WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:05.379 There is a potential downside to becoming a very 00:00:05.379 --> 00:00:08.439 spiritually disciplined Christian. I mean, it 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:11.279 can be hazardous to your health. And that's what 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:18.260 we want to cover today. Stay with me. Welcome 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:21.179 to this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:21.179 --> 00:00:23.679 Ingram. The mission of this daily program is 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:26.160 to intentionally disciple Christians through 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.199 the insightful Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. 00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:31.579 And were you intrigued by Chip's setup? Can being 00:00:31.579 --> 00:00:34.700 a very spiritually disciplined person be bad 00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:37.079 for us? That sounds like an obvious contradiction, 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:39.460 right? Well, today Chip's going to give us some 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:41.719 clarity as he picks up in his series, Balancing 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:44.420 Life's Demands. So if you're ready, go to Matthew 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:47.219 chapter 5 in your Bible as we dive right into 00:00:47.219 --> 00:00:51.960 Chip's talk. I want you to try to remember exactly 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:55.460 where you were the last time you heard these 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:59.679 words. please take out a clean sheet of paper 00:00:59.679 --> 00:01:03.560 and a number two pencil, put everything away, 00:01:03.679 --> 00:01:08.079 clear your desk, number from one to 10, we're 00:01:08.079 --> 00:01:12.079 having a pop quiz. Okay, now you can open your 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:17.379 eyes. And we, remember the feared pop quiz? That 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:20.340 was a tool of accountability, right? It was, 00:01:20.420 --> 00:01:22.959 did you read the assignment? Are you on track? 00:01:23.290 --> 00:01:25.489 Are you doing your work? And the way we will 00:01:25.489 --> 00:01:30.730 enforce that is when you don't suspect it. And 00:01:30.730 --> 00:01:32.890 I used to hate that. Please take everything off 00:01:32.890 --> 00:01:35.489 your desk. My heart would sink. Number two pencil. 00:01:36.109 --> 00:01:38.609 Well, I'm going to give you a pop quiz. And this 00:01:38.609 --> 00:01:41.209 is a for real one, okay? So, I mean, don't think 00:01:41.209 --> 00:01:42.890 like, oh, this is kind of a nice illustration. 00:01:43.189 --> 00:01:46.760 No, no, no. You'll notice on your notes. It says, 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:48.879 to what degree, it's a biblical priorities pop 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:51.040 quiz, to what degree have you taken specific 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:54.239 steps in the following areas? And I told you 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:57.019 earlier that I had that moment with Prof. Hendricks 00:01:57.019 --> 00:02:00.140 where he went over to the board and he told us, 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.840 remember, guys, God loves you right now as much 00:02:02.840 --> 00:02:06.219 as he'll ever love you. The issue is, who do 00:02:06.219 --> 00:02:08.360 you really wanna be? And then in big letters, 00:02:08.419 --> 00:02:11.099 he wrote the word objectives. And then under 00:02:11.099 --> 00:02:14.800 the words of that, he wrote. And then under that, 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:17.580 he wrote the word schedule. And then he wrote 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:20.659 discipline. And then he wrote accountability. 00:02:21.300 --> 00:02:24.560 Now, as we take this pop quiz, some of you are 00:02:24.560 --> 00:02:27.180 very intense. You're trying to be very deeply 00:02:27.180 --> 00:02:30.139 honest. Would you be, you know, give yourself 00:02:30.139 --> 00:02:32.719 a good grade, okay? Don't be too hard on yourself. 00:02:33.340 --> 00:02:35.400 You'll notice, you know, there's a little box. 00:02:35.539 --> 00:02:37.599 I actually want you to put a number in the box. 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:42.229 And so I'm going to give it. you know, the definition 00:02:42.229 --> 00:02:46.030 on the quiz. And then if you say none, you know, 00:02:46.030 --> 00:02:48.030 put a one. If you, well, a little, put a two. 00:02:48.330 --> 00:02:50.569 If you started, you know, and you're kind of 00:02:50.569 --> 00:02:52.930 doing okay or even making some progress, put 00:02:52.930 --> 00:02:56.650 a three. If you're making some good progress, 00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:58.990 and by the way, you know, some of you are so 00:02:58.990 --> 00:03:01.229 hard on yourself. If you feel like... Like when 00:03:01.229 --> 00:03:03.169 we get to accountability is, oh, I meet with 00:03:03.169 --> 00:03:04.590 some people and I'm doing some things. Well, 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:07.069 give yourself a four. And then if you feel like 00:03:07.069 --> 00:03:09.849 I am vigorously pursuing this, I mean, man, I 00:03:09.849 --> 00:03:12.289 am intense in this area and I'm really trying 00:03:12.289 --> 00:03:13.729 to do what God wants me to do, give yourself 00:03:13.729 --> 00:03:16.650 a five. So have you got it? There's the scoring. 00:03:16.990 --> 00:03:19.310 Question number one, students. Number two, pencil. 00:03:21.729 --> 00:03:25.110 Objectives. Moving from vague ideas to specific 00:03:25.110 --> 00:03:28.610 decisions about the kind of person I want to 00:03:28.610 --> 00:03:31.770 become and what I want to accomplish. So, what 00:03:31.770 --> 00:03:35.460 are you? Are you moving from kind of vague ideas 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:38.659 to some specific decisions that I want to be 00:03:38.659 --> 00:03:40.819 this kind of person, and these are some things 00:03:40.819 --> 00:03:43.900 I want to accomplish by God's grace in my life? 