WEBVTT 00:00:01.129 --> 00:00:03.910 One of the greatest dangers during financial 00:00:03.910 --> 00:00:07.629 uncertainty is a hidden monster called greed. 00:00:07.769 --> 00:00:11.210 We think only about ourselves. It poisons our 00:00:11.210 --> 00:00:15.089 soul. Now is the time to be free of greed that 00:00:15.089 --> 00:00:18.210 we might help others. We are the salt and the 00:00:18.210 --> 00:00:20.350 light of the world. But how does that really 00:00:20.350 --> 00:00:27.890 work? That's today. Welcome to this edition of 00:00:27.890 --> 00:00:31.010 Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission 00:00:31.010 --> 00:00:33.729 is to inspire Christians to be genuine followers 00:00:33.729 --> 00:00:36.909 of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple 00:00:36.909 --> 00:00:39.829 makers in our world. Now, I'm sure it's no surprise 00:00:39.829 --> 00:00:42.329 that the idea of keeping up with the Joneses 00:00:42.329 --> 00:00:44.829 is a source of significant anxiety for many. 00:00:45.070 --> 00:00:47.530 So today, Chip will explain what you can do to 00:00:47.530 --> 00:00:50.369 avoid the trap of materialism and fully embrace 00:00:50.369 --> 00:00:53.090 the practice of contentment. He has a lot to 00:00:53.090 --> 00:00:55.829 share, so here's Chip with his talk, In Financial 00:00:55.829 --> 00:00:58.759 Uncertainty. If you have a Bible, go again to 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:00.840 the book of Philippians, chapter 4, beginning 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:04.920 in verse 14. How many people know what I'm talking 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:07.780 about if I say a scouting report? What's a scouting 00:01:07.780 --> 00:01:10.319 report? You look at the film, you watch the other 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:12.299 team, and what do you do? You figure out what 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:13.980 their strengths are, what their weaknesses are, 00:01:14.099 --> 00:01:16.519 so you come up with your game plan. If you have 00:01:16.519 --> 00:01:18.579 small children and someone says, can your little 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:21.099 girl come over and stay overnight with our house, 00:01:21.140 --> 00:01:22.780 and it's someone from school, and you don't know 00:01:22.780 --> 00:01:25.090 them, what do you do? You make phone calls to 00:01:25.090 --> 00:01:27.689 find out about these people. You go on the internet 00:01:27.689 --> 00:01:29.329 and find out if there's any, you know, sexual 00:01:29.329 --> 00:01:31.670 offender or predators in that neighborhood. I 00:01:31.670 --> 00:01:34.189 mean, you check out what's going on. And students, 00:01:34.349 --> 00:01:37.670 you guys do scouting reports. You know, you see 00:01:37.670 --> 00:01:39.450 that girl and she kind of catches your eye or 00:01:39.450 --> 00:01:41.049 that guy and he kind of catches your eye and 00:01:41.049 --> 00:01:43.849 you think to yourself, you know, that might be 00:01:43.849 --> 00:01:47.129 sort of one of those. And so you ask so -and 00:01:47.129 --> 00:01:48.989 -so who asked so -and -so asked so -and -so and 00:01:48.989 --> 00:01:50.730 you find out all about her to see whether that's 00:01:50.730 --> 00:01:55.310 worth pursuing. On a less light note, I had a 00:01:55.310 --> 00:01:57.469 very, very good friend in my years in Dallas 00:01:57.469 --> 00:02:00.989 who was a squad leader in Vietnam. And he would 00:02:00.989 --> 00:02:03.670 take 12 to 15 men out and they would do a little 00:02:03.670 --> 00:02:06.189 circular about three to four miles and make a 00:02:06.189 --> 00:02:08.800 loop. And he said the most terrifying thing, 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.419 because he was the leader and he had about 10 00:02:10.419 --> 00:02:12.939 to 12 men in his care, and he said we would go 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:15.319 out and we'd make this loop, but just not every 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:18.060 day, but very frequently, we'd find ourselves 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:20.360 where we'd be in jungle, jungle, jungle, and 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.340 then we'd have to go across the space of about 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:25.400 100 yards, maybe 200 max, and it would be wide 00:02:25.400 --> 00:02:28.000 open, just rice paddies, but you were completely 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:30.360 exposed. And so he says, I'd get a couple of 00:02:30.360 --> 00:02:32.020 my scouts and they would literally, I mean, get 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:34.780 down, belly with their rifles, go all the way. 00:02:35.080 --> 00:02:37.099 And then it says, when they made it and had everything 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:40.219 checked out, they'd get up on one knee and motion 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:42.960 us. And he said, I mean, you watch guys with 00:02:42.960 --> 00:02:46.180 packs. We would run across there as fast as we 00:02:46.180 --> 00:02:48.379 could with our hearts pumping because we know 00:02:48.379 --> 00:02:52.259 the exposure in that 100 yards. And he said, 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:53.780 if we had a good scouting report, it wasn't a 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:57.250 problem. But he said, there were times where 00:02:57.250 --> 00:03:00.250 I ran across there, and then I heard, boom, ba 00:03:00.250 --> 00:03:02.530 -bam, bam, ba -bam, ba -bam, ba -bam, bam. And 00:03:02.530 --> 00:03:05.310 I would watch as one of the men I was responsible 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:08.490 for would be hit, and we would all hit the ground. 