You know, we're so used to popping a pill for
the aches and pains of life, we've completely
lost sight of the fact that sometimes it takes
real pain and real suffering to get the things
that matter most. What if God wants to leverage
the most difficult thing in your life to give
you something you can't get any other way? That's
today. Stay with me. Thanks for listening to
this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip
Ingram. Living on the Edge is an international
discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians
live like Christians. Over in the middle of our
series, I Choose Hope, how to face your future
with confidence. So if you've missed any part
of our study in Philippians chapter 3, check
out the Chip and Romana. Well, today Chip walks
through the intentional steps you can take to
develop a deep, meaningful connection to Jesus.
So if you're ready, grab your Bible and settle
in for the second half of Chip's talk, Experiencing
Hope. The way the Apostle Paul is going to teach
us that we experience the resurrected power is
out of our weakness. Romans 8 verse 11 says,
but if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from
the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ
from the dead will also give life to your mortal
bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.
In other words, the same power that raised Christ
from the dead, when you turn from your sin, ask
Christ to forgive you, come into your life, the
same power, the same spirit lives inside of you.
So you should expect supernatural things to happen.
And then what he's going to say is, but the way
those supernatural things happen is a recognition
that what you need is his strength or you need
his power in the midst of your weakness. Most
of us, Just our mental, human, fleshly bent is
that I'm going to make it by what I do and this
is what I can accomplish. He's going to say the
flip with God is it's when you come in humility
and admit you can't. The 12 steppers have a lot
to teach us on that one. Bill Wilson, by the
way, was a believer. Anybody know what the first
step is? I'm absolutely powerless. I can't do
this. I can't overcome this addiction. Well,
guess what? You can't overcome forgiving someone
either. You can't overcome your fear of failure.
You can't overcome your family of origin. You
can't overcome your fear about the economy. You
can't overcome what's going to happen to your
kids. Right? Can you really? So what the Apostle
Paul is, he has this difficult situation. Three
times he prays. God says, no, no, no. And then
in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, notice what he says.
God, you have said no to me when I've asked you
to remove this difficulty, this tribulation,
some physical issue. Therefore, I'm well content
with weakness, with insults, with distresses,
with persecutions, with difficulties. Did you
notice they're all plural? For Christ's sake.
Why? For when I am weak, then I am strong. So
Paul says, Wow, in a suffering, fallen world,
I want to experience your power. I've asked you
to deliver me out of it. Make everything great.
Make everything right. And God said no in this
case. He doesn't always say no. Sometimes he
does the very, very miraculous. So Paul says,
okay, therefore, I'm going to be well content.
I mean, it's not just I'm going to get through
it. I'm going to have a sense of settled peace,
the difficulties, persecutions. Distresses? Because
when I'm weak, then I'm strong, he explains.
And God said to him, my grace is sufficient for
you for power is perfected in weakness. Most
gladly, therefore, I'll rather boast about my
weakness so the power of Christ may dwell in
me. Power is perfected in weakness. God's power
shows up. in supernatural ways, when his children
say, I can't do this. I can't make this relationship
work. I can't change my supervisor. I can't get
inside my kid's head or my parent's head and
get them to see things the way they ought to.
I can't break this habit. I have unresolved anger
issues. And then, Power is perfected in weakness.
The first step to experience God's power is,
Lord, help me. Remember Peter? What happens?
Very short prayer. Peter is sinking. What's he
cry out? Help me. David, who really messed up,
the Lord is near to the brokenhearted. He saves
those who are crushed in spirit. This is an unfortunate
truth. you will probably never experience the
love of God and the power of God more than at
a time when you come not to a hard situation,
but when it gets impossible. And it's like, hands
up, I can't do this. I can't do this a single
more moment. I can't do this. And then you cry
out, oh God, deliver me. And he may deliver you
out of it. He may deliver you through it. He
may change you in radical ways. One of my closest
friends went through, I think, and this is Chip
Ingram's opinion, there could be worse things.
I just can't think of any. His grown son, prime
of life, committed suicide. In a moment, had
some bipolar stuff going on. And I've watched
that man's life change more in the last two years
out of his pain, out of his suffering. I've seen
God's power. Because in his deep, deep distress,
he was reading the Bible before, but he was listening
a lot better now. He was praying before, but
now once a week he drives out near where he and
his son would spend some time, special time,
and he looks out over this and he just pours
his heart out to God. And guess what? He's met
Jesus. He's met the power of God and the comfort
of God and the grace of God and the patience
of God. And he's had deep, deep down valleys.
