WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.339 Who is the most authentically humble person that 00:00:04.339 --> 00:00:07.080 you know? And what is it about that person's 00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.259 attitude, their concern for others, their approach 00:00:10.259 --> 00:00:12.900 to life that makes them so attractive? Here's 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:14.640 the question. Would you like to be like that? 00:00:14.779 --> 00:00:18.420 I want to be like that. And today, we together 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:23.019 can learn how. Stay with me. Thanks for listening 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:25.920 to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.690 Ingram. We are an international teaching and 00:00:28.690 --> 00:00:31.390 discipleship ministry that encourages and equips 00:00:31.390 --> 00:00:34.229 Christians to live like Christians. Well, in 00:00:34.229 --> 00:00:36.509 just a minute, we'll continue our series, I Choose 00:00:36.509 --> 00:00:39.929 Love, How to Build Lasting Relationships. Today, 00:00:40.030 --> 00:00:42.750 Chip is back in Philippians chapter two, highlighting 00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:45.670 the clear path to becoming great in God's eyes. 00:00:45.869 --> 00:00:48.369 And what's fascinating is these steps don't lead 00:00:48.369 --> 00:00:52.189 us toward more earthly power or prestige or possessions, 00:00:52.350 --> 00:00:55.210 but something far more significant and eternal. 00:00:56.030 --> 00:00:58.270 If you're ready to discover the answer, here's 00:00:58.270 --> 00:01:01.429 Chip with the second half of his talk, Love Serves. 00:01:02.810 --> 00:01:05.170 A bond servant in Jewish and in Roman culture 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:08.329 had no rights. You might have a number of servants 00:01:08.329 --> 00:01:10.489 in the house. The bond servant is the guy that 00:01:10.489 --> 00:01:12.549 picks up the doo -doo. He's the guy that empties 00:01:12.549 --> 00:01:15.390 the trash. He's the guy that has zero rights, 00:01:15.590 --> 00:01:19.489 no anything, anywhere, at any time. Could you 00:01:19.489 --> 00:01:26.099 just pause for a moment? Could you imagine? I 00:01:26.099 --> 00:01:27.920 mean, when you think of how we cling to our rights, 00:01:28.099 --> 00:01:31.420 how come they didn't do that for me? Don't they 00:01:31.420 --> 00:01:36.079 know who I am? Can you imagine the creator of 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:39.500 the universe taking the form of a bondservant? 00:01:39.579 --> 00:01:42.060 And it says he's made in the likeness of a man. 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:45.900 The word likeness is our word schema. This is 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:47.819 the word that means just the outward fashion 00:01:47.819 --> 00:01:50.959 of, the appearance of. And he was fully human, 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:54.040 except he wasn't like all other men. There's 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:59.900 no sin nature. Jesus, everything he did, he said, 00:01:59.939 --> 00:02:04.060 follow me, model this. I can do nothing apart 00:02:04.060 --> 00:02:06.819 from him. His entire life was I'm dependent on 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:09.080 the Father and in the power of the Holy Spirit 00:02:09.080 --> 00:02:12.300 to live this life so you can follow behind me 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:15.240 and you be dependent on the Father and the power 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:19.139 of the Holy Spirit. And he did that because he 00:02:19.139 --> 00:02:24.349 loves you. He did that to rescue mankind. He 00:02:24.349 --> 00:02:28.409 descended into greatness. You want to have a 00:02:28.409 --> 00:02:30.569 mindset? You want to embrace the mindset with 00:02:30.569 --> 00:02:34.550 regard to your position? Right? We all have one. 00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:38.229 We do. And prestige, you know, like what makes 00:02:38.229 --> 00:02:40.729 me a somebody. Let me give you three characteristics 00:02:40.729 --> 00:02:43.849 of the mindset of a servant. You might jot these 00:02:43.849 --> 00:02:47.389 down. And then think about how they might play 00:02:47.389 --> 00:02:55.259 out in your home, in your driving, at work. Characteristic 00:02:55.259 --> 00:02:58.879 number one, no job is too low. Why? Because you're 00:02:58.879 --> 00:03:00.960 a servant. There's trash on the ground, pick 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:04.719 it up. Why? You're a servant. No recognition 00:03:04.719 --> 00:03:08.180 is required. No one needs to know who you are. 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:13.300 No one needs to say, oh, wow, you're no recognition. 00:03:13.479 --> 00:03:16.500 You don't have to casually, like I certainly 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:19.000 do at times, tell people that you know so -and 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.680 -so or you work so -and -so. See, you don't have 00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:25.360 to bring recognition to yourself. No job too 00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.419 low, no recognition needed, no thanks required. 