00:03:09.310 --> 00:03:12.789 And I had men with bullet holes and blood coming 00:03:12.789 --> 00:03:16.189 out of them that died in my arms because the 00:03:16.189 --> 00:03:19.469 scouting report was inaccurate. We're going to 00:03:19.469 --> 00:03:21.930 talk about contentment's greatest competitor. 00:03:23.289 --> 00:03:26.400 We're going to talk about how to beat it. And 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:28.539 the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God, 00:03:28.659 --> 00:03:31.659 is going to give you a scouting report. And this 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:34.560 scouting report is just, in fact, it's more serious 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.860 than my friend in Vietnam. If he got a bad scouting 00:03:37.860 --> 00:03:40.240 report, people could lose their physical life. 00:03:41.219 --> 00:03:43.300 The scouting report that you're going to get, 00:03:43.400 --> 00:03:46.719 if you don't understand it and heed it, you can 00:03:46.719 --> 00:03:50.300 lose your soul. You can lead your kids and your 00:03:50.300 --> 00:03:53.800 friends for all eternity off the wrong path. 00:03:55.560 --> 00:03:59.639 So this is a serious message. The Apostle Paul 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.580 gives us the scouting report in 1 Timothy chapter 00:04:02.580 --> 00:04:06.000 6, verses 5 to 10. And a good scouting report 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:07.860 does about four basic things. It says, well, 00:04:07.900 --> 00:04:10.780 who's the foe? How formidable is the foe? What 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:12.639 are his tactics? And then where are we vulnerable? 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:16.120 So let's follow along. The context is some false 00:04:16.120 --> 00:04:18.259 teachers are moving through the church. And so 00:04:18.259 --> 00:04:21.459 he says in verse 5, false teachers produce men 00:04:21.459 --> 00:04:23.800 of corrupt minds. That's the product of false 00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:26.800 teaching. who have been robbed of the truth and 00:04:26.800 --> 00:04:30.139 think that godliness is a means to financial 00:04:30.139 --> 00:04:33.199 gain. That's the context. Paul is writing to 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:35.100 his son Timothy and he writes this letter and 00:04:35.100 --> 00:04:36.740 he says, Timothy, when you receive this, you've 00:04:36.740 --> 00:04:39.199 got to understand these false teachers are going 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:41.660 around. They've been robbed of the truth and 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:43.959 what they teach, they actually teach. Can you 00:04:43.959 --> 00:04:46.420 believe this, Timothy? That walking with God, 00:04:46.500 --> 00:04:49.000 serving God, loving Christ is a way to get rich. 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:51.100 The reason you walk with God is he's going to 00:04:51.100 --> 00:04:53.000 make everything turn out great and you'll be 00:04:53.000 --> 00:04:58.740 wealthy. Does that sound familiar? And then he'll 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:02.680 give his thesis. By contrast, godliness with 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.699 contentment is great gain. That's our word. The 00:05:05.699 --> 00:05:07.699 fact of the matter is walking with God and knowing 00:05:07.699 --> 00:05:10.899 God and loving God when there is a sense of supernatural 00:05:10.899 --> 00:05:15.180 sufficiency in Christ is a great gain. And then 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:18.050 he'll give two facts. Why is this true? First, 00:05:18.350 --> 00:05:21.189 for we brought nothing into the world and we 00:05:21.189 --> 00:05:23.470 can take nothing out of it. Timothy, these guys 00:05:23.470 --> 00:05:25.430 are promising and people are wasting their lives. 00:05:25.589 --> 00:05:27.750 But Timothy, you need to remember, you come in 00:05:27.750 --> 00:05:30.350 as this little naked baby and you go through 00:05:30.350 --> 00:05:32.350 ups, downs, but you know what? They may put clothes 00:05:32.350 --> 00:05:34.110 on you. They may put you in a big expensive casket 00:05:34.110 --> 00:05:36.410 or a wooden box or burn you up and put you in 00:05:36.410 --> 00:05:38.829 an urn. But you come in with nothing and you 00:05:38.829 --> 00:05:40.930 leave with nothing. And it's 100 % true for 100 00:05:40.930 --> 00:05:43.970 % of the people. So it doesn't make a lot of 00:05:43.970 --> 00:05:46.410 sense to follow these false teachers. The second 00:05:46.410 --> 00:05:48.670 fact you need to remember is that if we have 00:05:48.670 --> 00:05:51.089 food and clothes, we will be, and then circle 00:05:51.089 --> 00:05:54.370 the word, it's our word content. If we have food 00:05:54.370 --> 00:05:56.709 and clothing, put a line under the word clothing 00:05:56.709 --> 00:05:59.129 because literally it means covering. The apostle 00:05:59.129 --> 00:06:02.290 Paul says their teaching doesn't make sense. 