WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:03.759 You know, we all hope in something or someone 00:00:03.759 --> 00:00:07.540 to give us life and hope and future. And here's 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:11.820 the bad news. Everything and everyone will someday 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:15.220 let you down, except the one hope that never 00:00:15.220 --> 00:00:17.780 fades, that never changes. And we're going to 00:00:17.780 --> 00:00:20.440 talk about how you can experience that hope today. 00:00:20.579 --> 00:00:28.260 Stay with me. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:31.019 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of 00:00:31.019 --> 00:00:33.340 this daily program is to intentionally disciple 00:00:33.340 --> 00:00:35.880 Christians through the insightful Bible teaching 00:00:35.880 --> 00:00:38.560 of Chip Ingram. And in just a minute, he'll wrap 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.820 up our series, I Choose Hope. For the last several 00:00:41.820 --> 00:00:44.140 programs, he's been building a convincing case 00:00:44.140 --> 00:00:46.960 that Christ is our only trustworthy source of 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:49.799 hope. Today he makes a final argument for why 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.619 placing our trust and faith in Jesus can completely 00:00:52.619 --> 00:00:55.850 change our lives. And let me just say, if this 00:00:55.850 --> 00:00:58.049 study of Philippians chapter 3 has encouraged 00:00:58.049 --> 00:01:00.670 you, would you take a minute after this message 00:01:00.670 --> 00:01:02.609 and share it with someone in your life who needs 00:01:02.609 --> 00:01:04.569 to hear it? Now, you can do that through the 00:01:04.569 --> 00:01:07.290 Chippengram app or by sending them the free MP3s 00:01:07.290 --> 00:01:11.390 that you'll find at livingontheedge .org. And 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:13.489 while you're there, our website is a great place 00:01:13.489 --> 00:01:15.390 to explore if this is your first time listening 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:17.750 to our broadcast or want to learn more about 00:01:17.750 --> 00:01:20.629 what we do. You'll find tons of resources and 00:01:20.629 --> 00:01:23.750 countless programs to enjoy there. So check out 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:28.730 livingontheedge .org today. Okay, let's get going. 00:01:28.810 --> 00:01:30.870 If you have a Bible, go to the book of Philippians 00:01:30.870 --> 00:01:34.030 chapter 3 for Chip's final message in this series, 00:01:34.250 --> 00:01:38.569 Knowing Hope. The Apostle Paul would write in 00:01:38.569 --> 00:01:41.870 2 Corinthians, for God was in Christ reconciling 00:01:41.870 --> 00:01:46.109 the world to himself. Notice this line, no longer 00:01:46.109 --> 00:01:49.609 counting people's sins against them. And he gave 00:01:49.609 --> 00:01:51.250 us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 00:01:52.780 --> 00:01:57.859 For God made Christ who never sinned to be the 00:01:57.859 --> 00:02:00.599 offering for our sin so that we could be made 00:02:00.599 --> 00:02:05.120 right with God through Christ. What's he saying? 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:10.539 This is amazing. He's saying that Jesus was born 00:02:10.539 --> 00:02:12.879 and from the foundations of the earth, he came 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:16.699 to live a perfect life, reveal what God was like, 00:02:16.860 --> 00:02:20.780 teach. and tie all that had happened and all 00:02:20.780 --> 00:02:23.020 the prophecies of the Old Testament to verify 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:26.180 its reality, to do miracles that no one has done 00:02:26.180 --> 00:02:28.960 that were verified even by his enemies, to have 00:02:28.960 --> 00:02:31.879 eyewitness accounts of over 500 people that he 00:02:31.879 --> 00:02:34.139 actually lived and walked upon the earth, but 00:02:34.139 --> 00:02:37.199 his mission was, I'm coming to die, and I'm going 00:02:37.199 --> 00:02:40.659 to die an unfair death. Being fully human, he 00:02:40.659 --> 00:02:43.039 could die. Being fully God, he could pay the 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.120 price for all the sin of all people of all time, 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:49.500 and he would absorb your your sin and mine and 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:52.439 the people of all time as the sin offering so 00:02:52.439 --> 00:02:55.639 God could cover or atone for the sins of all 00:02:55.639 --> 00:02:59.939 people. And he did it on a cross. The moment 00:02:59.939 --> 00:03:04.699 he was born, that's game day. That's redemption. 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:10.500 You have already been purchased by God. And the 00:03:10.500 --> 00:03:13.520 price tag was the blood of Christ. Now, are you 00:03:13.520 --> 00:03:16.020 ready for this? You know what this means? You 00:03:16.020 --> 00:03:20.139 have been forgiven. You're already forgiven. 