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:32.280 You know, when a servant would do his job, no 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:34.840 one said, oh, wow, thanks so much. It's he's 00:03:34.840 --> 00:03:37.060 a servant. That's what he's supposed to do, serve 00:03:37.060 --> 00:03:39.479 all the rest of us. You see, it's a mindset. 00:03:40.490 --> 00:03:42.909 Can you imagine what it would be like to be married 00:03:42.909 --> 00:03:45.430 to someone who thought their job was to serve 00:03:45.430 --> 00:03:47.870 their mate? Can you imagine a mom or dad who 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:50.150 thought that the whole goal of their life was 00:03:50.150 --> 00:03:52.229 to serve their children in a way to help them 00:03:52.229 --> 00:03:54.530 be responsible and to grow up? Can you imagine 00:03:54.530 --> 00:03:56.610 what it would be like to have a boss or a supervisor 00:03:56.610 --> 00:03:59.569 who saw themselves not as the head and the requirement 00:03:59.569 --> 00:04:01.449 and got mad when people didn't get their deliverables, 00:04:01.530 --> 00:04:03.530 but I'm going to serve you and help you be successful, 00:04:03.669 --> 00:04:05.689 and maybe the best way to serve some of you is 00:04:05.689 --> 00:04:09.379 help you find another place? Because you struggle, 00:04:09.460 --> 00:04:12.099 this isn't what you were intended for, but the 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:14.680 mindset isn't, you hack me off, get out of here, 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:19.899 I want to serve you. Well, those are the three 00:04:19.899 --> 00:04:23.240 characteristics of a servant's mindset. Can you 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:26.220 take any more? Let me give you three characteristics 00:04:26.220 --> 00:04:31.399 of what makes great servants. Number one, they 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:37.120 observe needs. See, real servants realize, I'm 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:40.360 not here for people to serve me. And so they 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:42.579 observe needs. If you've ever been to a very 00:04:42.579 --> 00:04:45.120 good restaurant and the waiter or the waitress, 00:04:45.220 --> 00:04:49.379 do you ask for water? They're there. You ask 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:51.920 for a second of this. I mean, they're watching 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:57.740 your table and they observe needs. When you stand 00:04:57.740 --> 00:05:00.240 up and when you're here, do you just go and talk 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.759 to someone you know? Are you observing? I wonder 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:05.069 what the needs are. I wonder how things are going 00:05:05.069 --> 00:05:07.269 here. I wonder if they need help in the children's 00:05:07.269 --> 00:05:10.149 ministry. I wonder if they need help over here. 00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:14.230 Who might need servants have this mindset of 00:05:14.230 --> 00:05:18.290 there might be some needs I can fulfill. Second 00:05:18.290 --> 00:05:22.290 is they take initiative. You don't have to ask 00:05:22.290 --> 00:05:25.449 them. They just take initiative. Oh, wow, there's 00:05:25.449 --> 00:05:27.110 a need. I'll fill it. I'll take care of that. 00:05:27.389 --> 00:05:31.889 I'll do that. And third, they don't draw attention 00:05:31.889 --> 00:05:36.529 to themselves. Now, that's pretty different, 00:05:36.610 --> 00:05:41.730 isn't it? That's what Jesus did. And he loved 00:05:41.730 --> 00:05:46.129 deeply and better. And that's why he's the greatest 00:05:46.129 --> 00:05:48.850 human being who ever lived, because he was a 00:05:48.850 --> 00:05:54.430 human being. Fully God, but a human being. That's 00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:57.509 how he viewed position and prestige. Finally, 00:05:57.709 --> 00:06:01.449 we become truly great when we embrace Christ's 00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:06.060 mindset toward productivity. Ask yourself, what 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:12.399 did he really accomplish? Quite a bit, huh? Being 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:16.560 found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:21.040 by becoming obedient to the point of death, even 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:27.079 death on a cross. Underline the word humbled 00:06:27.079 --> 00:06:31.480 himself, put a box around becoming obedient, 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:36.259 and then circle death. and circle on a cross. 