00:06:02.970 --> 00:06:05.790 But if we have food and covering, and the idea 00:06:05.790 --> 00:06:07.930 is covering for your body, clothes to keep you 00:06:07.930 --> 00:06:11.250 warm, and a covering, a roof. It could be a tent. 00:06:11.370 --> 00:06:13.930 It could be an RV. It could be a house. It could 00:06:13.930 --> 00:06:15.870 be a condo. But if you have something over your 00:06:15.870 --> 00:06:17.430 head to protect you from the elements and you 00:06:17.430 --> 00:06:21.769 have food with Christ, Paul says, you got all 00:06:21.769 --> 00:06:24.550 you need. If he gives you more, great. Be a wise 00:06:24.550 --> 00:06:27.370 steward of it. That's all you need to be content 00:06:27.370 --> 00:06:30.430 with that. And then verse 9, he's going to give 00:06:30.430 --> 00:06:33.589 the scouting report. In contrast to that mentality, 00:06:33.930 --> 00:06:38.790 people who want to get rich fall into temptation 00:06:38.790 --> 00:06:42.129 and a trap and into many foolish and harmful 00:06:42.129 --> 00:06:45.870 desires. And what do those harmful desires do? 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:50.990 They plunge men into ruin and destruction. Well, 00:06:51.050 --> 00:06:54.269 why and how does that happen? Verse 10, for the 00:06:54.269 --> 00:06:58.180 love of money is not the... But the love of money 00:06:58.180 --> 00:07:02.959 is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, 00:07:03.079 --> 00:07:07.660 eager to get rich or eager for money, have wandered 00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:11.379 from the faith and pierced themselves with many 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:15.139 griefs. Now, I said a good scouting report answers 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:18.259 those four questions. Let's take this text and 00:07:18.259 --> 00:07:20.300 let's answer those four questions. Question number 00:07:20.300 --> 00:07:25.000 one, who is our foe? The technical name is Philogoria. 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:27.660 The little phrase there, who want to get rich, 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:31.279 the phrase love for money, eager for money, the 00:07:31.279 --> 00:07:34.800 root word behind those, philo, to love, remember 00:07:34.800 --> 00:07:36.439 like Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, 00:07:36.540 --> 00:07:42.800 philo, goria, greed. The street name is just 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:47.779 materialism, greed. The belief more, more, more, 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:51.579 gotta have, that will satisfy. The love of money, 00:07:51.699 --> 00:07:56.800 age old. That's who our foe is. How formidable 00:07:56.800 --> 00:07:59.300 is our foe? If you have a pen, pull it out. I 00:07:59.300 --> 00:08:01.920 want you to circle a few words that tell you 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:06.959 how formidable this foe is. Circle the word plunge. 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:11.040 Circle the word ruin. Circle the word destruction. 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:15.319 Circle the phrase, a root of all kinds of evil. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:17.699 In other words, the love of money, it's not just 00:08:17.699 --> 00:08:21.879 a financial problem. 60 % or more of most marriages 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:25.319 that fail are rooted in... Some financial issues. 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:28.759 It is a root of all kinds of evil. Circle the 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:32.779 word wandered. Circle the word pierced. And circle 00:08:32.779 --> 00:08:38.659 the word griefs. This foe is formidable. It is 00:08:38.659 --> 00:08:43.320 a deeply, deadly, powerful, ruthless enemy that 00:08:43.320 --> 00:08:45.980 wants to destroy your physical life, your emotional 00:08:45.980 --> 00:08:48.379 life, your family life, your spiritual life, 00:08:48.460 --> 00:08:54.759 and take your soul. That's how formidable. What 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:57.200 are its tactics? Put a box around the word temptation. 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:01.799 Put a box around the word trap. Put a box around 00:09:01.799 --> 00:09:04.919 the word foolish. And put a box around the word 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:07.559 harmful desires and you will see the tactics. 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:11.759 The word temptation. What's temptation? Temptation 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:14.240 is simply usually offering a good thing in a 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.919 bad way. Temptation is missing the mark. Temptation 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:20.840 is a, temptation then he uses a parallel word, 00:09:20.980 --> 00:09:24.549 allure. The word for lure or trap here, it's 00:09:24.549 --> 00:09:27.129 that shiny thing that a fish sees that gets its 00:09:27.129 --> 00:09:29.669 attention, but behind the shiny little lure is 00:09:29.669 --> 00:09:33.269 a hook. And so money promises power, position, 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:37.049 popularity, self -image. Money will give you 00:09:37.049 --> 00:09:38.769 this. Money, you can live like this. People will 00:09:38.769 --> 00:09:40.169 love you. They will like you. You'll be significant. 00:09:40.210 --> 00:09:42.090 You'll be of value. And so you chase money and 00:09:42.090 --> 00:09:46.929 then a hook. That's what the word is. And that 00:09:46.929 --> 00:09:50.799 hook will plunge you into destruction. in relationships. 