WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.879 I want you to think of someone right now that's 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:06.860 really, really discouraged that you care about. 00:00:07.360 --> 00:00:10.060 What's the best thing you could give them? Would 00:00:10.060 --> 00:00:12.859 it be money? Would it be a great vacation? Just 00:00:12.859 --> 00:00:15.660 a little relief? I'm going to tell you there's 00:00:15.660 --> 00:00:18.940 something far better and more important. Stay 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:24.219 with me. Welcome to this edition of Living on 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:26.760 the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of this 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:29.440 daily program is to intentionally disciple Christians 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:32.000 through the insightful Bible teaching of Chip 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.119 Englund. And in just a minute, we'll continue 00:00:34.119 --> 00:00:36.299 our study through the book of Philippians as 00:00:36.299 --> 00:00:39.479 we dive into Chip's series, I Choose Hope. In 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:41.679 the coming programs, we'll learn how to confidently 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:45.020 face any circumstance in life by holding tightly 00:00:45.020 --> 00:00:48.179 to the hope only Christ can offer. Now, before 00:00:48.179 --> 00:00:50.159 we get going, to help you get the most out of 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.439 this series, let me encourage you to download 00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:55.259 Chip's message notes. They contain his outline, 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:58.179 scripture references, and much more. Get them 00:00:58.179 --> 00:01:01.259 by visiting the broadcasts tab at livingontheedge 00:01:01.259 --> 00:01:05.280 .org. At listeners, tap fill in notes. Well, 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:07.340 if you have your Bible handy, go now to Philippians 00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:10.680 chapter 3 as we join Chip for his message, Finding 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:15.030 Hope. A couple years ago, I had a chance to listen 00:01:15.030 --> 00:01:17.469 to a speaker, and he is a very, very effective 00:01:17.469 --> 00:01:20.049 leader. He's a guy that I've admired. I would 00:01:20.049 --> 00:01:22.510 call him a friend. I don't know him real well, 00:01:22.590 --> 00:01:25.209 but we've hung out a few times, and when I get 00:01:25.209 --> 00:01:27.390 close to someone that I can tell is really real, 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:30.120 it's very exciting. And he was giving a message 00:01:30.120 --> 00:01:33.519 and he said, there's actually something in our 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:36.140 day that you can measure, that you can actually 00:01:36.140 --> 00:01:40.019 grow, that has a higher ability to predict the 00:01:40.019 --> 00:01:44.239 future than either your IQ or even your EQ. He 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:47.299 said, there's something called an HQ that depending 00:01:47.299 --> 00:01:50.680 on how full your HQ is, that will tell you a 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:52.480 lot more about the future of your marriage, your 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.219 future in school, your future with people, your 00:01:55.219 --> 00:01:59.030 future in work. than even how smart you are or 00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:02.049 your emotional intelligence. And I was leaning 00:02:02.049 --> 00:02:04.290 forward like, I'd like to know what that is. 00:02:04.609 --> 00:02:09.409 He says, HQ is your hope quotient. And then he 00:02:09.409 --> 00:02:12.810 talked about a research project that had started 00:02:12.810 --> 00:02:15.990 at the time seven years earlier, and it came 00:02:15.990 --> 00:02:18.770 out of a conversation with his daughter who was 00:02:18.770 --> 00:02:21.409 in school at the time and in a class on leadership. 00:02:21.650 --> 00:02:24.030 In fact, I put the question that she asked him. 00:02:24.250 --> 00:02:27.060 It was a homework assignment. And the homework 00:02:27.060 --> 00:02:29.800 assignment was to find a leader and ask questions 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.000 so you could learn about leadership. So she thought, 00:02:32.060 --> 00:02:35.180 my dad's a leader. I'll ask him. So they began 00:02:35.180 --> 00:02:38.199 to talk for a couple hours. And he said her last 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:41.759 question was question number 20. And it was the 00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:45.879 best one. She said, what's the single most important 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:48.759 thing you do as a leader? Now think of that. 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:51.360 The single most important. Is it strategy? Is 00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:53.919 it planning? He happens to pastor one of the 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:56.099 largest churches in all of America. Is it prayer? 