00:06:37.199 --> 00:06:43.839 Jesus descended from the supreme creator and 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:48.600 ruler to taking on human flesh, to being a servant, 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:53.019 to making his life a sacrifice, to dying for 00:06:53.019 --> 00:06:56.560 us, and then to die in the most humiliating way 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:00.240 known to mankind. Now, here's what you need to 00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.480 get, especially those with a sensitive conscience, 00:07:02.620 --> 00:07:06.149 which I really appreciate. The way to eliminate 00:07:06.149 --> 00:07:09.370 your pride is not to focus on how arrogant you 00:07:09.370 --> 00:07:11.550 are. It's not to walk out of here and go, you 00:07:11.550 --> 00:07:13.829 know, I think of myself and I'm really into position 00:07:13.829 --> 00:07:16.350 and yes, I think my possessions make me of someone, 00:07:16.509 --> 00:07:18.410 blah, blah, blah, blah. No, don't go there. When 00:07:18.410 --> 00:07:20.310 you try and get rid of pride, out the window, 00:07:20.329 --> 00:07:22.290 it comes back in the door. If you get it out 00:07:22.290 --> 00:07:24.269 the door, it'll come back into the attic. You 00:07:24.269 --> 00:07:26.350 know how you can become a humble person? It's 00:07:26.350 --> 00:07:32.889 really, really easy. Obey. You obey your way 00:07:32.889 --> 00:07:36.389 to humility. Because humility isn't some feeling. 00:07:36.810 --> 00:07:39.250 Humility is considering others more important 00:07:39.250 --> 00:07:41.930 than yourself. So what do you do? You act on 00:07:41.930 --> 00:07:44.670 the truth that these people are actually more 00:07:44.670 --> 00:07:48.310 important than me. Therefore, my time will go 00:07:48.310 --> 00:07:50.970 toward helping others. My money is going to go 00:07:50.970 --> 00:07:53.250 toward helping others. And my talents will go 00:07:53.250 --> 00:07:56.329 toward helping others. And more than some kind 00:07:56.329 --> 00:07:59.970 of feeling, you do what Jesus did. He acted on 00:07:59.970 --> 00:08:02.529 it. And by the way, just a little note, put a 00:08:02.529 --> 00:08:05.689 little star, he didn't feel like it. Do you remember 00:08:05.689 --> 00:08:09.730 the garden? Emotionally. Jesus didn't, you know, 00:08:09.769 --> 00:08:11.730 love is giving another person what they need 00:08:11.730 --> 00:08:14.149 the most when they deserve it the least at great 00:08:14.149 --> 00:08:16.470 personal cost. Jesus was not in the garden going, 00:08:16.589 --> 00:08:19.149 Father, from eternity past, we're going to save 00:08:19.149 --> 00:08:21.569 him. This is great. Holy Spirit, I want to high 00:08:21.569 --> 00:08:23.430 five you. I'm going to go to the cross. We're 00:08:23.430 --> 00:08:27.899 going to do this. Oh, Father, oh, Father, if 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:30.540 there be any way, not my will but yours be done, 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:33.559 but if there's a plan B, a plan C, I don't want 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:35.700 to do this. I don't want to be separated from 00:08:35.700 --> 00:08:37.340 you. I don't want the cost. I don't want the 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:42.240 pain. I don't want to do this nevertheless. Can 00:08:42.240 --> 00:08:44.100 I tell you something? When you don't feel like 00:08:44.100 --> 00:08:45.799 reading the Bible and read it, when you don't 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:47.740 feel like praying and pray, when you don't feel 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:49.960 like giving and give, when you give time and 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:51.759 you care, when you're tired and say, I don't 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:54.549 feel like it, I don't feel like it, I don't think 00:08:54.549 --> 00:08:58.210 you're being a hypocrite. I think you're probably 00:08:58.210 --> 00:09:01.889 more pleasing to God than almost any other time 00:09:01.889 --> 00:09:05.490 in your life. It takes a lot more faith to obey 00:09:05.490 --> 00:09:09.549 when you don't feel like doing it. You are living 00:09:09.549 --> 00:09:12.769 in such a feel -oriented culture. I'm kind of 00:09:12.769 --> 00:09:15.149 tired. I don't feel like reading. I'm kind of 00:09:15.149 --> 00:09:16.649 tired. I don't know if I can make it to the small 00:09:16.649 --> 00:09:20.600 group. I'm kind of tired. I'm so worn out. Blah, 00:09:20.600 --> 00:09:22.460 blah, blah, blah, blah. How did Jesus feel? He 00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:25.279 was beat within an inch of his life. They crushed 00:09:25.279 --> 00:09:33.860 thorns into his skull. Love serves. I choose 00:09:33.860 --> 00:09:39.039 love. I choose to serve. And something supernatural 00:09:39.039 --> 00:09:47.100 happens when that occurs. Humility grows by obedience. 00:09:48.360 --> 00:09:51.720 If someone came to you and said, I've got a proposition 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:54.799 for you. I know everything that's going to happen 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:57.610 today. I know what the stock market's going to 00:09:57.610 --> 00:09:59.289 be at the end of the day. I know what's going 00:09:59.289 --> 00:10:01.289 to happen in your 11 o 'clock meeting. I know 00:10:01.289 --> 00:10:03.389 the email that you're going to get at 2 .15 that's 00:10:03.389 --> 00:10:06.009 going to rock your world. I know the news at 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:07.710 4 o 'clock. I know what's going to happen the 00:10:07.710 --> 00:10:09.309 moment you walk in the door with your family. 