WEBVTT 00:00:01.229 --> 00:00:05.049 If God is in control, why is there so much pain 00:00:05.049 --> 00:00:07.910 and injustice in the world? I mean, if God knows 00:00:07.910 --> 00:00:10.410 everything, why doesn't he stop bad things from 00:00:10.410 --> 00:00:14.390 happening before people get hurt? If those questions 00:00:14.390 --> 00:00:17.429 trouble you the way they do me and you need solid 00:00:17.429 --> 00:00:23.230 answers, stick around. Thanks for listening to 00:00:23.230 --> 00:00:25.910 this edition of Living on the Edge with Chip 00:00:25.910 --> 00:00:28.719 Ingram. We are an international teaching and 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:31.120 discipleship ministry that motivates Christians 00:00:31.120 --> 00:00:34.079 to live like Christians. Today, we're continuing 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:36.899 our series, The Real God, How He Longs for You 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:39.520 to See Him. Last time, Chip talked about God's 00:00:39.520 --> 00:00:42.000 sovereignty and started to highlight the specific 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:45.079 ways He reveals that characteristic to us. And 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:47.500 today, Chip will finish that point when he dives 00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:50.320 back into Romans chapter 8. So grab your Bible 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:52.799 and notes as we join Chip for the remainder of 00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:57.439 this insightful talk. Jesus' whole life demonstrates 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:01.960 the sovereignty of God himself. And finally, 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:06.340 unlike his very humble beginnings, that he's 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:09.239 meek and he's gentle, he came in his first coming 00:01:09.239 --> 00:01:12.079 to be the savior of the world. And I think a 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:13.939 lot of us, maybe from our childhoods, have a 00:01:13.939 --> 00:01:16.299 picture of the little children coming to him. 00:01:16.950 --> 00:01:19.090 Those great pictures of a woman caught in adultery 00:01:19.090 --> 00:01:22.950 being forgiven and the widow with her son died, 00:01:23.069 --> 00:01:25.109 touching the coffin he's raised from the dead 00:01:25.109 --> 00:01:28.269 and feeding the 5 ,000s and speaking to the storm 00:01:28.269 --> 00:01:32.349 and just his compassion and his love. And that's 00:01:32.349 --> 00:01:35.569 God. But when you read the book of Revelation, 00:01:35.810 --> 00:01:40.959 read it really fast. No, no, I mean, just read 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:43.140 it really fast and quit worrying about what seals 00:01:43.140 --> 00:01:45.459 are doing, what seals and, you know, what's blowing 00:01:45.459 --> 00:01:48.040 up and what's a figure and what's not. And just 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.340 ask yourself, who's Jesus? Who's Jesus in the 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:54.579 book of Revelation? He's the righteous judge 00:01:54.579 --> 00:01:57.980 who's coming to bring all things under his rule 00:01:57.980 --> 00:02:01.500 and power and anything that was unjust and unfair 00:02:01.500 --> 00:02:04.599 and wrong and every opportunity will be given. 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:08.500 But the righteous judge is coming to judge his 00:02:08.500 --> 00:02:11.520 world because he's a king. Listen to the end 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:13.580 of the book of Revelation in Revelation chapter 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:16.479 19. Then I saw the heavens open and behold a 00:02:16.479 --> 00:02:18.939 white horse and the one sitting on it is called 00:02:18.939 --> 00:02:24.370 faithful and true. And in righteousness, he judges 00:02:24.370 --> 00:02:27.729 and makes war. His clothing is a robe dipped 00:02:27.729 --> 00:02:29.729 in blood, and the name which he is called is 00:02:29.729 --> 00:02:32.530 the word of God. On his robe and on his thigh, 00:02:32.750 --> 00:02:36.389 he has a name written, King of Kings and Lord 00:02:36.389 --> 00:02:39.590 of Lords. That's who's coming back. That's the 00:02:39.590 --> 00:02:43.849 sovereign God. Now, at the emotional level, at 00:02:43.849 --> 00:02:47.169 least where I live, the last reason I've given 00:02:47.169 --> 00:02:51.400 here of God revealing his sovereignty, is through 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:55.719 redeeming pain in our lives. He redeems pain 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:00.599 in our lives. If you are a student of scripture 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:02.780 and you would read the book of Genesis, you would 00:03:02.780 --> 00:03:04.919 understand that every major doctrine, it's the 00:03:04.919 --> 00:03:08.139 book of beginnings. Every major doctrine is in 00:03:08.139 --> 00:03:10.759 the book of beginnings. Where did life come from? 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:14.120 Creation. Why is there evil? The fall. You have 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:16.120 the first judgment in the flood. You have the 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:18.759 promise after that. You have the choosing of 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:22.849 a family, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, of God's 00:03:22.849 --> 00:03:26.270 plan, God's lineage of his plan to fulfill this 00:03:26.270 --> 00:03:29.330 Messiah that was foretold that one day, you know, 00:03:29.330 --> 00:03:32.569 his heel will be bruised, but he will defeat 00:03:32.569 --> 00:03:34.990 the enemy. And God's plan, it's all laid out 00:03:34.990 --> 00:03:39.129 in Genesis, and you've got 50 chapters. If you're 00:03:39.129 --> 00:03:44.330 a person who lived a few thousand years ago or 00:03:44.330 --> 00:03:48.930 born a couple days ago, you don't have to live 00:03:48.930 --> 00:03:52.280 very long. before the probing question, and some 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:56.780 of you ask it is, if God is really good, how 00:03:56.780 --> 00:04:00.800 could the world be this messed up? Genesis chapter 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:06.219 37 through 50, that's 13 of 50 chapters. It's 00:04:06.219 --> 00:04:10.919 over 25 % of the book is on one man's life, Joseph. 