00:09:50.919 --> 00:09:54.019 It'll alienate you from God. It'll, like Jesus 00:09:54.019 --> 00:09:56.860 said, it'll be like the worries of the world 00:09:56.860 --> 00:09:58.840 and the deceitfulness of riches. It'll take the 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:01.279 work of the Spirit of God and the Word of God 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.139 in your life, and little by little, it will strangle 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:07.539 you. But notice the tactics. Did you notice some 00:10:07.539 --> 00:10:13.940 of the words? Trap, temptation, foolish, harmful 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:19.740 desires, and then the product is some For their 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:22.460 eager love for money have wondered. It's in the 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:26.899 passive voice. You don't wake up and make a willful 00:10:26.899 --> 00:10:28.659 decision one day to say, you know, I love God 00:10:28.659 --> 00:10:30.679 and, you know, I like being a student at this 00:10:30.679 --> 00:10:32.960 school and I want him to really use my life or, 00:10:32.980 --> 00:10:35.240 you know, I'm married or I'm single and I'm glad 00:10:35.240 --> 00:10:37.000 God's given me these kids and this is what really 00:10:37.000 --> 00:10:39.480 matters. You know what? I'm just tired of living 00:10:39.480 --> 00:10:41.340 this way. I think I'll just chase money and throw 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:44.559 all that away and I'll go hog wild and try and 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:49.200 get rich. No one wakes up and does that. Remember, 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:52.340 what did Jesus say? It's the deceitfulness of 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:56.100 riches. You understand what deceit means? It 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:59.279 means that when you are loving money and when 00:10:59.279 --> 00:11:02.539 you are wandering away from Christ, the only 00:11:02.539 --> 00:11:06.820 person that doesn't know it is you. They have 00:11:06.820 --> 00:11:09.080 wandered from the faith. It's a picture of like 00:11:09.080 --> 00:11:11.580 two people talking in a boat and there's a current 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:13.740 in the stream. And they get talking and they're 00:11:13.740 --> 00:11:15.740 in a good conversation. And as they're talking, 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:17.759 the dock is right here. And as they're talking, 00:11:17.820 --> 00:11:19.419 oh, how's that going? And how's that going? And 00:11:19.419 --> 00:11:21.600 they're so engrossed in the talking, but the 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.480 boat is being pushed down the stream. And when 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:26.620 they stop talking, they look up and they're two 00:11:26.620 --> 00:11:29.539 miles away from where they thought they were. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:34.039 That's this word. You just wake up one day and 00:11:34.039 --> 00:11:36.759 you're far away from Christ and your priorities 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.120 are out of order and there's tension in your 00:11:39.120 --> 00:11:42.000 marriage and your kids are seeing things in you 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:45.360 and you are driven and work is totally out of 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:48.340 proportion and things and what's new and what 00:11:48.340 --> 00:11:51.200 you gotta have and your debt continues to rise 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:54.159 and to grow and pretty soon you have rationalized 00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:57.820 your way and you have pierced yourself with many 00:11:57.820 --> 00:12:03.039 a grief. That's whose tactics. And where are 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:05.600 you vulnerable? First and foremost, in your heart. 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:10.100 The heart is deceitful above all else. You're 00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:12.480 listening to Living on the Edge, and Chip will 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:15.179 be back to continue our series, I Choose Peace, 00:12:15.379 --> 00:12:18.200 in just a minute. But let me quickly tell you, 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:20.700 we are more than a broadcast ministry. We're 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:22.860 passionate about supporting pastors globally, 00:12:23.139 --> 00:12:25.840 developing helpful resources, and sharing the 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:28.580 gospel with this next generation. So if you'd 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:30.840 like to partner with us in these areas, go to 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:35.080 livingontheedge .org. Well, here again is Chip. 00:12:36.179 --> 00:12:39.279 Can I just let you in on something? The issue 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:42.539 this morning is not... If you have a problem 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:45.500 of philogoria, the issue is not if you're being 00:12:45.500 --> 00:12:47.960 deceived. The issue is not if you are greedy. 00:12:48.139 --> 00:12:50.539 We're just going to try and find out how greedy 00:12:50.539 --> 00:12:56.269 you are and how greedy I am. All right? We are 00:12:56.269 --> 00:12:58.389 living, we're vulnerable not only in our heart, 00:12:58.470 --> 00:13:01.110 but you are living in a culture and I'm living 00:13:01.110 --> 00:13:03.730 in a culture with every commercial and every 00:13:03.730 --> 00:13:05.950 magazine and every advertisement and every new 00:13:05.950 --> 00:13:08.870 style and every new car. We are the people. The 00:13:08.870 --> 00:13:12.809 goal of an advertisement is to what? Produce 00:13:12.809 --> 00:13:16.580 discontent. Those old shoes aren't good enough. 