00:02:56.340 --> 00:03:00.340 I mean, what is it? And he said, instinctively, 00:03:00.340 --> 00:03:02.319 after all these years, I said, oh, that's easy. 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:08.199 I make sure I stay encouraged. And I remember 00:03:08.199 --> 00:03:11.979 sitting there listening to him, because when 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:14.439 she asked that question, I wanted to know, what 00:03:14.439 --> 00:03:16.340 is it? But that's not what I thought he would 00:03:16.340 --> 00:03:19.439 say. And then I got to think about it, and he 00:03:19.439 --> 00:03:22.069 went on to say, well, when I'm encouraged, I 00:03:22.069 --> 00:03:24.449 make good decisions. When I'm encouraged and 00:03:24.449 --> 00:03:26.990 emotionally whole, I relate to people well. But 00:03:26.990 --> 00:03:30.930 when I'm discouraged, I make bad decisions. When 00:03:30.930 --> 00:03:33.490 I'm discouraged, I tend to fall into temptation. 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:36.250 When I'm discouraged, I lose confidence. When 00:03:36.250 --> 00:03:38.469 I'm discouraged and live in a discouraged manner, 00:03:38.629 --> 00:03:40.669 I start losing credibility with the people around 00:03:40.669 --> 00:03:43.449 me. And then he went on to say, he said, the 00:03:43.449 --> 00:03:46.389 greatest gift parents can ever give their kids 00:03:46.389 --> 00:03:49.710 is hope. The greatest thing you can give your 00:03:49.710 --> 00:03:52.090 marriage partner is hope. The greatest thing 00:03:52.090 --> 00:03:53.930 you can give your employees or your friends is 00:03:53.930 --> 00:03:59.409 hope. And I thought to myself, I have never thought 00:03:59.409 --> 00:04:02.590 about it like that, but it rings true. I found 00:04:02.590 --> 00:04:05.610 a quote by my mentor, Howard Hendricks, speaking 00:04:05.610 --> 00:04:08.389 of the flip side of hope. He says, discouragement, 00:04:08.490 --> 00:04:12.379 this is a great line, is the anesthetic. that 00:04:12.379 --> 00:04:16.360 the devil uses on a person just before he reaches 00:04:16.360 --> 00:04:19.779 in and carves out their heart. That's graphic, 00:04:19.879 --> 00:04:24.000 isn't it? Well, what is hope? I've done a lot 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:25.819 of research, and I could give you biblical words 00:04:25.819 --> 00:04:29.040 and dictionary words, but as I put them all together, 00:04:29.139 --> 00:04:32.040 I think the heart of hope is this. It's the mental 00:04:32.040 --> 00:04:36.540 and emotional outlook that life is good, the 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:39.839 future is promising, but Progress is certain 00:04:39.839 --> 00:04:43.040 even in the midst of challenging circumstances 00:04:43.040 --> 00:04:46.180 or difficult relationships. It's an emotional 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:49.379 and intellectual outlook. It's just you get up 00:04:49.379 --> 00:04:51.839 and there's something about your emotions. There's 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:53.699 something about your thinking. And it's like 00:04:53.699 --> 00:04:57.000 life is good. Hey, life is good. Of course, there's 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:00.339 challenges. But the future, the future is promising. 00:05:01.180 --> 00:05:03.519 The future of my marriage is promising. The future 00:05:03.519 --> 00:05:05.759 of my singleness is promising. My future at work 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:08.560 is promising. And progress is absolutely certain 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:12.600 even in the midst of difficulty and challenges. 00:05:13.779 --> 00:05:17.579 Why does it matter? It matters because researchers 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:19.839 tell us you can go about 40 days without food, 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:23.899 about three days without water, about eight minutes 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:27.220 without air, but probably not more than two or 00:05:27.220 --> 00:05:30.259 three seconds without hope. The moment you lose 00:05:30.259 --> 00:05:34.490 hope, You cave in. You lose hope in your marriage, 00:05:34.529 --> 00:05:36.589 you quit. You lose hope in one of your kids, 00:05:36.810 --> 00:05:39.709 you give up. You lose hope at work, you don't 00:05:39.709 --> 00:05:44.449 show up as the same person. You lose hope. Everything 00:05:44.449 --> 00:05:47.750 begins to cave in. He went on in his research. 00:05:47.829 --> 00:05:50.110 He said, why does it matter? Here's 11 things 00:05:50.110 --> 00:05:53.009 that people whose hope, think of hope as like 00:05:53.009 --> 00:05:55.449 a little tank inside of you. And I want to ask 00:05:55.449 --> 00:05:57.089 you in just a minute, is your hope kind of low? 00:05:57.269 --> 00:05:59.110 Is your hope kind of medium? Or are you just 00:05:59.110 --> 00:06:02.500 filled with hope? Do you have this buoyant sense 00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:06.160 that life is good, the future is promising, and 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:09.279 progress is certain? People that think like that 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:11.480 the majority of the time have more satisfying 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:14.459 relationships. They're more productive. They're 00:06:14.459 --> 00:06:16.660 affected less by stress. They're more successful, 00:06:16.759 --> 00:06:20.439 more satisfied. They're more compassionate. They're 00:06:20.439 --> 00:06:23.079 more willing to help people in need. Their physical 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:26.540 life, they're healthier. They hold a higher moral 00:06:26.540 --> 00:06:29.220 and ethical standard. They're more likely to 00:06:29.220 --> 00:06:32.240 assume leadership positions. And it's interesting. 