And he's a big former athlete and not known for
tears, not known for being overly sensitive.
That's probably why we get along. No comment,
please. And I've watched a sensitivity and a
crying and an emotion. that's transformed him.
But if it's trying hard and Jesus, will you give
me a little help? You'll never experience his
power. How could you take where you're feeling
hopeless and admit today, I can't do this. Second,
not just his power in our weakness, but his presence
in our pain. We are a society in the Western
world, especially in America, that any... type
of suffering or pain is to be avoided at all
costs. If I could make one television rule, you
could never advertise drugs ever again. It makes
me nuts. It makes me nuts. No matter what's happening
to you, there's a new drug. And then, of course,
you know, 67 seconds of all the byproducts. It'll,
you know, deep constipation. Many people have
died from this. Liver problems. You may finally
have suicidal thoughts. And why the B -roll,
right? The B -roll is, you know, they're having
fun. But the point, here's the point. It's not
the drugs. The point is this message. If you
ever have suffering physically, mentally, in
other way, there's a pill. There's a sweet, quick
solution. You have been called for this purpose,
says 1 Peter. You've been called for this purpose,
to suffer with him. In the end of chapter 1,
he said, it has been granted to you, the word
is grace. God has given you this grace, not only
to believe in him, but also to suffer for his
sake, experiencing the same conflict which you
heard and now see to be in me. Now, this is not
a masochistic, there's plenty of suffering that's
going to come your way. But if unconsciously
your worldview is all suffering, all difficulty,
all pain, is I've got to avoid it all cost or
I've got to just get through it, I've got to
zoom through it, you will miss God. You will
miss God. Some of the suffering that you're in,
someone else did it to you. Some of it you brought
on yourself like me. Some of it, it's just a
fallen world. You don't have... You can't, the
economy, the politics, the racism, the tension,
the work situations, you don't have control of
all that. Here's what I'm going to tell you though.
And you guys know this, so just turn on those
really smart brains of yours. Everybody in this
room is going to go through a life that's really,
really hard and you're going to suffer. True
or false? I mean, if you haven't had some major
health issue, just hang on. If someone hasn't
betrayed you that you really trusted yet, just
hold your breath. If you don't get like a raw
deal of injustice somewhere, somewhere, if one
of your kids don't really disappoint you or God
doesn't come through and bring Mr. Right or Ms.
Right into your life, if you don't experience
it in church, well, you're an anomaly. Some of
the worst things I've ever seen happen among
church people. But here's my point. We're all
going to suffer. You know what Paul says? In
a fallen world where suffering is going to come
at the hands of others, persecution, at times
for doing exactly what God wants me to do, he
says, I don't want to waste it. I was with Jesus.
And when I was with Jesus, there's something
that happens when someone goes through it with
you. Notice his experience. His experience is...
2 Corinthians 4, verses 7 through 12. He says,
but we have this treasure, this spirit living
within us, this gospel, this new life in earth
and vessels, speaking of this human body, so
that the surpassing greatness of, what are we
back to? The power will be of God and not from
ourselves. Now listen to this list. This is his
life experience. We are afflicted in every way,
but not crushed. We are perplexed. but not despairing.
Persecuted, but not forsaken. Struck down, but
not destroyed. Always caring about in the body
the dying of Jesus. Notice his purpose clause.
So that the life of Jesus also may be manifested
in our body. What he's saying is, I've just been
doing exactly what God wants me to do. And you
name it, we've been there. It's bad, bad, bad,
bad, bad, and a little worse. But in the midst
of it, God is, hey, not struck down, not giving
in, not giving up. And as we die to ourselves
and we ask God, what do you want this to look
like in the midst of my suffering? The manifestation
of the life of Christ. He says, I'm experiencing
that. Notice he says, Jesus also being manifested
in our body. For we who live are constantly being
delivered over to death for Jesus. Say, why?
So that the life of Jesus may also be manifested
in our mortal bodies. So that death works in
us, but life in you. My friend I was telling
you about, death is working in him. And now I've
watched life in family members. I've watched,
he has a heart for evangelism and he's just a
bold human being. And so he came to my office
a little bit before all the things with his son.