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:18.120 That old car's not good enough. You don't want 00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.139 that house. Those kind of sinks aren't in anymore. 00:13:20.299 --> 00:13:22.100 You know what? The skirts are too long. Now they're 00:13:22.100 --> 00:13:23.659 too short. Now they go to the middle. The heels 00:13:23.659 --> 00:13:25.179 are high. Now they're flat. Now they're red. 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:26.700 Now they're white. Pink is in this year. Light 00:13:26.700 --> 00:13:28.080 blue is going to be next year. Lime green really 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.659 coming in. And so we got closets full of stuff 00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:35.320 that we don't wear that's good because we've 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:37.779 been hooked and deceived. So the issue today 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:41.980 is not, are you greedy? It's not, am I greedy? 00:13:42.889 --> 00:13:46.470 The only issue is to what extent is the hook 00:13:46.470 --> 00:13:48.950 in your mouth and what are you going to do about 00:13:48.950 --> 00:13:52.490 it? And what am I going to do about it? Because 00:13:52.490 --> 00:14:00.789 the implications ruin, plunged, pierced, destruction. 00:14:01.990 --> 00:14:04.830 I mean, this is way heavier than my Vietnam story. 00:14:06.139 --> 00:14:07.799 Because you might jot on the bottom of your notes, 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:12.039 Luke 16, 13 through 15. When Jesus took the whole 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:14.759 area of spirituality, he said, you know what? 00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:17.899 There's basically two options. You can either 00:14:17.899 --> 00:14:21.299 worship me or you worship what he called mammon 00:14:21.299 --> 00:14:24.919 or money or greed or materialism or consumerism. 00:14:25.139 --> 00:14:27.580 You are either in this camp or in that camp. 00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:30.820 And so what I want to help you by God's grace 00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:33.460 and his spirit through his word, I want to help 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:37.720 you and I want to help me. Break the grip of 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:41.519 greed in my life and in yours. This isn't something 00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.899 you can just grow into someday some way. It is 00:14:43.899 --> 00:14:46.559 possible to come to a point spiritually where 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:49.019 you can say, when times are terrible or when 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:51.860 times are great, as I learn to be grateful, as 00:14:51.860 --> 00:14:54.259 I learn to be teachable, as I learn to be flexible, 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:56.759 and as I learn to be confident, I can do all 00:14:56.759 --> 00:14:58.740 things through Christ who gives me strength. 00:14:58.860 --> 00:15:03.279 It is possible to be completely content in this 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:06.480 life. by the power of the grace of God through 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:09.440 your relationship with Christ. And that's priceless, 00:15:09.600 --> 00:15:12.220 as the commercial says. I mean, that is really 00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:15.440 priceless. I think it was John Paul Getty who 00:15:15.440 --> 00:15:17.240 at the very end of his life had amassed millions 00:15:17.240 --> 00:15:18.620 and millions and millions and they asked him, 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:21.100 what's it really take to be satisfied? His answer, 00:15:21.259 --> 00:15:27.019 just a little bit more. And so what we're going 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:29.559 to see from the Philippian church, they are going 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:31.399 to be a model for us. We're going to look at 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:33.940 the Philippian church and how they related to 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:37.460 Paul, and they will model how that you can break 00:15:37.460 --> 00:15:40.120 the grip of greed from your heart and life and 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:43.120 how I can do it as well. So after saying he can 00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:44.779 do all things through Christ who strengthens 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:47.259 him, he's going to say, here's how to break the 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:52.539 grip of greed. Develop personal compassion. See, 00:15:52.659 --> 00:15:55.909 what greed does, it hardens your heart. What 00:15:55.909 --> 00:15:58.350 your focus on money does is things, things, things, 00:15:58.450 --> 00:16:00.350 things become important, and God, God, God, and 00:16:00.350 --> 00:16:03.009 people, people don't. And so the only way to 00:16:03.009 --> 00:16:05.789 combat that is you've got to get your heart tenderized 00:16:05.789 --> 00:16:10.169 so it's soft toward God and soft towards people 00:16:10.169 --> 00:16:14.169 so you care. How do you develop compassion? By 00:16:14.169 --> 00:16:19.230 putting others' needs ahead of our wants. That's 00:16:19.230 --> 00:16:22.809 how you do it. You take some of your wants. And 00:16:22.809 --> 00:16:25.610 you find someone who has a real need