WEBVTT 00:00:01.409 --> 00:00:04.209 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.290 --> 00:00:08.490 Let me ask you, how will your kids or your grandkids 00:00:08.490 --> 00:00:11.449 remember you? What will you give them that will 00:00:11.449 --> 00:00:14.630 last forever, that will never fade away? How 00:00:14.630 --> 00:00:17.109 do you leave a legacy that lasts forever? That's 00:00:17.109 --> 00:00:21.089 today. Stay with me. Yes, most of us have estate 00:00:21.089 --> 00:00:24.170 plans to pass along to our families once we die. 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:27.160 But here's the question. Have we invested equal 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:29.620 energy into transferring what truly matters, 00:00:29.820 --> 00:00:32.799 our faith and our values? Today on Living on 00:00:32.799 --> 00:00:35.240 the Edge, Chip Ingram tackles the first and most 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:38.479 critical lesson, teaching those we love to suffer 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:41.780 well. You see, in a fallen world, suffering isn't 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:45.340 a question of if, it's a question of when. And 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:47.560 how our children, grandchildren and disciples 00:00:47.560 --> 00:00:50.280 respond will either make them or break them. 00:00:50.810 --> 00:00:53.289 Before Chip begins, I'll remind you about the 00:00:53.289 --> 00:00:55.929 exciting match that's active right now and through 00:00:55.929 --> 00:00:59.090 the deadline on December 31st. You can have twice 00:00:59.090 --> 00:01:01.770 the impact by giving generously during this match 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:04.530 period. And we'll share more details later, but 00:01:04.530 --> 00:01:06.530 right now with his first message in the series 00:01:06.530 --> 00:01:09.670 called Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever, here's 00:01:09.670 --> 00:01:12.010 Chip Ingram. Well, I want to start our little 00:01:12.010 --> 00:01:16.049 journey out together, if you will, with a hypothetical 00:01:16.049 --> 00:01:20.769 but morbid set of questions. How's that? All 00:01:20.769 --> 00:01:24.349 right? It's hypothetical, but these are morbid 00:01:24.349 --> 00:01:28.150 questions. The hypothetical situation is this, 00:01:28.170 --> 00:01:30.129 but I want you to really do it with me. I don't 00:01:30.129 --> 00:01:31.590 want you to, you know, lean back and go, well, 00:01:31.609 --> 00:01:34.049 it's hypothetical. I want you to sort of engage 00:01:34.049 --> 00:01:35.549 and say to yourself, here's the hypothetical 00:01:35.549 --> 00:01:40.329 situation. If you knew with absolute certainty 00:01:40.329 --> 00:01:46.689 that you would die exactly 365 days from today. 00:01:47.349 --> 00:01:52.349 Okay, have you got it? exactly 365 days from 00:01:52.349 --> 00:01:55.290 now to the minute, you would have a massive, 00:01:55.329 --> 00:01:57.829 not painful heart attack and you would be dead. 00:01:57.930 --> 00:02:00.209 And you would be translated, if you're a follower 00:02:00.209 --> 00:02:03.409 of Jesus, into the very presence of God. With 00:02:03.409 --> 00:02:07.150 that as the hypothetical situation, I have three 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:10.990 questions. Question number one, who are the top 00:02:10.990 --> 00:02:15.129 five people you feel most responsible to repair 00:02:15.129 --> 00:02:18.710 for your passing? I mean, just quickly in your 00:02:18.710 --> 00:02:21.770 mind, who are the top five people you know 365 00:02:21.770 --> 00:02:24.909 days from now you are going to be gone? So who 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:26.830 are the top five people that you need to prepare 00:02:26.830 --> 00:02:31.229 for your passing? Kids, grandkids, friends, people 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:34.430 you're discipling, co -workers. I mean, who would 00:02:34.430 --> 00:02:40.360 it be? You got it? Question number two. What 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:42.800 would you want to pass on to them in the next 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:47.759 365 days to bless and promote their success after 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:52.599 you're gone? And you got exactly 365 days to 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:58.000 bless them, to help them, to prepare them. What 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:06.039 do you want to pass on? Wealth? Wisdom? Heirlooms? 