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:26.800 You can't earn it. You can't negotiate it. It's 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:31.659 a gift. See, when Jesus hung upon that cross, 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:36.060 your sin, my sin, the sins of all people were 00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:39.139 placed upon him. And when he died, he defeated 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:41.900 death and sin and Satan. And when he rose from 00:03:41.900 --> 00:03:45.120 the dead, it's true. He made everyone forgiven. 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:50.060 So the gift is free to everyone. But only those 00:03:50.060 --> 00:03:56.360 who, by faith, receive the gift have a relationship 00:03:56.360 --> 00:03:59.340 with God. I didn't know that. I went to church 00:03:59.340 --> 00:04:03.000 until I kind of opted out. I never knew that. 00:04:04.900 --> 00:04:08.520 You are wanted. You're completely understood. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.080 And you have a gift. Some of you, probably the 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.000 great majority in this room, you've opened it. 00:04:16.220 --> 00:04:18.019 You've received Christ. There was a day that 00:04:18.019 --> 00:04:20.740 you realized my life's not working or for some 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:23.620 of us it was my life's working really great and 00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:25.480 I'm supposed to be happy because of this, this, 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:28.379 this, and this and it's really not. And God showed 00:04:28.379 --> 00:04:30.620 you that it would be his love and he wanted to 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:33.000 give you what money can't buy, what another person 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:35.579 can't give, what a perfect family can't deliver, 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:37.839 what the best job or going public will never 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:42.139 give you, life and peace and love and purpose. 00:04:42.879 --> 00:04:46.009 And so at a point in time, probably the great 00:04:46.009 --> 00:04:48.629 majority in this room, turned from your sin, 00:04:48.769 --> 00:04:51.889 repented, and asked Christ to forgive you and 00:04:51.889 --> 00:04:53.509 also come into your life, and it's called a new 00:04:53.509 --> 00:04:56.089 birth, and you were changed, and you're on the 00:04:56.089 --> 00:04:59.430 journey. For some, you know what I see with a 00:04:59.430 --> 00:05:03.790 lot of people is they believe in Jesus, but they've 00:05:03.790 --> 00:05:05.870 never received him. It's sort of an intellect. 00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:07.509 Do you believe in God? Yeah. Believe in Jesus? 00:05:07.610 --> 00:05:10.839 Yeah. Have you received him? Is he the focus 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:14.220 of your life? Is he changing you? Are you experiencing 00:05:14.220 --> 00:05:17.360 him? And that answer would be, probably not. 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:25.500 The message of Jesus is hope. Paul says, I am 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:28.910 in a... personal relationship with God that has 00:05:28.910 --> 00:05:33.550 so radicalized my life and my thinking that his 00:05:33.550 --> 00:05:37.389 love, his actual concern has somehow come down 00:05:37.389 --> 00:05:40.670 inside of me and I just feel compelled to love 00:05:40.670 --> 00:05:44.269 other people. And notice what he says. Since 00:05:44.269 --> 00:05:47.870 we believe that Christ died for all, we believe 00:05:47.870 --> 00:05:51.550 also that we died to our old life. That means 00:05:51.550 --> 00:05:55.310 that anyone who belongs to Christ has become, 00:05:55.389 --> 00:05:59.980 look at this, Not a religious person. A new person. 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:05.920 The old you. The old me. The old life is gone. 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:11.180 A new life has begun. It's an absolute new life. 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.819 Hope for today. Hope for tomorrow. And hope forever. 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:17.740 Here's the big question. The really, really big 00:06:17.740 --> 00:06:21.740 question. Where's your hope? Not intellectual, 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.529 okay? I mean. in terms of your energy, in terms 00:06:25.529 --> 00:06:27.810 of your time, in terms of your focus, in terms 00:06:27.810 --> 00:06:30.470 of your dreams, I mean, just, and I'm not gonna 00:06:30.470 --> 00:06:32.949 ask you to say anything out loud, but if you 00:06:32.949 --> 00:06:34.810 would just have a private conversation right 00:06:34.810 --> 00:06:38.170 now, what does your lifestyle, what does your 00:06:38.170 --> 00:06:41.269 priorities, what would they say, life is going 00:06:41.269 --> 00:06:43.990 to be meaningful and secure and deliver for me 00:06:43.990 --> 00:06:48.550 because I have a great job, finally get married, 00:06:48.889 --> 00:06:52.310 make a lot of money, my kids are very successful, 00:06:52.470 --> 00:06:56.970 right? But where's your hope? Because this is 00:06:56.970 --> 00:07:00.829 an amazing offer of a brand new life, but it 00:07:00.829 --> 00:07:04.910 has really big competitors. I remember a young 00:07:04.910 --> 00:07:07.930 man came to me and he looked to be, I don't know, 00:07:08.009 --> 00:07:12.430 mid -30ish. And he said, you're the pastor. I 00:07:12.430 --> 00:07:14.490 said, well, I'm one of