And he said, he calls me, bro. Hey, bro, I need
some good stuff. I meet all these people. They
got all these needs. And he kind of went through,
okay, give me those three CDs on that. Give me
a couple of books on that. Give me three CDs
on that. And so he kind of cleaned out part of
my closet and he puts them in the back of his
truck. I can't tell you. I bet there's been 50,
60, maybe 100 people in two years that have seen
the baptism of his son coming to Christ, heard
his story, him listen to them and their clients,
and he's handed either a CD or a book. And he
says, I only give it to the ones that I know
are serious. Death in him, life to others. And
then he tells me this. He goes, man, he played
major college. He was a quarterback at a big
school. He said, man, I've experienced some highs.
It doesn't get any better than this, does it?
I mean, it's like when Jesus is like going right
through your veins and you realize it's not you.
This is what Paul's talking about. What are you
suffering? The theology of it. He says, yeah,
thanks be to God, Romans 5. We're justified by
faith and we exalt or boast in this brand new
relationship. It's our introduction into grace.
But not only this. I also exalt. Do you understand
the mindset that's so different than us? I exalt
in the tribulation that I'm going through. Why?
Because tribulation produces endurance. What's
endurance? I just keep getting up and doing the
same thing when it's hard and I don't feel like
it. And what's endurance do over time? It produces
proven character. What's that? It means your
attitudes change as you hold up under that by
the grace of God. And proven character doesn't
disappoint because what? It produces hope. And
hope doesn't disappoint because the love of God
has been poured out into our hearts. And what
he's giving us is a theology of suffering and
difficulty in a fallen world. That as you trust
in him and as you persevere and you say, Lord,
I can't do this, but will you be near me? Oh
God, one more day of work and I hate this job.
Oh God, I know this marriage counseling is the
worst idea in the whole world. I can't stand
facing all this stuff, but I'm not giving up.
I'm not giving out and I'm not dropping out.
And as you do that, change happens. And the change
happens in you. And the change produces this
unswerving hope in your life that you realize,
wow, God is real and he's with me. You're listening
to Living on the Edge, and Chip will be back
in just a minute to finish today's talk. But
quickly, this program is supported by the generosity
of listeners like you. And right now, during
our mid -year match, it's a great time to partner
with us. Between now and June 30th, every gift
we receive will be doubled dollar for dollar.
You can give today by going to livingontheedge
.org or by calling 888 - 333 -6003. Well, with
that, here again is Chip to continue his message.
My wife got cancer. It's very serious. They did
major operations and, you know, then they did
radiation, all this high -powered stuff. And
thank God for Kaiser, Stanford. Everybody did
an amazing, amazing job. But here's what I can
tell you about suffering. If you go through something
deep and scary with someone you really love,
however much you thought you loved them, it goes
to a whole new level. I will never forget driving
her after all that to each radiation treatment,
and they did some new high -powered thing that
just... And every single time, we would leave,
and we would pull into a little coffee shop,
and she would sit in the car like this. And I
would go in and get two cups of dark roast, of
course. And then they had little oatmeal cookies,
and they said, would you like it heated? I said,
please. And I would take my little oatmeal cookie,
and I'd give her coffee, and we would break it
in half. And I didn't know if I'd have a few
more weeks, a few more months, or a few more
years. But I can tell you this, that moment,
those journeys together, There was a love and
intimacy that I've shared with my wife that God
has allowed to continue that could have never
happened. Now, my hand goes up. Lord, I would
like to be on the list of no more cancer ever.
And then my hand goes up and say, Lord, it's
horrendous, but I wouldn't want to miss that.
What I share with her. And what Paul is saying
is, this is what I want to share with Jesus.
But do you see behind all of this? There's this
passion. There's this focus. There's this sense
that, you know, Paul has been there and done
that. If getting famous or being smart or getting
in the right school or wealth or how your kids
turn out or all that, if all that could be a
hope that would satisfy, he'd been there and
done all that stuff. He's saying, this is what
matters. Finally, he says the life, the life
we can experience in our death. He's really talking
here about coming to that point where I'm going
to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus' death.