00:06:32.420 --> 00:06:35.500 They're more likely to see God as loving, caring, 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:38.500 and forgiving. So let me ask you just before 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:41.139 we get going here. If, you know, just think, 00:06:41.180 --> 00:06:42.920 you know, your hope meter, let's make it just 00:06:42.920 --> 00:06:47.139 a 1 up to a 10. If you had to give yourself a 00:06:47.139 --> 00:06:49.899 number of hope right now, what do you got? What's 00:06:49.899 --> 00:06:59.430 going on inside? Discouraged? Encouraged? What's 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:04.310 the source of your hope? Now, I know the Sunday 00:07:04.310 --> 00:07:07.449 school answer, right? Jesus, right? Jesus is 00:07:07.449 --> 00:07:10.149 the source. Okay, we got that. That's the right 00:07:10.149 --> 00:07:14.910 answer. Now, let's get to the honest one. If 00:07:14.910 --> 00:07:18.470 you honestly would say, what's your hope? What 00:07:18.470 --> 00:07:22.230 are you hoping for? What do you intuitively or 00:07:22.230 --> 00:07:25.410 unconsciously believe if this would happen or 00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.389 if that would happen? My life would be good. 00:07:29.050 --> 00:07:32.350 The future would be positive. I know I'd make 00:07:32.350 --> 00:07:35.930 progress. Maybe a different way to come at it 00:07:35.930 --> 00:07:38.490 is look at the negative. What is it that when 00:07:38.490 --> 00:07:41.569 it happens, discourages you and gets you down 00:07:41.569 --> 00:07:46.129 quickly? So that'll probably tell you where a 00:07:46.129 --> 00:07:49.269 lot of your hope rests. You know, the really 00:07:49.269 --> 00:07:51.870 big question, I'm asking you to think about it. 00:07:51.910 --> 00:07:55.350 I've done a lot of thinking about it. And just... 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:57.939 We're not going to have all the right hope all 00:07:57.939 --> 00:08:00.420 the time. But here's the big question that we 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:03.300 want to ask and answer in this season, but in 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:07.639 this series, is how do you find and keep hope 00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:10.699 alive? Because, you know, I don't have a lot 00:08:10.699 --> 00:08:17.040 of control over my IQ. I can study. I don't have 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:20.740 much control over my EQ. You kind of can learn 00:08:20.740 --> 00:08:23.839 some things. But I'm going to tell you, you have 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:29.439 one. 100 % control of your HQ. You can raise 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:31.899 your hope. You can build your hope. You can fill 00:08:31.899 --> 00:08:36.860 your hope. The Apostle Paul is writing to a church 00:08:36.860 --> 00:08:40.500 that he loves, the Philippians. We need to get 00:08:40.500 --> 00:08:42.379 a little context because we've taken a break. 00:08:42.600 --> 00:08:45.120 He's in difficult circumstances in chapter one. 00:08:45.259 --> 00:08:47.919 He thinks he may die at any moment. And so he 00:08:47.919 --> 00:08:52.559 chooses joy. His C plus P equals E. His circumstances 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:55.320 plus his perspective equals experience. And he 00:08:55.320 --> 00:08:57.860 has an upward focus and an outward focus. And 00:08:57.860 --> 00:09:01.100 he says, God, I know you're in control. In chapter 00:09:01.100 --> 00:09:04.690 two, there's disunity in relationships. And we 00:09:04.690 --> 00:09:07.750 learned that you can choose love. You develop 00:09:07.750 --> 00:09:11.090 a I am second mentality. It's about humility. 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:15.389 Pride kills relationships. Humility always causes 00:09:15.389 --> 00:09:18.909 grace to flow. And so you follow the example 00:09:18.909 --> 00:09:22.309 of Jesus and you consider others as more important. 00:09:22.389 --> 00:09:25.850 You choose to love others in ways that are meaningful. 