00:04:11.580 --> 00:04:14.960 Joseph gets a dream from God. It's a promise 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:16.740 that he hangs on to. It's how God is speaking 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:19.629 to people at the time. He has a father who does 00:04:19.629 --> 00:04:22.810 poor parenting, shows partiality. So his brothers 00:04:22.810 --> 00:04:25.110 hate him. His brothers hate him and they decide 00:04:25.110 --> 00:04:26.709 they're going to kill him. They're jealous of 00:04:26.709 --> 00:04:27.889 him. They're going to kill him. They're tired 00:04:27.889 --> 00:04:30.170 of him. And he probably didn't handle the revelation 00:04:30.170 --> 00:04:32.670 from God very well. He's a bit arrogant and that's 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:34.790 going to get taken care of. And so they decide 00:04:34.790 --> 00:04:36.170 they're going to kill him. So they stick him 00:04:36.170 --> 00:04:37.810 in a pit while they're waiting to kill him. And 00:04:37.810 --> 00:04:42.240 it just so happens, or God sovereignly. brings 00:04:42.240 --> 00:04:45.000 a caravan from Egypt. And they say, why kill 00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:46.339 him? And the one brother's trying to get him 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:49.160 out anyway. So they sell him. And so it's unjust. 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:53.560 It's unfair. Joseph is just a son. He's the youngest. 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:56.660 And first his brothers reject him. How many of 00:04:56.660 --> 00:04:59.500 you have been through a major rejection? Okay. 00:04:59.699 --> 00:05:01.920 Well, what's it feel like if all your brothers, 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:04.120 and you know, our rejections are like, you know, 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.019 emotional. This is like, they want to kill him. 00:05:07.180 --> 00:05:10.860 And then they sell him. And so they sell him. 00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:12.699 He's on the caravan. He doesn't speak the language. 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:14.959 He doesn't know anyone. So he ends up on an auction 00:05:14.959 --> 00:05:18.600 block in Egypt as a slave. And a guy named Potiphar, 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:20.420 who basically is the equivalent of the secret 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:23.379 service for Pharaoh, buys him. And so he buys 00:05:23.379 --> 00:05:24.920 him and he makes him his slave. And he obviously 00:05:24.920 --> 00:05:28.600 learns the language. And all chapters 37 through 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:31.990 50, there's this... And the Lord is with Joseph, 00:05:32.089 --> 00:05:34.790 and Joseph, no matter what, this promise, this 00:05:34.790 --> 00:05:37.990 God who he actually believes, fulfills his promises, 00:05:38.050 --> 00:05:40.990 who actually believes is good, somehow, someway, 00:05:41.050 --> 00:05:45.129 he hangs on and doesn't abandon his faith. And 00:05:45.129 --> 00:05:49.750 he also seems to have a highly developed gift 00:05:49.750 --> 00:05:52.509 of administration that when he's in charge of 00:05:52.509 --> 00:05:55.100 something, it flourishes. And so it doesn't take 00:05:55.100 --> 00:05:57.519 long for Potiphar to realize this guy's got some 00:05:57.519 --> 00:05:59.639 wherewithal and some capacity. He puts him over 00:05:59.639 --> 00:06:02.019 his business, then all of his household and everything 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:05.379 he touches, the hand of God, a blessing. Well, 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:07.259 apparently he's a pretty good looking young man. 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:10.040 And Potiphar's wife says, you know, my husband's 00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:11.620 gone a lot during the day. We could have sex. 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:14.920 We'd have a great time. And most men would say, 00:06:14.939 --> 00:06:17.019 well, let's see, rejection. God promised me this. 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:19.500 My brothers sell me out. I've been a slave, you 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:23.220 know, but not Joseph. He says, how could I sin 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:25.279 against your husband? He's put everything under 00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:27.420 my charge except for you. And I could not sin 00:06:27.420 --> 00:06:30.399 against my God. And so he rebuffs her seduction. 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:33.040 But one day he's kind of just doing a little 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:35.620 bit of work and the house is empty and she finds 00:06:35.620 --> 00:06:38.680 him and she says, now come lay with me. And he 00:06:38.680 --> 00:06:40.899 does what almost no man would ever do in this 00:06:40.899 --> 00:06:44.800 situation is he flees and she grabs his jacket. 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.720 And so she's left with the jacket and she's humiliated. 00:06:48.199 --> 00:06:50.300 And so her husband comes home. What have you 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:52.839 done to bring this crazy Hebrew he tried to rape 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:56.160 me? And so he ends up in jail. So it's gone from 00:06:56.160 --> 00:06:59.639 bad, bad to worse. So now he's falsely accused. 00:06:59.779 --> 00:07:02.519 Now he goes to jail. He goes to jail. His administrative 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:04.519 gifts show up again. He seems to have a great 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:06.540 attitude no matter what. And pretty soon the 00:07:06.540 --> 00:07:07.620 head of the jail goes, you know, we're going 00:07:07.620 --> 00:07:09.980 to have him run this place. And so he does. And 00:07:09.980 --> 00:07:11.699 it flourishes and flourishes and flourishes. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:17.120 But I mean, think of this. Where's God? Where's 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:20.699 God? You know, if God loves me, why would my 00:07:20.699 --> 00:07:24.180 brothers reject me? If God loves me, I did all 00:07:24.180 --> 00:07:25.959 that I could. In fact, I was righteous and I 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:28.279 was falsely accused. Well, then a couple guys 00:07:28.279 --> 00:07:31.240 in Pharaoh's household, cupbearer and the baker, 00:07:31.420 --> 00:07:35.060 they have a bad day. And so they end up in prison 00:07:35.060 --> 00:07:38.920 and they both have a dream. And Joseph said, 00:07:39.019 --> 00:07:40.740 well, you know, my God has given me an ability. 