WEBVTT 00:00:01.129 --> 00:00:04.870 What is the pathway to true spiritual maturity? 00:00:05.250 --> 00:00:08.449 Is it a special experience that once you have 00:00:08.449 --> 00:00:11.269 it, you become mature? Or is it reading the Bible 00:00:11.269 --> 00:00:14.070 and praying longer than anyone else? Or what 00:00:14.070 --> 00:00:17.210 if it's something completely different than all 00:00:17.210 --> 00:00:19.629 of that? That's today on Living on the Edge. 00:00:19.649 --> 00:00:23.949 Stay with me. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:23.949 --> 00:00:27.420 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We are an international 00:00:27.420 --> 00:00:30.260 discipleship ministry devoted to helping Christians 00:00:30.260 --> 00:00:32.719 worldwide live out their faith for the glory 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:35.640 of God and the benefit of all people. Now, you 00:00:35.640 --> 00:00:38.479 may be asking yourself, what does being an authentic, 00:00:38.700 --> 00:00:41.100 mature Christian have to do with the idea of 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:44.100 hope? Well, Chip will tell us today as he dives 00:00:44.100 --> 00:00:46.960 back into our series, I Choose Hope. But before 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:49.659 we begin, let me encourage you to try using Chip's 00:00:49.659 --> 00:00:52.060 message notes while you listen. They contain 00:00:52.060 --> 00:00:55.039 his outline, the scripture he uses, and key fill 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:57.320 -ins to help you remember and apply what you 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:00.079 hear. Download them under the broadcasts tab 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:03.780 at livingontheedge .org. App listeners tap fill 00:01:03.780 --> 00:01:06.620 -in notes. Okay, here again is Chip with his 00:01:06.620 --> 00:01:10.700 talk, Pursuing Hope. We've been talking about 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:13.920 finding hope, experiencing hope, and now we're 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:16.659 going to talk about pursuing hope. Open your 00:01:16.659 --> 00:01:19.430 Bibles to Philippians chapter 3. We're going 00:01:19.430 --> 00:01:21.849 to look at verses 12 through 16 in just a minute. 00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:26.030 But at the heart of finding hope is a spiritual 00:01:26.030 --> 00:01:30.109 pathway to God, some way of spiritual development 00:01:30.109 --> 00:01:33.069 or spiritual maturity. That is what's going to 00:01:33.069 --> 00:01:36.489 give us lasting, deep hope. And so there's a 00:01:36.489 --> 00:01:40.030 pursuit. And what I want to do in our time here 00:01:40.030 --> 00:01:43.010 is I want to give you four examples because this 00:01:43.010 --> 00:01:47.469 gets tricky. This pursuit of hope through a spiritual 00:01:47.469 --> 00:01:51.250 pathway, even among Christians, has some real 00:01:51.250 --> 00:01:54.010 potholes here and there that I watch believers 00:01:54.010 --> 00:01:57.209 go down this direction or that direction and 00:01:57.209 --> 00:02:00.689 often get very disillusioned with God. Because 00:02:00.689 --> 00:02:03.109 either they think he's expecting something of 00:02:03.109 --> 00:02:05.430 them that he's not, or they're expecting something 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:08.469 to happen that's not realistic. And so they say, 00:02:08.490 --> 00:02:11.849 I've pursued lasting deep hope in a relationship 00:02:11.849 --> 00:02:15.550 with Christ, and quote, it doesn't work. Let 00:02:15.550 --> 00:02:18.270 me share four, I think they're rather sad stories, 00:02:18.370 --> 00:02:20.900 but I want to give you a spectrum. The first 00:02:20.900 --> 00:02:23.900 one is a young gal that I knew many years ago. 00:02:23.960 --> 00:02:27.300 She was a co -ed engineering major, very bright, 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:29.620 went to one of the finest academic institutions 00:02:29.620 --> 00:02:34.020 in all of America. She came home after six or 00:02:34.020 --> 00:02:36.620 eight months and told me that she was kind of 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:38.520 dissatisfied with our church. She was dissatisfied 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:42.060 with her parents. She had met a group there on 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:44.620 campus that really understood the deeper things. 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.840 And she began to talk to me about the shortcomings 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:50.400 of our church and most Christians everywhere 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:53.379 and this new group. And she said, I've learned 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:55.860 the deeper teaching. And then she looked me right 00:02:55.860 --> 00:02:58.520 in the eye and she said, I have learned the secret 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:01.520 of the deeper teaching is I don't sin anymore. 00:03:02.729 --> 00:03:06.430 And I remember going, no, no. I said, so, I mean, 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:08.610 you, you don't have a bad thought. You don't 00:03:08.610 --> 00:03:11.310 have a bad attitude. Nothing comes out of your 00:03:11.310 --> 00:03:14.569 mouth. You never do anything wrong. You are sinless. 