00:09:26.210 --> 00:09:29.129 In chapter 3, he's concerned about them because 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:33.299 culturally there's chaos and confusion. Some 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:36.000 false teachers kept following Paul. Paul would 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:40.919 plant a church, Galatia, Ephesus, here in Philippi, 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:43.700 and there'd be a group called Judaizers. They 00:09:43.700 --> 00:09:46.940 were new Christians, but they were Jewish Christians, 00:09:47.059 --> 00:09:50.940 and they said Jesus is great and grace is important, 00:09:51.080 --> 00:09:54.700 plus. You need to be circumcised. You need to 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:57.360 keep the law. Here's 17 rules you need to do. 00:09:57.480 --> 00:09:59.399 And so they would follow Paul, and then they 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:01.980 would teach their false doctrine and take loads 00:10:01.980 --> 00:10:04.299 of guilt and put it on people. Now you've got 00:10:04.299 --> 00:10:06.279 to keep all the Jewish laws. Well, no one's ever 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.879 been able to do that. It's been fulfilled. It's 00:10:09.879 --> 00:10:12.899 not Jesus plus anything. And so he writes chapter 00:10:12.899 --> 00:10:16.779 3 because the hope is getting shifted. from a 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:19.759 grace -loving relationship that God says, you're 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:22.480 his son, you're his daughter, I'm for you because 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:24.559 of what I have done. And the hope is getting 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:26.799 shifted to, this is what you got to do. And in 00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:28.379 order to measure up, you need to do this and 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:32.340 this and this and this. You're listening to Living 00:10:32.340 --> 00:10:34.820 on the Edge, and Chip will be back in just a 00:10:34.820 --> 00:10:37.409 minute to finish today's talk. But quickly, this 00:10:37.409 --> 00:10:39.929 program is supported by the generosity of listeners 00:10:39.929 --> 00:10:42.850 like you. And right now, during our mid -year 00:10:42.850 --> 00:10:45.370 match, it's a great time to partner with us. 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:48.629 Between now and June 30th, every gift we receive 00:10:48.629 --> 00:10:51.590 will be doubled dollar for dollar. You can give 00:10:51.590 --> 00:10:54.929 today by going to livingontheedge .org or by 00:10:54.929 --> 00:11:00.129 calling 888 -333 -6003. Well, with that, here 00:11:00.129 --> 00:11:03.549 again is Chip to continue his message. Open your 00:11:03.549 --> 00:11:08.629 Bibles, if you will. Philippians chapter 3, he 00:11:08.629 --> 00:11:11.870 gives him a command. Verse 1, he says, finally, 00:11:11.929 --> 00:11:15.110 my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the 00:11:15.110 --> 00:11:18.070 same things again is no trouble to me, and it's 00:11:18.070 --> 00:11:22.309 a safeguard for you. He says, find your joy in 00:11:22.309 --> 00:11:26.470 your relationship. He says, it's not a big deal 00:11:26.470 --> 00:11:29.039 for me to remind you of this. But then remember 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:31.580 the end of chapter one, he said, you're experiencing 00:11:31.580 --> 00:11:34.320 the same difficulty which you saw to be in me. 00:11:34.740 --> 00:11:36.919 And he's just bringing their focus back. Yeah, 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:39.899 you gotta love other people, but you gotta find 00:11:39.899 --> 00:11:42.460 your joy in your relationship with God because 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:45.460 everything and everyone else sometime sooner 00:11:45.460 --> 00:11:48.659 or later is gonna let you down. And then he gives 00:11:48.659 --> 00:11:51.879 them a warning in verse two. He says, beware 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:55.639 of the dogs. Beware of the evil workers. Beware 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.220 of the false circumcision. These are these Judaizers. 00:11:58.679 --> 00:12:01.000 He gives them three labels. He calls them dogs 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.799 because don't think of Ranger. That's my dog. 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:09.879 Ranger is a golden retriever. The biggest problem 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:11.679 we have with Ranger is he walks up to you and 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:14.620 he just licks you to death. He's the most loving 00:12:14.620 --> 00:12:17.960 dog in the world. These are scavenger dogs. These 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:19.639 are dogs that are running the city. These are 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:22.019 dogs that snarl. These are the kind of dogs that 00:12:22.019 --> 00:12:24.440 people were afraid of and carried disease. And 00:12:24.440 --> 00:12:26.720 he's talking to them in this negative language. