WEBVTT 00:00:01.299 --> 00:00:06.099 Only God can change a life, but He never chooses 00:00:06.099 --> 00:00:10.699 to change it alone. There's a God part, and there's 00:00:10.699 --> 00:00:13.660 a your part. The question is, how do those fit 00:00:13.660 --> 00:00:16.320 together? What's your part? What's His part? 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:24.000 That's today. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:27.440 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We are an international 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.300 discipleship ministry devoted to helping Christians 00:00:30.300 --> 00:00:32.840 worldwide live out their faith for the glory 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:35.600 of God and the benefit of all people. Thanks 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:37.820 for joining us today as we're a little over halfway 00:00:37.820 --> 00:00:40.780 through our series, I Choose Love, How to Build 00:00:40.780 --> 00:00:43.700 Lasting Relationships. For the past handful of 00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:45.759 programs, Chip's been teaching from Philippians 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:48.640 chapter two, unpacking the foundational behaviors 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:51.299 of love and how we can apply these principles 00:00:51.299 --> 00:00:53.939 to our relationships. So if you want to go back 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:56.159 and listen to the messages you missed. Catch 00:00:56.159 --> 00:00:59.840 up anytime through livingontheedge .org or the 00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.539 Chip Ingram app. Well, today, Chip dives into 00:01:02.539 --> 00:01:05.239 the complex subject of obedience, free will, 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:08.219 and God's authority, and what these ideas have 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:11.140 to do with love. And to help you better understand 00:01:11.140 --> 00:01:13.760 where Chip's going, let me encourage you to download 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:16.099 his message notes. They contain his outline, 00:01:16.400 --> 00:01:18.840 scripture references, and much more. They're 00:01:18.840 --> 00:01:21.840 free under the broadcasts tab at livingontheedge 00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:26.019 .org. App listeners tap fill in notes. Okay, 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:28.219 if you have a Bible handy, open now to Philippians 00:01:28.219 --> 00:01:33.500 chapter 2 for Chip's message, Love Obeys. I want 00:01:33.500 --> 00:01:36.040 to share a leadership lesson that I learned many, 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:38.459 many years ago that really reshaped my life, 00:01:38.579 --> 00:01:41.099 and it's one that I have to keep on learning. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.439 On the very front of your notes, you'll notice 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:46.959 I've written, our expectations powerfully shape 00:01:46.959 --> 00:01:51.840 our relationships and our responses. Circle the 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:54.920 word expectations. Our expectations, they're 00:01:54.920 --> 00:01:57.599 so subtle. We have them often we don't even know 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:02.400 what they are. I grew up in a home, and no ladies 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.840 feel guilty, but my mom was really into breakfast. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:08.840 At about 6 .15 or 6 .30, I could smell bacon 00:02:08.840 --> 00:02:11.039 and eggs every single morning, and our whole 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:12.979 family ate breakfast together. It was really 00:02:12.979 --> 00:02:16.080 wonderful. Well, I got married, and I don't know 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:18.620 why, but I just expected that we would have breakfast 00:02:18.620 --> 00:02:22.580 every morning. Early in our marriage, after our 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:24.979 honeymoon, I came home and said, breakfast. And 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:26.599 she goes, well, the cereal's up there. I think 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:28.860 there's some milk in the refrigerator. Go to 00:02:28.860 --> 00:02:34.900 it. And I was like, what? I mean, you don't understand. 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:37.659 It was just like, no, we never talked about, 00:02:37.780 --> 00:02:39.860 now when we get married, you've got to fix breakfast. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.659 Safe to say, we don't do breakfast in our house 00:02:44.659 --> 00:02:50.030 quite like my mom. By contrast, my wife had a 00:02:50.030 --> 00:02:55.110 father who was very handy. He could fix just 00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:59.169 about anything. The car, the gas, the motor. 