00:03:14.590 --> 00:03:17.770 Like you're perfect now. And she sat very calmly 00:03:17.770 --> 00:03:20.590 and, and sort of this kind of weird stupor and 00:03:20.590 --> 00:03:24.469 said, yes. And she went on to share a Christian 00:03:24.469 --> 00:03:27.949 cult. And by God's grace, I remember years later, 00:03:27.990 --> 00:03:31.069 she was delivered out of it. The second example 00:03:31.069 --> 00:03:34.810 is of a teammate that I had many years ago. We 00:03:34.810 --> 00:03:36.770 were playing basketball together, traveling throughout 00:03:36.770 --> 00:03:39.370 South America. And great guy, great friends. 00:03:39.590 --> 00:03:41.870 He was another point guard. So we hung out, roomed 00:03:41.870 --> 00:03:43.830 together on the road. And we're in all these 00:03:43.830 --> 00:03:46.090 different countries and had deep talks at night. 00:03:46.229 --> 00:03:48.810 And, you know, two young guys. And I remember 00:03:48.810 --> 00:03:50.789 one night, kind of, I think he felt really open. 00:03:50.909 --> 00:03:52.969 And he began to really share his heart. And he 00:03:52.969 --> 00:03:55.469 goes, Chip, I really like you. And, you know, 00:03:55.490 --> 00:03:57.969 we're really good friends. And, you know what, 00:03:57.990 --> 00:04:00.509 you're just missing out. And I said, well, wow, 00:04:00.569 --> 00:04:04.129 what do you mean? And he said, I have an experience 00:04:04.129 --> 00:04:06.289 and you can have this experience. And I have 00:04:06.289 --> 00:04:09.610 six airtight passages from scripture. And when 00:04:09.610 --> 00:04:12.189 you do exactly what I say, according to these 00:04:12.189 --> 00:04:15.110 six passages, you will experience a power like 00:04:15.110 --> 00:04:17.470 never before. And then he talked about all the 00:04:17.470 --> 00:04:19.050 things that would happen in my life. And he cared 00:04:19.050 --> 00:04:21.329 about me. And this is the experience. And if 00:04:21.329 --> 00:04:24.009 you don't have this experience, second rate Christian 00:04:24.009 --> 00:04:28.930 will never amount to anything. The third. spiritual 00:04:28.930 --> 00:04:34.509 pathway that was to give lasting hope was I had 00:04:34.509 --> 00:04:36.930 an elderly friend who had a daughter that was 00:04:36.930 --> 00:04:40.670 grown. She was literally a musical genius. She 00:04:40.670 --> 00:04:43.230 went to that most prestigious musical school 00:04:43.230 --> 00:04:45.529 on the East Coast in the entire world, or at 00:04:45.529 --> 00:04:48.389 least they think so. She was finishing up her 00:04:48.389 --> 00:04:51.750 PhD, but she had recently gone to work with her 00:04:51.750 --> 00:04:54.629 husband who worked for a spiritual organization. 00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:57.920 And as she came home on break and met with me 00:04:57.920 --> 00:04:59.639 being a pastor and her parents being involved 00:04:59.639 --> 00:05:02.759 in the church, she was telling me about the vast 00:05:02.759 --> 00:05:07.360 untapped spiritual potential that I could have 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:10.540 if I would go to this weekend seminar that had 00:05:10.540 --> 00:05:13.740 some scientific tests and that they could help 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:17.620 me for a mere $550 at the time spending this 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:20.220 weekend that would transform my spiritual life. 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:24.459 So number one, there's some deeper teaching that 00:05:24.459 --> 00:05:26.420 I can be perfect. Number two, there's an experience 00:05:26.420 --> 00:05:28.800 I need to have. Number three, there's a seminar 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:32.279 with sort of science mixed in about tapping into 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:34.959 the spiritual potential that's in all of us. 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:39.600 And then the fourth was, it was bizarre. I still 00:05:39.600 --> 00:05:42.680 remember reading it in the paper, actually. It 00:05:42.680 --> 00:05:46.459 was the story of a semi -unkept, unsophisticated 00:05:46.459 --> 00:05:48.639 woman who happened to be with research later, 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:53.800 a high school dropout. She exercised a mind -boggling 00:05:53.800 --> 00:05:58.660 control, if you will, over in the Dallas area 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:02.160 at the time of professors, doctors, lawyers. 00:06:02.860 --> 00:06:07.199 She was a spiritual guide. She took them into 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:10.860 various experiences. She actually had some times 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:12.939 and ways where she told them future things that 00:06:12.939 --> 00:06:15.279 were going to happen to them. She assigned a 00:06:15.279 --> 00:06:18.709 spiritual guide to them. And then the police 00:06:18.709 --> 00:06:21.769 in investigating the entire web of manipulation 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:26.069 connected this woman to a series of suicides 00:06:26.069 --> 00:06:28.850 of high -level professionals that were all her 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:32.269 clients who all happened to leave in their will 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:36.629 their money to her. And here's all I want to 00:06:36.629 --> 00:06:38.870 say. What all four of these stories have in common 00:06:38.870 --> 00:06:42.870 is each one of them is linked. All four had a 00:06:42.870 --> 00:06:46.959 pursuit of hope. They had a pursuit of hope. 00:06:47.180 --> 00:06:50.519 They wanted to look at a promising future. They 00:06:50.519 --> 00:06:53.019 wanted to have a sense that progress is certain. 