them. And he said, can 00:07:14.490 --> 00:07:16.490 I have a quick talk with you? This is my first 00:07:16.490 --> 00:07:19.910 time here. And I just don't know if you would 00:07:19.910 --> 00:07:22.629 be comfortable with someone like me coming. I 00:07:22.629 --> 00:07:24.949 said, well, Gosh, why? Just tell me a little 00:07:24.949 --> 00:07:27.089 bit about yourself. He said, well, I just got 00:07:27.089 --> 00:07:29.670 out of prison last week. I said, okay, tell me 00:07:29.670 --> 00:07:31.509 a little bit more. He said, well, I was in prison 00:07:31.509 --> 00:07:35.529 for murder one, and I got out early for a good 00:07:35.529 --> 00:07:38.589 behavior. But he said, that whole experience, 00:07:38.689 --> 00:07:41.170 what I realized was my whole old life was not 00:07:41.170 --> 00:07:43.449 what God wanted, and I've met Christ personally, 00:07:43.589 --> 00:07:47.009 and he's really transformed my life. But I realize, 00:07:47.110 --> 00:07:52.149 I mean, I'm a felon, and I'm a murderer. I just 00:07:52.149 --> 00:07:54.110 wanted to tell you up front. I didn't want someone 00:07:54.110 --> 00:07:56.490 to find out and someone come to tell you, you 00:07:56.490 --> 00:07:58.269 got a murderer running around. I said, oh no, 00:07:58.329 --> 00:08:02.009 we got liars. We got fornicators. We got affairers. 00:08:02.370 --> 00:08:05.649 We got crooks. We got people with sexual addictions. 00:08:05.949 --> 00:08:08.009 We have people that are narcissists. No, no, 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:11.550 you're gonna fit right in. But we're forgiven 00:08:11.550 --> 00:08:15.050 and we're new and we're on a journey. In fact, 00:08:15.050 --> 00:08:17.269 I said the apostle Paul was a murderer and Moses 00:08:17.269 --> 00:08:19.620 was a murderer. And I don't mean to diminish 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:23.680 it, but God forgives. This isn't like a try hard, 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:26.639 self -righteous, clean up your act. This is a 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.699 total transformation of the living God coming 00:08:29.699 --> 00:08:32.720 and taking up residence inside you and you build 00:08:32.720 --> 00:08:35.960 a relationship and little by little, he transforms 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:39.240 your life. But here's the deal. That's been true 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.419 for 2 ,000 years, but the challenge in the first 00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:45.139 century is the same challenge that we have. There 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:49.769 is so much. There is so much competition to take 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:53.049 your heart and to take your hope and to put it 00:08:53.049 --> 00:08:56.570 someplace else that won't deliver. The Apostle 00:08:56.570 --> 00:08:58.909 Paul is going to give a warning to this little 00:08:58.909 --> 00:09:01.870 church that he loves, that he's tight with. He's 00:09:01.870 --> 00:09:04.570 told his life story. We learned in chapter one 00:09:04.570 --> 00:09:07.080 that he's gonna. be executed, but he chooses 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:10.279 joy. He says, circumstances can't shape me. We 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:11.799 learned that there's been a lot of difficult 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:14.159 time and he chooses that I'm gonna be a loving 00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:16.440 person no matter what in chapter two. And then 00:09:16.440 --> 00:09:18.919 chapter three, he says, I've got hope. I mean, 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:20.919 whether I die or whether I live, I've got hope. 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:24.039 And now to this little group that's being persecuted 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:26.820 and some false teachers have come in. He says, 00:09:26.840 --> 00:09:29.860 I want you to make sure your hope is the kind 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:33.799 of hope that delivers. The apostle Paul has contrasted 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:36.700 false hope of his past success, education, status, 00:09:36.960 --> 00:09:40.179 wealth, and personal morality with the true hope 00:09:40.179 --> 00:09:44.179 of love and joy and peace and purpose found through 00:09:44.179 --> 00:09:47.100 an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. He 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:48.860 makes it really clear. I don't have it all together. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:50.899 It doesn't mean I'm perfect in this life, but 00:09:50.899 --> 00:09:54.379 I am pursuing this relationship with Christ because 00:09:54.379 --> 00:09:57.950 he's my hope. And so just to give you a picture, 00:09:58.009 --> 00:10:00.190 because, you know, some of this Bible stuff, 00:10:00.309 --> 00:10:01.929 if you're like me, I didn't grow up reading the 00:10:01.929 --> 00:10:04.309 Bible. I didn't grow up understanding or following 00:10:04.309 --> 00:10:07.730 Christ. Let me just give you a picture of when 00:10:07.730 --> 00:10:10.769 he says, my hope's not in these things, you might 00:10:10.769 --> 00:10:12.850 say, well, gosh, you know, he was a loser. Why 00:10:12.850 --> 00:10:16.389 would he? No, no, no. The Apostle Paul is described 00:10:16.389 --> 00:10:19.470 by Will Durant. who wrote a complete history 00:10:19.470 --> 00:10:23.250 of mankind, secular historian, as the greatest 00:10:23.250 --> 00:10:26.549 single intellect in the entire first century. 