00:02:59.289 --> 00:03:02.449 And so she actually had this expectation that 00:03:02.449 --> 00:03:05.590 me being a man and her father being a man, that 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:07.930 the car would be filled with gas. If it didn't 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:11.530 work, I could fix it. And so there's a carburetor 00:03:11.530 --> 00:03:13.490 in here somewhere. You know, I knew nothing. 00:03:13.669 --> 00:03:17.639 And she was like, now I could give you. a hundred 00:03:17.639 --> 00:03:20.819 other expectations that aren't trivial, that 00:03:20.819 --> 00:03:23.400 have caused really painful issues. But here's 00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:25.039 what I want you to get. Notice in your notes. 00:03:26.560 --> 00:03:30.960 Our personal history is paramount in forming 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.300 our expectations. She thinks every husband can 00:03:35.300 --> 00:03:37.979 fix cars because her dad did. I thought every 00:03:37.979 --> 00:03:40.340 woman cooks breakfast because my mom did. Your 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:43.909 personal history. It just loads you up with a 00:03:43.909 --> 00:03:47.629 set of expectations. Now, if we do that in our 00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:51.669 relationships with people, imagine how we do 00:03:51.669 --> 00:03:55.729 that in our relationships with God. Two critical 00:03:55.729 --> 00:03:59.129 questions emerge when we think about God and 00:03:59.129 --> 00:04:02.030 expectations. The first is, what can we expect 00:04:02.030 --> 00:04:04.330 of God? And the second, what does God expect 00:04:04.330 --> 00:04:08.169 of us? I mean, what can we expect of God? Some 00:04:08.169 --> 00:04:10.110 people come from backgrounds that we can expect 00:04:10.110 --> 00:04:12.430 that God will make life happy and wonderful, 00:04:12.610 --> 00:04:15.469 will be healthy, wealthy, wise, if we just believe, 00:04:15.610 --> 00:04:17.850 that just love Jesus, and your life is going 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:21.509 to be great and trouble -free. And so when trouble 00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:23.949 comes, they really wonder, where's God? There's 00:04:23.949 --> 00:04:25.990 another group of people that are really super 00:04:25.990 --> 00:04:28.009 sober, and it's going to be hard, and it's all 00:04:28.009 --> 00:04:30.550 about suffering, and like God brings blessing 00:04:30.550 --> 00:04:32.449 into their life, and it's like they feel guilty 00:04:32.449 --> 00:04:35.750 when good things happen. So the question I want 00:04:35.750 --> 00:04:38.550 to ask you is, what's your expectations of God? 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:43.110 What do you expect of him? And are you ready 00:04:43.110 --> 00:04:45.550 to flip it over? Have you ever thought seriously 00:04:45.550 --> 00:04:50.009 about what God expects of you? And just like 00:04:50.009 --> 00:04:52.810 our personal history shapes our expectations 00:04:52.810 --> 00:04:57.910 with one another. history itself shapes our expectations, 00:04:58.110 --> 00:05:00.970 depending on our backgrounds, of how we think 00:05:00.970 --> 00:05:03.230 God's going to respond. What does he want? What 00:05:03.230 --> 00:05:06.029 does he give? How do we receive it? How do you 00:05:06.029 --> 00:05:09.089 know when you're okay with God? What's God's 00:05:09.089 --> 00:05:11.129 part in this relationship, and what's my part? 00:05:11.610 --> 00:05:13.170 And then notice on the bottom of your notes, 00:05:13.230 --> 00:05:15.529 I want you to write this word in. Remember, our 00:05:15.529 --> 00:05:20.660 history always shapes our expectations. And historically, 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.240 people have answered those two questions very, 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:27.199 very differently. With that, open your notes 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:30.120 if you would, and I'm going to give you a very 00:05:30.120 --> 00:05:34.740 brief history lesson that if you are strong in 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:36.560 either one of these camps, you'll be frustrated. 00:05:36.560 --> 00:05:40.120 I'm purposely going to sort of push or polarize 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:43.339 to the extremes of two historical positions. 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:47.899 In the 16th century, John Calvin was a great, 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:51.420 great theologian. In Geneva, he began to teach 00:05:51.420 --> 00:05:53.579 and there was a whole goal of what would be like 00:05:53.579 --> 00:05:57.399 for a Christian city. And he had a very strong 00:05:57.399 --> 00:06:00.339 view of God and about his sovereignty and his 00:06:00.339 --> 00:06:03.959 power. But it was pushed to extremes by some 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:06.339 of his followers. And so about 80 or 90 years 00:06:06.339 --> 00:06:09.379 later, a fellow named Jacob Arminius came along 00:06:09.379 --> 00:06:12.990 and he said, Boy, you know, we've strayed beyond 00:06:12.990 --> 00:06:16.110 the Bible. And so he began to teach some things. 