00:10:09.690 --> 00:10:12.769 And I'd like to maybe get 15, at least 30 minutes, 00:10:12.929 --> 00:10:15.330 and have a really good talk to prepare you so 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:17.750 you can respond in each one of those situations 00:10:17.750 --> 00:10:20.570 in exactly the way that you ought to for the 00:10:20.570 --> 00:10:23.409 best results to bring about the most good for 00:10:23.409 --> 00:10:26.289 you and them. Could you spare 30 minutes to do 00:10:26.289 --> 00:10:30.490 that? Who wouldn't do that, right? Isn't that 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:33.669 the invitation of Jesus to you? Isn't the invitation 00:10:33.669 --> 00:10:36.789 the creator of the world died in your place, 00:10:36.889 --> 00:10:39.330 experienced shame to give you a relationship? 00:10:39.769 --> 00:10:43.490 And just hear my heart. I completely don't understand 00:10:43.490 --> 00:10:48.870 this. I cannot fathom a child of God who loves 00:10:48.870 --> 00:10:52.090 God that doesn't have time to meet with his creator. 00:10:53.669 --> 00:10:56.909 Whose only goal is to express his love, to draw 00:10:56.909 --> 00:11:00.049 you near, to renew your mind, to give you grace, 00:11:00.230 --> 00:11:01.769 to go through what you're going to go through. 00:11:01.889 --> 00:11:03.710 And you say you don't have time for him, but 00:11:03.710 --> 00:11:05.269 you do Facebook. You don't have time for him, 00:11:05.269 --> 00:11:06.909 but you live on your phone. You don't have time 00:11:06.909 --> 00:11:08.789 for him, but you got lots of hobbies. You don't 00:11:08.789 --> 00:11:10.250 have time for him, but your kid's on the traveling 00:11:10.250 --> 00:11:12.590 team. You don't have time for him, but have I 00:11:12.590 --> 00:11:16.730 made my point? Have you got it? I want to really 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:20.740 ask you. If you walk out these doors and go, 00:11:20.820 --> 00:11:23.179 I want to be more humble, I intend to be more 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:25.919 humble, you will not be humble. You act your 00:11:25.919 --> 00:11:29.419 way into humility. Obedience is the pathway to 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:34.299 humility. Humility is about considering others, 00:11:34.360 --> 00:11:38.419 people more important than yourself. So, let's 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:39.980 do a quick test and then we're going to get to 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:41.840 something very exciting like the really wonderful 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:45.500 side of the rewards of humility. Here's the test. 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:51.529 How other -centered are you? Get out your device 00:11:51.529 --> 00:11:55.929 or devices and just scroll through the last two 00:11:55.929 --> 00:12:00.850 or three weeks and how many names and times on 00:12:00.850 --> 00:12:05.110 your devices are about serving other people and 00:12:05.110 --> 00:12:10.909 how many are about you. That'll tell you. Second 00:12:10.909 --> 00:12:15.429 is go home, pull up your bank statement and a 00:12:15.429 --> 00:12:18.279 couple of your credit cards. and look at where 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:21.759 your money went and ask yourself how much of 00:12:21.759 --> 00:12:23.440 the money entrusted to you, because it's not 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:26.820 yours and it's not mine, went to expressing your 00:12:26.820 --> 00:12:29.620 love to God and to helping other people and how 00:12:29.620 --> 00:12:33.980 of it went to you and to service your debt. You're 00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:36.460 listening to Living on the Edge. Chip will be 00:12:36.460 --> 00:12:38.720 back in just a minute to finish today's talk. 00:12:39.019 --> 00:12:41.909 But quickly, this program is supported. by the 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:44.889 generosity of listeners like you. And right now, 00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:47.429 during our mid -year match, it's a great time 00:12:47.429 --> 00:12:50.289 to partner with us. Between now and June 30th, 00:12:50.289 --> 00:12:53.190 every gift we receive will be doubled dollar 00:12:53.190 --> 00:12:56.950 for dollar. You can give today by going to livingontheedge 00:12:56.950 --> 00:13:02.769 .org or by calling 888 -333 -6003. Well, with 00:13:02.769 --> 00:13:04.929 that, here again is Chip to continue his message. 00:13:06.099 --> 00:13:09.039 See, the reason Jesus talks so much about money 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:12.240 is because it's at the core. It's the MRI. If 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:14.320 you want to know where your heart's at, it's 00:13:14.320 --> 00:13:16.919 not how you sing a song. It's not how often you 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.679 come to church. If you want to know where your 00:13:18.679 --> 00:13:20.379 heart's at, you know, it's like the old thing, 00:13:20.419 --> 00:13:23.379 just follow the money. And so the reason he says 00:13:23.379 --> 00:13:26.240 and taught to him, look, the first 10%, just 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:28.720 so you know that I own it and you don't, you 00:13:28.720 --> 00:13:30.980 write that check to me. But if you live on a 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:33.639 bit of a budget and you decide how much is enough, 00:13:33.779 --> 00:13:35.840 then over and above that how much is enough, 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:38.940 you begin to share and give and love. And then 00:13:38.940 --> 00:13:40.860 what he says is I keep descending into greatness. 