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:42.839 Tell me what your dreams are. And he reveals 00:07:42.839 --> 00:07:45.779 to me kind of what dreams are sometimes. One 00:07:45.779 --> 00:07:47.420 guy says, this is my dream. Another guy says, 00:07:47.459 --> 00:07:49.360 this is my dream. He says to one guy, good news 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:51.120 for you. You're going to get your job back. You're 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:55.699 going to die. And it comes true, you know. And 00:07:55.699 --> 00:07:59.199 so he says to the cupbearer, hey, you know, this 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:00.579 happened, this happened, this happened, this 00:08:00.579 --> 00:08:03.720 happened. Don't forget me. Oh, no, I could never 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:07.279 forget you. Thanks so much. He forgets him. I 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.519 mean, start asking yourself, I mean, let's get 00:08:10.519 --> 00:08:15.699 this out of a Bible story. Rejection. Injustice. 00:08:17.480 --> 00:08:21.860 Falsely accused. Forgotten. How's that feel? 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:28.579 He's a 17 -year -old kid. Well, the story continues 00:08:28.579 --> 00:08:33.879 and the Pharaoh has a dream and his wise men 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:36.779 and the sorcerers and he's very frustrated. They're 00:08:36.779 --> 00:08:38.600 not giving him good answers. So he comes up with 00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:40.559 a plan. Look, either you guys tell me what the 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:42.419 dream is and what it means or I kill all of you. 00:08:42.649 --> 00:08:46.350 And that got the cupbearer's memory jogged. He's 00:08:46.350 --> 00:08:49.809 thinking to himself, you know what? Joseph did 00:08:49.809 --> 00:08:52.350 it once for me. So the text literally says he 00:08:52.350 --> 00:08:55.409 took a shave. He came in before Pharaoh. He hears. 00:08:55.490 --> 00:08:56.990 He says, Pharaoh, this is what you dreamed. There's 00:08:56.990 --> 00:08:58.370 going to be seven years of abundance followed 00:08:58.370 --> 00:09:00.580 by seven years of scarcity. Here's the deal. 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:02.940 You better plan in the future. You need to save 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:05.200 a bunch of grain because it's going to be awesome 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:06.960 for seven years. And then it's going to be the 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:09.360 pits. And if you're not prepared, you and Egypt 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:11.700 go down the toilet. This is a very loose Ingram 00:09:11.700 --> 00:09:13.960 translation, but you get the idea. I mean, that's 00:09:13.960 --> 00:09:16.799 the essence of it. And so, you know, Pharaoh 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.259 goes, well, hey, no one could, you're the man, 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:24.360 you do it. So at 30, he's now the second most 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:29.720 powerful person in the world. None of which could 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:34.799 happen if he'd not been rejected, sold as a slave, 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:40.840 falsely accused, and forgotten. God had a purpose. 00:09:41.139 --> 00:09:44.120 Now, are all those people responsible for their 00:09:44.120 --> 00:09:48.299 sin? Yes. Will God judge all those people for 00:09:48.299 --> 00:09:52.980 what they did? Righteous judgment? Yes. The story 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:56.700 fast forwards. uses his gifts. He has a couple 00:09:56.700 --> 00:09:59.879 boys. He names them names that... Let us know 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:02.100 the heartache and the pain and the hurt that 00:10:02.100 --> 00:10:04.879 had really happened. And he names his boys names 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:07.820 that remind him of both God's faithfulness and 00:10:07.820 --> 00:10:10.519 the pain and the hurt. And after the seven years, 00:10:10.620 --> 00:10:12.940 this famine spreads not just to Egypt, but to 00:10:12.940 --> 00:10:15.799 the known world. And the family is at about 70 00:10:15.799 --> 00:10:18.259 now. And finally, they come to Egypt to get grain. 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:20.480 And I'll let you read all the details of the 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:23.360 story. But he tests his brothers, but his heart 00:10:23.360 --> 00:10:26.360 just breaks and he weeps. And he reveals himself 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:29.139 to his brothers. And he asks, Pharaoh and he 00:10:29.139 --> 00:10:31.639 brings all 70 people and they get this prime 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:35.320 real estate in Goshen. And God uses that as the 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:37.980 incubator to fulfill for the next 400 years, 00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:40.440 it grows from 70 people to about two or three 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:45.860 million people. And then dad dies, Jacob. And 00:10:45.860 --> 00:10:48.539 his brothers, being the high integrity, faithful, 00:10:48.740 --> 00:10:52.340 God -fearing men that they are, think to themselves, 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:54.960 Joseph probably was just good to us while dad 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:57.519 was alive and it's going to get bad. And so they 00:10:57.960 --> 00:10:59.980 start making up some stuff to try and get on 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:02.980 his good side. And I believe with all my heart, 00:11:03.039 --> 00:11:05.120 Joseph looked at them and I think his head tilted 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:08.460 and I think tears streamed down his face. Guys, 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:11.600 you still don't get it, do you? You didn't send 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:16.179 me here. You meant it for evil, but God meant 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:19.879 it for good to preserve these many people alive. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:24.299 You're listening to Living on the Edge, and we'll 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:26.279 get back to Chip's message in just a minute. 