00:06:53.139 --> 00:06:55.860 They wanted to know that life is good. And even 00:06:55.860 --> 00:06:57.480 in the midst of their struggles and their ups 00:06:57.480 --> 00:06:59.720 and their downs, they were looking for hope and 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:01.500 they were looking for it where most people are 00:07:01.500 --> 00:07:03.899 at the end of the day is through a spiritual 00:07:03.899 --> 00:07:06.740 relationship where you become growing and become 00:07:06.740 --> 00:07:09.399 spiritually mature. So here's what I want to 00:07:09.399 --> 00:07:12.639 address. what does it mean to be spiritually 00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:14.839 mature? Because if you're not clear on that, 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:17.160 if you're not clear on exactly what it means 00:07:17.160 --> 00:07:19.779 to be spiritually mature and what it doesn't 00:07:19.779 --> 00:07:21.620 mean to be spiritually mature, and if you're 00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:24.420 not on the right spiritual path, your pursuit 00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:27.420 of hope can take you down some very, very bad 00:07:27.420 --> 00:07:31.160 paths. The apostle Paul is actually going to 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:35.579 answer this question. He's going to define spiritual 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:39.439 authenticity for us. And as he does that, notice 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:43.019 the context here. The context is he's found hope. 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:46.000 But what he knows is as he shares that, that 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:48.720 there's some bad teaching and there's some paths 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.160 that even in what he said, people could go the 00:07:51.160 --> 00:07:53.519 wrong direction. So here's what he's gonna do. 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:57.759 Verses 12 through 16, he's going to explain to 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:01.759 them what spiritual maturity is and what spiritual 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:06.680 maturity is. Is not. Notice what he says. He 00:08:06.680 --> 00:08:08.800 says not that I've already obtained all of this. 00:08:08.819 --> 00:08:10.819 Or I've already been made perfect. Circle the 00:08:10.819 --> 00:08:14.000 word perfect if you will. But I press on to take 00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:17.040 hold of that. For which Christ Jesus took hold 00:08:17.040 --> 00:08:21.199 of me. Will you underline. Take hold of. And 00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.800 take hold of me. It's going to be very very important. 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:26.680 Notice in the next line. Brothers I don't consider 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.480 myself. as having taken hold of it yet is the 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:33.980 idea. But this one thing I do, circle one thing 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:37.879 I do, forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:40.179 to what lies ahead, literally straining forward, 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:43.779 I press on toward the goal, toward the prize 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:48.120 for God, which he has called me heavenward. Straining 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:51.539 forward, he wants to know Christ personally. 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:54.240 He says, I'm on a journey. Now, in your notes, 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:57.919 I want you to write the word disclaimer. What 00:08:57.919 --> 00:08:59.899 he's really saying is, is look, I want to know 00:08:59.899 --> 00:09:02.960 Christ. I'm as passionate or more passionate 00:09:02.960 --> 00:09:07.519 today, 30 years after I met Jesus on the Damascus 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:10.559 road. And we learned that he wanted to know in 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.220 his daily life, not just that someday, some way 00:09:13.220 --> 00:09:15.600 he's going to be resurrected. He wanted to know 00:09:15.600 --> 00:09:18.259 in his daily life. power of the resurrection. 00:09:18.620 --> 00:09:21.980 We talk about experiencing God's strength and 00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:25.500 weakness, overcoming temptation, overcoming the 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:29.899 flesh, overcoming difficulty, seeing God's power 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:33.279 actually work through us in everyday life, giving 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:36.500 us patience for people that make us crazy, giving 00:09:36.500 --> 00:09:38.919 us a generous heart that doesn't come naturally. 00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:41.240 And then he said, not only do I want to experience 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:43.879 the power of his resurrection, I also want to 00:09:43.879 --> 00:09:46.740 know the fellowship of the suffering, that in 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:50.580 the ups and downs and difficulties of life, in 00:09:50.580 --> 00:09:52.480 the pain that you're going to have and I'm going 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:56.700 to have, we are human. We will have pain in relationships. 