00:10:27.169 --> 00:10:30.090 If I was giving, you know, he was the rising 00:10:30.090 --> 00:10:33.539 star in Judaism. If I was introducing him today, 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.360 if it was the Apostle Paul today, I would say, 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:38.340 Paul came from a prestigious family. He went 00:10:38.340 --> 00:10:41.539 to a prestigious prep school. He did his undergraduate 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:45.200 at Stanford. He did his MBA at Harvard. On the 00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:48.039 side, he went to Wharton School of Finance. He 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:51.740 did a little extra work in his area in MIT in 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:55.679 post -grad work. Along with that, what he did 00:10:55.679 --> 00:10:59.129 was he was morally... the finest person anyone 00:10:59.129 --> 00:11:03.690 has ever met. His wife and family are just wonderful. 00:11:03.929 --> 00:11:06.789 Because of this, he's become very, very wealthy 00:11:06.789 --> 00:11:10.570 and would hold the kind of job of CEO. That's 00:11:10.570 --> 00:11:15.070 this guy in his day. Wealth, power, success, 00:11:15.429 --> 00:11:20.090 education. And the world says, if you can somehow, 00:11:20.169 --> 00:11:22.990 someway get all that, you'll be happy and secure. 00:11:23.850 --> 00:11:27.299 And what do we know? Now, am I saying those things 00:11:27.299 --> 00:11:32.500 are bad? No. But they're a bad hope, right? If 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:34.220 your hope's in your marriage and your partner 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:36.039 dies, it's not so good. If your hope's in your 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:39.860 kids and someone goes left to center and they're 00:11:39.860 --> 00:11:42.399 drunk and your kids are gone, it's not good. 00:11:42.539 --> 00:11:44.519 If your hope is in money and you lose it, it's 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:48.269 not good. Those things can be... rich, wonderful 00:11:48.269 --> 00:11:50.850 things in our life, but what you can accumulate 00:11:50.850 --> 00:11:55.509 or achieve or possess or find apart from Christ 00:11:55.509 --> 00:11:59.850 will always at some point disappoint you. And 00:11:59.850 --> 00:12:03.950 so his plea, this is this pastoral heart of Paul. 00:12:04.029 --> 00:12:08.950 His plea is put your hope in that that is going 00:12:08.950 --> 00:12:13.779 to deliver real life. You're listening to Living 00:12:13.779 --> 00:12:16.279 on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and he'll be right 00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:18.840 back to finish today's message. But first, is 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:21.120 all the uncertainty in our world causing you 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.759 to feel discouraged and anxious? Then listen 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:26.279 in after the teaching to hear about Chip's newest 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:30.179 book, I Choose Joy. This tool will help you experience 00:12:30.179 --> 00:12:33.600 deep, lasting joy no matter what. Stick around 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:36.100 to learn more. Well, for now, here's Chip with 00:12:36.100 --> 00:12:39.879 the remainder of his talk. And so he gives this 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:42.139 warning and a command. And then he gives them 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:44.539 a couple reasons why. He says, the command is, 00:12:44.620 --> 00:12:47.360 you must live out your hope every day. This isn't 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.460 just a religious experience. This isn't intellectual. 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:52.120 You have to live out this hope every day. Notice 00:12:52.120 --> 00:12:55.399 in verse 17, brethren, join in following my example 00:12:55.399 --> 00:12:58.580 and observe those who walk according to the pattern 00:12:58.580 --> 00:13:01.779 you have in us. Three words, example, observe, 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:04.340 and pattern. What he basically says is, I was 00:13:04.340 --> 00:13:07.700 with you. My whole life changed. The test of 00:13:07.700 --> 00:13:09.879 where your hope is is not what you think and 00:13:09.879 --> 00:13:12.570 not what you say. The test of where your hope 00:13:12.570 --> 00:13:15.590 is is your behavior and your conduct. What do 00:13:15.590 --> 00:13:17.590 you do with your time, your energy, and your 00:13:17.590 --> 00:13:20.549 money and your relationships? He says, I gave 00:13:20.549 --> 00:13:23.289 you a pattern of transformation. Make sure you 00:13:23.289 --> 00:13:25.570 stay on that path. You live out your hope every 00:13:25.570 --> 00:13:28.809 day. And then he gives us two reasons. Reason 00:13:28.809 --> 00:13:31.710 number one is a really negative one. Because 00:13:31.710 --> 00:13:34.850 apparently there were some people that were professing 00:13:34.850 --> 00:13:37.769 to be followers. They intellectually said or 00:13:37.769 --> 00:13:40.419 believed they were followers. But they were saying 00:13:40.419 --> 00:13:43.320 this, but their life was like not even close. 