and you 00:16:25.610 --> 00:16:28.029 say, I'm going to let go of that want and I'm 00:16:28.029 --> 00:16:30.210 going to take the time or energy or money for 00:16:30.210 --> 00:16:32.889 that want and I'm going to give it to this need. 00:16:33.470 --> 00:16:36.809 Watch how the Philippians model this. Verse 14, 00:16:36.909 --> 00:16:38.809 after he says he can do all things through Christ 00:16:38.809 --> 00:16:41.690 who gives me strength, he says, yet it was good 00:16:41.690 --> 00:16:45.039 of you to share in my trouble. Moreover, as you 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:46.980 Philippians know, in the early days, it was about 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:49.320 10 years ago, and best you can piece it together, 00:16:49.460 --> 00:16:51.720 the church was planted plus or minus around 10 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:53.980 years ago. And if you want to get the story, 00:16:54.100 --> 00:16:57.080 jot on the corner of your notes Acts 16. That's 00:16:57.080 --> 00:16:58.940 where Lydia, the church, started there by the 00:16:58.940 --> 00:17:01.340 riverbank, and then the Philippian jailer, you 00:17:01.340 --> 00:17:03.179 know, he comes to Christ, and, you know, Paul 00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:06.200 gets in trouble like usual. So they built this 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:08.920 bond, and this is a real connect, and he goes, 00:17:09.019 --> 00:17:11.359 it was good of you. Literally, it was beautiful. 00:17:11.380 --> 00:17:14.220 It was winsome. It was a thing of beauty, the 00:17:14.220 --> 00:17:16.140 way that you were to coin a nail with me. You 00:17:16.140 --> 00:17:19.019 shared with me. We became partners. And he said, 00:17:19.099 --> 00:17:20.680 when did we become partners? In my troubles. 00:17:21.019 --> 00:17:22.660 And the word for trouble there is a technical 00:17:22.660 --> 00:17:24.880 word in the New Testament for the afflictions 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:26.619 or the pain that would come on a person's life 00:17:26.619 --> 00:17:29.680 for sharing Christ. And he goes on to say, you 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:32.160 know, you remember the old days when you were 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:34.279 first acquainted with the gospel? And then I 00:17:34.279 --> 00:17:38.140 set out from Macedonia. Not one church shared 00:17:38.140 --> 00:17:40.000 or literally partnered with me in the manner 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:43.740 of giving and receiving except you only. And 00:17:43.740 --> 00:17:45.740 Paul basically is saying is, you know, this is 00:17:45.740 --> 00:17:47.500 a thank you letter. And Epaphroditus brought 00:17:47.500 --> 00:17:50.740 the financial gift. And I'm prison. And I just 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:53.640 want you to know. Thank you so much. I've learned 00:17:53.640 --> 00:17:56.019 to be content, so I didn't really need it. Yet 00:17:56.019 --> 00:17:59.079 it was good of you to help out. And then he goes 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.099 on to say here that moreover, you know, you were 00:18:02.099 --> 00:18:04.460 the only church to share. You were this poor 00:18:04.460 --> 00:18:08.460 little church and you saw my need and you generously 00:18:08.460 --> 00:18:15.180 gave to supply my needs. You put my needs ahead 00:18:15.180 --> 00:18:20.150 of your want. And that's how you do it. This 00:18:20.150 --> 00:18:22.349 idea of giving and receiving, it's all through 00:18:22.349 --> 00:18:25.490 the New Testament of those who supply spiritual 00:18:25.490 --> 00:18:29.789 food for us, giving, need to receive financial 00:18:29.789 --> 00:18:33.690 provision so the ministry can go forward. That's 00:18:33.690 --> 00:18:35.450 what Paul will make that point in all the churches. 00:18:36.509 --> 00:18:42.950 And I thought to myself, where or how did this 00:18:42.950 --> 00:18:47.769 most profoundly get worked out in my life? And 00:18:47.769 --> 00:18:51.210 I was in Dallas Seminary. Because when you see 00:18:51.210 --> 00:18:53.130 a principle like this, you think to yourself, 00:18:53.289 --> 00:18:54.869 well, you know, when I really get a lot of excess, 00:18:55.150 --> 00:18:57.349 then I can help some other people. But, you know, 00:18:57.410 --> 00:18:59.490 what you know is that everybody is mentally middle 00:18:59.490 --> 00:19:01.549 class. You do know that. I don't care what you 00:19:01.549 --> 00:19:04.690 make. You make $100 million. I mean, the billionaires, 00:19:04.710 --> 00:19:06.990 they're rich, not me, right? You know, you make 00:19:06.990 --> 00:19:09.650 $80 ,000. You make $30 ,000. I don't care what 00:19:09.650 --> 00:19:12.250 you make. Whoever makes more, they're rich, and 00:19:12.250 --> 00:19:16.940 you're kind of in need. It's life. And so I thought 00:19:16.940 --> 00:19:19.640 of a time when I learned this when, in my mind 00:19:19.640 --> 00:19:22.420 at least, I was very poor. And so we're in seminary 00:19:22.420 --> 00:19:24.420 and I'm making just under $1 ,000 a month and 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:27.339 I have three kids and going to school full time. 