00:09:57.100 --> 00:09:59.700 We will have pain in our physical bodies. We 00:09:59.700 --> 00:10:01.740 will have disappointments. We will be betrayed. 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:05.620 We will suffer. And what Paul said is I want 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:08.379 to share in, I want to experience the presence 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:12.299 of Christ when I suffer. And whether that suffering 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:15.580 is external and people do it to me, whether I 00:10:15.580 --> 00:10:18.179 experience it internally in the anguish of my 00:10:18.179 --> 00:10:21.179 heart, or whether I suffer because I'm a follower 00:10:21.179 --> 00:10:24.659 of Christ, I want to experience the intimacy 00:10:24.659 --> 00:10:29.210 and the power and the love and the comfort. that 00:10:29.210 --> 00:10:31.730 Jesus promised. And then notice that last line, 00:10:31.789 --> 00:10:35.330 as I am being conformed, progressively transformed 00:10:35.330 --> 00:10:38.929 into the very likeness of Christ in his death. 00:10:40.429 --> 00:10:43.210 You're listening to Living on the Edge. We'll 00:10:43.210 --> 00:10:45.590 get back to our series, I Choose Hope, in just 00:10:45.590 --> 00:10:48.090 a minute. But quickly, I want to remind you that 00:10:48.090 --> 00:10:50.720 we're in the middle of our mid -year match. Thanks 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.500 to a few close ministry friends, every gift we 00:10:53.500 --> 00:10:56.080 receive until June 30th will be matched dollar 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:58.419 for dollar. For more information about how to 00:10:58.419 --> 00:11:01.799 partner with us, go to livingontheedge .org or 00:11:01.799 --> 00:11:06.980 call us at 888 -333 -6003. And thanks for doing 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:10.179 whatever God leads you to do. Well, let's rejoin 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:13.259 Chip now for the remainder of his message. So 00:11:13.259 --> 00:11:14.860 that's his prayer, but here's the misunderstanding. 00:11:16.059 --> 00:11:18.539 Paul, do you have it all together? Paul, have 00:11:18.539 --> 00:11:20.659 you become perfect? So I want you to write the 00:11:20.659 --> 00:11:23.519 word disclaimer. Not that I already have this. 00:11:23.559 --> 00:11:25.840 In other words, I haven't arrived. No sinless 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:28.879 perfection. I haven't been made perfect. The 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:32.340 word means mature. It's a picture of something 00:11:32.340 --> 00:11:36.659 that fulfills its design. It's not perfection 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:40.159 as in without fault or sinless. It's the same 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.700 word in James chapter one, two through four, 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:46.070 where he says, consider it all joy. When you 00:11:46.070 --> 00:11:48.730 encounter various trials, knowing the testing 00:11:48.730 --> 00:11:51.370 of your faith produces endurance and let endurance 00:11:51.370 --> 00:11:55.070 have its perfecting or perfect result, that you 00:11:55.070 --> 00:11:58.370 grow and become mature, lacking in nothing. In 00:11:58.370 --> 00:12:01.490 other words, he says, I don't have it all together. 00:12:01.850 --> 00:12:05.360 I haven't been made sinlessly perfect. but I 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:08.059 press on. In other words, it's a hunting term. 00:12:08.259 --> 00:12:12.539 It's like a hunter who is waiting and then stalking 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:16.120 and then waiting and then stalking. I press on. 00:12:16.179 --> 00:12:18.360 In other words, there's a very clear -cut goal. 00:12:18.539 --> 00:12:21.419 I don't have it all together, but get it? I'm 00:12:21.419 --> 00:12:25.279 progressively on a journey. And here's his passion. 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:29.539 Notice what he says. He says, I want to take 00:12:29.539 --> 00:12:32.740 hold of. It means to reach out, to grasp, to 00:12:32.740 --> 00:12:35.820 obtain, to actually experience. I want to take 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:39.539 hold of that for which God has taken hold of 00:12:39.539 --> 00:12:42.840 me. And so his disclaimer is, am I perfect? No. 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:48.580 Am I pressing ahead? Do I have a goal? Am I seeking 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:51.000 with all my heart to know Christ? Absolutely. 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:55.429 Brothers, I don't consider myself as taking hold 00:12:55.429 --> 00:12:59.009 of it yet, okay? I haven't met Christ. I haven't 00:12:59.009 --> 00:13:01.809 been transformed. I still have issues. I still 00:13:01.809 --> 00:13:04.269 have times where I get angry. I still have times 00:13:04.269 --> 00:13:06.730 when lustful thoughts come to my mind. I still 00:13:06.730 --> 00:13:09.590 have times when I get discouraged. I haven't 00:13:09.590 --> 00:13:12.970 taken hold of it yet, but here's the one thing 00:13:12.970 --> 00:13:16.590 I do get this. Here's his explanation. I'm not 00:13:16.590 --> 00:13:21.289 there yet, but I have a focus. I have a priority. 