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:28.879 You know, we love to hear how you are deepening 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.320 your relationship with God as you study His Word 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:33.720 with us. But another way we want to support you 00:11:33.720 --> 00:11:36.259 in that is through our free resource called Daily 00:11:36.259 --> 00:11:39.220 Discipleship with Chip. Let me encourage you 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:41.779 to stick around after this message, as Chip will 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:44.460 tell you more about it and how to sign up. But 00:11:44.460 --> 00:11:46.620 for now, let's get back to the remainder of his 00:11:46.620 --> 00:11:49.580 talk. You might jot in your notes the Genesis 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:55.620 50 -20 principle. The sovereignty of God is the 00:11:55.620 --> 00:11:58.960 greatest and deepest comfort in a fallen world. 00:12:00.269 --> 00:12:02.269 because of what we shared a little bit early 00:12:02.269 --> 00:12:05.149 about the freedom God's given us. He marks off 00:12:05.149 --> 00:12:07.909 for a season where evil is allowed and corruption 00:12:07.909 --> 00:12:11.190 and terrible things happen, but not for everyone, 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:14.529 but for those who say, I want to follow Yahweh, 00:12:14.570 --> 00:12:16.990 the God of the Bible, follow Jesus. I'm going 00:12:16.990 --> 00:12:20.129 to stay on your path regardless because crisis 00:12:20.129 --> 00:12:23.450 and pain and injustice and difficulty make some 00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:27.759 people and break others. For some, it's... It's 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:30.399 the story of a life of faith that none of us 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:32.879 can understand as God meets them. And for others, 00:12:32.940 --> 00:12:36.840 they abandon God. And by the way, one of my greatest 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.279 concerns about all this prosperity stuff that's 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:42.500 being taught is that when people believe that 00:12:42.500 --> 00:12:44.879 somehow there's some little formula and that 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:47.320 God has committed himself to make you healthy, 00:12:47.440 --> 00:12:50.360 wealthy, everything's going to go your way. And 00:12:50.360 --> 00:12:52.019 when that doesn't happen, they are completely 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:54.700 disillusioned with God. But that's not the God 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:56.179 of the Bible because he never promised those 00:12:56.179 --> 00:13:03.720 things. This really rings home for me. I think 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:06.340 of when I taught this, sometimes things come 00:13:06.340 --> 00:13:08.279 to me that aren't in my notes, and I just got 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:11.019 done talking, and I said this, and I looked down, 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:14.440 and I looked at my wife. And it just popped in 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:18.840 my mind. She was married before I met her, and 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:21.580 she wasn't a Christian. And she was married to 00:13:21.580 --> 00:13:23.659 a guy that found he could make more money selling 00:13:23.659 --> 00:13:27.460 drugs than going to work. And he had an affair 00:13:27.460 --> 00:13:29.480 for over a year, year and a half with someone 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:31.600 that she was unaware of. And then he found out 00:13:31.600 --> 00:13:34.519 that she was pregnant, twins. And so he leaves 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:38.059 her and she's left and has two babies, no income, 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:40.980 no anything. And out of her desperation, she 00:13:40.980 --> 00:13:42.879 just said, I just want, I wanted to quit on life. 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:45.500 My whole life was wrapped up in that man. Now 00:13:45.500 --> 00:13:47.259 I've got two little boys and I don't know how 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:48.860 I'm going to support him. I'm going to do, and 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:52.139 a neighbor watched the kids and her, her boss 00:13:52.139 --> 00:13:55.090 led her to Christ. I met her a couple years later 00:13:55.090 --> 00:13:58.490 when she was growing into this tender, amazing 00:13:58.490 --> 00:14:02.090 woman of God out of all that pain. You know what? 00:14:02.129 --> 00:14:04.769 That guy meant it for evil. God meant it for 00:14:04.769 --> 00:14:07.909 good. I got to marry her. I got to adopt those 00:14:07.909 --> 00:14:10.950 two little boys. I got to watch kids that when 00:14:10.950 --> 00:14:13.509 the door would open, they were so fearful that 00:14:13.509 --> 00:14:15.350 they would run and stick their head behind her 00:14:15.350 --> 00:14:18.960 knee. And I got to see him become men. And I've 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:21.159 seen him grow. And I've seen him marry godly 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:23.080 women. And I'm watching him raise their kids. 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:25.519 I'm thinking, oh, God, that guy meant it for 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:29.299 evil. You meant it for good. Can I tell you, 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:31.980 though, that there's a reason we went to counseling. 00:14:32.419 --> 00:14:34.159 There's a reason we had all kind of struggles. 00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.620 I mean, she had wounds and hurts. And I had just 00:14:37.620 --> 00:14:39.720 as many, but mine were more sophisticated. I 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:44.299 covered mine up better. But I think, you know, 00:14:44.299 --> 00:14:50.139 38 years later, what a gift from God that came 00:14:50.139 --> 00:14:54.460 out of betrayal and evil and sin and adultery. 00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:58.100 I thought as I looked down at her, I thought 00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:00.460 we got some really bad news and found out she 00:15:00.460 --> 00:15:03.519 had cancer. And after, you know, we've been married 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.720 over 30 years and after all that struggle, I 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:08.899 mean, I just, I thought we had about as good 00:15:08.899 --> 00:15:11.529 a marriage as we could have. Hey, we get normal 00:15:11.529 --> 00:15:13.730 struggles like everybody. I mean, rich and deep. 00:15:13.929 --> 00:15:18.049 And then I remember thinking, you know, I don't 00:15:18.049 --> 00:15:19.750 know if I'm going to have another month or two 00:15:19.750 --> 00:15:23.730 months or a year or two years. And I just canceled 00:15:23.730 --> 00:15:25.909 everything for a year other than the local church. 