00:06:16.290 --> 00:06:19.250 And so what you have is two basic camps. And 00:06:19.250 --> 00:06:21.629 I'm going to push the extremes. So if you are 00:06:21.629 --> 00:06:24.170 a Calvinist, you'll say, he's not representing 00:06:24.170 --> 00:06:27.069 us well. I understand that. If you're more Arminian, 00:06:27.069 --> 00:06:28.750 you're going to say, he's not representing us 00:06:28.750 --> 00:06:31.449 well either. Good. Both will be unhappy with 00:06:31.449 --> 00:06:34.509 me. What I want to do is show you the extremes 00:06:34.509 --> 00:06:37.209 because you have been impacted historically. 00:06:38.129 --> 00:06:42.209 You have certain expectations about what God 00:06:42.209 --> 00:06:45.069 is asking of you. If you come from a, let me 00:06:45.069 --> 00:06:47.449 just call it a hyper -Calvinistic background, 00:06:47.629 --> 00:06:49.930 you believe God is sovereign and in control. 00:06:50.459 --> 00:06:53.980 You believe that he's predestined and predetermined 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:57.040 just about everything in life. You focus on verse 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:00.399 13 of Philippians 2. It is God who is at work. 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:05.259 In extreme Calvinism, God not only chooses people 00:07:05.259 --> 00:07:08.060 for heaven, he chooses people for hell. So it's 00:07:08.060 --> 00:07:10.500 called double predestination. And so you actually 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:13.019 had people in churches going, I believe I've 00:07:13.019 --> 00:07:15.740 been chosen by God to honor his name to hell. 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:19.879 I mean, it was crazy. But it was this idea that 00:07:19.879 --> 00:07:22.720 since we can have no part in our salvation, it 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:25.639 is all of God with no sense of our responsibility. 00:07:25.699 --> 00:07:29.459 It was this extreme that turned into fatalism. 00:07:29.740 --> 00:07:33.519 You were eternally secure and a hyper, hyper 00:07:33.519 --> 00:07:35.579 Calvinist would say in terms of our responsibility, 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:39.439 just let go and let God. In essence, whatever's 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:41.800 going to happen is going to happen. The joke 00:07:41.800 --> 00:07:44.040 when you tease hyper Calvinists is when they 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.339 trip, they get up and say, I'm glad that's over. 00:07:48.009 --> 00:07:52.009 Think about it. It'll come to you. Arminius, 00:07:52.069 --> 00:07:55.730 by contrast, said, no, no, no, no. Yeah, God 00:07:55.730 --> 00:07:58.230 is sovereign, but we're responsible. We have 00:07:58.230 --> 00:08:01.709 a free will. We make choices. He emphasizes the 00:08:01.709 --> 00:08:05.529 verse 12. Work out your salvation. Our choices 00:08:05.529 --> 00:08:08.569 have consequences. Therefore, as a result of 00:08:08.569 --> 00:08:12.529 it, if you came from this side, eternity's not 00:08:12.529 --> 00:08:15.069 certain. You know, you might be a good Christian 00:08:15.069 --> 00:08:17.189 for a while, but if you mess up, you're out. 00:08:19.829 --> 00:08:23.389 Finally, the idea is let's go and let's get with 00:08:23.389 --> 00:08:29.410 it. I jotted down a couple thoughts. If you're 00:08:29.410 --> 00:08:32.690 a Presbyterian, Anglican, mini -Baptist, a lot 00:08:32.690 --> 00:08:34.649 of Bible churches are reformed in your tradition, 00:08:34.889 --> 00:08:40.669 strong Calvinistic roots. If you are Methodist, 00:08:40.690 --> 00:08:43.850 Wesleyan, Nazarene, charismatic, four -square, 00:08:43.870 --> 00:08:47.210 assembly of God, church of Christ, strong Arminian. 00:08:47.610 --> 00:08:50.809 roots. Notice in your notes, here's what I want 00:08:50.809 --> 00:08:54.289 to get. God's Word rejects both extremes and 00:08:54.289 --> 00:08:57.169 holds God's sovereignty and man's responsibility 00:08:57.169 --> 00:09:02.470 in biblical tension and balance. In other words, 00:09:02.490 --> 00:09:04.269 if you read through the Scriptures, what you 00:09:04.269 --> 00:09:06.850 find is the Bible's really clear. God is sovereign. 00:09:06.990 --> 00:09:09.309 God is in control. The Bible's really clear. 00:09:09.470 --> 00:09:11.990 You are absolutely responsible and will be held 00:09:11.990 --> 00:09:16.419 accountable for your choices. And you say, well, 00:09:16.460 --> 00:09:18.480 how can that be? The answer is, I don't know. 