00:13:21.529 --> 00:13:24.750 I have an intentionality and I have an intensity. 00:13:24.809 --> 00:13:27.710 This is after 30 years. An intentionality and 00:13:27.710 --> 00:13:31.909 intensity that I want to press on to know him. 00:13:32.009 --> 00:13:34.669 I'm gonna eliminate distractions and then he 00:13:34.669 --> 00:13:37.070 tells us how. I'm gonna forgetting what lies 00:13:37.070 --> 00:13:40.110 behind. We'll develop this in a minute. He's 00:13:40.110 --> 00:13:43.110 going to forget all of his past failures. He's 00:13:43.110 --> 00:13:45.509 going to forget that he was a persecutor. He's 00:13:45.509 --> 00:13:47.490 gonna not think that God's down on him, that 00:13:47.490 --> 00:13:49.980 the things that he did in his past. are still 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:53.120 held up against him. But he's also going to forget 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:55.600 his past accomplishments. He's been an apostle 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.480 for 30 years. He's planted churches. He's already 00:13:58.480 --> 00:14:00.940 written New Testament books. I mean, he's had 00:14:00.940 --> 00:14:04.480 amazing, amazing experiences. He goes, am I going 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:08.600 to rest on my laurels? He said, I'm not going 00:14:08.600 --> 00:14:11.179 to live under condemnation of my past, but there's 00:14:11.179 --> 00:14:13.620 no way there can be any complacency like, oh, 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:16.299 you know, I've loved the Lord and I served when 00:14:16.299 --> 00:14:18.700 I was young and I did a lot of things and now, 00:14:18.779 --> 00:14:20.840 you know, it's sort of the McDonald's philosophy 00:14:20.840 --> 00:14:24.179 of life. I deserve a break today. There is none 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:27.340 of that in the Apostle Paul. And so his disclaimer 00:14:27.340 --> 00:14:29.860 is, I'm not perfect and I haven't arrived. His 00:14:29.860 --> 00:14:34.909 explanation is that I Press on toward the goal 00:14:34.909 --> 00:14:37.750 for the prize of which God called me heavenly. 00:14:37.970 --> 00:14:41.529 That phrase, God called me heavenward, every 00:14:41.529 --> 00:14:43.649 time it's used throughout the New Testament, 00:14:43.750 --> 00:14:46.570 save once. It's about the calling of God for 00:14:46.570 --> 00:14:49.210 salvation. He's saying, God has a calling on 00:14:49.210 --> 00:14:51.889 my life. I've turned from my sin. I've received 00:14:51.889 --> 00:14:55.070 Christ. That calling, one day, someday, when 00:14:55.070 --> 00:14:57.309 I die, or what we're going to find out, he's 00:14:57.309 --> 00:15:01.389 not quite sure when Christ returns, I'm going 00:15:01.389 --> 00:15:06.019 to be with him. And he says, he repeats, I press 00:15:06.019 --> 00:15:10.519 on. That's my goal. That's the prize that God 00:15:10.519 --> 00:15:14.759 has called me heavenward. And then he has sort 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:17.960 of a bit of an admonition because he's got problems. 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:19.840 Notice this whole book underlying there's some 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.559 problems. We had some disunity problems. They 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.879 had some persecution problems. We had some false 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.460 teacher problems. And so he knows there's some 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:29.600 stuff going on because he's getting reports from 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:32.470 Epaphroditus. And it says, all of us who are 00:15:32.470 --> 00:15:35.690 mature, that's our word teleos again. All of 00:15:35.690 --> 00:15:38.309 us who have come to a standard of progressive 00:15:38.309 --> 00:15:41.049 maturity in Christ, not perfect, but mature, 00:15:41.309 --> 00:15:44.090 should have this attitude, the New American Standard 00:15:44.090 --> 00:15:46.750 says. And if on any point you think differently, 00:15:46.929 --> 00:15:49.450 that too God will make clear. In other words, 00:15:49.490 --> 00:15:52.049 this idea that there's no sinless perfection 00:15:52.049 --> 00:15:55.470 over here, and this idea that it requires a passionate 00:15:55.470 --> 00:15:58.490 pursuit of following God, anybody that has a 00:15:58.490 --> 00:16:01.700 different idea, God will reveal it to you. But 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:04.700 then notice his final admonition. Only let us 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:07.700 live up to what we've already attained. In other 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:10.000 words, wherever you're at in the truth that you've 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:12.340 received, in the spiritual growth where you're 00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:14.960 at in your life right now, in your life right 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:17.340 now, wherever you're at, he goes, you need to 00:16:17.340 --> 00:16:20.820 respond to the truth. The fact that I haven't 00:16:20.820 --> 00:16:24.019 already arrived or no one's already arrived can 00:16:24.019 --> 00:16:26.700 become an excuse is what he's saying. You can't 00:16:26.700 --> 00:16:28.700 say, well, you know, everyone struggles. I mean, 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:30.940 most men have a pornography issue. So, I mean, 00:16:30.940 --> 00:16:33.279 God understands. I mean, most people understand 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:36.720 that, you know, this is how we live and this 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:39.159 is what's going on. No, no. He said, whatever 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:41.299 truth you've received, you need to respond to. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.639 What the apostle Paul is doing is he's addressing 00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:48.019 two extremes. There were two extremes about what 00:16:48.019 --> 00:16:50.419 it meant to be spiritually mature. And in very 00:16:50.419 --> 00:16:53.690 subtle ways, he's addressed both of them. On 00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:56.769 the one hand, spiritual maturity is not compulsive 00:16:56.769 --> 00:17:00.389 perfectionism. When the Judaizers and legalistic 00:17:00.389 --> 00:17:02.389 people came in, you gotta live up, you gotta 00:17:02.389 --> 00:17:03.950 live up, you gotta live up, you gotta live up, 00:17:03.970 --> 00:17:06.710 you gotta live up. And by the way, there's some 00:17:06.710 --> 00:17:10.750 of us and there's some of you that maybe it's 00:17:10.750 --> 00:17:14.410 not even conscious, but you live with this, who 00:17:14.410 --> 00:17:16.930 you are and where you're at on your journey, 00:17:16.990 --> 00:17:20.190 it never measures up. You live with this low 00:17:20.190 --> 00:17:22.710 -grade guilt that messes with your life all the 00:17:22.710 --> 00:17:25.130 time. And as a result, some of you parents, you 00:17:25.130 --> 00:17:28.089 are passing that on to your kids. No matter what 00:17:28.089 --> 00:17:30.230 they do, however much progress they make, it's 00:17:30.230 --> 00:17:34.609 never enough. There's this perfectionism. And 00:17:34.609 --> 00:17:36.930 what he's saying is that that's not spiritual 00:17:36.930 --> 00:17:40.309 maturity. Reading your Bible every day, praying 00:17:40.309 --> 00:17:42.990 every day, having all your ducks in a row, it's 00:17:42.990 --> 00:17:45.809 about a relationship. The test of spiritual maturity 00:17:45.809 --> 00:17:49.309 is loving God and loving people and a transformed 00:17:49.309 --> 00:17:53.690 life. It's not this external perfectionism. But 00:17:53.690 --> 00:17:56.190 there's another extreme, and he addressed that 00:17:56.190 --> 00:17:59.069 in the very last verse. Spiritual maturity is 00:17:59.069 --> 00:18:03.029 not complacent passivity. On the one hand, these 00:18:03.029 --> 00:18:05.609 Judaizers were coming in and giving people a 00:18:05.609 --> 00:18:07.630 list of rules. You got to do all this. But there 00:18:07.630 --> 00:18:10.190 was another group. The other group, it's a big 00:18:10.190 --> 00:18:13.950 word, anti -Gnomianist. Learned a big word today. 00:18:14.049 --> 00:18:17.980 Anti, against, the law. And what they would say 00:18:17.980 --> 00:18:20.579 is, you know this stuff about Jesus? It's even 00:18:20.579 --> 00:18:23.299 better than we thought. This is what grace means. 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:26.640 You pray and you receive Jesus into your heart. 00:18:26.759 --> 00:18:29.200 You are forgiven. God loves you unconditionally. 00:18:29.339 --> 00:18:32.900 There are no rules. You can live however you 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:36.119 want. There is no morality. It's just grace, 00:18:36.279 --> 00:18:38.180 grace, grace. Some people have called it cheap 00:18:38.180 --> 00:18:41.420 grace. So you can keep living in sin, quote, 00:18:41.579 --> 00:18:44.700 because God understands. He's a gracious God. 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:47.299 You're already forgiven. And this is where he 00:18:47.299 --> 00:18:50.200 says you need to live up to the standard. Okay. 00:18:50.859 --> 00:18:54.059 Thank you, Chip. We have now learned a great 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:57.220 deal about the Apostle Paul and what was going 00:18:57.220 --> 00:19:00.940 on in the life of the church. Help me a little 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:03.079 bit on what's this really got to do with me. 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:06.319 I want you to lean back. I want you to really 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:08.740 think. I want to summarize some things because 00:19:08.740 --> 00:19:12.980 God wants to give you hope. You need to find 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:16.349 it. You need to experience it, but you need to 00:19:16.349 --> 00:19:19.630 pursue it. But you need to pursue it in such 00:19:19.630 --> 00:19:22.329 a way that no matter what you do, you never measure 00:19:22.329 --> 00:19:25.869 up is not an option. And on the other hand, that 00:19:25.869 --> 00:19:27.930 there's not just this laxity that, you know, 00:19:27.950 --> 00:19:30.930 I guess God just winks at everything. Genuine 00:19:30.930 --> 00:19:35.769 spiritual maturity is a passionate pursuit of 00:19:35.769 --> 00:19:39.190 knowing and becoming like Jesus. Will you get 00:19:39.190 --> 00:19:42.160 it in this life? Well, I know. but it's a passionate 00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:48.480 pursuit. This is Living on the Edge with Chip 00:19:48.480 --> 00:19:50.819 Ingram, and you've been listening to Part 1 of 00:19:50.819 --> 00:19:53.579 Chip's message, Pursuing Hope, from our series, 00:19:53.779 --> 00:19:56.819 I Choose Hope. Chip will be back shortly to share 00:19:56.819 --> 00:19:59.180 some helpful application for us to think about. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.240 In times of uncertainty, where do you turn for 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:04.980 hope? And how confident are you in your source 00:20:04.980 --> 00:20:07.460 of comfort to provide the stability you desire? 00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:10.579 As Chip teaches through Philippians chapter 3, 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.119 he'll share what God has to say about our fears 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:16.039 about the future and how feeling secure is possible 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:19.579 even when anxiety comes. Learn how to embrace 00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:22.299 a more resilient hope that will help you face 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:25.980 each day with certainty and peace. Well, Chip's 00:20:25.980 --> 00:20:28.160 with me in studio now. And Chip, you've been 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:31.339 a pastor for nearly four decades. And with that 00:20:31.339 --> 00:20:34.039 experience, you have a unique perspective into 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:36.680 what these church leaders are facing. And that's 00:20:36.680 --> 00:20:39.140 why over the last few years, you felt such a 00:20:39.140 --> 00:20:41.680 burden to come alongside them to encourage and 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:44.000 support them. Well, that is absolutely right, 00:20:44.119 --> 00:20:46.990 Dave. I spend lots of time meeting with pastors, 00:20:47.089 --> 00:20:49.089 not only individually, but in smaller groups 00:20:49.089 --> 00:20:52.769 and then sometimes very large groups. And I don't 00:20:52.769 --> 00:20:55.069 know if those listening have thought a lot about 00:20:55.069 --> 00:20:58.269 this, but ministry leaders carry a very heavy 00:20:58.269 --> 00:21:01.390 burden and they face unique battles. They're 00:21:01.390 --> 00:21:04.309 pouring out all the time. The phone never stops 00:21:04.309 --> 00:21:07.349 ringing. The emails for help, the demands on 00:21:07.349 --> 00:21:09.930 them can be overwhelming. With a few exceptions, 00:21:10.190 --> 00:21:12.930 most pastors are barely making it financially. 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:16.059 We at Living on the Edge, we're deeply committed 00:21:16.059 --> 00:21:19.619 to providing real support, genuine encouragement, 00:21:19.740 --> 00:21:22.440 and practical resources for their spiritual, 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:25.799 emotional, and even physical well -being. And 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:28.799 your generosity makes it possible for us to offer 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:32.140 seminars, one -on -one crucial coaching, and 00:21:32.140 --> 00:21:34.960 practical help to pastors here in the U .S. and 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:38.200 around the world. And when we help a pastor get 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:41.900 healthy, guess what? The flock gets healthy as 00:21:41.900 --> 00:21:45.000 well. If you care about Jesus' church and you 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.559 care about those he's called to lead them, would 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:50.619 you please prayerfully consider joining us in 00:21:50.619 --> 00:21:53.240 this mid -year match? Your gift will really make 00:21:53.240 --> 00:21:55.680 a difference. That's right, Chip. So if you believe 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:58.579 God is calling you to encourage and support pastors 00:21:58.579 --> 00:22:01.599 with us, now's a great time to become a financial 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.420 partner. Because from now until midnight on June 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:07.700 30th, every gift we receive is being matched 00:22:07.700 --> 00:22:10.160 dollar for dollar. There are only a couple of 00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:12.220 days left to be part of our mid -year match. 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:17.240 So call us right now at 888 -333 -6003 or go 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:20.980 to livingontheedge .org. That's livingontheedge 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:26.400 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. 888 -333 -6003. 00:22:26.599 --> 00:22:29.720 App listeners, tap donate. Well, with that, here 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:33.720 again is Chip. As we close today's program, we 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:36.920 join the Apostle Paul telling us that he's learned 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:40.039 that being religious, you know, tithing, fasting 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:43.019 twice a week. being the greatest intellect of 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:45.819 the day, knowing all about God is no substitute 00:22:45.819 --> 00:22:49.119 for really knowing him and pressing in. And then 00:22:49.119 --> 00:22:51.460 I love his disclaimer here. He says, not that 00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:53.920 I've laid hold of it yet. So he's not saying 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:56.319 that I've got it all together, but what he's 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:58.920 saying is that our struggles don't define us. 