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:29.440 And it was a slang term also that Jewish people 00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:34.799 would use for Gentiles. And he says, they'll 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:37.340 gobble you. They're diseased. They'll mess you 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:38.840 up. And then he says, not only that, but they're 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.840 evil workers. They have a works mentality. And 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:43.720 there's a play on this where he's saying, they're 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:46.230 works. are going to take you down a bad path, 00:12:46.370 --> 00:12:50.149 and they're a false circumcision. If you were 00:12:50.149 --> 00:12:52.909 a good Jewish little boy, the sign of the covenant 00:12:52.909 --> 00:12:55.809 at eight days is the foreskin was to be cut, 00:12:55.909 --> 00:12:57.990 and you're going to be circumcised. And even 00:12:57.990 --> 00:12:59.970 after people came to Christ, regardless of their 00:12:59.970 --> 00:13:02.570 age, the Judaizers said, you need to do that. 00:13:02.690 --> 00:13:05.110 Keep the law. Keep the Sabbath. Keep the dietary 00:13:05.110 --> 00:13:08.710 laws. And Paul says, these people are going to 00:13:08.710 --> 00:13:11.590 take you down a path that will rob your hope 00:13:11.590 --> 00:13:14.409 in your relationship with Christ. And here's 00:13:14.409 --> 00:13:17.529 the reason. He says, for we are the true circumcision. 00:13:19.070 --> 00:13:23.110 How? We serve God by his spirit. We boast in 00:13:23.110 --> 00:13:25.289 Christ Jesus and we put no confidence in the 00:13:25.289 --> 00:13:27.929 flesh. He gives three characteristics of the 00:13:27.929 --> 00:13:29.950 false teachers and he said, no, no, no, no, no. 00:13:29.950 --> 00:13:33.090 Hey, Philippians, we're the true circumcision. 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:36.799 Okay, it's of the heart. Romans, you might jot 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:39.200 down right above that. Romans 2, verses 28 and 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:42.000 29. He says people that are physically born of 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:44.500 Abraham, just because you're a physical Jew doesn't 00:13:44.500 --> 00:13:46.379 make you right with God. He's going to say it's 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:48.899 a circumcision of the heart. It's a relationship 00:13:48.899 --> 00:13:52.039 that we have with God through Christ. We're the 00:13:52.039 --> 00:13:54.360 true circumcision, and here's the three characteristics. 00:13:54.740 --> 00:13:58.519 We worship God by the Spirit. The Spirit of God 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:02.389 dwells in us, and we have relationship. Second, 00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:04.909 he says, we boast in Christ. It's about a person. 00:14:05.230 --> 00:14:08.649 Anytime religion takes you into the church, the 00:14:08.649 --> 00:14:11.149 leader, you have to do these five things to be 00:14:11.149 --> 00:14:13.730 right. If you ever do these two things, all that 00:14:13.730 --> 00:14:16.529 stuff, he says, we boast in Christ and what he's 00:14:16.529 --> 00:14:21.129 done. And third, notice what he says. We put 00:14:21.129 --> 00:14:23.549 no confidence in the flesh. It's sarx is the 00:14:23.549 --> 00:14:26.309 word. It means in what we do outside of what 00:14:26.309 --> 00:14:30.149 Christ has provided. It's this idea that on bad 00:14:30.149 --> 00:14:32.009 days, all of us, right, we've got this battle. 00:14:32.070 --> 00:14:34.110 We want to do what God wants us to do, but we 00:14:34.110 --> 00:14:37.190 live in this flesh. And it's a battle. It's those 00:14:37.190 --> 00:14:41.789 desires and habits, time, form, that it's doing 00:14:41.789 --> 00:14:44.090 things out of our own energy, out of our own 00:14:44.090 --> 00:14:47.950 effort, out of our own motives. Now, notice then 00:14:47.950 --> 00:14:51.330 Paul is going to shift gears here, and he's basically 00:14:51.330 --> 00:14:54.279 going to say, let me prove this to you all. And 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:56.580 then I think there's three huge takeaways for 00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:59.679 us about finding hope. Basically, he's going 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:01.559 to say to them, let me give you the sense of 00:15:01.559 --> 00:15:04.019 it. He's going to say, these guys are saying 00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:07.139 you need to keep all this stuff. Basically, he's 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:09.620 going to say, so if anyone wanted to go toe -to 00:15:09.620 --> 00:15:14.019 -toe on really keeping the law, my argument is 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:16.759 not going to be that these guys do it and none 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:18.480 of us can. He goes, I'm going to tell you from 00:15:18.480 --> 00:15:21.580 my life, I used to be in that group. In fact, 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:23.700 I used to be an all -star. I was the budding 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:26.279 star. In fact, Gamaliel was my teacher, and he 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:28.700 was the most famous teacher, and I was the rising 00:15:28.700 --> 00:15:31.340 star. And he's going to sort of throw out his 00:15:31.340 --> 00:15:33.240 pedigree, says, you know, kind of arguing like, 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:35.080 I mean, if anyone was going to get right with 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:39.700 God in that system, I was