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.720 All these people's lives change and people get 00:13:43.720 --> 00:13:45.899 loved and people come to Christ and they experience 00:13:45.899 --> 00:13:50.139 the life of Christ. See, my money tells me. whether 00:13:50.139 --> 00:13:52.799 I'm humble or whether I'm about me. And then 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:55.799 I ask myself, what about my talent? Where's my 00:13:55.799 --> 00:13:59.220 talent going? I mean, my energy. Did you know 00:13:59.220 --> 00:14:02.360 in Christendom, 50 % of all the people that go 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.139 to Bible -believing churches do not give anything 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:08.360 of their time or their money. And I would love 00:14:08.360 --> 00:14:10.659 to say our church is a big exception. It's not. 00:14:10.700 --> 00:14:13.580 It's exactly that same place. And by the way, 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.960 if you look at our numbers, we don't need your 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:19.309 money. I mean, we could do a lot more. But here, 00:14:19.370 --> 00:14:23.929 my challenge is, you want to be a servant? Then 00:14:23.929 --> 00:14:27.110 serve. Get your priorities in order. Get your 00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:29.950 time in order. You can't do anything I'm talking 00:14:29.950 --> 00:14:32.570 about unless God speaks to you and strengthens 00:14:32.570 --> 00:14:34.889 you. Your priorities will never get right until 00:14:34.889 --> 00:14:37.750 your finances get right. And if you think there's 00:14:37.750 --> 00:14:39.590 any ulterior motive, give it somewhere else. 00:14:40.269 --> 00:14:48.340 But maturity, joy, power. Love demands humility 00:14:48.340 --> 00:14:52.399 that requires obedience. Now, just before you 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:56.440 think, oh my lands, I want to tell you something 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:59.840 that makes all this worthwhile. Are you ready? 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:03.799 The next and last point is we experience the 00:15:03.799 --> 00:15:06.480 reward of true greatness when we follow Christ's 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:10.559 example of servanthood. Now, remember I said 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:13.360 everyone wants to be great? Are you ready? Okay. 00:15:13.419 --> 00:15:19.000 How great do you really want to be? Okay? How 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:22.539 great do you really want to be? Because if you 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:26.259 are willing to take your position, your possessions, 00:15:26.340 --> 00:15:29.480 your prestige, your power, and say, I'm a steward 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:31.799 of that, and I'm going to use that humbly as 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:34.200 God directs to serve and to love God and to love 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:37.340 others, here's the promise. Christ will exalt 00:15:37.340 --> 00:15:40.480 you. He always exalts those who practice humility. 00:15:40.799 --> 00:15:43.019 In fact, notice, here's the example from Jesus. 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:46.440 For this reason. What reason? This descending 00:15:46.440 --> 00:15:49.100 into greatness, also God highly exalted him. 00:15:49.159 --> 00:15:52.220 Literally, it super exalted him. And he bestowed 00:15:52.220 --> 00:15:54.299 on him the name which is above every name. Why? 00:15:54.980 --> 00:15:59.529 So that at the name of Jesus. Every knee will 00:15:59.529 --> 00:16:02.370 bow. Where? Of those who are in heaven, of those 00:16:02.370 --> 00:16:04.070 who are on earth, and those who are under earth. 00:16:04.169 --> 00:16:06.850 And that every tongue will confess that Jesus 00:16:06.850 --> 00:16:09.190 Christ and put a box around Lord. The word is 00:16:09.190 --> 00:16:13.090 Yahweh. He's referring back to Isaiah 45, 23, 00:16:13.370 --> 00:16:16.350 where God Yahweh says, I am the one and every 00:16:16.350 --> 00:16:18.470 knee will bow before me. If you want a passage, 00:16:18.529 --> 00:16:21.730 God the Father is Lord. Jesus is Lord. And notice 00:16:21.730 --> 00:16:26.409 the reason. For the glory of God. You know, Mother 00:16:26.409 --> 00:16:30.519 Teresa didn't own a whole lot. And there's people 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:34.139 that have built huge, huge things. But we remember 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:37.940 Mother Teresa. Why? She just loved people. And 00:16:37.940 --> 00:16:40.480 she loved people that no one cared about. And 00:16:40.480 --> 00:16:44.700 God exalted her. As you humble yourself, as we 00:16:44.700 --> 00:16:47.360 as a church, like never before, humble ourselves 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:54.279 by being obedient, God will exalt you. What would 00:16:54.279 --> 00:16:57.470 it be worth? What would it be worth to have a 00:16:57.470 --> 00:17:00.990 deep, loving, connected family? Deep, loving, 00:17:01.049 --> 00:17:04.950 connected friendships? Be the person that changes 00:17:04.950 --> 00:17:07.309 the entire culture where you work or your neighborhood. 