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:46.120 If you've never thought about it and really don't 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:48.520 care, give yourself a one. If you're vigorously 00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:51.479 pursuing that and you've gone from some general 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:53.620 decisions to, hey, you know what? Even while 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:56.300 I've been here, I've gotten some clarity, then 00:03:56.300 --> 00:04:00.060 write down a four or five. And the first number 00:04:00.060 --> 00:04:02.419 that comes, go with it, okay? I mean, let's not 00:04:02.419 --> 00:04:05.699 overanalyze this. I will be collecting the papers 00:04:05.699 --> 00:04:08.400 later, however. No, I'm just kidding. Question 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:12.539 number two, priorities. This is about how you 00:04:12.539 --> 00:04:15.379 spend your time, how you spend your money. The 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:18.920 order. Ordering my life in such a way that the 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:22.620 important and eternal are not forfeited by the 00:04:22.620 --> 00:04:26.279 pressing and the urgent. It's that putting first 00:04:26.279 --> 00:04:31.050 things first, keeping first things first. Where 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:34.129 are you at on that? None, little, started, doing 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:37.430 okay, making progress, vigorously pursuing. Put 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:42.149 down a number. Third, some of you are, I just 00:04:42.149 --> 00:04:44.670 can't, am I really a three or is it a four? Just, 00:04:44.750 --> 00:04:50.610 okay. Third is schedule. Determining specifically 00:04:50.610 --> 00:04:54.490 how and when I will place the important and eternal 00:04:54.490 --> 00:04:58.759 in my daily life. Things like, where and how 00:04:58.759 --> 00:05:01.339 am I going to put time with God in my daily life? 00:05:01.540 --> 00:05:03.740 Where and how in the important relationships 00:05:03.740 --> 00:05:06.220 that I have responsibility and I want to develop, 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:09.319 whether it's my kids or mentoring or a roommate, 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:12.379 where and how specifically are you going to put 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:16.100 in your schedule becoming the person, the being 00:05:16.100 --> 00:05:18.120 that you know God wants you to? Where are you 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:22.019 at on that? Next is discipline. Doing what needs 00:05:22.019 --> 00:05:24.720 to be done when it needs to be done. Choosing 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:27.480 to habitually delay gratification of short -term 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.379 pleasure in order to more fully enjoy long -term 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:34.180 success. How are you doing there? Final one is 00:05:34.180 --> 00:05:36.680 accountability. Enlisting the support of those 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:40.019 who love me to help me keep my commitments to 00:05:40.019 --> 00:05:43.660 God. Is there some people that you're enlisting 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:46.699 or you're already doing that? Where are you at 00:05:46.699 --> 00:05:51.040 on that? One, two, three, four, or five? Write 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:55.339 it up. You got it? Good. Now, I want you to do 00:05:55.339 --> 00:05:57.279 something that might be crazy, is put a line 00:05:57.279 --> 00:05:59.240 under that, and I want you to add up those numbers. 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:02.160 Just add them up real quickly. Okay, there's 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:04.720 only one, two, three, four, five. It can't be 00:06:04.720 --> 00:06:10.300 that hard. Just add them up. Some of you thought 00:06:10.300 --> 00:06:15.379 I was kidding about the pop quiz. I wasn't. We're 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:17.860 about a little over halfway through this series 00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:19.779 together, and so I thought we'd do a little evaluation. 00:06:20.699 --> 00:06:23.829 If you added those up, and if you were... Your 00:06:23.829 --> 00:06:27.829 total score was between a 5 and a 10. You have 00:06:27.829 --> 00:06:33.110 heard but not acted at all. If your score is 00:06:33.110 --> 00:06:37.290 between 11 and a 15, you begin to take some initial 00:06:37.290 --> 00:06:41.129 steps toward what God wants you to be in, balancing 00:06:41.129 --> 00:06:44.129 your life and biblical priorities. If your score 00:06:44.129 --> 00:06:47.889 is between a 15 or a 20, Your life is actually 00:06:47.889 --> 00:06:50.029 changing. It may not be as much as you would 00:06:50.029 --> 00:06:53.069 like, but your life is changing. And if you scored 00:06:53.069 --> 00:06:57.850 between a 20 and a 25, this message is for you. 00:06:58.829 --> 00:07:02.110 I mean, you are vigorously, intensely pursuing. 00:07:02.509 --> 00:07:04.990 I want to be this kind of person and my priorities 00:07:04.990 --> 00:07:07.050 and my discipline, my schedule and accountability. 00:07:07.649 --> 00:07:11.329 If you're between a 20 or a 25, I think God will 00:07:11.329 --> 00:07:13.350 have a special word for all of us, but especially 00:07:13.350 --> 00:07:16.939 for you. If some of you have struggled with kind 00:07:16.939 --> 00:07:19.459 of keeping your commitments in the past, you 00:07:19.459 --> 00:07:22.259 know, that last teaching we did on accountability, 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:25.959 I think will really help you. If, however, you 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:27.920 find yourself being one of those people who say, 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:33.740 you know something, I am really trying to be 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:39.120 all God wants me to be. And I am pretty intense 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:42.399 in pursuing him. And yet I have these waves of 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:44.480 guilt and I never know whether I'm doing enough. 00:07:44.819 --> 00:07:47.399 And as I've processed some of this, I'm trying 00:07:47.399 --> 00:07:50.120 to be real discerning, but I'm just not sure 00:07:50.120 --> 00:07:52.839 that I think this message will be very helpful. 00:07:53.019 --> 00:07:56.019 We're gonna look at two warnings from Jesus. 00:07:56.480 --> 00:07:59.060 You'll notice even the title of this message 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:02.060 is personal discipline can be hazardous to your 00:08:02.060 --> 00:08:05.839 health. Warning, flashing lights. Personal discipline. 00:08:06.019 --> 00:08:07.959 And we talked about how important it is that 00:08:07.959 --> 00:08:10.079 it's from the Spirit of God that we need to be 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:12.720 disciplined, right? Now it's time out before 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:16.300 you get too focused, too fired up. Personal discipline 00:08:16.300 --> 00:08:20.839 can be hazardous to your spiritual health. There's 00:08:20.839 --> 00:08:24.139 two great dangers in becoming a highly focused, 00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:27.040 highly disciplined, authentic follower of Christ. 