And here's his theology. In fact, you could read
all of Romans 6. But verse 4 says, Therefore,
we've been buried with him through baptism into
death, so that as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so too
we might walk in newness of life. And then here's
his theology. For if we become united with him
in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall
also be in the likeness of his resurrection,
knowing as a fact that our old self, the old
Paul, the old Chip, the old you, was crucified
with him. Why? In order that the body of sin
or sin's power over us might be done away so
that we're no longer slaves to sin, for he who's
died is freed from sin. There's a lot there.
Here's all I want you to get. There is a mystical
union that when you turn from your sin and recognize
I fall short of the glory of God and you repent
and you turn toward God and say, I can never
be made righteous, but I accept the gift of Christ
on the cross and his resurrection to pay for
my sin, come into my life. Now I want to walk
with you. There's a mystical union. The moment
you do that, I don't understand it. And if anyone
can explain it, they're probably lying. I don't
think they can either. But what he says is that
we're united. We're actually in Christ in his
death so that when he died, your sins, your past,
bam, sin, death, Satan, broken power, you're
resurrected with him. So you're in this real
spiritual union with the living God. That's the
theology. And so notice what he, here's his practice.
His practice is Galatians 2 .20. He says, see,
I don't have to sin anymore. I still do, but
I don't have to because I've been set free. Here's
Galatians 2 .20. Here's how he lives each and
every day to experience. I am crucified with
Christ. I have been crucified with Christ. Notice,
it happened. And it's no longer I who live. In
other words, I have new life in me. The old Chip,
the old you, the old Paul, Saul died. But Christ
now lives in me, and the life which I now live
in the flesh, in your body, I live by, uh -oh,
there's our word, by faith in the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself up for me. Paul's
living every day with the reality that what is
really true of me is this. When I trusted in
Christ, the old me died. I was raised with him.
His spirit actually that raised Christ from the
dead dwells inside of me. I now have complete
access to God. God the Father sees me like he
sees God the Son, fully righteous in my position.
And now I'm on this journey of experiencing his
power in my weakness, experiencing his pain.
His presence in my pain. And I'm being changed
so that I can come to that thing that you identified
and said, I feel hopeless about my marriage.
I feel hopeless about my future finances. I feel
hopeless about will we ever have children. I
feel hopeless about, and I can invite Jesus in
and say, I can't solve this. I can't manipulate
it. I can't get people to do what I want. In
my weakness, will you give me help? I don't even
know what that looks like. And until or through
in the presence of the difficulty and the pain
that I feel, I want to experience you. And what
I will tell you is that as you read the Psalms
and read the Gospels, that's where I would go
if you're suffering. And as you look at the life
of Jesus and you say, will you help me know you
that way? You will experience hope, not just
know about it. Will you pray with me? Lord, I
thank you so much. I confess, I want to be the
first to get in line, to run to the front of
the line and confess to you that I know a lot
more than I experience, that I can explain this
better than I can live it. But Lord, I also,
I kneel here before you and my brothers and sisters,
and I would tell you, I have experienced you
in ways I never dreamed. I've seen supernatural
things in my life, around my life, in this church,
and through people that there's no explanation
but you. And God, I thank you for your comfort
and your love and your transformation. That's
what I long for. That's what you long for, for
every man, every woman, every student right now.
Can I ask you, just in a moment of silence as
we close, just to say, Lord, what... What's the
next step for me? And just listen quietly. Lord,
what's a step toward you look like? You're listening
to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and the
message you just heard, experiencing hope, is
from our series, I Choose Hope. Chip will join
us in studio to share some insights from today's
talk in just a minute. In times of uncertainty,
where do you turn for hope? And how confident
are you in your source of comfort to provide
the stability you desire? As Chip teaches through
Philippians chapter 3, he'll share what God has
to say about our fears about the future and how
feeling secure is possible even when anxiety
comes. Learn how to embrace a more resilient
hope that will help you face each day with certainty
and peace. Well, Chip's with me in studio now.
And Chip, the most recent research underlines
a profound truth. The most powerful influence
in a person's life is their family. And that's
why we're committed to supporting godly marriages
and empowering moms and dads to make a difference
in their children's lives. So, Chip, would you
take a minute and elaborate on this crucial battle
we're in? Absolutely, Dave. In fact, I remember
one of my mentors, Professor Howard Hendricks,
once said, the centerpiece of any society is
not the government, schools, or even the church.