00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:11.949 A business? And education, I mean, who are they? 00:03:12.050 --> 00:03:15.370 And you got 365 days. What do you want them to 00:03:15.370 --> 00:03:17.509 get that when you're dead, you can say, well, 00:03:17.509 --> 00:03:20.729 hey, you know, at least I gave them this. What 00:03:20.729 --> 00:03:23.710 is this? You ready for question number three? 00:03:24.509 --> 00:03:27.810 It gets more morbid. When you make them up yourself, 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:30.650 you can make them as morbid as you want. Question 00:03:30.650 --> 00:03:34.849 number three, if you died exactly 24 hours from 00:03:34.849 --> 00:03:38.979 now, instead of one year from now, what would 00:03:38.979 --> 00:03:41.879 you most regret that you did not pass on to those 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:45.919 you love? I mean, you got thinking about who 00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:48.479 they are. You got thinking about what you really 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.360 want to pass on. But then what if all the rules 00:03:51.360 --> 00:03:55.199 quickly changed? And instead of a year from now, 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:59.900 24 hours from now, you find yourself in Jesus' 00:03:59.979 --> 00:04:03.280 presence. That's the good news. But then when 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:05.930 you look back and you said, When I think of my 00:04:05.930 --> 00:04:09.150 kids, when I think of this friend, when I think 00:04:09.150 --> 00:04:11.050 of this grandchild, when I think of this young 00:04:11.050 --> 00:04:13.550 man or this young woman I was discipling, when 00:04:13.550 --> 00:04:16.629 I think of this group of men that I was in accountability 00:04:16.629 --> 00:04:19.269 group with, when I was thinking about this women's 00:04:19.269 --> 00:04:22.470 fellowship I was in, you know, my biggest regret 00:04:22.470 --> 00:04:27.689 was I didn't pass on. What would it be? What 00:04:27.689 --> 00:04:32.069 would it be? Here's the fact. The fact is you 00:04:32.069 --> 00:04:35.470 and I are passing on who we are. and what we 00:04:35.470 --> 00:04:40.449 value and what we possess every single day. For 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:43.629 some people, this is a highly strategic, very 00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:46.050 intentional game plan that you're fulfilling. 00:04:46.470 --> 00:04:48.910 You know who the people are. You know what you 00:04:48.910 --> 00:04:51.230 want to pass on. You have a plan to pass it on 00:04:51.230 --> 00:04:53.509 and you look at your calendar and your day timer 00:04:53.509 --> 00:04:57.850 and you are very strategically passing on the 00:04:57.850 --> 00:05:01.769 things that matter most to you. For most of the 00:05:01.769 --> 00:05:05.399 rest of us, it's sort of a haphazard, hoping 00:05:05.399 --> 00:05:09.120 for the best highway of sorts that you're kind 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:11.000 of passing some stuff on but you're not really 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:13.339 sure what you're passing on and it's filled with 00:05:13.339 --> 00:05:15.519 lots of good intentions and you're going to get 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:17.620 real clear about it and more serious about it 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:20.300 later and unconsciously you think you're going 00:05:20.300 --> 00:05:23.220 to live a lot longer than you are. And the average 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:27.740 person will fail to pass on the things that matter 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:32.930 most to the people they love the most. In reality, 00:05:32.990 --> 00:05:35.670 most followers of Christ have given far more 