00:08:27.420 --> 00:08:30.180 Danger number one is the danger of distortion. 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:37.100 Jesus warns. that we can easily distort the purpose 00:08:37.100 --> 00:08:43.460 of spiritual activities. He was up on a mountain, 00:08:43.539 --> 00:08:46.960 had prayed all night, according to Luke 6, and 00:08:46.960 --> 00:08:48.860 he knew that he was going to turn over the ministry 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.879 to a select group of men, not a group of men 00:08:51.879 --> 00:08:54.179 that most of us would have chosen. Most of them 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:56.340 blue -collar workers, exception of maybe one. 00:08:57.159 --> 00:08:59.659 One was a former revolutionary, a couple guys 00:08:59.659 --> 00:09:02.870 with anger management issues. One, a strong leader 00:09:02.870 --> 00:09:06.789 with a very big mouth. One, a betrayer. One, 00:09:06.970 --> 00:09:11.470 a crook. and he goes up into the mountain, and 00:09:11.470 --> 00:09:13.370 it's very clear the parallel. He's going to, 00:09:13.509 --> 00:09:16.769 even as Moses was the great Old Testament hero, 00:09:16.909 --> 00:09:20.629 and as Moses laid out God's economy for the children 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:24.669 of Israel from the mountain, now Jesus, the rabbi, 00:09:24.690 --> 00:09:26.990 the teacher, goes up into the mountain, and he 00:09:26.990 --> 00:09:29.429 prays, and we will hear what's commonly called 00:09:29.429 --> 00:09:31.990 the Sermon on the Mount, but what he's talking 00:09:31.990 --> 00:09:35.809 to is to his disciples, and the crowd is overhearing. 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:39.139 And as the text opens up, it says he sits down, 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:42.559 which was when a rabbi was speaking authoritatively, 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:45.120 he would sit down and say, this is the way it 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:47.960 is. You'll notice that you have in your notes 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:52.080 Matthew chapter 5. And then in your notes, you 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:55.600 also see a structure or overview of Matthew chapter 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:59.399 5. The context is verses one and two. Now, when 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:01.559 he saw the crowds, he went up into the mountainside 00:10:01.559 --> 00:10:04.720 and he sat down. His disciples came to him and 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:07.639 he began to teach them saying, obviously in our 00:10:07.639 --> 00:10:09.639 time together, I can't go through all of this 00:10:09.639 --> 00:10:12.820 in much detail, but I want you to see the structure. 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:16.480 Verses three through 12, he's going to say, the 00:10:16.480 --> 00:10:19.539 reward and the character of true followers look 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:23.230 like this. And then in verses 13, Through 16, 00:10:23.490 --> 00:10:26.429 he's going to say, when that kind of character 00:10:26.429 --> 00:10:29.309 is lived out by the grace of God in relationship 00:10:29.309 --> 00:10:32.330 with him, you are literally the salt and the 00:10:32.330 --> 00:10:35.210 light of the world. He's saying, be worthy examples. 00:10:36.440 --> 00:10:38.679 And then after that, then he's gonna have to 00:10:38.679 --> 00:10:40.759 tie it in because they've spent all their time 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:43.379 as little boys in the synagogue listening to 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:46.399 the Pharisees teach. And Moses is the great teacher. 00:10:46.539 --> 00:10:49.399 And so now he needs to say, what am I saying? 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:52.340 And how does that tie in to what you've always 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:55.519 heard? And what they've always heard is not only 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.179 the Old Testament teaching, but there's the Mishnah. 00:10:58.220 --> 00:11:01.210 And that was a oral tradition. that I think someone 00:11:01.210 --> 00:11:04.769 has said there's about 614 or 13 commands in 00:11:04.769 --> 00:11:07.070 the Old Testament, clear commands. Well, add 00:11:07.070 --> 00:11:10.049 two or three more thousand that came out of this 00:11:10.049 --> 00:11:12.450 oral teaching. I mean, they had commands about 00:11:12.450 --> 00:11:14.210 how many steps you could take on the Sabbath, 00:11:14.330 --> 00:11:16.649 about this, about, I mean, every detail of life. 00:11:18.029 --> 00:11:22.159 A Pharisee would fast twice. a week. They would 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:24.340 tithe on their money. And Jesus would even say 00:11:24.340 --> 00:11:26.500 later, you know, down to the kind of the herbs 00:11:26.500 --> 00:11:29.620 and spices, they were legalistic down to the 00:11:29.620 --> 00:11:34.200 minutia. And so Jesus is going to, I mean, he 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:38.080 is declaring himself and his message and his 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:40.539 followers. And then he's going to say, where 00:11:40.539 --> 00:11:44.179 do I and my teaching fit with what you've heard 00:11:44.179 --> 00:11:46.899 all your life with Moses? And he's going to make 00:11:46.899 --> 00:11:50.139 a very radical statement in verse 20. And he's 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:51.879 going to talk about true righteousness. So have 00:11:51.879 --> 00:11:54.279 you got the structure? So with that, just listen. 00:11:54.559 --> 00:11:56.779 Let's listen first to the reward and character 00:11:56.779 --> 00:11:59.899 of his followers. Blessed are the poor in spirit, 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:03.559 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:05.940 are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 00:12:06.259 --> 00:12:08.879 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:11.740 earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:15.039 for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed 00:12:15.039 --> 00:12:17.299 are the merciful for they will be shown mercy. 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.919 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:24.460 see God. Blessed are the peacemakers for they 00:12:24.460 --> 00:12:27.620 will be called the sons of God. Blessed are those 00:12:27.620 --> 00:12:31.419 who are persecuted because of righteousness for 00:12:31.419 --> 00:12:35.000 theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In fact, blessed 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.860 are you when people insult you and persecute 00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:40.919 you falsely and say all kind of evil things against 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:46.500 you because of me. You see the role he's taking. 