00:15:26.929 --> 00:15:30.149 And, you know, tell that publisher, here, you 00:15:30.149 --> 00:15:31.809 want your money back? I'm not going to write 00:15:31.809 --> 00:15:34.870 a book. I'm not going to go anywhere. And after 00:15:34.870 --> 00:15:37.830 surgery, I drove her to every single one of the 00:15:37.830 --> 00:15:39.950 Stanford appointments. And she would go through 00:15:39.950 --> 00:15:41.509 the treatments. And then after each treatment, 00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:44.090 we would stop at Starbucks. And we would get 00:15:44.090 --> 00:15:48.450 one oatmeal cookie. And they would heat it up. 00:15:48.529 --> 00:15:51.710 And then we would break it in half. And she was 00:15:51.710 --> 00:15:54.570 just so wiped out, those treatments. And then 00:15:54.570 --> 00:15:56.690 we would sit in the car and we'd eat our oatmeal 00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:59.690 cookie. And I remember looking over and thought, 00:15:59.789 --> 00:16:02.490 I did not know that I could love another human 00:16:02.490 --> 00:16:05.399 being as much as I love my wife. It was like 00:16:05.399 --> 00:16:07.100 I knew there was, you know, I thought we had 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:10.679 a four speed. And somehow there was another couple 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:14.620 gears. But those gears came out of a painful, 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:19.159 difficult, ugly cancer. And by the way, for others, 00:16:19.299 --> 00:16:23.940 the pain is there isn't a recovery. Some of you 00:16:23.940 --> 00:16:27.960 have lost children, mates. Some of you have had 00:16:27.960 --> 00:16:31.600 your whole incomes out from under you. And all 00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:34.620 I want you to know is that what we hang on to, 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:38.639 there really is a sovereign God. He really is 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:43.419 in control. But the invisible faith is, if you 00:16:43.419 --> 00:16:47.860 ask Joseph, how was life going from 17 to 29 00:16:47.860 --> 00:16:53.120 and a half? Circumstantially, bad. But part of 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:57.519 what God does is God will leverage and use your 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:01.419 pain and take... The comfort that he gives to 00:17:01.419 --> 00:17:04.700 you as the comfort that you can share with others, 00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:09.359 right? 2 Corinthians 1. And there's some things 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:12.240 that no amount of Bible study, no amount of spiritual 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:16.180 disciplines, you only meet God in the midst of 00:17:16.180 --> 00:17:18.859 excruciating pain when the only one that can 00:17:18.859 --> 00:17:22.059 deliver is God. And he meets you in ways that 00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:24.599 you can't describe. And something happens in 00:17:24.599 --> 00:17:26.859 your heart, in your life that makes you more 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.700 like Jesus and gives you a capacity that you 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:31.619 would never ever, when you look back, you would 00:17:31.619 --> 00:17:33.819 never want to go through it again, but you realize 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:37.140 it's precious. And it's a part of the journey. 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.059 And by the way, that's what God is actually seeking 00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:43.339 to develop. That Romans 8, 28, we quote it, but 00:17:43.339 --> 00:17:47.299 for some reason we just skipped 29. 29 is that 00:17:47.299 --> 00:17:49.759 he predestined and called us according to his 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:52.519 purpose to conform us to the image of his son. 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:55.599 How he conforms us, I got news for you, it's 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:59.660 painful. But he leverages the evil and the difficulty 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:04.730 and the pain. But you can get bitter. You can 00:18:04.730 --> 00:18:07.750 get self -focused. You can go into pity. You 00:18:07.750 --> 00:18:10.450 can somehow unconsciously think that the only 00:18:10.450 --> 00:18:12.849 thing there really is in life is this little 00:18:12.849 --> 00:18:17.009 window called time. But you're made for eternity. 00:18:17.450 --> 00:18:20.450 C .S. Lewis' little illustration for me has been 00:18:20.450 --> 00:18:22.670 just a lifesaver in the midst of my worst pain. 00:18:22.869 --> 00:18:25.049 He goes, if you could imagine like fishing line 00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:28.170 going through that wall, across this room, through 00:18:28.170 --> 00:18:32.380 that wall. East to eternity, west to eternity, 00:18:32.539 --> 00:18:36.359 that's eternity. And then there's a little dot 00:18:36.359 --> 00:18:39.880 about the size of a pencil on that line. And 00:18:39.880 --> 00:18:42.480 inside that dot, that's all of time, that little 00:18:42.480 --> 00:18:45.500 dot. And inside that dot, if with a powerful 00:18:45.500 --> 00:18:48.440 super electronic microscope, there would be this 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.559 tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny little dot that 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:53.839 would be your life. And maybe you get 70, maybe 00:18:53.839 --> 00:18:57.279 you get 80 years, I don't know. And that little 00:18:57.279 --> 00:19:01.599 dot. is just temporal. And God is doing all kind 00:19:01.599 --> 00:19:03.579 of things and some of them are very, very, very 00:19:03.579 --> 00:19:08.519 painful. But how I respond and what I learn forever 00:19:08.519 --> 00:19:12.339 and ever goes on. And when I can have an eternal 00:19:12.339 --> 00:19:16.059 perspective for a sovereign God who loves me 00:19:16.059 --> 00:19:18.680 and know that those I've lost love Him and I 00:19:18.680 --> 00:19:21.400 will be with them. You know what? Most Christians 00:19:21.400 --> 00:19:24.380 don't really believe in heaven. It's just a concept. 