scoring 100 as far 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:42.980 as you could in that system. And then he's going 00:15:42.980 --> 00:15:47.889 to contrast that and say, but all of that. He 00:15:47.889 --> 00:15:50.090 says, I look at that, and he's going to use, 00:15:50.129 --> 00:15:51.750 in fact, a little bit later, I'll have you circle 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:54.250 the word gain, loss, gain, loss, and the word 00:15:54.250 --> 00:15:56.250 consider, because the word consider is an accounting 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:58.570 term. And he's going to actually look at his 00:15:58.570 --> 00:16:01.070 life in Christ and his life before Christ and 00:16:01.070 --> 00:16:02.870 his life with all of his good works, and he's 00:16:02.870 --> 00:16:05.070 going to say in an accounting term, gain, gain, 00:16:05.149 --> 00:16:08.389 gain, loss, loss, loss. Ready to follow along? 00:16:10.250 --> 00:16:12.590 Though I myself have reasons for such confidence, 00:16:12.669 --> 00:16:15.690 if someone thinks they have reasons to put confidence 00:16:15.690 --> 00:16:19.360 in the flesh, I far more. Then he gives us seven 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:22.600 specific statements. Circumcised on the eighth 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.659 day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of 00:16:25.659 --> 00:16:28.539 Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, with regard to 00:16:28.539 --> 00:16:31.500 law, a Pharisee. That was the strictest sect. 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:35.639 As for zeal, I mean, someone was fired up, persecutor 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:40.159 of the church. As for righteousness, based on 00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:44.679 the law, blameless or faultless. Paul's basically 00:16:44.679 --> 00:16:52.019 saying, I was in the system. I was OCD spiritual 00:16:52.019 --> 00:16:55.320 like you have never seen. I have all the pedigree. 00:16:55.440 --> 00:16:58.080 I was born in the right place, born of the right 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:01.259 parents, born of a special tribe. My name even, 00:17:01.299 --> 00:17:04.130 the first tribe came from Benjamin. He said, 00:17:04.150 --> 00:17:06.670 I was circumcised on exactly the right day in 00:17:06.670 --> 00:17:09.589 terms of religious or righteousness. I mean, 00:17:09.609 --> 00:17:11.930 I fasted the two days a week like Pharisees. 00:17:11.950 --> 00:17:14.430 I memorized probably all of the Torah and major 00:17:14.430 --> 00:17:16.589 parts of the Old Testament. In terms of being 00:17:16.589 --> 00:17:20.170 a religious person who fulfilled what you can 00:17:20.170 --> 00:17:23.289 in your own effort and energy, I was the star 00:17:23.289 --> 00:17:26.450 of Judaism. And as far as this whole, this sect, 00:17:26.609 --> 00:17:29.150 this follower, this Jesus stuff, I tried to kill 00:17:29.150 --> 00:17:35.789 him. And then notice the shift. His basic saying, 00:17:35.910 --> 00:17:40.970 his point is, true spirituality, authentic relationship, 00:17:41.170 --> 00:17:44.430 is going to be rooted in the person of Christ. 00:17:46.349 --> 00:17:49.970 In the person of Jesus, not religion. Not in 00:17:49.970 --> 00:17:52.150 a system, not in a group, not in a church, not 00:17:52.150 --> 00:17:54.109 in a leader, not in what you do, not what you 00:17:54.109 --> 00:17:57.369 can accomplish. And then after this, notice what 00:17:57.369 --> 00:18:01.509 he says. But, you might put a big underline, 00:18:01.529 --> 00:18:04.309 because this is the contrast. Whatever was to 00:18:04.309 --> 00:18:10.849 my gain, circle that, or profit, I now consider 00:18:10.849 --> 00:18:13.589 lost for the sake of Christ. Put a box around 00:18:13.589 --> 00:18:18.109 the word consider. What's more, I consider, put 00:18:18.109 --> 00:18:21.029 a box around consider, everything to be a loss 00:18:21.029 --> 00:18:25.230 because it's surpassing worth of knowing Christ 00:18:25.230 --> 00:18:28.849 Jesus my Lord for whose sake I've lost all things 00:18:28.849 --> 00:18:32.329 and consider them as garbage that I might gain. 00:18:34.409 --> 00:18:37.670 and be found in him. Not having a righteousness 00:18:37.670 --> 00:18:40.349 of my own that comes from the law, but that which 00:18:40.349 --> 00:18:43.230 is through faith in Christ, the righteousness 00:18:43.230 --> 00:18:47.890 that comes from God on the basis of faith. Now 00:18:47.890 --> 00:18:49.809 you're a very, very smart group, so what I want 00:18:49.809 --> 00:18:52.490 you to do is if you see the word gain or loss, 00:18:52.589 --> 00:18:54.750 circle it in your notes. I just want you to visually 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:57.190 see this. Circle it, circle it, gain, loss, gain, 00:18:57.349 --> 00:18:59.630 loss, gain, loss. When you see the word consider, 00:18:59.849 --> 00:19:02.910 put a box around it. It's going to open up the 00:19:02.910 --> 00:19:05.789 whole text. What he's going to say is, like an 00:19:05.789 --> 00:19:09.450 accountant doing a forensic audit, I've looked 00:19:09.450 --> 00:19:11.990 at all of the religion, and I look at my relationship 00:19:11.990 --> 00:19:14.990 with Christ, and now here's what it is. Here's 00:19:14.990 --> 00:19:18.150 the gains, the surpassing value of knowing Christ. 