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:50.820 Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward 00:12:50.820 --> 00:12:54.500 in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted 00:12:54.500 --> 00:12:58.259 the prophets who were before you. And so he gives 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.460 a character quality, the poor in spirit, someone 00:13:00.460 --> 00:13:03.320 who sees their need before God, and then he gives 00:13:03.320 --> 00:13:05.100 the reward, the character quality of the reward, 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:06.620 the character quality of the reward. He says, 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:11.379 this is an authentic follower of mine. And then 00:13:11.379 --> 00:13:15.259 he goes from that to... Impact. What's the role? 00:13:15.460 --> 00:13:18.360 How do you live? You are. He doesn't say become. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:23.220 He doesn't say do. You are the salt of the earth. 00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:27.220 But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:29.279 it be made salty again? It's no longer good for 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:31.679 anything except to be thrown out and trampled 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:35.389 by men. You are the light of the world. A city 00:13:35.389 --> 00:13:38.049 set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people 00:13:38.049 --> 00:13:40.350 light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, 00:13:40.529 --> 00:13:42.870 they put it on its stand, and it gives light 00:13:42.870 --> 00:13:46.309 to everyone in the house. In the same way, let 00:13:46.309 --> 00:13:50.110 your light so shine before men that they may 00:13:50.110 --> 00:13:52.509 see your good works and praise your Father who 00:13:52.509 --> 00:13:55.389 is in heaven. And in their minds, when he said 00:13:55.389 --> 00:13:57.809 good works, the good works that would immediately 00:13:57.809 --> 00:14:00.129 come to their mind would be the good works of 00:14:00.129 --> 00:14:04.470 the Pharisees. I mean, all the good works, all 00:14:04.470 --> 00:14:08.750 the duties, all the rules, all the stuff. And 00:14:08.750 --> 00:14:10.909 so he begins to build the structure, first of 00:14:10.909 --> 00:14:13.889 the reward and character, then be worthy of examples. 00:14:14.009 --> 00:14:17.509 And now we're gonna get to the part where you're 00:14:17.509 --> 00:14:19.190 gonna really get in trouble if you're the Messiah. 00:14:19.970 --> 00:14:24.169 He says, do not think, because who are you? Are 00:14:24.169 --> 00:14:27.210 you the one? Shall we expect another? Even John 00:14:27.210 --> 00:14:30.259 the Baptist was asking. He's a teacher like no 00:14:30.259 --> 00:14:32.659 one else. He speaks with authority. The lame 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:36.320 walk, the blind see, the dead are raised. He 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:39.620 feeds 5 ,000. I mean, so where do you fit in 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:42.799 the economy of God? And he's gonna just lay it 00:14:42.799 --> 00:15:05.629 out. Anyone who breaks the least of these commandments 00:15:05.629 --> 00:15:08.409 and teaches others to do the same will be called 00:15:08.409 --> 00:15:11.710 least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices 00:15:11.710 --> 00:15:18.289 and teaches Did you notice the emphasis? Practices 00:15:18.289 --> 00:15:20.929 and teaches. What's his problem with the Pharisees? 00:15:21.330 --> 00:15:23.450 What's his problem with the religious culture? 00:15:24.330 --> 00:15:27.490 It's duplicity. It's the problem we have today. 00:15:27.830 --> 00:15:30.269 Everyone says, I'm born again. Everyone says, 00:15:30.389 --> 00:15:33.730 I love Jesus. We just don't live that way. Anyone 00:15:33.730 --> 00:15:37.570 who practices and teaches these commands would 00:15:37.570 --> 00:15:39.610 be called great in the kingdom of God. For I 00:15:39.610 --> 00:15:42.789 tell you, And this is the one where I mean their 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:47.909 jaws dropped. I tell you, unless your righteousness 00:15:47.909 --> 00:15:50.649 surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers 00:15:50.649 --> 00:15:54.090 of the law, you will certainly not enter the 00:15:54.090 --> 00:15:57.370 kingdom of heaven. Now, can you imagine hearing 00:15:57.370 --> 00:15:59.450 this sermon and to get to that part and going, 00:15:59.629 --> 00:16:04.809 are you kidding? I mean, these guys are squeaky 00:16:04.809 --> 00:16:07.450 clean, squeaky clean, squeaky clean. I mean, 00:16:07.450 --> 00:16:10.159 they have these... things on their head and it 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:12.860 goes down their robes and the hundreds or thousands 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:15.580 of verses that they've memorized. They pray at 00:16:15.580 --> 00:16:18.340 certain times. They give their money. They fast 00:16:18.340 --> 00:16:21.419 twice a week. I mean, if righteousness is doing 00:16:21.419 --> 00:16:25.600 the right things, I mean, these guys, and now 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:29.220 this new Messiah tells me, unless my righteousness 00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:33.700 exceeds theirs, I can't even get in. Right about 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:39.120 now, I'm thinking, there's no hope for me. And 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:44.539 then Jesus begins to make the distinction between 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:47.519 external righteousness activities, spiritual 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:50.539 activities, good activities, doing the right 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:56.600 things, however, for the wrong reason. It's a 00:16:56.600 --> 00:16:58.899 very silly illustration, but it helps me. Can 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:02.980 you imagine if someone, maybe it took many, many 00:17:02.980 --> 00:17:07.279 years, and by just great... fortune. They were 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:09.980 able to build, I mean, the house of their dreams. 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:15.519 And after the house was done, there was a little 00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:17.440 brook, and so they needed to build a small little 00:17:17.440 --> 00:17:22.220 bridge and then a driveway to get into it. And 00:17:22.220 --> 00:17:24.900 then they invite you over. And the last thing 00:17:24.900 --> 00:17:26.660 they worked on was the driveway. And there's, 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:28.740 you know, different kinds of stone and, you know, 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:31.700 the little white fence and landscaping. And they 00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:34.140 bring you over and they say, look at this. Can 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:36.279 you believe this driveway? Look at this driveway. 