It's the family. And because of that, God -honoring
families are in the crosshairs of the enemy.
Couples today are struggling with communication,
often feeling isolated in their marriages, bombarded
by social media. And then as parents, they feel
ill -equipped to navigate the complex challenges
of all the things that are coming at their kids,
gender issues and sexuality issues and challenges
from all directions. Parents are longing for
help. And often these are the kind of issues
that don't get spoken to directly. or biblically
in the local church because they're so controversial.
So we at Living on the Edge are committed to
helping create healthy families, which starts
with equipping parents and strengthening marriages.
Your support fuels the resources and events that
build stronger, more resilient families that
are rooted in God's Word. Do you believe in the
power of strong, faith -filled families to shape
the future? If so, this is where your investment
will make a tangible, long -term difference now
and in the days ahead. Thanks for whatever God
leads you to do as we strengthen families all
across America. But if you aren't yet on the
team, now is a great time to become a financial
partner. Thanks to a handful of ministry friends,
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gift, visit livingontheedge .org or call us at
888 -333 -6003. Again, that's 888 -333 -6003
or go to livingontheedge .org. App listeners,
tap donate. As we wrap up today's program, I
confess to you that this is a really heavy message.
I mean, there is so much pain and suffering,
and sometimes it feels overwhelming. And, you
know, it just can seem like right now the world
is spinning out of control, and it's so difficult
and so hard. And I want you to know that there's
hope in the midst of that pain. That's what the
Apostle Paul was talking about when he said,
I want to know him. the power of his resurrection,
and the koinonia, or the fellowship of his suffering.
In Romans 5, he says not only that, but exalt
in my tribulation. And then he says, because
why? He says there's this process God uses in
a fallen world. tribulation brings about perseverance.
You just hang in there. And then as you hang
in there and you persevere proven character,
God actually changes you. And proven character
leads to hope. Because what you realize is that
even though the external world may not change,
God actually changes you. And hope doesn't disappoint
because in the midst of your dependency and your
pain and your suffering, he pours out the Holy
Spirit in your heart. I think so many people
are deeply, deeply disappointed with God because
they're expecting God to do things He never promised.
The Apostle Paul told us in the end of chapter
1, it has been granted to us as a gift not only
to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His
sake. The theology of suffering, especially here
in the West, when I go to the Middle East, believe
me, they get it. When I go to China, believe
me, they get it. But the theology of suffering
somehow is almost completely missing from our
prosperity -oriented mindset about God. And I
know I'm speaking to some people right now that
you're angry at God or disappointed with God
and your arms are crossed or you even turned
away from God because, you know, you went to
church and you prayed and maybe even gave a tithe.
And you know what? Your marriage didn't work
out or your kids made some bad decisions and
you're blaming God. I want you to know that he
never promised all that would happen. What he
promised is that he would love you and never
leave you and be with you in it and through it.
And he wouldn't always deliver you out of things,
but he would deliver you through everything as
you trust him. And that's what the Apostle Paul
is teaching us. It's in trusting and loving God
in the midst of it all. that our lives are transformed
and changed. And honestly, the greatest testimony
to the outside world is not that you drive a
nice car, have a big house, have a great job,
and it looks like you have it all together. The
greatest testimony is the reality of Christ in
the midst of the most difficult issues of life,
the cancer, the divorce, the unexpected car wreck,
when there's no explanation other than a supernatural
hope in your heart and in your life. I want you
to know that God will be there for you. Run to
him. The scripture says you have need of endurance
so that once you've done the will of God, you
might receive what is promised. And Lord, it
is so hard to endure for some right now. I pray
in the name of your Son and by the power of your
Holy Spirit that each person listening to my
voice at this very moment might be given the
grace to just endure, to hang on. And then, Lord,
I pray that you reveal yourself in power and
in comfort and in fortitude. In Jesus' name,
amen. Amen, Chip. That's an encouraging word
that'll speak to a lot of people. And if you're
in a painful season right now, we'd love to pray
for you. We sincerely care about what's going
on in your life. So call us at 888 -333 -6003.
And a member of our team would love to pray for
you. That's 888 -333 -6003. Or if it's easier,
email us at chip at livingontheedge .org. Again,
that's chip at livingontheedge .org. Well, until
next time, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for
listening to this edition of Living on the Edge.