00:19:18.309 --> 00:19:20.210 And the word for knowing here is an intimate, 00:19:20.309 --> 00:19:24.569 deep, rich, personal relationship. It's the opposite 00:19:24.569 --> 00:19:29.329 of knowing about God. We have, I believe, millions 00:19:29.329 --> 00:19:31.369 of people in the church, even an evangelical 00:19:31.369 --> 00:19:34.210 church, that know a lot about God and have a 00:19:34.210 --> 00:19:36.609 very unconscious mindset of what makes them right 00:19:36.609 --> 00:19:39.230 with God. I come to church very regularly. I 00:19:39.230 --> 00:19:43.099 read my Bible. Some, I pray when I can. I pray 00:19:43.099 --> 00:19:45.319 to prayer at one time. And what they're really 00:19:45.319 --> 00:19:48.039 trusting in is what they're doing. But if you 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:50.819 ask them, do you have a rich, deep, intimate 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:53.559 relationship? Do you have a passion in your heart 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:57.539 to get to know? Do you enjoy Jesus? Is there 00:19:57.539 --> 00:20:01.799 a sense of growth and intimacy? Some of them 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:06.980 don't even know what you're talking about. This 00:20:06.980 --> 00:20:09.890 is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And you've 00:20:09.890 --> 00:20:11.529 been listening to part one of Chip's message, 00:20:11.670 --> 00:20:14.690 Finding Hope, from our series, I Choose Hope. 00:20:15.049 --> 00:20:17.170 Chip will be back shortly to share some helpful 00:20:17.170 --> 00:20:20.230 application for us to think about. In times of 00:20:20.230 --> 00:20:22.920 uncertainty, where do you turn for hope? And 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.200 how confident are you in your source of comfort 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:28.319 to provide the stability you desire? As Chip 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:30.900 teaches through Philippians chapter 3, he'll 00:20:30.900 --> 00:20:33.039 share what God has to say about our fears about 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:35.799 the future and how feeling secure is possible 00:20:35.799 --> 00:20:39.319 even when anxiety comes. Learn how to embrace 00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:42.019 a more resilient hope that will help you face 00:20:42.019 --> 00:20:45.710 each day with certainty and peace. Well, Chip's 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:47.930 back in studio with me now. And Chip, according 00:20:47.930 --> 00:20:51.049 to the studies by Barna and Pew, hypocrisy is 00:20:51.049 --> 00:20:54.009 the top reason unbelievers criticize or reject 00:20:54.009 --> 00:20:56.809 Christianity. So take a minute, if you wouldn't, 00:20:56.809 --> 00:21:00.049 explain why this is such a prevalent issue and 00:21:00.049 --> 00:21:02.869 how believers can respond well to it. Well, Dave, 00:21:03.049 --> 00:21:06.230 I get that. I almost miss the Lord Jesus because 00:21:06.230 --> 00:21:09.230 I grew up in a church that Christians didn't 00:21:09.230 --> 00:21:11.289 live like Christians. And there was hypocrisy 00:21:11.289 --> 00:21:14.369 everywhere. And so I decided to opt out. And 00:21:14.369 --> 00:21:16.589 I think that's where a lot of people are. And 00:21:16.589 --> 00:21:18.690 I'm thankful that I found people who lived out 00:21:18.690 --> 00:21:21.069 their faith. And so what we need to understand 00:21:21.069 --> 00:21:24.789 is that following Jesus is a radical choice and 00:21:24.789 --> 00:21:27.430 it's a radical way of living. And what we at 00:21:27.430 --> 00:21:29.789 Living on the Edge want to do is help people 00:21:29.789 --> 00:21:32.670 connect that weekend experience of I went to 00:21:32.670 --> 00:21:35.750 church to... How do you live out Monday and that 00:21:35.750 --> 00:21:38.170 time of maybe reading the Bible when you felt 00:21:38.170 --> 00:21:41.170 spiritual to how do I treat my wife or my husband 00:21:41.170 --> 00:21:43.549 or what's it look like to be a single person 00:21:43.549 --> 00:21:47.069 in a sex -saturated world? People need help and 00:21:47.069 --> 00:21:50.390 guidance to navigate dilemmas, cultural pressures, 00:21:50.589 --> 00:21:53.670 and know how to honor God. People need someone 00:21:53.670 --> 00:21:56.440 in their corner who says, This is what scripture 00:21:56.440 --> 00:21:59.579 says. This is how much God loves you. Don't take 00:21:59.579 --> 00:22:03.059 the easy route. The road is narrow, but the rewards 00:22:03.059 --> 00:22:05.940 are so great in this life and in the life to 00:22:05.940 --> 00:22:10.049 come. We long, God longs, in fact, I think unbelievers 00:22:10.049 --> 00:22:12.390 long for Christians to live like Christians. 00:22:12.589 --> 00:22:15.769 When you support Living on the Edge, you're joining 00:22:15.769 --> 00:22:19.289 a movement of God to help break the cycle of 00:22:19.289 --> 00:22:22.109 hypocrisy. Join us during this mid -year match. 