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:28.539 It's just an idea. Heaven's real. It's a place 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:30.960 and you're not gonna float around on a cloud 00:19:30.960 --> 00:19:33.700 and sing in a worship service and sip iced tea 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:36.839 and get wings and ring bells. It's gonna be a 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.720 new earth and a new heaven and new relationships 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:42.240 and the people that you love that are in the 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:44.880 Lord and you're gonna have life and culture and 00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:49.440 future and work. And it's the line. And I love 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:52.279 Lewis's words. Are you living for the dot or 00:19:52.279 --> 00:19:55.460 are you living for the line? And the sovereignty 00:19:55.460 --> 00:20:01.529 of God. gives me hope in the midst of the worst 00:20:01.529 --> 00:20:04.750 tragedies in the world. It also gives me the 00:20:04.750 --> 00:20:10.670 faith to not give up. I just have to think that 00:20:10.670 --> 00:20:13.950 Joseph had more than a few days where it was 00:20:13.950 --> 00:20:17.710 like, Lord, where's the dream? Where's the promise? 00:20:18.509 --> 00:20:20.990 And all the while, this is what God was doing 00:20:20.990 --> 00:20:24.750 in Joseph. His character, his character, his 00:20:24.750 --> 00:20:27.500 character. See, if God's going to put you over 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:31.220 something like this, he has to do a lot of this. 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:34.480 And the only way you get a lot of this depth 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:37.579 of character is going through the crucible of 00:20:37.579 --> 00:20:42.400 life. And God has that plan for all of us. He 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:46.259 wants to make you like Jesus. There's two questions 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:48.990 that this raises. If God is sovereign, why does 00:20:48.990 --> 00:20:52.210 he allow evil, pain, and suffering? And I would 00:20:52.210 --> 00:20:55.309 say The Problem of Pain by C .S. Lewis is the 00:20:55.309 --> 00:20:57.410 shortest, best work on that. There's lots of 00:20:57.410 --> 00:21:00.089 writing. You might write down Ken Boa. He's a 00:21:00.089 --> 00:21:03.750 friend. He's a brilliant writer, thinker. He 00:21:03.750 --> 00:21:06.369 has lots of good information on this. The second 00:21:06.369 --> 00:21:08.589 question is, if God is sovereign over all people 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:10.940 and events in history, Doesn't this make a sham 00:21:10.940 --> 00:21:13.099 of human responsibility? And Norman Geisler, 00:21:13.160 --> 00:21:15.220 one of my former professors, did 10 years as 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:17.640 a philosophy teacher, 10 years as Bible, and 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:20.240 then theology. And Chosen But True, I think, 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:23.299 is the best book that's balanced on the sovereignty 00:21:23.299 --> 00:21:26.059 of God and the responsibility of man. It's really 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:28.519 interesting. I was reviewing this and praying 00:21:28.519 --> 00:21:31.740 earlier, and I thought to myself, you know, some 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:34.160 of the responses to all of God's attributes, 00:21:34.339 --> 00:21:37.200 they start looking a lot alike. I mean, this 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:41.799 sovereign God that every knee will bow, Application 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:44.740 number one, how do you respond? Bow before the 00:21:44.740 --> 00:21:48.019 king of the universe. You're going to. Everyone 00:21:48.019 --> 00:21:52.259 is. The sooner, the better. And voluntarily is 00:21:52.259 --> 00:21:57.480 way better than by compulsion. Surrender all 00:21:57.480 --> 00:22:01.680 you are and all that you have. There has to come 00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:05.160 a specific day and a point in time. You don't 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:09.059 slide into surrender. It's a decision. And when 00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:12.779 you make that decision and mean it, I've watched 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:16.079 Christians who, they basically say, my life has, 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:17.859 I think, changed more than when I was born again. 00:22:19.599 --> 00:22:22.240 And all I can tell you is if God is really good 00:22:22.240 --> 00:22:26.140 and he's the king of the universe, I mean, the 00:22:26.140 --> 00:22:29.059 only other option is you decide you be God and 00:22:29.059 --> 00:22:31.460 you use your knowledge and your wisdom and you 00:22:31.460 --> 00:22:33.180 shuck and jive and you try to figure out, make 00:22:33.180 --> 00:22:38.990 your life work. Good luck. Good luck. The wisest, 00:22:39.049 --> 00:22:42.829 most intelligent, most emotionally satisfying 00:22:42.829 --> 00:22:49.369 and rewarding life for a follower of Jesus is 00:22:49.369 --> 00:22:52.450 to offer. It's in what's called the aorist tense. 00:22:52.529 --> 00:22:56.009 It's a point in time. Offer your body as a living 00:22:56.009 --> 00:23:02.369 sacrifice. Holy and acceptable. This is your 00:23:02.369 --> 00:23:05.529 spiritual service. And what it means is it's 00:23:05.529 --> 00:23:08.799 what God really wants. Maybe you were thinking 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.299 about it. I'm just going to say maybe you should 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:15.319 think about it a little bit more. The second 00:23:15.319 --> 00:23:17.180 application is to believe that all that comes 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:19.779 into your life is either allowed or decreed by 00:23:19.779 --> 00:23:22.920 a good God who will use it for your benefit. 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:25.960 And what I mean by this is not intellectually 00:23:25.960 --> 00:23:30.720 believe it. I mean, I mean, believe it to the 00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:33.680 point where you say, despite how my emotions 00:23:33.680 --> 00:23:38.019 are screaming. I'm going to choose to be faithful. 00:23:38.119 --> 00:23:40.480 And by the way, for some of you, faithful just 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:42.599 means you just get up and take a step because 00:23:42.599 --> 00:23:45.200 the pain and the difficulty and the hurt and 00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:48.779 the loss and the grief is so excruciating. God 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:53.059 understands. He's kind. Remember, he's tenderhearted. 