00:13:43.580 --> 00:13:46.519 And so this is a warning. Reason number one is 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:50.820 because false hopes deliver tragedy. If you want 00:13:50.820 --> 00:13:53.639 to jot a word down. Notice he's brokenhearted. 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:56.480 For many walk, whom I often told you and tell 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:59.440 you now, weeping, that they're one enemies of 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.879 the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:05.059 whose food is their appetite, whose glory is 00:14:05.059 --> 00:14:08.039 in their shame, and they set their minds on earthly 00:14:08.039 --> 00:14:11.129 things. These people profess that their hope 00:14:11.129 --> 00:14:13.809 is in Christ, but they've become enemies of the 00:14:13.809 --> 00:14:15.389 cross. In other words, they're going to find 00:14:15.389 --> 00:14:17.669 it somewhere else. That means they're undermining 00:14:17.669 --> 00:14:20.690 everything that Jesus did. Their end is destruction. 00:14:20.990 --> 00:14:23.730 And this is a word that, yeah, they say this, 00:14:23.730 --> 00:14:26.970 but their hope isn't in Christ. And so they're 00:14:26.970 --> 00:14:29.750 going to end up apart from him forever. In fact, 00:14:29.750 --> 00:14:31.789 he goes, what you see is what are their motivations? 00:14:31.970 --> 00:14:35.899 This word here for... Their God is their appetite 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:38.240 or literally it's their stomach. Actually, it's 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.779 used in other parts in the New Testament as sexual 00:14:40.779 --> 00:14:43.600 organs. In other words, sensuality. How much 00:14:43.600 --> 00:14:47.659 can I get greed and sex and power? He says, that's 00:14:47.659 --> 00:14:49.620 their God. That's their appetite. That's what 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:51.879 they want, which reveals their hope is in Christ. 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:57.919 And then with sorrow, he just, they glory in 00:14:57.919 --> 00:15:00.789 their shame. Do you realize that an awful lot 00:15:00.789 --> 00:15:03.669 about sex has nothing to do about sex? It has 00:15:03.669 --> 00:15:06.129 everything to do with power and manipulation. 00:15:06.909 --> 00:15:09.649 And you know what? That ain't new. This was written 00:15:09.649 --> 00:15:12.110 a couple thousand years ago. And he says, at 00:15:12.110 --> 00:15:14.809 the heart of it is how you think. What's it say? 00:15:15.590 --> 00:15:21.200 Who set their minds on earthly things. And he's 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:23.500 not saying it's wrong to set your mind on what 00:15:23.500 --> 00:15:25.980 you need to get done. He's saying setting their 00:15:25.980 --> 00:15:29.460 minds on what can this world now deliver as hope 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:35.600 brings tragedy. Some of you already know that, 00:15:35.659 --> 00:15:38.860 don't you? You thought when you found Mr. Right 00:15:38.860 --> 00:15:43.440 or Miss Right and now it ended in divorce. Some 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:45.960 of you have thought, you know, man, it's going 00:15:45.960 --> 00:15:47.940 to be in work and I'm going to do this and I'm 00:15:47.940 --> 00:15:49.460 going to climb the ladder and I'm going to... 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:51.820 And for some, it didn't work, and you realize, 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:55.720 and for others, it did work. I've got a handful 00:15:55.720 --> 00:15:58.759 of friends that are just extraordinarily wealthy 00:15:58.759 --> 00:16:05.080 in money and who are some of the saddest, loneliest 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:08.379 people I've ever met because what they lost was 00:16:08.379 --> 00:16:12.299 the things that matter, their family, their friends, 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:15.519 their integrity. Now, they're back on the track, 00:16:15.659 --> 00:16:19.100 and God's been gracious. Let's get to the good 00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:22.320 news. The second reason to put your hope in Christ 00:16:22.320 --> 00:16:25.919 is that true hope delivers transformation. He's 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:28.440 going to say there's a reorientation. Don't think 00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:30.399 that Christianity is kind of be a nice person, 00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:32.000 go to church now and then, and maybe go on a 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.539 mission trip. No, no, no, no, no. This is about 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:37.740 he came down. It's a wonder. It's a mystery. 