00:23:12.750 the gospel, but as importantly, they lived it 00:23:12.750 --> 00:23:16.029 out. And they lived it out in real life and loved 00:23:16.029 --> 00:23:19.150 me and cared for me. And they were holy and they 00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:22.730 weren't weird. God longs to do that in our day. 00:23:22.990 --> 00:23:26.170 And the message of Living on the Edge is helping 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:28.369 Christians live like Christians. We do it through 00:23:28.369 --> 00:23:31.250 teaching. We create resources, but it requires 00:23:31.250 --> 00:23:33.730 a team. And for us to do it moving toward the 00:23:33.730 --> 00:23:36.289 future, as God has opened more and more doors, 00:23:36.920 --> 00:23:39.660 I simply tell you, I need your help. Would you 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:42.480 prayerfully consider partnering with us today 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:45.359 and kind of move that good intention? You thought 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:48.339 about it. I ought to help them out. Yeah, I already 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:50.740 decided in my head I would. But the fact is you 00:23:50.740 --> 00:23:54.099 haven't acted on it yet. Act on it today. Let's 00:23:54.099 --> 00:23:57.140 make a difference. Great challenge, Chip. So 00:23:57.140 --> 00:23:59.380 if you believe God is calling you to join us 00:23:59.380 --> 00:24:02.099 in helping Christians live like Christians, now's 00:24:02.099 --> 00:24:05.119 a great time to become a financial partner. Because 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:08.279 during our mid -year match, every gift we receive 00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:11.420 until midnight on June 30th will be doubled dollar 00:24:11.420 --> 00:24:15.259 for dollar. To send a gift, call us at 888 -333 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:31.059 -6003 or go to Living on the Edge. Well, with 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:34.859 that, here again is Chip. As we wrap up today's 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:38.720 teaching, I'm not sure that there is a... portion 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:41.960 of this entire series that has more real application 00:24:41.960 --> 00:24:45.759 to today's believers than this section. Because 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:48.779 I think that over time, more and more, especially 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:51.319 for those of us that live in the United States 00:24:51.319 --> 00:24:54.819 and have a Western mindset and have been bombarded 00:24:54.819 --> 00:24:57.460 literally by years and years and years of the 00:24:57.460 --> 00:25:00.640 prosperity gospel, we just unconsciously and 00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:04.660 sometimes very consciously expect if we do certain 00:25:04.660 --> 00:25:08.220 things, we pray, we live a good life, We're generous 00:25:08.220 --> 00:25:10.519 with people. You know, we give our money that 00:25:10.519 --> 00:25:14.119 God literally has made a commitment that our 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:16.400 life is going to work out great, that we're going 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:18.640 to be happy, that our families are going to be 00:25:18.640 --> 00:25:20.720 super, that our kids are going to turn out right, 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:22.619 that if we're single, we're going to get married, 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:24.700 that if we're generous with our money, we're 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:28.059 going to be financially well off. On and on and 00:25:28.059 --> 00:25:32.019 on it goes. And yet the Bible talks about you 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:34.220 have been called for this purpose, not only to 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:37.690 believe in him. but also to suffer for his sake. 00:25:37.910 --> 00:25:42.349 And the reality of history is those 12 disciples 00:25:42.349 --> 00:25:45.930 were very faithful and they did exactly God's 00:25:45.930 --> 00:25:49.390 will. And yet 11 of them were martyred and one 00:25:49.390 --> 00:25:51.690 got stuck on a rock to write the book of Revelation. 00:25:52.089 --> 00:25:55.230 I want you to know that if your expectations 00:25:55.230 --> 00:25:59.349 are not in alignment with what the Bible actually 00:25:59.349 --> 00:26:02.809 teaches, it's so easy to get disillusioned with 00:26:02.809 --> 00:26:06.299 God. And the fact is you're disillusioned with 00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:09.839 a promise that he never made. Let me encourage 00:26:09.839 --> 00:26:13.160 you to open your hands. And if you feel disappointed 00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:16.859 with God or angry at God or resentful or somehow 00:26:16.859 --> 00:26:19.980 thinking, I've done these certain things, you 00:26:19.980 --> 00:26:23.880 owe me. Could you just pause and say, Lord, you 00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:27.920 have given me life. You've prepared heaven. You 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:30.299 didn't promise to take away problems. You promised 00:26:30.299 --> 00:26:33.960 to be with me through them. God, I want to thank 00:26:33.960 --> 00:26:37.000 you, and would you help me? Would you wash over 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.099 my heart and my mind? Would you realign my expectations 00:26:41.099 --> 00:26:44.160 with your word? And what I will tell you, that 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:46.839 will change your attitude. You have a heavenly 00:26:46.839 --> 00:26:51.700 Father who sees you as his precious child, but 00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:54.460 that doesn't mean that everything's going to 00:26:54.460 --> 00:26:57.910 be great or easy. Even when you're most obedient, 00:26:58.289 --> 00:27:01.609 it means He's a good God in the midst of a fallen 00:27:01.609 --> 00:27:04.710 world that will never leave you or forsake you. 00:27:04.910 --> 00:27:07.670 Hang tough. Well, as we close, do you want to 00:27:07.670 --> 00:27:10.049 deepen your connection to God amid your busy 00:27:10.049 --> 00:27:13.089 life? Then take Chip with you. by subscribing 00:27:13.089 --> 00:27:16.190 to our daily podcast. With a few simple taps 00:27:16.190 --> 00:27:18.630 on your phone, you can access the full -length 00:27:18.630 --> 00:27:21.269 versions of our latest series. And if you're 00:27:21.269 --> 00:27:23.910 always on the go, download a handful and listen 00:27:23.910 --> 00:27:26.509 to them at your own pace. Let us help you grow 00:27:26.509 --> 00:27:29.910 your faith. Search for Living on the Edge with 00:27:29.910 --> 00:27:33.509 Chip Ingram today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 00:27:33.809 --> 00:27:37.109 or wherever you listen to podcasts. Listen in 00:27:37.109 --> 00:27:39.670 next time as Chip wraps up our series, I Choose 00:27:39.670 --> 00:27:42.849 Joy. Until then, this is Dave. Drewy saying thanks 00:27:42.849 --> 00:27:45.470 for joining us for this edition of Living on 00:27:45.470 --> 00:27:45.990 the Edge.