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:29.880 And a guy comes to chapel, I'd never heard of 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:33.000 the group, called World Vision. And he came and 00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:34.660 there was about 1 ,000 students in this chapel 00:19:34.660 --> 00:19:36.779 and he showed a video thing where, you know, 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.240 I'm crying and thinking of these poor kids and 00:19:39.240 --> 00:19:40.720 saying, boy, I wish I could help them, but I 00:19:40.720 --> 00:19:44.140 mean, I can barely pay my rent. And the guy gets 00:19:44.140 --> 00:19:46.259 up and he said, you know, you're probably wondering 00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:48.099 why I would come to Dallas Seminary to show you 00:19:48.099 --> 00:19:50.160 this. And I'm thinking, yeah, I'm wondering. 00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:53.400 I mean, first of all, I'm glad I know now. But 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:55.559 I thought, boy, I sure would love to help him. 00:19:55.579 --> 00:19:58.660 But I mean, I can't. And he said, a lot of you 00:19:58.660 --> 00:20:00.880 are probably thinking that, you know, you've 00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:03.039 got two jobs. You're barely making it. Your wives 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:04.599 are putting you through. You don't make any money. 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:07.359 So why would I come here? And he said, before 00:20:07.359 --> 00:20:09.140 I answer that question, can I just ask you a 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:10.380 little quick question here in the group? And 00:20:10.380 --> 00:20:12.539 I still remember this. He said, how many of you, 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:15.220 I know you don't have hardly any money, but how 00:20:15.220 --> 00:20:17.460 many of you, just as a little treat, maybe at 00:20:17.460 --> 00:20:20.700 least once or twice a month, take your families 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:23.559 out to McDonald's? And like 95 % of the hands 00:20:23.559 --> 00:20:25.119 went up. I went up. I mean, that was big time. 00:20:25.220 --> 00:20:27.539 I mean, three kids, two and a half happy meals. 00:20:27.720 --> 00:20:29.799 We split the cheeseburger. Everybody gets water. 00:20:29.920 --> 00:20:33.619 I can get out of here for 14, 16 bucks. I mean, 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:35.180 and that's, you know, whoa, hey, kids, here we 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:37.099 go, right? Ronald, we're going to have fun. Golden 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:41.700 arches. I mean, that was the moment. And I'll 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:44.480 never forget. And then he clicked a button and 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:48.539 put a picture of what I'd seen. And he said, 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:50.900 you know, if you go to McDonald's twice a month, 00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:54.559 you know what I'm asking you? That's a want. 00:20:55.420 --> 00:20:57.700 Would you be willing to give up going to McDonald's 00:20:57.700 --> 00:21:01.940 once a month and take that $16 to feed and educate 00:21:01.940 --> 00:21:05.859 that child? And I'll never forget walking home, 00:21:05.980 --> 00:21:09.019 that was 30 -some years ago now, I think, and 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:11.799 bringing a little picture of a little girl or 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:13.660 a little boy, I can't even remember now, and 00:21:13.660 --> 00:21:16.180 that started probably a 30 -some year journey 00:21:16.180 --> 00:21:21.460 that I thought, yeah, decision. Am I going to 00:21:21.460 --> 00:21:23.980 go to McDonald's twice or that kid get to eat 00:21:23.980 --> 00:21:28.799 once? You see, compassion, your heart gets soft 00:21:28.799 --> 00:21:33.359 when you take your once and sacrifice your once. 00:21:33.829 --> 00:21:39.490 for someone else's need. This is Living on the 00:21:39.490 --> 00:21:41.869 Edge with Chip Ingram, and you've been listening 00:21:41.869 --> 00:21:44.670 to part one of Chip's message in financial uncertainty 00:21:44.670 --> 00:21:48.069 from our series, I Choose Peace. Chip will be 00:21:48.069 --> 00:21:50.109 back shortly to share some helpful application 00:21:50.109 --> 00:21:52.940 for us to think about. What does it mean to be 00:21:52.940 --> 00:21:56.319 at peace? Is it having a thriving career, happy 00:21:56.319 --> 00:21:59.359 household, financial security? While many strive 00:21:59.359 --> 00:22:01.740 for these goals, they often bring only short 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:04.359 -term satisfaction, leaving us seeking more. 00:22:04.730 --> 00:22:07.369 In this 12 -part study in Philippians chapter 00:22:07.369 --> 00:22:10.970 4, Chip explains where this attitude of discontentment 00:22:10.970 --> 00:22:13.029 comes from and the ways it steals our peace. 00:22:13.309 --> 00:22:16.049 Stay with us to learn how to move beyond temporary 00:22:16.049 --> 00:22:19.029 calmness and develop a lasting, peace -centered 00:22:19.029 --> 00:22:21.990 life that comes from God. If you've missed any 00:22:21.990 --> 00:22:25.349 part of this series, catch up anytime at livingontheedge 00:22:25.349 --> 00:22:28.970 .org or wherever you listen to podcasts. Well, 00:22:29.009 --> 00:22:31.309 I'm joined in studio now by Chip. And Chip, you 00:22:31.309 --> 00:22:33.589 know, over the past few years, we've witnessed 00:22:33.589 --> 00:22:36.170 God bless the work of this ministry in incredible 00:22:36.170 --> 00:22:39.809 ways. And the primary reason we've had this growth 00:22:39.809 --> 00:22:42.069 is because of the support of our faithful listeners. 