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:40.580 He understands. He's already forgiven you. There's 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:43.519 a brand new life. So he's got a plan and a future 00:16:43.519 --> 00:16:46.870 for you. Embrace it. Go for it. And then he says, 00:16:46.889 --> 00:16:49.870 why? Here's the root. The root is our citizenship, 00:16:50.049 --> 00:16:52.350 our real homes in heaven. We're gonna live forever, 00:16:52.529 --> 00:16:55.070 not just in time, from which we eagerly await 00:16:55.070 --> 00:16:57.649 for a savior. Notice the focus. That's what I'm 00:16:57.649 --> 00:16:59.789 looking forward to. It's an eternal perspective. 00:17:00.090 --> 00:17:02.549 The Lord Jesus Christ, who will do, who will 00:17:02.549 --> 00:17:05.809 transform the body of our humble state. If you 00:17:05.809 --> 00:17:08.609 had, I would have you circle that and underline 00:17:08.609 --> 00:17:10.509 that. Who will transform, the word is morph. 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:13.819 It's a word that means to be absolutely in substance 00:17:13.819 --> 00:17:17.640 changed from the inside out. That's the evidence 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.680 of true hope. And it says not only does it happen 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:22.599 spiritually and emotionally and in this life, 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:25.720 but a day will come where your actual body will 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:27.940 be transformed by him. And how does he do it? 00:17:27.980 --> 00:17:31.039 By the power that he has to subject all things 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:34.960 into himself. We started with the wonder of a 00:17:34.960 --> 00:17:37.180 God who speaks these galaxies into existence. 00:17:38.170 --> 00:17:41.509 And now he says that same power to subject all 00:17:41.509 --> 00:17:44.029 things, a day will come for those who put their 00:17:44.029 --> 00:17:47.289 hope in Christ. And he says this, you will be 00:17:47.289 --> 00:17:49.990 transformed and I've prepared a place for you 00:17:49.990 --> 00:17:54.269 and we'll be together forever. So live your life 00:17:54.269 --> 00:17:58.009 like what is true about me is true and that heaven 00:17:58.009 --> 00:18:01.569 is real and eternal values will really pay off. 00:18:01.769 --> 00:18:04.089 And it will not only produce the kind of life 00:18:04.089 --> 00:18:07.250 you've always dreamed of today, that it'll be 00:18:07.250 --> 00:18:09.990 an anchor for your soul when you face the greatest 00:18:09.990 --> 00:18:13.349 difficulty that we will all face one day. And 00:18:13.349 --> 00:18:16.829 that's death. And he's saying it's been overcome. 00:18:20.609 --> 00:18:23.809 As we close today's program, I just wanted to 00:18:23.809 --> 00:18:26.910 talk with you very personally. As I finished 00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:29.390 this message, I talked about the greatest difficulty 00:18:29.390 --> 00:18:34.029 we will ever face is death. And it's one that 00:18:34.029 --> 00:18:37.630 we all face. real issue of hope. We've talked 00:18:37.630 --> 00:18:40.369 for, you know, a number of days now about hope, 00:18:40.430 --> 00:18:42.910 about pursuing hope, of having hope and where 00:18:42.910 --> 00:18:46.509 it comes from and how that everyone and everything 00:18:46.509 --> 00:18:49.769 at some point in time will let us down. But the 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:52.170 fact of the matter is that the greatest place 00:18:52.170 --> 00:18:55.549 that we need hope is, is there hope not just 00:18:55.549 --> 00:18:59.730 for this life, but for when we die? You know, 00:18:59.750 --> 00:19:03.210 I have had the The honor and the privilege and 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:07.450 also the just sheer responsibility as a pastor 00:19:07.450 --> 00:19:10.190 for over 35 years of burying a lot of people. 00:19:10.470 --> 00:19:15.309 And it's so interesting to watch people die. 00:19:16.490 --> 00:19:19.769 It may sound morbid, but this is one of those 00:19:19.769 --> 00:19:23.230 realities. All of life isn't, wow, wonderful, 00:19:23.490 --> 00:19:28.720 great, happy. People that we love die. And it's 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:31.559 interesting that when people have genuine hope, 00:19:31.680 --> 00:19:35.380 not some veneer of religiosity, not I went to 00:19:35.380 --> 00:19:38.000 church, not I intellectually believe in God, 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:41.539 not I'm trying to be a nice or good person, but 00:19:41.539 --> 00:19:43.960 the difference between people that have a deep 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:47.940 personal relationship with Jesus and have a hope, 00:19:47.980 --> 00:19:50.779 not wishful thinking, but an anchor in their 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:56.180 soul, they die so differently and they live so 00:19:56.180 --> 00:20:00.319 differently. I just wish you could somehow climb 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:04.019 inside my mind and see two video screens at the 00:20:04.019 --> 00:20:07.359 same time. And one of a family of a godly man 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:10.059 or a godly woman. And sometimes they're 25 and 00:20:10.059 --> 00:20:13.599 sometimes they're 85. And their family and their 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:16.299 kids or their grandkids. And when they've lived 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:18.680 this life and when they've had this eternal perspective. 