00:17:08.230 --> 00:17:12.430 See, God gave Jesus the greatest position and 00:17:12.430 --> 00:17:16.950 the greatest name. Now, here's the deal. We need 00:17:16.950 --> 00:17:19.130 to apply this very specifically, and I want to 00:17:19.130 --> 00:17:22.930 do it very soberly. For those of you who are 00:17:22.930 --> 00:17:25.450 here and you are a follower of Christ, you're 00:17:25.450 --> 00:17:28.450 absolutely certain that you are in God's family. 00:17:28.529 --> 00:17:30.250 You've trusted Christ. At a certain point in 00:17:30.250 --> 00:17:32.150 time, you were convicted of your sin and your 00:17:32.150 --> 00:17:34.529 lifestyle. You realized that you needed to be 00:17:34.529 --> 00:17:37.789 forgiven and saved by a holy God, and you extended 00:17:37.789 --> 00:17:40.529 the empty hands of faith and said, I turn from 00:17:40.529 --> 00:17:42.750 my past life and I ask Jesus to come into my 00:17:42.750 --> 00:17:44.769 life and forgive me for my sin. I believe you 00:17:44.769 --> 00:17:47.089 died in my place and rose from the dead. If you're 00:17:47.089 --> 00:17:50.460 one of those people, here's the question. your 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:53.539 knee is going to bow and you are going to confess 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:56.380 him as Lord. My question is, is he Lord today? 00:17:57.859 --> 00:18:02.819 If you have never said, I'm all in, and saying 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:05.220 whatever that means, my geography, my family, 00:18:05.339 --> 00:18:09.140 my money, my dreams, I may be a little scared. 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:10.480 In fact, if you're not a little scared, you don't 00:18:10.480 --> 00:18:12.640 know what I'm talking about. But I'm going to 00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:15.539 trust God and I'm going to stand up and I'm going 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:19.970 to publicly declare. He is my Lord. He will call 00:18:19.970 --> 00:18:22.849 the shots from this moment on. And if you've 00:18:22.849 --> 00:18:25.730 never done that, I'll ask you to stand. And I 00:18:25.730 --> 00:18:28.190 will tell you, you will experience power, some 00:18:28.190 --> 00:18:30.710 difficulty, and some joy and reward that you've 00:18:30.710 --> 00:18:33.289 never experienced. And you will find yourself 00:18:33.289 --> 00:18:35.930 having to get into God's Word because He'll begin 00:18:35.930 --> 00:18:38.900 using your life. There's another group of you 00:18:38.900 --> 00:18:41.819 that you're here and you're exploring and you 00:18:41.819 --> 00:18:43.319 wouldn't claim necessarily to be a Christian 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:46.059 or you're not really sure if you are in the family 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:47.960 or out of the family. You're a good person, a 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:50.180 moral person. You're visiting a church. But if 00:18:50.180 --> 00:18:52.180 you died today, you are not absolutely certain 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:54.980 that you would spend eternity with Christ. Every 00:18:54.980 --> 00:18:58.140 person is going to bow the knee and you will 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:04.970 profess Jesus is Lord. Option A. Is that if you 00:19:04.970 --> 00:19:07.910 haven't done that, you bow the knee and you humble 00:19:07.910 --> 00:19:10.829 your heart and you say, I need you, God. Will 00:19:10.829 --> 00:19:14.349 you forgive me? I want to turn from sin. I ask 00:19:14.349 --> 00:19:16.890 you to come into my life and I want to follow 00:19:16.890 --> 00:19:21.329 you. Option B is you say, well, no, I'm not ready 00:19:21.329 --> 00:19:23.130 to do that. Maybe later. I don't want anyone 00:19:23.130 --> 00:19:24.869 telling me what to do. I'm not sure about this 00:19:24.869 --> 00:19:26.890 God stuff. If that's good for you guys, fine. 00:19:27.089 --> 00:19:31.009 I'm going to do my own thing. The day will come 00:19:31.009 --> 00:19:34.940 when you will bow your knee. And instead of joy 00:19:34.940 --> 00:19:39.059 looking at your Savior, in absolute dismay and 00:19:39.059 --> 00:19:43.299 distress, you'll go, oh, I remember when I was 00:19:43.299 --> 00:19:46.119 in that church and I heard God's voice and I 00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:49.039 may never hear it again like this. I so wish 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:53.720 I could go back. But you can't. And he brought 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:57.359 you into this room on this day to forgive your 00:19:57.359 --> 00:20:01.200 sins and give you a new life. God wants you to 00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:04.920 be great. He wants you to be great. He just wants 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.460 you to descend into greatness. The acid test 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:12.019 of greatness is love. This is about being loving 00:20:12.019 --> 00:20:16.339 people. The road to greatness, have you got this 00:20:16.339 --> 00:20:21.339 word down now? It's humility. The road to greatness 00:20:21.339 --> 00:20:23.200 is considering others more important than yourself. 