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.880 He's quick of sympathy. How did Jesus treat people 00:23:56.880 --> 00:23:59.240 that were hurting? His arms weren't crossed. 00:23:59.980 --> 00:24:01.660 He didn't say, you know, come on, pull up your 00:24:01.660 --> 00:24:03.380 bootstraps, get with the program. You should 00:24:03.380 --> 00:24:05.779 be serving more. He just, he would just love 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:09.680 you. He just wants to help you. He just wants 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:13.599 to nurture you through this. But believe, believe 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:16.839 to the point of trusting. And here's what I would 00:24:16.839 --> 00:24:19.880 say by way of application is absolutely refuse 00:24:19.880 --> 00:24:24.519 to worry. That's one of those, you know, I think 00:24:24.519 --> 00:24:26.660 someone has written a book, you know, sins that. 00:24:26.940 --> 00:24:29.200 Christians, we all give each other a pass on 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:32.160 or something like that. Acceptable sins. You 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:34.299 know, if the Bible says don't be anxious for 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:38.779 anything, and it's a command, I'm guessing that 00:24:38.779 --> 00:24:43.680 being anxious is sinful. But, you know, there's 00:24:43.680 --> 00:24:45.799 some sins where like, I mean, you know, like 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:49.279 we're all sins, so let's just... It's an insult 00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:53.210 to God. If he's a sovereign God and he's good. 00:24:53.349 --> 00:24:56.230 Now, is it hard not to worry? You have to practice 00:24:56.230 --> 00:24:58.970 Philippians 4, 6, and 7. Don't be anxious for 00:24:58.970 --> 00:25:02.490 anything, but in everything, by prayer, a general 00:25:02.490 --> 00:25:05.750 word, get your focus up on God, and supplication. 00:25:05.769 --> 00:25:07.569 In other words, you're going to ask very specific 00:25:07.569 --> 00:25:10.250 things with thanksgiving, choosing to rejoice, 00:25:10.450 --> 00:25:13.809 make your specific request. So yes, it's a practice. 00:25:13.869 --> 00:25:16.009 And as you heard, and as you're anxious, you 00:25:16.009 --> 00:25:19.869 do that. And you know what? You can learn. Oswald 00:25:19.869 --> 00:25:22.349 Chambers' big line was really, his whole life 00:25:22.349 --> 00:25:25.109 is Galatians 2 .20. I'm crucified with Christ. 00:25:25.170 --> 00:25:28.509 Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives 00:25:28.509 --> 00:25:31.150 within me. And this life that I now live, I live 00:25:31.150 --> 00:25:34.390 by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave 00:25:34.390 --> 00:25:37.009 himself for me. It was this abiding life that 00:25:37.009 --> 00:25:39.970 God is in control. Therefore, I can't project 00:25:39.970 --> 00:25:43.690 tomorrow. I refuse to worry of outcomes I can't 00:25:43.690 --> 00:25:45.789 control. But I'm going to entrust that to God. 00:25:46.759 --> 00:25:49.380 If he's sovereign, you can do that if you believe 00:25:49.380 --> 00:25:52.640 it. Third is behold in all the mystery and the 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:56.460 majesty of his kind, compassionate, just, and 00:25:56.460 --> 00:26:00.059 sovereign rule over all that is or will ever 00:26:00.059 --> 00:26:04.079 be. And the application for some of you, this 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:06.579 is very easy. For some of us high productivity 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:10.140 driven type A people, this is very difficult. 00:26:11.740 --> 00:26:14.259 Worship God for who he is, not merely for what 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:20.109 he's done. singing to the Lord, reading Psalms 00:26:20.109 --> 00:26:25.309 out loud slowly, believing them. I mean, isn't 00:26:25.309 --> 00:26:28.609 it amazing that when you read the Psalms, how 00:26:28.609 --> 00:26:32.289 David in the midst of responsibility and warfare 00:26:32.289 --> 00:26:35.829 and all the rest, how he praises God, he thanks 00:26:35.829 --> 00:26:39.930 God, he laments, but he is a worshiper. And the 00:26:39.930 --> 00:26:43.190 more you begin to be in awe of, rather than argue 00:26:43.190 --> 00:26:46.519 about sovereignty and responsibility, as we would 00:26:46.519 --> 00:26:49.880 be in awe of who God is and worship him. As you 00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:52.319 worship him, what happens is you will begin to 00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.599 believe and experience a God who is bigger. And 00:26:55.599 --> 00:26:58.380 when you experience a God who is bigger and holy 00:26:58.380 --> 00:27:02.240 and loving, then what happens is the truth that 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:04.519 you have begins to transform and get ingrained 00:27:04.519 --> 00:27:07.420 into what you actually believe and your values 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:10.539 and how you actually live. And I just think it's 00:27:10.539 --> 00:27:12.640 easy not to be a worshiper. I think it's easy 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:16.210 to be a Christian get stuff done person. And 00:27:16.210 --> 00:27:17.990 there's some of you that, you know, my wife is 00:27:17.990 --> 00:27:21.630 the opposite. She's a worshiper. Wow. You know, 00:27:21.650 --> 00:27:25.470 sometimes I think if I got time with Jesus and 00:27:25.470 --> 00:27:27.910 my wife, I think it goes something like this. 00:27:29.190 --> 00:27:31.369 Teresa and I have been working out a lot of issues 00:27:31.369 --> 00:27:33.890 over the last few decades with you, Chip, and 00:27:33.890 --> 00:27:35.690 we appreciate you running all the errands for 00:27:35.690 --> 00:27:41.400 us. I'm serious. You know, I'm an activity -aholic. 