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:21.779 But what I'm going to go on record and say is, 00:09:21.799 --> 00:09:25.200 no one else knows either. But what happens is 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:28.279 people tend to go one direction or another. And 00:09:28.279 --> 00:09:30.000 so if you're reading through the book of Acts, 00:09:30.139 --> 00:09:32.559 if you're a strong Calvinist, it says, and as 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:35.080 many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:36.980 And you say, see, they were appointed, except 00:09:36.980 --> 00:09:39.279 if you read the next chapter, it says, and Paul 00:09:39.279 --> 00:09:42.000 spoke so persuasively, a great number believed. 00:09:43.179 --> 00:09:47.350 Which is true, both. Here's the tension I want 00:09:47.350 --> 00:09:52.909 you to get. You can develop systems that can 00:09:52.909 --> 00:09:57.169 remove one or the other, but both are true. Imagine, 00:09:57.429 --> 00:10:01.190 if you will, a telephone pole, and imagine guide 00:10:01.190 --> 00:10:04.289 wires into those cables, pulling on each end, 00:10:04.389 --> 00:10:09.129 and there's deep stakes. And this is the sovereignty 00:10:09.129 --> 00:10:12.210 of God, and this is the responsibility of man. 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:16.299 And if there's slack or you remove one of those 00:10:16.299 --> 00:10:20.440 cords, you go to extremes and push to its practical 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:24.259 end. You become passive, let go, let God. Whatever 00:10:24.259 --> 00:10:26.840 it's going to be, it's going to be. Or the other 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:29.019 way, you get guilt -ridden, and no matter how 00:10:29.019 --> 00:10:32.620 much you do, God's not in control. If I forgot 00:10:32.620 --> 00:10:35.159 one time to share my faith, that person may go 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:37.200 to hell because I didn't do my part. The whole 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.740 world is on me. What I want you to know is the 00:10:40.740 --> 00:10:44.120 Apostle Paul, interestingly, he did this in chapter 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:47.120 1, remember? He said, I'm confident he's going 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:50.820 to be executed. I'm confident of this. This is 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:52.519 what's going to turn out for my deliverance. 00:10:52.559 --> 00:10:56.480 Your prayers. Oh, man's responsibility. And the 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:59.399 provision of the Spirit of God. God's sovereignty. 00:10:59.820 --> 00:11:04.019 He now in verse 12 says, so then, my beloved, 00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:08.269 just as you always circle the word obeyed. The 00:11:08.269 --> 00:11:10.710 word obeyed in the New Testament, sometimes we 00:11:10.710 --> 00:11:12.929 feel like, I think our English and our background, 00:11:13.149 --> 00:11:17.169 obey is like ought, should, gotta. And it certainly 00:11:17.169 --> 00:11:20.730 has that thrust. But the word is hupo, to be 00:11:20.730 --> 00:11:23.950 under, akuo, to hear. Like you have an acoustic 00:11:23.950 --> 00:11:26.809 guitar, that's where we get our word. To obey 00:11:26.809 --> 00:11:31.700 is to be under the hearing of God. Lord, what 00:11:31.700 --> 00:11:33.899 would you have me to do? It's a relationship 00:11:33.899 --> 00:11:37.480 I want to follow. And when you speak about any 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:41.240 area, I want to listen in order not to just know, 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:44.740 but to obey. So he says to them, my beloved, 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:47.659 just as you always obeyed, not just in my presence, 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.279 but now much more in my absence, work out your 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:52.840 salvation. Would you circle that phrase with 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:56.879 fear and trembling? You're listening to Living 00:11:56.879 --> 00:11:59.509 on the Edge. We'll get back to our series, I 00:11:59.509 --> 00:12:02.210 Choose Love, in just a minute. But quickly, I 00:12:02.210 --> 00:12:03.929 want to remind you that we're in the middle of 00:12:03.929 --> 00:12:07.070 our mid -year match. Thanks to a few close ministry 00:12:07.070 --> 00:12:10.250 friends, every gift we receive until June 30th 00:12:10.250 --> 00:12:13.370 will be matched dollar for dollar. For more information 00:12:13.370 --> 00:12:16.450 about how to partner with us, go to livingontheedge 00:12:16.450 --> 00:12:22.149 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. Thanks for doing 00:12:22.149 --> 00:12:25.149 whatever God leads you to do. Well, let's rejoin 00:12:25.149 --> 00:12:28.519 Chip now for the remainder of his message. Work 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:32.360 out is a mining term. It's literally like if 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:34.720 you owned a gold mine, it's work your claim. 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:37.879 Continue mining the riches of what God has done. 