00:20:24.259 --> 00:20:28.960 And finally, the opportunity for greatness, it's 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:32.880 serving. It's serving in the church. It's serving 00:20:32.880 --> 00:20:35.960 at home. It's saying, I'm a servant. No job is 00:20:35.960 --> 00:20:38.539 too low. I'm a servant. I'm available. I'm a 00:20:38.539 --> 00:20:40.839 servant. I don't need recognition. I want to 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.359 be a part of the change engine. I'm not someone 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:45.980 who comes and sits and observes and intellectually 00:20:45.980 --> 00:20:47.900 believes the things that everyone intellectually 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:51.259 believes. I'm a servant. God, just show me where 00:20:51.259 --> 00:21:01.309 to plug in. bring you back to that very important 00:21:01.309 --> 00:21:05.549 option A and option B I talked about at the close 00:21:05.549 --> 00:21:08.890 of the program. Because God has said it will 00:21:08.890 --> 00:21:12.710 happen. Every knee will bow and every tongue 00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:15.990 will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And option 00:21:15.990 --> 00:21:20.289 A is that people will do that willfully, joyfully. 00:21:21.019 --> 00:21:23.700 that they will recognize that God the Son who 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:26.599 made all that there is, who came and died in 00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:29.500 your place and my place for the sins of the whole 00:21:29.500 --> 00:21:32.799 world, who rose from the dead, who's seated at 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.539 the right hand of the Father, is opening his 00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:38.960 arms and saying, come unto me, let me love you 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:41.799 and forgive you. I came that you might have life 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:46.359 and have it abundantly. Option B is for those 00:21:46.359 --> 00:21:50.059 who say, I don't want that. I'll control my life. 00:21:50.220 --> 00:21:53.480 No one's going to tell me what to do. And we 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:55.819 don't always say it that harshly. Sometimes we 00:21:55.819 --> 00:21:58.000 say it like, well, I'll get around to the God 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.640 thing later. Or, you know, I think that's probably 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.619 true, but I'm going to do some stuff that I think 00:22:03.619 --> 00:22:07.720 is really fun right now and maybe later. Or maybe 00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:09.380 you're one of those people that are literally 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:12.220 shaking your fist in the face of God and saying, 00:22:12.319 --> 00:22:15.259 no one and nothing is going to rule over me. 00:22:15.849 --> 00:22:17.809 Because you have a warped view of God or had 00:22:17.809 --> 00:22:21.750 a bad religious experience. We don't talk about 00:22:21.750 --> 00:22:23.650 this much in our day, but I want you to know 00:22:23.650 --> 00:22:26.990 there is a reality of eternity. And God sent 00:22:26.990 --> 00:22:29.809 the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And whoever 00:22:29.809 --> 00:22:33.430 believes in Him has eternal life. The one that 00:22:33.430 --> 00:22:36.450 has the Son has life. The one that does not have 00:22:36.450 --> 00:22:39.549 the Son of God does not have life. There are 00:22:39.549 --> 00:22:42.890 two endings. A group of people that God will 00:22:42.890 --> 00:22:45.859 say to them, your will be done. and you will 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:49.160 be separated from Him forever and ever and ever. 00:22:49.500 --> 00:22:52.180 And there's a group that will say to God, Your 00:22:52.180 --> 00:22:55.720 will be done. Forgive me. I bow my knee, and 00:22:55.720 --> 00:22:59.119 I do it voluntarily. I don't know where you're 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:02.180 at, but here's my prayer, that at this day, on 00:23:02.180 --> 00:23:05.000 this moment, you would be an option A person, 00:23:05.140 --> 00:23:07.880 that you would recognize that the way you're 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:10.960 living your life independent of God is not working. 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:13.400 It doesn't work now, and it won't work later. 00:23:13.869 --> 00:23:16.069 And you would surrender your heart and your life 00:23:16.069 --> 00:23:18.930 at this very minute and say, Lord Jesus, forgive 00:23:18.930 --> 00:23:22.309 me. Come into my life. I acknowledge you as the 00:23:22.309 --> 00:23:25.150 Lord, the Savior, the creator of the world. And 00:23:25.150 --> 00:23:27.329 I want to follow you. I believe you died in my 00:23:27.329 --> 00:23:29.930 place. You rose from the dead. I receive you 00:23:29.930 --> 00:23:33.309 as my Savior. Make me your son. Make me your 00:23:33.309 --> 00:23:35.609 daughter. And then I want to tell you to get 00:23:35.609 --> 00:23:37.769 on your phone and text the best Christian you 00:23:37.769 --> 00:23:40.069 know and tell him what you just did. And then 00:23:40.069 --> 00:23:43.680 go to Living on the Edge. That's livingontheedge 00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:46.859 .org. It's very easy to find, and we have some 00:23:46.859 --> 00:23:49.539 resources to help you in your brand new life. 