00:22:22.329 --> 00:22:25.710 Give as God leads you, and let's be those kind 00:22:25.710 --> 00:22:28.309 of Christians, and let's help others do the same. 00:22:28.680 --> 00:22:31.059 Good word, Chip. If you want to be part of our 00:22:31.059 --> 00:22:33.359 mission to authentically disciple God's people 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:36.279 worldwide, partner with us during our mid -year 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:39.539 match. From now until June 30th, every gift we 00:22:39.539 --> 00:22:42.559 receive will be doubled dollar for dollar. To 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:45.059 learn how you can support us, go to livingontheedge 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:51.819 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 00:22:51.819 --> 00:22:58.670 -6003 or visit livingontheedge .org. tap donate. 00:22:58.910 --> 00:23:01.210 And thanks in advance for doing whatever God 00:23:01.210 --> 00:23:05.589 leads you to do. As we wrap up today's program, 00:23:05.890 --> 00:23:09.329 what I know for sure is many, many of you or 00:23:09.329 --> 00:23:12.170 some of your closest friends or family members 00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:16.490 need hope. I mean, they really need hope. I mean, 00:23:16.509 --> 00:23:18.849 whether it's economic issues, marriage issues, 00:23:19.069 --> 00:23:22.890 divorce, separation, drug addictions, loss of 00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:26.329 a job. I mean, there's times in our life that 00:23:26.329 --> 00:23:29.170 is so devastating and we can get discouraged 00:23:29.170 --> 00:23:33.329 and we lose perspective. And the Lord Jesus wants 00:23:33.329 --> 00:23:35.589 you to know and the people that you love, he 00:23:35.589 --> 00:23:39.900 wants to give you hope. In fact, our hope quotient 00:23:39.900 --> 00:23:42.500 might be the most important thing because if 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:44.759 you're discouraged, we don't trust. If you're 00:23:44.759 --> 00:23:47.660 discouraged, you're not motivated. I love what 00:23:47.660 --> 00:23:50.559 my friend Ray Johnson says in his book, The Hope 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:53.140 Quotient. He says, people, this is research, 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:56.640 people that have a high hope quotient, people 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.400 that have a sense that the future is bright, 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:01.880 that God is in control, that regardless of what 00:24:01.880 --> 00:24:04.710 I go through, he's going to help me. They have 00:24:04.710 --> 00:24:07.490 more satisfying relationships. They're more productive. 00:24:07.730 --> 00:24:09.829 They're less affected by stress. They're more 00:24:09.829 --> 00:24:12.289 successful. They're more satisfied. They're more 00:24:12.289 --> 00:24:14.750 compassionate. They're more willing to help people. 00:24:14.869 --> 00:24:17.630 They have higher ethical standards. And they're 00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:21.450 more likely to see God as a loving, caring, and 00:24:21.450 --> 00:24:24.250 forgiving God. And so what I want you to know 00:24:24.250 --> 00:24:27.170 as we launch into this series and as we begin 00:24:27.170 --> 00:24:31.220 to learn about hope. God wants to give it to 00:24:31.220 --> 00:24:33.640 you. In fact, are you ready for this? He's already 00:24:33.640 --> 00:24:36.799 given it to you. And so it's a matter of perspective. 00:24:36.900 --> 00:24:40.660 It's a matter of beginning to lean into, and 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:43.700 it grows out of not circumstances being wonderful 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:47.460 and right and everything going your way. As we 00:24:47.460 --> 00:24:50.299 learn from the Apostle Paul, it happens when 00:24:50.920 --> 00:24:54.240 We're rooted deeply and intimately with the anchor 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:57.140 of our hope, the Lord Jesus Himself. That's my 00:24:57.140 --> 00:25:00.079 prayer for you today. Lean in to the Lord Jesus. 00:25:00.440 --> 00:25:03.819 Draw near to Him in the midst of your pain, your 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:06.579 suffering, and your discouragement. And here's 00:25:06.579 --> 00:25:10.359 the promise, and He will draw near to you. good 00:25:10.359 --> 00:25:13.380 reminder chip and as we close i want you to know 00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:16.460 that as a staff we ask the lord to help you take 00:25:16.460 --> 00:25:19.380 whatever your next faith step is now if there's 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:21.859 a way we can help we'd love to do that give us 00:25:21.859 --> 00:25:26.980 a call at 888 -333 -6003 or connect with us at 00:25:26.980 --> 00:25:30.380 livingontheedge .org. And while you're there, 00:25:30.460 --> 00:25:32.099 take a moment and look through our resources 00:25:32.099 --> 00:25:35.000 on various topics, many of them absolutely free. 00:25:35.339 --> 00:25:37.680 Well, join us next time as Chip continues his 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:41.039 series, I Choose Hope. Until then, I'm Dave Drewy, 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:43.000 thanking you for listening to this edition of 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:44.180 Living on the Edge.