00:20:18.700 --> 00:20:21.099 And they weren't perfect. They didn't have it 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:25.099 all together. But they had a hope in Christ that 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:29.000 transformed their life. And they die in peace. 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:33.259 They die knowing for certain that they will be 00:20:33.259 --> 00:20:38.019 with Christ in heaven forever. And the family 00:20:38.019 --> 00:20:40.920 responds in ways that it's, of course, there's 00:20:40.920 --> 00:20:43.180 grief and there's tears and there's sorrow. But 00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:46.880 there's a laughter about memories and there's 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.519 a certainty and there's a hope. And it's unexplainable. 00:20:50.970 --> 00:20:53.650 And by contrast, I wish you could see the other 00:20:53.650 --> 00:20:57.569 screen of the trivial remarks and he or she's 00:20:57.569 --> 00:21:00.549 gone to a better place and sort of all these 00:21:00.549 --> 00:21:04.390 trite little things and jokes about things that 00:21:04.390 --> 00:21:07.430 are immaterial. And what you really see is the 00:21:07.430 --> 00:21:11.589 despair. And you see people face a reality that 00:21:11.589 --> 00:21:13.990 they have no idea is there any hope afterwards 00:21:13.990 --> 00:21:17.779 because their hope has been in success. or how 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:20.900 they look, or how much they make, or what school 00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:24.000 their kids got into, or their hope was in a person, 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:27.539 and now that person is gone. What I want you 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:30.720 to know is that as the Apostle Paul finishes 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:35.200 this teaching in Philippians 3, he's in essence 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:41.519 saying, follow my pattern. Walk behind me. Reason 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:44.660 number one, there's a group of people that their 00:21:44.660 --> 00:21:47.480 affections got shifted. Their appetite was about 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:49.940 the now. It was about lust. It was about power. 00:21:50.119 --> 00:21:52.440 It was about money. It was about sex. It was 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:55.779 about looks. And it ended in destruction. And 00:21:55.779 --> 00:21:57.579 there's another group of people who understood 00:21:57.579 --> 00:22:00.839 their citizenship is in heaven. There's a reality 00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:04.259 of life that's more than now. And as they fix 00:22:04.259 --> 00:22:07.160 their hope on Christ, an amazing thing happened. 00:22:07.769 --> 00:22:11.309 Their life was transformed now in this life with 00:22:11.309 --> 00:22:16.990 joy and peace and connection and love and a hope 00:22:16.990 --> 00:22:20.869 that's unchanging and unfading of a new heaven 00:22:20.869 --> 00:22:25.069 and a new earth with a Savior and a King who 00:22:25.069 --> 00:22:28.670 is their Lord and their Savior. Here's my question. 00:22:29.109 --> 00:22:32.630 Where's your hope today? I'm asking those of 00:22:32.630 --> 00:22:36.109 you that used to walk with God. that you can't 00:22:36.109 --> 00:22:38.309 believe you're listening to this right now, but 00:22:38.309 --> 00:22:41.490 you have, quote, fallen away. Wouldn't today 00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:45.049 be the right day to tell God, I'm so sorry, and 00:22:45.049 --> 00:22:48.269 I'm coming back and get into the Word, find a 00:22:48.269 --> 00:22:51.170 good church, and begin to grow? And for some 00:22:51.170 --> 00:22:53.950 of you, you've never heard this before, but you 00:22:53.950 --> 00:22:56.369 know you're going to die. And today's the day 00:22:56.369 --> 00:22:59.650 for you to say, Lord Jesus, I want to put my 00:22:59.650 --> 00:23:02.069 hope in you. I've put it in people. I've put 00:23:02.069 --> 00:23:04.210 it in things. I've put it in work. I've put it 00:23:04.210 --> 00:23:09.269 in success. Everyone and everything someday will 00:23:09.269 --> 00:23:12.170 let you down. And so right now, would you bow 00:23:12.170 --> 00:23:14.369 your head and would you in your heart of hearts 00:23:14.369 --> 00:23:16.869 just cry out to God who wants to hear, Lord Jesus, 00:23:17.109 --> 00:23:21.210 save me. Please forgive me today. I believe today 00:23:21.210 --> 00:23:24.150 that Jesus is the Son of God, that you died for 00:23:24.150 --> 00:23:27.250 my sin in my place and rose from the dead. And 00:23:27.250 --> 00:23:30.710 today, I invite you to come into my life. to 00:23:30.710 --> 00:23:33.970 cleanse me, to forgive me, to make me your son, 00:23:34.130 --> 00:23:37.730 to make me your daughter. And now I ask you to 00:23:37.730 --> 00:23:41.349 help me follow you all the days of my life. And 00:23:41.349 --> 00:23:44.730 as you pray that, please text or call the greatest 00:23:44.730 --> 00:23:46.869 Christian you know. Tell him what you did. Find 00:23:46.869 --> 00:23:49.529 a great Bible teaching church this weekend and 00:23:49.529 --> 00:23:52.890 go to livingontheedge .org. And we have some 00:23:52.890 --> 00:23:55.730 free resources to help you grow. Welcome to the 00:23:55.730 --> 