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:38.180 You know where we got these stones? Look at this 00:17:38.180 --> 00:17:40.079 driveway. Look at this driveway. And for like 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:42.819 two hours, they describe the driveway, the driveway, 00:17:42.980 --> 00:17:44.980 the driveway, the driveway. And then afterwards 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:46.359 they say, well, it's been really great to have 00:17:46.359 --> 00:17:50.160 you here. I'll see you later. What's the purpose 00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:54.339 of a driveway? To get to the house. It's only 00:17:54.339 --> 00:17:59.200 a means. What Jesus was saying and what he's 00:17:59.200 --> 00:18:03.740 going to teach is the practices of good works 00:18:03.740 --> 00:18:07.079 and religious activities are merely the driveway. 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:10.819 True righteousness is always a matter of the 00:18:10.819 --> 00:18:14.740 heart. You're listening to Living on the Edge. 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:17.160 Chip will be back in just a minute to finish 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:19.900 today's talk. But quickly, I want to remind you 00:18:19.900 --> 00:18:22.240 that this program is only possible because of 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:25.160 the generosity of listeners like you. So if you'd 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:28.259 like to support us, go to livingontheedge .org. 00:18:28.660 --> 00:18:32.619 That's livingontheedge .org. And thanks for doing 00:18:32.619 --> 00:18:35.740 whatever God leads you to do. Let's rejoin Chip 00:18:35.740 --> 00:18:39.980 now for the remainder of his message. true righteousness 00:18:39.980 --> 00:18:43.420 is always an issue of relationship, not performance. 00:18:43.839 --> 00:18:46.019 What he was saying to them is your righteousness 00:18:46.019 --> 00:18:48.420 needs to exceed that of the Pharisees because 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:51.539 they've got all the external religious activity, 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:54.400 but their hearts, remember what he'd say? Your 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:57.000 lips profess this, but your hearts are far from 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.019 me. They weren't poor in spirit. They didn't 00:19:00.019 --> 00:19:03.619 see their need. They weren't merciful. They weren't 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:06.430 pure in heart. They weren't seeing God. They 00:19:06.430 --> 00:19:08.289 weren't being persecuted. They were persecuting 00:19:08.289 --> 00:19:12.450 him. All the things about the character, did 00:19:12.450 --> 00:19:14.750 you notice that every single thing of those be 00:19:14.750 --> 00:19:18.609 attitudes, they were be, not do attitudes. There 00:19:18.609 --> 00:19:22.009 were issues of who you are inside, who you are 00:19:22.009 --> 00:19:24.769 that only God can see, who you are when no one's 00:19:24.769 --> 00:19:31.500 looking, what's your motives, what matters. Jesus 00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:35.299 says genuine righteousness is always a matter 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:37.700 of the heart. And then we're going to pick it 00:19:37.700 --> 00:19:39.759 up and notice in your notes it says true righteousness. 00:19:40.119 --> 00:19:42.839 And then he's going to take their oral commands. 00:19:43.980 --> 00:19:46.680 And this phrase is going to be repeated and he's 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:50.400 going to apply it to murder and adultery and 00:19:50.400 --> 00:19:52.380 divorce and oaths and retribution and enemies. 00:19:52.559 --> 00:19:54.339 But he's going to say, you have heard it said. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:57.779 And what he's going to say is, here's the external 00:19:57.779 --> 00:20:00.630 righteousness. You've been taught since you were 00:20:00.630 --> 00:20:04.009 little boys and little girls. But I say to you, 00:20:04.130 --> 00:20:09.670 behind that external thing, this is the spirit. 00:20:09.829 --> 00:20:12.430 This is God's heart. This is what he was always 00:20:12.430 --> 00:20:16.210 after. The Pharisees, each one is gonna, you've 00:20:16.210 --> 00:20:19.109 heard it said, the focus is external. Jesus will 00:20:19.109 --> 00:20:21.549 say, no, no, the focus should be internal. The 00:20:21.549 --> 00:20:24.509 Pharisees, it was always about doing. Jesus was 00:20:24.509 --> 00:20:26.450 saying, no, no, no, no. It's really about being. 00:20:26.690 --> 00:20:29.740 The Pharisees were. pounding people and making 00:20:29.740 --> 00:20:32.240 people greater sinners than themselves. It was 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:35.140 about duty, duty, duty. Jesus said they missed 00:20:35.140 --> 00:20:38.119 it. It's about devotion. The Pharisees would 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:40.180 say it's performance. Are you doing this? Are 00:20:40.180 --> 00:20:42.480 you doing that? Are you doing this? Jesus said 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:45.460 performance, no one can be justified by the law. 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:49.960 It's about your relationship. On the Pharisees' 00:20:49.960 --> 00:20:52.279 side, they manipulated and controlled people 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:55.279 with guilt. Jesus said, I want you to introduce 00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:58.660 you to grace. They were focused on the letter 00:20:58.660 --> 00:21:01.519 of the law. Jesus said, no, no, it's not the 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.660 letter. It's the spirit of the law. The letter 00:21:04.660 --> 00:21:09.160 kills, the spirit gives life. Finally, Jesus 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:13.319 said, they've got it all in their head. I want 00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:17.559 you to know that I'm looking for the pure in 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:21.730 heart. And so he applies it. And so, you know, 00:21:21.730 --> 00:21:23.549 we can't go into it in great detail, but let 00:21:23.549 --> 00:21:25.430 me give you a taste, okay? Let's just, let's 00:21:25.430 --> 00:21:28.650 go through how he applied it. So he starts with 00:21:28.650 --> 00:21:32.750 murder. Now remember, the context is your righteousness, 00:21:32.829 --> 00:21:35.029 if you were listening to the sermon by Jesus, 00:21:35.210 --> 00:21:39.369 it needs to be exceeding that of the most religious, 00:21:39.589 --> 00:21:43.170 squeaky, clean, got it together, disciplined 00:21:43.170 --> 00:21:47.890 folks that you could ever imagine. And so he 00:21:47.890 --> 00:21:51.809 starts, he said, you have heard it said, to the 00:21:51.809 --> 00:21:55.710 people long ago, do not murder. And anyone who 00:21:55.710 --> 00:21:59.170 murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell 00:21:59.170 --> 00:22:02.369 you that anyone who is angry with his brother 00:22:02.369 --> 00:22:05.930 will be subject to judgment. Again, I say, if 00:22:05.930 --> 00:22:09.470 anyone says to his brother, Raka, his aspiral 00:22:09.470 --> 00:22:11.930 to the Sanhedrin, but anyone says to his brother, 00:22:12.049 --> 00:22:15.269 you fool is in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, 00:22:15.369 --> 00:22:18.359 I say to you, If you were offering your gift 00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:19.819 at the altar and there, remember, your brother 00:22:19.819 --> 00:22:22.359 has something against you, leave your gift there 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:24.420 at the altar and go be reconciled to your brother. 00:22:24.500 --> 00:22:26.740 Then come and present your offering. And then 00:22:26.740 --> 00:22:28.500 he goes on and talks about settling matters. 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:32.099 The command was about don't commit murder. What's 00:22:32.099 --> 00:22:35.900 behind murder? Murder is the last thing you do 00:22:35.900 --> 00:22:38.640 when you have relational conflict that's unresolved. 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:42.019 And where does it start? It starts with anger. 00:22:43.019 --> 00:22:45.319 It's when I'm angry. I mean, people don't like 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:47.319 have casually wonderful feelings and say, hey, 00:22:47.380 --> 00:22:50.000 I think I'll kill you today. I mean, it starts 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:53.579 with a resentment and there's anger or a hurt 00:22:53.579 --> 00:22:56.140 or injustice and the anger builds and it ends 00:22:56.140 --> 00:22:58.200 up in the action of murder. And so Jesus says, 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:02.000 what's behind that is some relational issues. 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:07.079 And he's talking about the value of human relationships. 00:23:08.089 --> 00:23:11.529 And so he takes it from murder to saying, we 00:23:11.529 --> 00:23:13.109 don't have time to explain what he meant there, 00:23:13.269 --> 00:23:16.109 but you fool, very strong word in that culture. 00:23:16.289 --> 00:23:18.970 And then he goes, wait a second. In fact, if 00:23:18.970 --> 00:23:20.549 you don't have something right with a brother, 00:23:21.289 --> 00:23:23.490 hey, don't come here and give your offering with 00:23:23.490 --> 00:23:25.769 God. This stuff that you've observed most of 00:23:25.769 --> 00:23:27.769 your life, where there's hatred and the breakdown 00:23:27.769 --> 00:23:30.349 of relationships, and yet people do their perfunctory 00:23:30.349 --> 00:23:32.950 religion, he says, you've missed the heart of 00:23:32.950 --> 00:23:37.470 God. Make things right with God. And did you 00:23:37.470 --> 00:23:41.329 notice he didn't say, if you blew it. If you 00:23:41.329 --> 00:23:44.190 are aware that there's a problem with your brother, 00:23:44.349 --> 00:23:47.509 it may be his problem, it may be your problem, 00:23:47.670 --> 00:23:51.809 maybe 50 -50, might be 90 -10, might be 99 % 00:23:51.809 --> 00:23:54.930 them, 1 % you. He says, if you come before the 00:23:54.930 --> 00:23:57.769 altar and there remember, your brother has something 00:23:57.769 --> 00:24:01.950 against you. What's his point? Relational reconciliation 00:24:01.950 --> 00:24:05.849 and human relationships are the heart of that 00:24:05.849 --> 00:24:08.470 command. Well, he applies it to the next area. 00:24:08.910 --> 00:24:10.849 And he's going to, instead of talking about murder, 00:24:11.049 --> 00:24:13.089 he's going to talk about the sanctity of sex. 00:24:13.329 --> 00:24:15.190 He says, you've heard it said, do not commit 00:24:15.190 --> 00:24:17.309 adultery. But I say to you, anyone who looks 00:24:17.309 --> 00:24:20.490 at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery 00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:23.569 with her in his heart. If your right eye causes 00:24:23.569 --> 00:24:25.890 you to sin, gouge it out. It's better for you 00:24:25.890 --> 00:24:29.079 to lose one eye than to... from your body than 00:24:29.079 --> 00:24:30.980 for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:33.240 if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:36.759 off. A hyperbole here. He's making a metaphor 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:41.200 to say the gravity of what you need to do. But 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:43.519 what's his point? You know, they got to the point 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.000 where, hey, you know, did you commit adultery 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:47.160 or not? Is it legal? I'll tell you what. Moses 00:24:47.160 --> 00:24:49.480 gave a certificate of divorce. And at this point, 00:24:49.500 --> 00:24:51.519 there were two schools of thought. But basically, 00:24:51.539 --> 00:24:53.460 the average guy could say, you know what? She 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:55.849 doesn't look very pretty anymore. I don't want 00:24:55.849 --> 00:24:58.289 her anymore. A woman had zero rights. You're 00:24:58.289 --> 00:25:01.690 out, I'll get a new one. And Jesus said, wait 00:25:01.690 --> 00:25:05.349 a second. It's not just the external behavior. 00:25:06.430 --> 00:25:10.269 I'm telling you that when your loyalty moves 00:25:10.269 --> 00:25:13.549 from the fidelity of a covenant marriage to even 00:25:13.549 --> 00:25:16.750 mentally going to another person before God, 00:25:16.990 --> 00:25:21.390 you've already missed. In fact, if you have a 00:25:21.390 --> 00:25:24.450 problem, Be as drastic as you need to be. I mean, 00:25:24.450 --> 00:25:26.450 if you gouge your right eye out, man, how many 00:25:26.450 --> 00:25:28.549 of us could just lust with one eye? I could. 00:25:31.349 --> 00:25:33.950 Right? I could be a left -eye luster, right? 00:25:35.150 --> 00:25:39.230 Or if I cut off one hand, you know what he's 00:25:39.230 --> 00:25:42.490 saying? He's saying in a figure of speech, be 00:25:42.490 --> 00:25:45.349 as drastic as you need to be to deal with the 00:25:45.349 --> 00:25:49.190 issue of the sanctity of sexuality. He goes to 00:25:49.190 --> 00:25:51.670 the next area, which is having to do with divorce. 