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:41.799 When the Spirit of God came into your life, when 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:43.679 you turned from your sin and received Christ, 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:46.740 all the spiritual blessings in heaven were deposited 00:12:46.740 --> 00:12:49.659 in you. You were sealed with the Spirit. You 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:51.600 have an inheritance. He's saying, okay, now what 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:53.519 I want you to do is I want you to work out what 00:12:53.519 --> 00:12:56.240 God has worked in. Notice it doesn't say work 00:12:56.240 --> 00:13:00.299 for your salvation. You can't earn it. Work out. 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.460 In other words, I want you to cooperate. And 00:13:02.460 --> 00:13:04.919 just like if you owned a gold mine, that gold 00:13:04.919 --> 00:13:07.129 does nothing under the ground. And he says, you 00:13:07.129 --> 00:13:09.590 cooperate with God, work out your salvation. 00:13:09.590 --> 00:13:11.570 And notice with the sense of reverential awe, 00:13:11.730 --> 00:13:15.129 this is a precious, amazing gift, your salvation. 00:13:15.370 --> 00:13:19.070 Don't let it sit there. Don't be passive. Sometimes 00:13:19.070 --> 00:13:22.389 when people talk about grace, they think of grace. 00:13:23.289 --> 00:13:26.250 is the opposite of effort. The Bible says we 00:13:26.250 --> 00:13:29.269 make every effort to walk with God. The Bible 00:13:29.269 --> 00:13:32.289 talks about the grace of God teaches us to say 00:13:32.289 --> 00:13:35.409 no to all ungodliness and live sober, disciplined 00:13:35.409 --> 00:13:39.409 lives. It takes great effort. The opposite of 00:13:39.409 --> 00:13:42.190 grace is not effort. The opposite of grace is 00:13:42.190 --> 00:13:46.860 merit. Merit is earning something. And Paul is 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:49.340 saying to these people that are having some disunity 00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:52.080 issues, people that are being persecuted, he 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:53.220 says, you know, I don't know if I'm going to 00:13:53.220 --> 00:13:56.019 live or not. But whether I get to see you and 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:59.919 live or I die, I want you to keep on obeying. 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:03.139 I want you to love one another. I want you to 00:14:03.139 --> 00:14:05.500 choose to look up when circumstances are bad. 00:14:05.639 --> 00:14:07.820 I want you to care for one another. I want you 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:10.080 to be generous. In persecution, I want you to 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:15.029 be faithful. So work out. Your salvation, God's 00:14:15.029 --> 00:14:17.490 worked in. That's your responsibility. Notice 00:14:17.490 --> 00:14:23.529 verse 13. The little word for, it means the reason. 00:14:24.370 --> 00:14:27.090 Why should you work this out? For God who is 00:14:27.090 --> 00:14:31.129 at work in you, both to will and to work for 00:14:31.129 --> 00:14:33.970 his good pleasure. Would you circle the word 00:14:33.970 --> 00:14:39.070 to work and then underline will and good pleasure? 00:14:39.980 --> 00:14:42.620 Word for work is a very interesting word. I did 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:47.320 a word study on it. We get our word energy. It's 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:50.279 never used in the New Testament to describe human 00:14:50.279 --> 00:14:54.279 power. 100 % of the time, it is the power of 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:57.620 God. It's a word that means effective action. 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:00.059 It describes action that always achieves its 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:03.580 desired end results or purpose. In ancient Greece, 00:15:03.820 --> 00:15:06.279 it was a demonstration of inner character that 00:15:06.279 --> 00:15:09.840 always led to an outward virtue. And in summary, 00:15:10.059 --> 00:15:14.620 he's saying for God who is at work, he is energizing 00:15:14.620 --> 00:15:17.720 by his power working in you in spirit, both to 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:21.200 will, his purpose to create both the desire and 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:26.120 the power. So God's sovereign, I'm responsible. 