00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:44.039 I mean, I just, I see what could be, and oh, 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:47.299 God wants to do this. And I just feel this compulsion 00:27:47.299 --> 00:27:49.940 to say, oh, if this is true, you got to act on 00:27:49.940 --> 00:27:52.980 it. So I have to learn to be a worshiper. And 00:27:52.980 --> 00:27:58.519 maybe that's some of you. You're listening to 00:27:58.519 --> 00:28:01.119 Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And the 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:03.720 message you just heard, the sovereignty of God, 00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:07.180 is from our series, The Real God. Chip will join 00:28:07.180 --> 00:28:09.599 us in studio to share some insights from today's 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:13.400 talk in just a minute. You know, we've all unintentionally 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:15.839 projected some of humanity's worst qualities 00:28:15.839 --> 00:28:19.519 into our Creator. Many view God as moody, weak, 00:28:19.740 --> 00:28:23.299 unfair, impatient, and merciless. But those ideas 00:28:23.299 --> 00:28:26.200 couldn't be further from the truth. Through this 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:29.140 series, Chip explores key Bible passages to reveal 00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:31.880 seven fundamental characteristics of our Heavenly 00:28:31.880 --> 00:28:34.960 Father, attributes that reflect the very essence 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:38.039 of His divine nature. Join Chip on this journey 00:28:38.039 --> 00:28:40.900 to reshape your perspective toward God, which 00:28:40.900 --> 00:28:43.140 will deepen your relationship with Him like never 00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:45.859 before. You won't want to miss a single part 00:28:45.859 --> 00:28:48.779 of this study. Well, Chip's joining me here in 00:28:48.779 --> 00:28:51.480 studio. And Chip, I think it's safe to say we 00:28:51.480 --> 00:28:54.200 all want a better relationship with God and to 00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:56.960 really grow spiritually. So take a minute, if 00:28:56.960 --> 00:28:58.880 you would, and talk about a habit you've developed 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:01.619 in your personal walk with Jesus that our listeners 00:29:01.619 --> 00:29:04.650 can apply to their lives. Well, that's an easy 00:29:04.650 --> 00:29:08.470 one, Dave. It really begins and ends with time 00:29:08.470 --> 00:29:10.769 in God's Word, actually learning to meet with 00:29:10.769 --> 00:29:13.529 God on a daily basis. It's just foundational 00:29:13.529 --> 00:29:16.630 for every believer's journey. And it's a practice 00:29:16.630 --> 00:29:19.029 that I find are really hard for Christians to 00:29:19.029 --> 00:29:21.849 get consistent in. And then they often feel like, 00:29:21.890 --> 00:29:24.029 I don't know how to do it. I can't understand 00:29:24.029 --> 00:29:26.450 the Bible. And so we've developed something called 00:29:26.450 --> 00:29:29.029 Daily Discipleship. And I think that's the great 00:29:29.029 --> 00:29:32.490 place to start. It's a free video tool where 00:29:32.490 --> 00:29:35.410 I literally mentor and study the Bible with people. 00:29:35.529 --> 00:29:38.390 I mean, individually. I talk for about 10 minutes 00:29:38.390 --> 00:29:41.269 max, and then I ask them to give me 10 minutes 00:29:41.269 --> 00:29:44.069 with a small resource to get in the Bible for 00:29:44.069 --> 00:29:47.190 themselves. We look at the very core text of 00:29:47.190 --> 00:29:50.990 Romans 12, James 1, Ephesians 6. We'll learn 00:29:50.990 --> 00:29:54.410 how to pray. We'll experience time with God, 00:29:54.529 --> 00:29:57.430 not just simply read the Bible. Check it out. 00:29:57.529 --> 00:30:00.420 Daily Discipleship with Chip. Thanks, Chip. So 00:30:00.420 --> 00:30:02.519 if you're looking for a practical way to deepen 00:30:02.519 --> 00:30:05.099 your faith, let me encourage you to sign up for 00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:08.200 Daily Discipleship with Chip. This free video 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:10.799 resource will help you learn more about God and 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:14.039 His Word. To sign up for any of our Daily Discipleship 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:18.920 series, visit livingontheedge .org. That's livingontheedge 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:23.640 .org. App listeners, tap Discipleship. Well, 00:30:23.660 --> 00:30:25.740 with that, here again is Chip to share his application 00:30:25.740 --> 00:30:29.220 from today's message. Think on this one thought 00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:33.119 as you go throughout the day. Nothing today or 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:36.400 nothing in your past, in fact, nothing in your 00:30:36.400 --> 00:30:39.680 future, will ever enter your life that God has 00:30:39.680 --> 00:30:44.099 not willfully decreed or allowed to occur. There 00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:47.900 isn't haphazard issues floating all around that 00:30:47.900 --> 00:30:51.579 are messing up your life. God is in control. 00:30:52.349 --> 00:30:55.410 What a comfort of all the things in Scripture 00:30:55.410 --> 00:30:58.630 that bring great comfort to my heart. I think 00:30:58.630 --> 00:31:00.349 that's one of the most important things with 00:31:00.349 --> 00:31:02.329 regard to the character of God that I've learned 00:31:02.329 --> 00:31:06.710 in my life. God is sovereign. And what I know 00:31:06.710 --> 00:31:10.230 is that regardless of what happens, He is working 00:31:10.230 --> 00:31:14.569 and using every event, every person, every hardship, 00:31:14.829 --> 00:31:19.329 every difficulty for my good. He does work all 00:31:19.329 --> 00:31:22.720 things together for my good. And I don't know 00:31:22.720 --> 00:31:26.079 about you, but that produces a deep rest in my 00:31:26.079 --> 00:31:31.019 soul. And then it produces worship. Imagine the 00:31:31.019 --> 00:31:35.579 power, the majesty, the all -knowing that it 00:31:35.579 --> 00:31:38.880 requires to orchestrate every life on the planet 00:31:38.880 --> 00:31:43.099 to fulfill His purposes and our good. Why don't 00:31:43.099 --> 00:31:45.490 you worship Him today? thanks for that great 00:31:45.490 --> 00:31:48.390 challenge chip as we wrap up i want to thank 00:31:48.390 --> 00:31:50.809 those of you who make this program possible through 00:31:50.809 --> 00:31:53.650 your generous financial support Your gifts help 00:31:53.650 --> 00:31:56.609 us create programs, purchase airtime, and develop 00:31:56.609 --> 00:31:59.230 additional resources to help Christians live 00:31:59.230 --> 00:32:01.849 like Christians. If you've been blessed by the 00:32:01.849 --> 00:32:04.130 ministry of Living on the Edge, would you consider 00:32:04.130 --> 00:32:06.990 sending a gift today? You can do that by visiting 00:32:06.990 --> 00:32:13.029 livingontheedge .org or by calling 888 -333 -6003. 00:32:13.250 --> 00:32:18.970 That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:32:18.970 --> 00:32:23.420 .org. App listeners tap donate. And please know 00:32:23.420 --> 00:32:26.259 how much we appreciate your support. Well, until 00:32:26.259 --> 00:32:28.539 next time, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:31.180 listening to this edition of Living on the Edge.