00:22:42.650 --> 00:22:44.069 Now, take a minute if you wouldn't talk about 00:22:44.069 --> 00:22:46.250 what it looks like for people to stand with us 00:22:46.250 --> 00:22:49.150 financially to help Christians everywhere live 00:22:49.150 --> 00:22:52.450 like Christians. I'd be glad to, Dave. What we're 00:22:52.450 --> 00:22:55.569 really looking for is people who say, freely 00:22:55.569 --> 00:22:58.549 I've received, I want to be a part. We're looking 00:22:58.549 --> 00:23:01.930 for partners, not transactions. If you have a 00:23:01.930 --> 00:23:04.470 heart for living on the edge, or if we have ministered 00:23:04.470 --> 00:23:08.170 to you, would you consider, would you pray about 00:23:08.170 --> 00:23:11.190 partnering with us financially? and especially 00:23:11.190 --> 00:23:14.230 on a monthly basis, where rather than any kind 00:23:14.230 --> 00:23:16.609 of transaction, paying for getting the teaching 00:23:16.609 --> 00:23:19.390 every day, no, this is a heart transition to 00:23:19.390 --> 00:23:23.029 say, God has spoken to me and helped me deeply 00:23:23.029 --> 00:23:25.509 through Living on the Edge. I want to pass that 00:23:25.509 --> 00:23:28.450 on. I want the grace that I've received to go 00:23:28.450 --> 00:23:30.730 to other people. And you know, a lot of people, 00:23:30.829 --> 00:23:33.509 they're probably like me when I was coming up. 00:23:34.000 --> 00:23:36.359 I didn't grow up as a Christian. I was in no 00:23:36.359 --> 00:23:40.720 position to pay for or give or do anything. I 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:43.700 just needed people to love me. In the church 00:23:43.700 --> 00:23:46.000 world, I used to say, you know, there's some 00:23:46.000 --> 00:23:48.019 people that create the wave and there's others 00:23:48.019 --> 00:23:50.500 that ride the wave. And we at Living on the Edge 00:23:50.500 --> 00:23:52.519 have a group of partners and we want to create 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.000 a wave where people that don't know the Lord 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.799 and people that are struggling can ride that 00:23:56.799 --> 00:23:59.460 wave. And then as they grow and as they mature, 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:02.960 every now and then we pause like today. And I 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:05.059 say, would you like to help create the wave now? 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:08.180 So if we've helped you, could you prayerfully 00:24:08.180 --> 00:24:11.279 consider becoming a monthly partner? Pray about 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:13.660 it, then do whatever God shows you. Thanks, Chip. 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:16.140 We believe helping Christians really live like 00:24:16.140 --> 00:24:18.700 Christians will radically change the world we're 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:21.069 living in. So if you'd like to be part of that 00:24:21.069 --> 00:24:23.369 mission, we'd love to have you join the team. 00:24:23.490 --> 00:24:26.609 To become a monthly partner, go to livingontheedge 00:24:26.609 --> 00:24:32.390 .org or call us at 888 -333 -6003. Again, that's 00:24:32.390 --> 00:24:38.390 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge .org. 00:24:39.130 --> 00:24:42.210 App listeners, tap Donate. Well, with that, here 00:24:42.210 --> 00:24:45.339 again is Chip with his final application. In 00:24:45.339 --> 00:24:48.039 this message, we're talking about choosing peace 00:24:48.039 --> 00:24:51.279 in a materialistic culture. And as we wrap up 00:24:51.279 --> 00:24:53.660 today's broadcast, I just want to remind you 00:24:53.660 --> 00:24:56.740 of something. How is it that you develop a heart 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:59.799 of compassion? And the answer is really easy 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:03.119 to say, but it's really hard to do. It's practice 00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:06.799 putting others' needs. ahead of your wants. And 00:25:06.799 --> 00:25:09.339 I told a little story of how I begin to learn 00:25:09.339 --> 00:25:12.140 that even when I was a very poor seminary student. 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:15.799 Whenever you start being compassionate, whenever 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:18.759 you start to choose to put other people's needs 00:25:18.759 --> 00:25:22.119 ahead of your wants, you can expect opposition. 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:26.119 As we learn to choose to be compassionate, we 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:29.299 declare war on greed and we discover God's peace 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:31.859 in our heart. Why don't you just try that in 00:25:31.859 --> 00:25:34.119 some little things today and see what God does 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:37.200 in your life? Great idea, Chip. And as we close, 00:25:37.319 --> 00:25:39.400 if you're looking for a practical way to grow 00:25:39.400 --> 00:25:41.740 in your relationship with God, check out the 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:44.359 Chip Ingram app. You can listen to our most recent 00:25:44.359 --> 00:25:47.359 series, sign up for daily discipleship with Chip, 00:25:47.400 --> 00:25:50.099 and more. We want to help you deepen your faith, 00:25:50.279 --> 00:25:52.440 and the Chip Ingram app will help you do just 00:25:52.440 --> 00:25:55.240 that. Well, join us next time as Chip continues 00:25:55.240 --> 00:25:58.660 his series, I Choose Peace. Until then, I'm Dave 00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:00.740 Drewy, thanking you for listening to this edition 00:26:00.740 --> 00:26:02.440 of Living on the Edge.