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:30.080 God has gifted me sheerly by his grace, this 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:33.460 new life in his spirit. It is a riches that I 00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:38.139 now live out and I mine my claim. And so to work 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:45.809 out, Grace has been given. And I could say, all 00:15:45.809 --> 00:15:48.490 the truth of life is in this book. And I could 00:15:48.490 --> 00:15:50.870 hand you this book. And you could take this book, 00:15:50.990 --> 00:15:53.370 and you could set it on your desk, and you could 00:15:53.370 --> 00:15:55.289 never open it. And you could say, I just don't 00:15:55.289 --> 00:15:57.470 know what to do. I don't have any truth. I don't 00:15:57.470 --> 00:15:58.710 know what to do about marriage. I don't know 00:15:58.710 --> 00:16:00.029 what to do about parenting. I don't know what 00:16:00.029 --> 00:16:02.090 to do about my money. I wonder what's going to 00:16:02.090 --> 00:16:04.490 happen to the end of the world. And all the while, 00:16:04.649 --> 00:16:07.029 all the riches and all the truth is on your desk. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:11.639 God will not read this for you, okay? But you 00:16:11.639 --> 00:16:14.179 have it, and it's the same. In other words, work 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:18.279 out. So the disciplines of being in God's word, 00:16:18.460 --> 00:16:22.019 the discipline of praying, the discipline of 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.480 being in community and doing life and being honest 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:26.940 and supportive and accountability, the disciplines 00:16:26.940 --> 00:16:29.820 of suffering, the disciplines of some things 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:32.620 take time, and the disciplines of serving one 00:16:32.620 --> 00:16:36.009 another, when you, are you ready? when you practice 00:16:36.009 --> 00:16:39.570 those things, it's like, imagine tubes coming 00:16:39.570 --> 00:16:42.830 from this great lake of heaven. You're accessing 00:16:42.830 --> 00:16:46.090 the grace of God. And as you practice those things, 00:16:46.250 --> 00:16:50.210 the apostle Paul says, Christ is being formed 00:16:50.210 --> 00:16:54.690 in you. It's a metaphor of a baby growing to 00:16:54.690 --> 00:16:57.870 a toddler, to a teenager, to a mature adult. 00:16:58.309 --> 00:17:01.850 And he says, our part is to utilize the truth, 00:17:02.110 --> 00:17:07.440 the word. Prayer, the Lord's Supper, relationships, 00:17:07.660 --> 00:17:12.380 to access the grace to mine this new life that's 00:17:12.380 --> 00:17:15.240 been a free gift. Does that make sense? History 00:17:15.240 --> 00:17:19.019 lesson is over. But I do want you to know that 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:23.599 it seeps in everywhere because what happens is 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:27.539 that I came up around a group, you came up around 00:17:27.539 --> 00:17:31.539 a group, and these groups have thoughts about 00:17:31.539 --> 00:17:33.670 the sovereignty of God. And the responsibility 00:17:33.670 --> 00:17:38.650 of men. And I will just say, you know, some of 00:17:38.650 --> 00:17:41.690 you struggle with guilt. Because no matter how 00:17:41.690 --> 00:17:44.210 much you do, it's never enough. Because you live 00:17:44.210 --> 00:17:46.609 with this, you know, there's never enough. God's 00:17:46.609 --> 00:17:50.150 down on you. Now, that's extreme. That's not 00:17:50.150 --> 00:17:52.589 what should be taught. Some of you are like laid 00:17:52.589 --> 00:17:54.990 back to the point of you're not doing what you 00:17:54.990 --> 00:17:57.809 need to. But you have this subtle of God's in 00:17:57.809 --> 00:18:00.589 control. He really is in control. But that doesn't 00:18:00.589 --> 00:18:04.170 excuse you. And so what you want to do is you 00:18:04.170 --> 00:18:07.109 want to say, I don't want what Calvin taught, 00:18:07.289 --> 00:18:09.230 and I don't want what Jacob Arminius taught. 00:18:09.470 --> 00:18:12.329 I want what Jesus taught. I want what the New 00:18:12.329 --> 00:18:15.130 Testament says. I want what the Word of God says. 00:18:15.349 --> 00:18:17.269 And there's going to be certain times and certain 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:19.329 passages. I've been doing this for quite a while. 00:18:19.450 --> 00:18:21.950 I don't fully understand. I don't think anyone 00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:24.210 fully understands. But I've got plenty of truth 00:18:24.210 --> 00:18:27.029 to know this. I will stand before God as a follower 00:18:27.029 --> 00:18:30.109 of Jesus and give an account for my time, my 00:18:30.109 --> 00:18:33.170 energy, my money, and my decisions. And I've 00:18:33.170 --> 00:18:35.279 been around long enough to know this. is that 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:39.380 despite my mistakes, my difficulties, the times 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:41.079 even that I've sinned, the times when I knew 00:18:41.079 --> 00:18:43.720 what was right and I didn't even do it, there's 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:47.240 this patient, kind, loving, sovereign God that's 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:49.740 working even those difficulties and things that 00:18:49.740 --> 00:18:51.980 people have done to me and circumstance I can't 00:18:51.980 --> 00:18:54.400 understand because he's such a, are you ready? 