00:25:51.970 --> 00:25:55.430 He says, it's been said among you that if anyone 00:25:55.430 --> 00:25:57.690 divorces his wife, he must give her a certificate 00:25:57.690 --> 00:26:00.509 of divorce. But I tell you, if anyone divorces 00:26:00.509 --> 00:26:04.650 his wife except for marital infidelity, I've 00:26:04.650 --> 00:26:07.609 just created a new word, I think, causes her 00:26:07.609 --> 00:26:10.630 to become an adulteress. And again, it's the 00:26:10.630 --> 00:26:14.349 sanctity of the family. It's not just the legality. 00:26:14.670 --> 00:26:18.240 It's the covenant. It's what you committed to. 00:26:18.359 --> 00:26:21.359 It's the relationship. He skips down to oaths. 00:26:21.359 --> 00:26:24.099 Again, I say, you've heard it said from people 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:28.079 long ago, do not break your oath, but keep the 00:26:28.079 --> 00:26:30.099 oaths that you've made to the Lord. But I say 00:26:30.099 --> 00:26:33.059 to you, don't swear at all, either by heaven, 00:26:33.099 --> 00:26:36.619 for that is God's throne, or the earth, for it's 00:26:36.619 --> 00:26:39.039 his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it's the 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:41.299 city of the great God. And don't swear by your 00:26:41.299 --> 00:26:44.269 head, for you can't make even one hair. Be white 00:26:44.269 --> 00:26:47.410 or black. Simply let your yes be yes and your 00:26:47.410 --> 00:26:51.049 no be no. Anything beyond that comes from the 00:26:51.049 --> 00:26:53.670 evil one. And this was a time when they would 00:26:53.670 --> 00:26:55.269 do business deals. They wouldn't have a lot of 00:26:55.269 --> 00:26:57.769 written contracts. I swear by this, and I swear 00:26:57.769 --> 00:27:00.130 by that, and I swear by this, I swear by that. 00:27:00.230 --> 00:27:05.009 It had this whole system of swears. And Jesus 00:27:05.009 --> 00:27:07.170 said, you know what? Here's the deal. Like, just 00:27:07.170 --> 00:27:11.670 try integrity. If you say yes, I'll do it, you 00:27:11.670 --> 00:27:15.650 do it. If you say no, Just mean it. Stop playing 00:27:15.650 --> 00:27:18.769 these games and negotiating and trying to attempt 00:27:18.769 --> 00:27:24.710 to work around kind of religious loopholes. Be 00:27:24.710 --> 00:27:28.410 men and women of integrity from the heart. And 00:27:28.410 --> 00:27:30.170 then he gets to retribution and, you know, that 00:27:30.170 --> 00:27:32.529 classic eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. But 00:27:32.529 --> 00:27:36.049 I say to you, do not resist evil person or resist 00:27:36.049 --> 00:27:38.849 if someone strikes you. And by the way, the striking 00:27:38.849 --> 00:27:42.060 here on the right cheek, most people are... are 00:27:42.060 --> 00:27:45.079 right -handed. This is more of the offense. It's 00:27:45.079 --> 00:27:47.759 the slapping. And then he says, if someone asks 00:27:47.759 --> 00:27:50.000 you to go one mile, the Roman soldiers by law 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:53.180 could come to anyone and say, you carry this 00:27:53.180 --> 00:27:55.900 for a mile. You carry my equipment for a mile. 00:27:56.380 --> 00:27:58.960 And basically what he says is, you know your 00:27:58.960 --> 00:28:02.859 pride and your rights, and when you get offended, 00:28:02.980 --> 00:28:04.240 well, they did that to me. I'm going to do that 00:28:04.240 --> 00:28:08.019 to him. He said, you know something? There's 00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:10.799 some law. How about grace? How about we show 00:28:10.799 --> 00:28:13.059 the world how different and wonderful God is? 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:15.299 Let's give people what they don't deserve. So 00:28:15.299 --> 00:28:17.299 a Roman soldier says, okay, I command you now 00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:18.599 in the name of the emperor and the Roman government, 00:28:18.660 --> 00:28:20.859 you must carry my equipment by law for one mile. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:25.940 And then they had markers. There's the mile. 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:28.500 And you look up and say, hey, do you mind if 00:28:28.500 --> 00:28:34.539 I go one more? And that soldier goes, what? Says, 00:28:34.559 --> 00:28:37.359 that's a kingdom citizen. You see the heart? 00:28:37.500 --> 00:28:42.680 See the difference? Then finally, he said, you 00:28:42.680 --> 00:28:46.119 have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:49.019 your enemies. But I tell you, love your enemies. 00:28:49.799 --> 00:28:52.480 And then listen to this, pray for those who persecute 00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:55.559 you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. 00:28:55.700 --> 00:28:57.920 And the idea of sons, especially in Hebrew culture, 00:28:58.079 --> 00:29:01.160 it has family likeness is the idea. You'll be 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:04.039 like your Father in heaven. He causes the sun 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:06.160 to rise on the evil and the good. He sends rain 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:08.440 on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you 00:29:08.440 --> 00:29:12.099 love those who love you, duh, you know, what 00:29:12.099 --> 00:29:14.920 reward is that? I mean, don't tax collectors 00:29:14.920 --> 00:29:18.539 and sinners do that? And so he makes this point. 00:29:18.640 --> 00:29:22.740 He says, I want you to demonstrate to the Romans 00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:27.599 mercy, I mean grace. And then now he says, what 00:29:27.599 --> 00:29:29.460 do you do to your enemies? You don't give them 00:29:29.460 --> 00:29:32.460 what they deserve. Grace is giving people something 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:36.220 they don't deserve. Mercy is withholding what 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:38.980 people do deserve. And so when your enemies do, 00:29:39.079 --> 00:29:41.640 he says, I want you to withhold what you would 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:45.160 normally give them, and I want you to overcome. 00:29:46.160 --> 00:29:49.740 evil with good. You'll never be more like your 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:54.420 Heavenly Father than when you love people who 00:29:54.420 --> 00:29:58.000 have wounded and hurt and abused and betrayed 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:04.400 you. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:06.660 and you've been listening to part one of Chip's 00:30:06.660 --> 00:30:09.240 message, Warning, personal discipline can be 00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:12.309 hazardous to your health, from our series, Balancing 00:30:12.309 --> 00:30:15.089 Life's Demands. Chip will be back shortly to 00:30:15.089 --> 00:30:17.450 share some helpful application for us to think 00:30:17.450 --> 00:30:20.250 about. Are you overwhelmed by the pressure to 00:30:20.250 --> 00:30:23.250 do more, have more, and achieve more? In this 00:30:23.250 --> 00:30:25.910 10 -part series, Chip provides practical biblical 00:30:25.910 --> 00:30:29.130 steps to help you move your life from chaos to 00:30:29.130 --> 00:30:32.200 contentment. Discover how to align your priorities 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:35.220 around God's vision for your life and the discipline 00:30:35.220 --> 00:30:37.980 to not only put first things first, but keep 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:40.059 them there. You're not going to want to miss 00:30:40.059 --> 00:30:43.339 a single program of this series. Well, Chip's 00:30:43.339 --> 00:30:45.480 here in studio with me now to share a quick word 00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:48.700 with all of you. Chip? Thanks, Dave. I want to 00:30:48.700 --> 00:30:51.660 share an important request with you. If Living 00:30:51.660 --> 00:30:54.279 on the Edge is ministering to you, would you 00:30:54.279 --> 00:30:56.700 consider returning the favor? If you've been 00:30:56.700 --> 00:30:58.380 listening but haven't yet become a financial 00:30:58.380 --> 00:31:01.420 partner with Living on the Edge, would you prayerfully 00:31:01.420 --> 00:31:04.380 consider sending a gift today? And if you've 00:31:04.380 --> 00:31:07.420 given but could do it monthly, I can't tell you. 00:31:07.460 --> 00:31:10.380 It would make a huge difference. If we all pitched 00:31:10.380 --> 00:31:12.480 in, it would just make an incredible difference 00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:15.500 in terms of what we can do here to reach and 00:31:15.500 --> 00:31:19.180 care for more people. So thanks so much for all 00:31:19.180 --> 00:31:21.400 that you do. And thanks for just praying and 00:31:21.400 --> 00:31:23.819 doing whatever God shows you to do. And we will 00:31:23.819 --> 00:31:26.329 receive it with great gratitude. Thanks, Chip. 00:31:26.450 --> 00:31:28.750 It takes a team to do what God's called us to 00:31:28.750 --> 00:31:31.670 do. So we invite you to join us as we encourage 00:31:31.670 --> 00:31:34.170 Christians everywhere to live like Christians. 00:31:34.450 --> 00:31:37.230 Send in your gift or learn how to become a monthly 00:31:37.230 --> 00:31:41.569 partner by going to livingontheedge .org or calling 00:31:41.569 --> 00:31:49.190 888 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit 00:31:49.190 --> 00:31:53.569 livingontheedge .org. Have listeners tap donate. 00:31:54.109 --> 00:31:56.269 Well, here again is Chip to share some application 00:31:56.269 --> 00:32:00.490 for what we heard today. You know, Jesus shocked 00:32:00.490 --> 00:32:03.650 the people he was talking to when he told them 00:32:03.650 --> 00:32:06.029 what it looked like to be an authentic follower 00:32:06.029 --> 00:32:10.170 of Christ. When he framed the world from, you 00:32:10.170 --> 00:32:13.410 have heard it said, and all those external righteousness 00:32:13.410 --> 00:32:16.630 and discipline and performance and religiosity, 00:32:16.829 --> 00:32:20.390 he threw out the window. His surgeon skill went 00:32:20.390 --> 00:32:23.299 to the very heart of the matter. It's about something 00:32:23.299 --> 00:32:26.420 inside that God is looking for. And as he walked 00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:29.240 through these various issues of murder and adultery 00:32:29.240 --> 00:32:32.839 and divorce and oaths and retribution, and then 00:32:32.839 --> 00:32:35.680 he gets to this one about enemies. And I got 00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:37.880 to tell you, I can only imagine sitting in the 00:32:37.880 --> 00:32:41.000 crowd, someone shaking their head saying, you 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:44.119 don't understand. You certainly don't mean I'm 00:32:44.119 --> 00:32:47.000 to forgive that person and release that person 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:49.319 who's hurt me. I mean, they're my enemy. I mean, 00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:51.220 think of what they've done to me in the past. 00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:55.839 And yet they hear his voice and he says to them, 00:32:55.859 --> 00:32:59.359 just like he's saying to us, if you're thinking 00:32:59.359 --> 00:33:01.660 of that ex -mate, if you're thinking of that 00:33:01.660 --> 00:33:05.039 ex -boss, if you're thinking that the child who's 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:07.980 betrayed you or the parent that abused you or 00:33:07.980 --> 00:33:10.880 the person that ripped you off financially who 00:33:10.880 --> 00:33:13.319 said they were a Christian, what he's saying 00:33:13.319 --> 00:33:17.309 is you need to be set free. I want you to forgive 00:33:17.309 --> 00:33:20.349 your enemy. I want you to release them. I want 00:33:20.349 --> 00:33:23.829 you to learn in my power to love them. And you 00:33:23.829 --> 00:33:27.109 may just say, God, I just can't, or I don't know 00:33:27.109 --> 00:33:30.829 how. What I want you to know first is you need 00:33:30.829 --> 00:33:35.390 to make the decision, Lord, I'm willing. I want 00:33:35.390 --> 00:33:37.730 to do what you want me to do, but I don't know 00:33:37.730 --> 00:33:40.930 how. And second, I would say that as you pray 00:33:40.930 --> 00:33:43.529 that earnestly and sincerely, there's a place 00:33:43.529 --> 00:33:45.779 that we can take you to get some help. I did 00:33:45.779 --> 00:33:48.799 an entire message that will teach you very specifically 00:33:48.799 --> 00:33:51.500 how to overcome the evil that's aimed at you. 00:33:51.599 --> 00:33:54.940 It's the Apostle Paul taking this very core text 00:33:54.940 --> 00:33:58.660 and he explains in detail what to do and how 00:33:58.660 --> 00:34:01.299 to do it. And I want you to know that as you 00:34:01.299 --> 00:34:03.940 take by faith the steps that God will show you, 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:08.760 you will be free because good is more powerful 00:34:08.760 --> 00:34:11.760 than evil. Thanks, Chip. And the teaching he 00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:14.360 just mentioned, How to Overcome the Evil Aimed 00:34:14.360 --> 00:34:17.219 at You, is the last message in our popular series, 00:34:17.400 --> 00:34:21.679 True Spirituality. Go to specialoffersatlivingontheedge 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:24.500 .org or the Chip Ingram app to listen to that 00:34:24.500 --> 00:34:27.099 specific program or the entire teaching from 00:34:27.099 --> 00:34:31.739 Romans chapter 12. Again, visit specialoffersatlivingontheedge 00:34:31.739 --> 00:34:36.199 .org or the Chip Ingram app to learn more. Well, 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:38.099 thanks for listening to this edition of Living 00:34:38.099 --> 00:34:40.679 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Next time, we'll 00:34:40.679 --> 00:34:43.519 continue Chip's series, Balancing Life's Demands. 00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:46.039 I'm Dave Drewy, and I hope you'll join us then.