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:03.140 The real issue here is spiritual maturity. And 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:05.299 how do you become spiritually mature? And I have 00:23:05.299 --> 00:23:07.500 a little schematic. I have a little picture on 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:10.059 my notes. And on the far left, it says spiritual 00:23:10.059 --> 00:23:13.500 maturity is not compulsive perfectionism. In 00:23:13.500 --> 00:23:15.299 other words, it's not legalism. It's not just 00:23:15.299 --> 00:23:17.960 all you do. It's not external. And then on the 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:21.819 far side, I say spiritual maturity is not. complacent 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:24.180 passivity. In other words, it's just all God. 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:26.680 It's just all grace. I can live however I want, 00:23:26.779 --> 00:23:28.940 and, you know, God's going to make it all happen, 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:31.700 and there's no responsibility on my part. In 00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:34.539 fact, in the middle, then, I say spiritual maturity 00:23:34.539 --> 00:23:38.440 is a passionate pursuit of knowing and becoming 00:23:38.440 --> 00:23:41.819 like Christ. And that really means that the test 00:23:41.819 --> 00:23:44.880 of your spiritual maturity isn't how often you 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:47.700 go to church, not how many wonderful experiences 00:23:47.700 --> 00:23:51.740 you've had or not had. Spiritual maturity is 00:23:51.740 --> 00:23:54.940 measured very, very simply. It's how much do 00:23:54.940 --> 00:23:58.720 you and I love God and love people? Because, 00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:01.519 see, the Spirit of God entered our life when 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:05.339 we trusted Christ as our Savior. Theologically, 00:24:05.559 --> 00:24:07.759 we were taken out of the kingdom of darkness 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:11.000 and placed in the kingdom of light of his beloved 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:13.640 Son. And the Spirit of God takes up residence 00:24:13.640 --> 00:24:16.980 in us, and so we have all the power we ever need 00:24:16.980 --> 00:24:20.109 to be all that God wants us to be. And that's 00:24:20.109 --> 00:24:22.670 his part. And the Spirit lives within us longing 00:24:22.670 --> 00:24:25.950 to produce the life of Christ. And what Paul 00:24:25.950 --> 00:24:30.369 is clear to say here is that it requires a passionate 00:24:30.369 --> 00:24:34.309 pursuit on our part. But it also requires that 00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:36.930 we forget what lies behind. You know, there's 00:24:36.930 --> 00:24:40.509 some of you that are just stuck in the abortion, 00:24:40.809 --> 00:24:44.069 the divorce, the separation, the addiction, the 00:24:44.069 --> 00:24:47.180 prescription drug thing that you just... I mean, 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:50.299 it still haunts you, the bad decisions. You're 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:52.880 living in the rearview mirror. Now, what I want 00:24:52.880 --> 00:24:56.220 you to know is that God has forgiven and taken 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:59.200 care of those things. And the Apostle Paul says, 00:24:59.339 --> 00:25:02.599 forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward 00:25:02.599 --> 00:25:06.769 to what lies ahead, I press on. And so I'm going 00:25:06.769 --> 00:25:10.269 to encourage you not to be passive and not to 00:25:10.269 --> 00:25:12.609 think that just reading the Bible more or going 00:25:12.609 --> 00:25:15.029 to church more will make you more like Christ. 00:25:15.069 --> 00:25:18.250 It's important, but it's about relationship. 00:25:18.890 --> 00:25:21.569 Could you pause wherever you're at right now 00:25:21.569 --> 00:25:25.230 and sit quietly and say, Lord, is there anything 00:25:25.230 --> 00:25:30.190 in my life or my attitude or my belief system 00:25:30.190 --> 00:25:34.809 that's keeping me from drawing near to you? and 00:25:34.809 --> 00:25:37.750 you having your way to produce the life of Christ 00:25:37.750 --> 00:25:41.069 in me. Great challenge, Chip. And if you're sincere 00:25:41.069 --> 00:25:43.609 about wanting to deepen your faith, we have some 00:25:43.609 --> 00:25:47.410 resources to help. Go to TrueSpiritualityOnline 00:25:47.410 --> 00:25:50.970 .org. You can order Chip's popular book, True 00:25:50.970 --> 00:25:53.369 Spirituality, get the small group materials, 00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:56.779 or watch countless insightful videos there. These 00:25:56.779 --> 00:25:59.000 tools were designed to show you the clear path 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:02.059 to becoming a genuine follower of Christ. So 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:07.000 check them out today. That website again is truespiritualityonline 00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:11.819 .org. Well, be sure to join us next time as Chip 00:26:11.819 --> 00:26:15.039 continues his series, I Choose Hope. Until then, 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:17.299 I'm Dave Drewy saying thanks for listening to 00:26:17.299 --> 00:26:19.359 this edition of Living on the Edge.