00:18:54.460 --> 00:19:00.730 Good, good father. This is Living on the Edge 00:19:00.730 --> 00:19:03.089 with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to 00:19:03.089 --> 00:19:06.029 part one of his message, Love Obeys, from our 00:19:06.029 --> 00:19:09.390 series, I Choose Love. Chip will be back shortly 00:19:09.390 --> 00:19:11.930 to share some helpful application for us to think 00:19:11.930 --> 00:19:14.650 about. One of the greatest delights of God's 00:19:14.650 --> 00:19:16.970 heart is to witness His children, those of us 00:19:16.970 --> 00:19:20.069 who call Him Lord, loving one another. Yet, we 00:19:20.069 --> 00:19:22.930 all know this isn't always easy and often doesn't 00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:25.869 come naturally to us. In this short study, Chip 00:19:25.869 --> 00:19:28.029 walks through the four characteristics of love 00:19:28.029 --> 00:19:31.230 laid out for us in Philippians chapter 2. Discover 00:19:31.230 --> 00:19:33.549 how to apply these truths to your relationships 00:19:33.549 --> 00:19:36.329 with others and God so you can love more and 00:19:36.329 --> 00:19:38.980 love better. To listen to this entire series, 00:19:39.119 --> 00:19:42.519 visit livingontheedge .org or the Chip Ingram 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:45.279 app. Well, Chip's back in studio with me now. 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:47.539 And Chip, we're about halfway through our mid 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:50.019 -year match. And for the next few weeks, we'll 00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:52.079 continue hearing how our ministry is impacting 00:19:52.079 --> 00:19:54.700 lives all over the world and what our listeners 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:57.579 can do to partner with us in these efforts. Well, 00:19:57.619 --> 00:20:00.200 that is absolutely right, Dave. And this study 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:02.349 that we're going to do, the entire... month of 00:20:02.349 --> 00:20:05.349 June and part of July is through the book of 00:20:05.349 --> 00:20:07.630 Philippians. We're going to learn from this book 00:20:07.630 --> 00:20:11.250 that we can choose joy. We can choose hope. We 00:20:11.250 --> 00:20:14.490 can choose love. We can choose peace. And with 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:17.970 all the anxiety and uncertainty and mental health 00:20:17.970 --> 00:20:20.769 issues and division and the things that are going 00:20:20.769 --> 00:20:22.930 on in the world and people's personal world, 00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:26.490 Dave, we felt like of all times, we really wanted 00:20:26.490 --> 00:20:29.029 to minister to people, to their heart and to 00:20:29.029 --> 00:20:31.150 their life. Another thing that we're going to 00:20:31.150 --> 00:20:33.869 do is we're going to share some personal testimonies 00:20:33.869 --> 00:20:36.670 as we start this match. We want people to hear 00:20:36.670 --> 00:20:39.210 as they have prayed with us, as they're a part 00:20:39.210 --> 00:20:42.150 of the team, and as they have given. We really 00:20:42.150 --> 00:20:45.369 want them to hear actual stories. And so let 00:20:45.369 --> 00:20:48.069 me share one we just got recently. It's from 00:20:48.069 --> 00:20:50.950 Carly. She goes, I just wanted to let you know 00:20:50.950 --> 00:20:54.309 how God used your message this morning. Just 00:20:54.309 --> 00:20:56.390 last night, I was ready to throw in the towel 00:20:56.390 --> 00:20:58.450 in my marriage. I've been married to my husband 00:20:58.450 --> 00:21:01.950 for eight years. He's a veteran with PTSD, and 00:21:01.950 --> 00:21:04.869 he has lots of anger problems. Being his wife 00:21:04.869 --> 00:21:06.769 is one of the hardest things emotionally ever. 00:21:06.950 --> 00:21:10.849 I feel so alone and so depressed, and I was crying 00:21:10.849 --> 00:21:13.730 and just talking to the Lord. And then this morning, 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:17.009 I listened to your podcast, and it was just what 00:21:17.009 --> 00:21:20.089 I needed. God is with me. even in the hardest 00:21:20.089 --> 00:21:22.910 times. That's what I heard him say through your 00:21:22.910 --> 00:21:25.869 broadcast. I need to keep going and not give 00:21:25.869 --> 00:21:29.990 up. He's in control, and he knows. I know his 00:21:29.990 --> 00:21:33.970 ways are better than mine. God is good. I just 00:21:33.970 --> 00:21:36.490 want those of you who support the ministry to 00:21:36.490 --> 00:21:39.549 know that you're a part of that marriage being 00:21:39.549 --> 00:21:42.990 saved, and this happens over and over and over 00:21:42.990 --> 00:21:46.410 again. Join me this month as we learn how to 00:21:46.410 --> 00:21:50.450 choose joy and love and hope and peace. And let's 00:21:50.450 --> 00:21:52.789 keep pressing ahead. Thanks, Chip. Well, if you 