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:52.480 Now find a good church this weekend that teaches 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:55.750 the Bible and get on the journey. Well, if you 00:23:55.750 --> 00:23:58.230 prayed with Chip, we do have a free resource 00:23:58.230 --> 00:24:00.589 we'd like to put in your hands that was uniquely 00:24:00.589 --> 00:24:03.930 created for new believers. It's a tool that'll 00:24:03.930 --> 00:24:06.130 help you gain a clear biblical understanding 00:24:06.130 --> 00:24:09.670 of what it means to trust in Jesus. Request this 00:24:09.670 --> 00:24:15.190 free resource by calling 888 -333 -6003 or visiting 00:24:15.190 --> 00:24:19.470 livingontheedge .org, then clicking the New Believers 00:24:19.470 --> 00:24:23.990 button. That's livingontheedge .org or call 888 00:24:23.990 --> 00:24:29.500 - Let us help you get started in your faith journey. 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:32.440 Well, our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram, joins me 00:24:32.440 --> 00:24:34.960 now. And Chip, we're doing so much incredible 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.059 work all around the world, but many don't know 00:24:38.059 --> 00:24:40.420 that you first launched Living on the Edge as 00:24:40.420 --> 00:24:43.099 a radio ministry. Talk a little bit about this 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:45.720 broadcast program, where it started, and how 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:48.339 it's evolved over the last three decades or so. 00:24:48.619 --> 00:24:51.819 I'd be glad to, Dave. Little did I dream that 00:24:51.819 --> 00:24:54.559 30 years ago, a business band would put the messages 00:24:54.559 --> 00:24:56.779 that I was teaching on the radio. And what I 00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:59.970 like is it reaches people's hearts because. People 00:24:59.970 --> 00:25:03.390 almost always listen to the radio alone. It's 00:25:03.390 --> 00:25:06.069 incredibly powerful, and it's accessible. We 00:25:06.069 --> 00:25:08.329 constantly hear from people who it's kind of 00:25:08.329 --> 00:25:10.329 their lifeline. For whatever reason, there's 00:25:10.329 --> 00:25:12.849 not a Bible -teaching church in their area. Others 00:25:12.849 --> 00:25:15.130 tell me, I get up every day, and I have a cup 00:25:15.130 --> 00:25:18.029 of coffee, and I start my day with you. The teaching 00:25:18.029 --> 00:25:20.710 of God's Word has been the heart of Living on 00:25:20.710 --> 00:25:25.970 the Edge. The global population's need for sound 00:25:25.970 --> 00:25:29.269 biblical teaching has never been greater. And 00:25:29.269 --> 00:25:32.190 in the days ahead, we're going to reach out in 00:25:32.190 --> 00:25:35.069 their own language, in my voice, thanks to the 00:25:35.069 --> 00:25:38.950 technology of AI. It will make huge impact, but 00:25:38.950 --> 00:25:42.029 it will also be very expensive. Would you pray 00:25:42.029 --> 00:25:43.990 about becoming a part of this mid -year match? 00:25:44.230 --> 00:25:48.740 Would you give as God leads you? God's Word never 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:52.599 fails. It always accomplishes what He sets it 00:25:52.599 --> 00:25:56.359 out to do. Let's join Him and get His Word to 00:25:56.359 --> 00:25:59.259 as many people as possible that changes how they 00:25:59.259 --> 00:26:01.819 live their daily life for the glory of God and 00:26:01.819 --> 00:26:04.200 the good of others. Thanks, Chip. Well, if you'd 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:06.119 like to be a part of our exciting endeavor to 00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:08.940 take God's Word across the globe, consider becoming 00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:11.799 a financial partner. And right now, during our 00:26:11.799 --> 00:26:14.359 mid -year match, your gift will be doubled for 00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:17.000 greater impact. thanks to a handful of close 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:20.539 ministry friends. To learn more, visit livingontheedge 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:27.000 .org or call us at 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:33.779 -333 -6003 or go to livingontheedge .org. App 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:36.559 listeners tap donate and thanks in advance for 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:39.240 your generosity. Well, just before we close, 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:41.619 would you stop for a minute and pray for Living 00:26:41.619 --> 00:26:44.099 on the Edge today? We've never seen a greater 00:26:44.099 --> 00:26:46.579 need for God's truth to go out than right now. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:49.579 And by God's grace, Living on the Edge has provided 00:26:49.579 --> 00:26:52.480 encouragement, teaching, and personal discipleship 00:26:52.480 --> 00:26:55.380 resources to more people than ever. So thank 00:26:55.380 --> 00:26:58.079 you to those who support us in prayer. God is 00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:01.019 doing amazing things. Well, thanks for listening 00:27:01.019 --> 00:27:03.880 to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:06.539 Ingram. I'm Dave Drewy, and I hope you'll join 00:27:06.539 --> 00:27:07.539 us again next time.