00:23:58.359 family. Thanks, Chip. Well, if you prayed to 00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:01.220 receive Christ, we do have a free resource we'd 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:03.839 like to put in your hands that was created specifically 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:07.200 for new believers. This tool will help you understand 00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:10.000 what it means to trust in Jesus and what to do 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:13.380 next. Request this free resource by calling 888 00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:19.339 -333 -6003 or by visiting livingontheedge .org, 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:22.700 then clicking the New Believers button. That's 00:24:22.700 --> 00:24:28.660 livingontheedge .org or call 888 - 333 -6003. 00:24:28.920 --> 00:24:31.339 Let us help you get started in your faith journey. 00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:34.519 Well, Chip's with me in studio still. And Chip, 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:36.619 we've talked all month about your newest book, 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:39.559 I Choose Joy. And many may not know that this 00:24:39.559 --> 00:24:42.140 work came out of a challenging season of life. 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:44.720 In fact, you're still wrestling with those circumstances 00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:47.240 right now. Would you be willing to open up about 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:50.549 that with our listeners? Absolutely, Dave. I 00:24:50.549 --> 00:24:52.930 had really painful back issues for about three 00:24:52.930 --> 00:24:56.349 years that led to a major surgery. They put hardware 00:24:56.349 --> 00:24:59.809 in my back. Three years later, it broke above 00:24:59.809 --> 00:25:02.769 it and below it. It was another surgery. And 00:25:02.769 --> 00:25:05.309 I was sitting down with my wife, and it was a 00:25:05.309 --> 00:25:07.569 long journey. And I kept working and doing what 00:25:07.569 --> 00:25:10.289 God called me to do, and I tried to be upbeat. 00:25:10.529 --> 00:25:12.970 And she turned to me and she said, Chip, do you 00:25:12.970 --> 00:25:15.190 realize how negative you've become over the last 00:25:15.190 --> 00:25:18.119 few years? At first, I was defensive. No, no, 00:25:18.200 --> 00:25:20.440 no, no, no, no, I'm not. And she said, you've 00:25:20.440 --> 00:25:23.180 been an upbeat person most of all of our marriage 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:26.359 of 40 plus years. And literally, you've just 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:30.140 become negative. I heard that and I didn't like 00:25:30.140 --> 00:25:32.700 it, but I thought about it. And Dave, I have 00:25:32.700 --> 00:25:35.920 to tell you, she was 100 % right. I was so convicted. 00:25:36.119 --> 00:25:39.200 And then I was scheduled to teach Philippians 00:25:39.200 --> 00:25:41.380 1 at the Billy Graham Center like two months 00:25:41.380 --> 00:25:44.200 later. So I had to study that up and get ready. 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:47.859 And it was out of that study and in my struggle 00:25:47.859 --> 00:25:51.319 was birthed, I choose joy. If you're hurting, 00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:54.099 if you feel like you've become a bit more negative 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:57.579 or anxious or hope is sort of drifting away, 00:25:57.859 --> 00:26:00.799 let me encourage you. God's word is powerful. 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:03.460 His spirit will work. You don't have to wait. 00:26:03.779 --> 00:26:07.720 I learned you can choose joy regardless of your 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:10.539 circumstance. God bless you and keep pressing 00:26:10.539 --> 00:26:13.519 ahead. Good word, Chip. To get your copy of the 00:26:13.519 --> 00:26:16.839 new I Choose Joy book, visit livingontheedge 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:22.880 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. I'm excited for 00:26:22.880 --> 00:26:25.319 all of you to experience the life -changing power 00:26:25.319 --> 00:26:29.259 of this work. Again, go to livingontheedge .org 00:26:29.259 --> 00:26:35.440 or call 888 -333 -6003 for complete details about 00:26:35.440 --> 00:26:38.799 the new book, I Choose Joy. App listeners, tap 00:26:38.799 --> 00:26:42.289 Special Offers. As we close, would you stop for 00:26:42.289 --> 00:26:44.410 a minute and pray for Living on the Edge today? 00:26:44.630 --> 00:26:47.269 We've never seen a greater need for God's truth 00:26:47.269 --> 00:26:49.890 to go out than right now. And by God's grace, 00:26:50.049 --> 00:26:52.190 Living on the Edge has provided encouragement, 00:26:52.589 --> 00:26:55.089 teaching, and personal discipleship resources 00:26:55.089 --> 00:26:58.049 to more people than ever. So thank you to those 00:26:58.049 --> 00:27:00.849 who support us in prayer. God is doing amazing 00:27:00.849 --> 00:27:03.910 things. Well, from all of us here, I'm Dave Drewy, 00:27:03.950 --> 00:27:05.970 thanking you for listening to this edition of 00:27:05.970 --> 00:27:08.609 Living on the Edge, and I hope you'll join us 00:27:08.609 --> 00:27:09.490 again next time.