00:21:52.789 --> 00:21:55.170 feel like God is moving you to partner with us, 00:21:55.210 --> 00:21:58.069 now's a great time. Thanks to a handful of close 00:21:58.069 --> 00:22:01.369 ministry friends, every gift we receive between 00:22:01.369 --> 00:22:04.230 now and June 30th will be doubled dollar for 00:22:04.230 --> 00:22:09.549 dollar. To support us, call 888 -333 -6003 or 00:22:09.549 --> 00:22:13.849 visit livingontheedge .org. That's livingontheedge 00:22:13.849 --> 00:22:20.769 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. App listeners, tap 00:22:20.769 --> 00:22:24.490 donate. We'll hear again as Chip. As we wrap 00:22:24.490 --> 00:22:27.569 up today's program, let me ask you, which of 00:22:27.569 --> 00:22:30.289 those historical experiences or perspectives 00:22:30.289 --> 00:22:33.769 would you honestly say has kind of influenced 00:22:33.769 --> 00:22:36.890 the way that you see God the most? I mean, what's 00:22:36.890 --> 00:22:39.309 impacted you? We've all grown up around, you 00:22:39.309 --> 00:22:41.630 know, people and a view of God and Christian 00:22:41.630 --> 00:22:45.190 groups. And what I find honestly is that there's 00:22:45.190 --> 00:22:47.349 great strengths in all these different camps 00:22:47.349 --> 00:22:50.809 and really good godly people. So here's the issue. 00:22:50.970 --> 00:22:54.490 If in fact God is sovereign, And we are responsible. 00:22:54.970 --> 00:22:58.170 What does it look like to be a follower of Christ 00:22:58.170 --> 00:23:01.890 that's relational, that's grace -oriented, but 00:23:01.890 --> 00:23:04.750 where we're responding? And I would suggest that 00:23:04.750 --> 00:23:07.529 the Apostle Paul, who talked more about the sovereignty 00:23:07.529 --> 00:23:10.069 of God than anyone else, especially in Romans, 00:23:10.210 --> 00:23:14.029 he actually tells us this is who God is and this 00:23:14.029 --> 00:23:16.930 is all he's done. And then he flips the script 00:23:16.930 --> 00:23:19.589 because he's perfectly divinely balanced and 00:23:19.589 --> 00:23:21.869 says, okay. Chapter 12 through the end of the 00:23:21.869 --> 00:23:24.650 book is, this is what your life looks like when 00:23:24.650 --> 00:23:27.009 you're responding in faith and obedience. And 00:23:27.009 --> 00:23:29.630 in verse 1 of chapter 12, he says, it means that 00:23:29.630 --> 00:23:31.970 you're fully, completely surrendered to God. 00:23:32.130 --> 00:23:34.589 In verse 2, he's going to tell you they're separate 00:23:34.589 --> 00:23:37.130 from the world's values. And then in verse 3 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:39.250 through 8, he'll talk about having an honest 00:23:39.250 --> 00:23:41.890 or sober self -assessment about who you are, 00:23:41.910 --> 00:23:44.289 your strengths, your weaknesses, and how God's 00:23:44.289 --> 00:23:46.900 made you to serve him in love. And so the whole 00:23:46.900 --> 00:23:50.400 chapter is a snapshot or a picture of what does 00:23:50.400 --> 00:23:53.220 it look like to be a mature believer? What is 00:23:53.220 --> 00:23:56.779 God's part and what is our part? Could I encourage 00:23:56.779 --> 00:24:02.180 you to just as a matter of balance to today, 00:24:02.279 --> 00:24:06.640 open Romans chapter 12 and in your heart of hearts 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:10.819 say, Lord, I know that I'm responsible. And I 00:24:10.819 --> 00:24:13.400 know that you're absolutely sovereign. And as 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:15.579 I read this chapter, would you help me become 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:19.460 more and more the man or the woman that you want 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:22.980 me to become? I want to reflect the very love 00:24:22.980 --> 00:24:27.119 and the character of Jesus. And I think you'll 00:24:27.119 --> 00:24:31.220 experience the special grace of God that allows 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:33.700 you not to get too hung up on all that you do 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:37.460 and not be too laid back about all he does. Thanks 00:24:37.460 --> 00:24:39.759 for that direction, Chip. And to help you develop 00:24:39.759 --> 00:24:42.599 a more authentic relationship with Jesus, check 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:45.980 out Chip's broadcast series, True Spirituality, 00:24:46.019 --> 00:24:48.960 Becoming a Romans 12 Christian. Through this 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:51.220 teaching, you'll discover a clear blueprint to 00:24:51.220 --> 00:24:55.299 become a genuine follower of Christ. Visit livingontheedge 00:24:55.299 --> 00:24:59.799 .org and search for True Spirituality. You'll 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:02.299 be glad you did. Well, be sure to join us next 00:25:02.299 --> 00:25:05.240 time as Chip continues his series, I Choose Love. 00:25:05.789 --> 00:25:08.190 Until then, I'm Dave Drewy saying thanks for 00:25:08.190 --> 00:25:10.789 listening to this edition of Living on the Edge.