00:05:35.670 --> 00:05:38.170 thought and energy into developing a game plan 00:05:38.170 --> 00:05:42.230 to transfer their wealth than they have their 00:05:42.230 --> 00:05:45.750 faith or their values. I mean, I'm guessing, 00:05:45.810 --> 00:05:47.389 I won't ask you to raise your hand, I'm guessing 00:05:47.389 --> 00:05:50.410 most people have a will. I'm guessing most people 00:05:50.410 --> 00:05:53.529 have some sort of an estate plan. Well, why? 00:05:54.110 --> 00:05:56.329 Because you realize there's X amount of dollars 00:05:56.329 --> 00:05:58.589 and there's taxes and there's issues and you 00:05:58.589 --> 00:06:01.449 want to pass on some of that wealth to a friend 00:06:01.449 --> 00:06:04.410 or an organization or your kids or your grandkids. 00:06:04.529 --> 00:06:07.730 And so you've thought what, how much, to whom 00:06:07.730 --> 00:06:10.910 and why. And isn't it interesting that we're 00:06:10.910 --> 00:06:13.970 real concerned about who gets money, but how 00:06:13.970 --> 00:06:17.069 concerned are we that they get our faith and 00:06:17.069 --> 00:06:19.889 that they get our values and they get the kind 00:06:19.889 --> 00:06:24.040 of stuff that money can't buy? Yet the Apostle 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:27.160 Paul commands his son in the faith, Timothy, 00:06:27.459 --> 00:06:31.740 to do just that. To pass on what matters most. 00:06:31.800 --> 00:06:34.720 Notice what he says in 2 Timothy 2 .2. The things 00:06:34.720 --> 00:06:38.240 you've heard from me. Timothy, you've heard it 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:40.639 in small group talk. Timothy, you've heard me 00:06:40.639 --> 00:06:43.350 preach it. Timothy, you've heard me face to face 00:06:43.350 --> 00:06:45.649 when I've had to say hard things to you. Timothy, 00:06:45.850 --> 00:06:48.529 you've heard it in Ephesus. Timothy, you've heard 00:06:48.529 --> 00:06:50.790 it after I got up when I was beaten. Timothy, 00:06:50.910 --> 00:06:54.250 the things you've heard from me in the presence 00:06:54.250 --> 00:06:59.050 of many witnesses entrust or pass on these two 00:06:59.050 --> 00:07:02.310 faithful men who'll be able to teach others also. 00:07:02.790 --> 00:07:05.350 He was talking about the principle of transfer. 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:08.579 He was talking in our day about sinking something. 00:07:08.860 --> 00:07:11.240 He was talking about, look, Timothy, let me give 00:07:11.240 --> 00:07:14.829 you the picture. God has uploaded the truth of 00:07:14.829 --> 00:07:17.050 his spirit and these values in my life and my 00:07:17.050 --> 00:07:19.110 relationship with Christ and the application 00:07:19.110 --> 00:07:21.629 to every area and every relationship and it's 00:07:21.629 --> 00:07:23.810 been uploaded supernaturally by the Holy Spirit 00:07:23.810 --> 00:07:24.970 and the word of God and the community of the 00:07:24.970 --> 00:07:27.730 saints. I have a responsibility and Timothy, 00:07:27.870 --> 00:07:30.209 the reason I ask you to hang out for me, I'm 00:07:30.209 --> 00:07:32.829 downloading it into you and your soul. I want 00:07:32.829 --> 00:07:35.350 you now to upload it to get it practical and 00:07:35.350 --> 00:07:37.509 I want you to download it to others. But not 00:07:37.509 --> 00:07:39.350 just anybody, but to others who are faithful 00:07:39.350 --> 00:07:41.449 so that they will do what? They'll download it 00:07:41.449 --> 00:07:48.490 to others. Transfer, transfer, transfer. So let 00:07:48.490 --> 00:07:50.370 me ask you, what are you gonna leave your kids? 00:07:51.930 --> 00:07:55.089 What are you gonna leave your friends? What are 00:07:55.089 --> 00:07:56.370 you gonna leave the people that you disciple? 00:07:57.709 --> 00:08:00.569 What are you gonna leave your grandkids? What 00:08:00.569 --> 00:08:01.829 are you gonna leave your spiritual children? 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:06.509 What are you gonna leave your church? And will 00:08:06.509 --> 00:08:10.920 it make them or break them? Will it give them 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:13.519 what they need to make the kind of choices and 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:18.540 the kind of decisions that will allow them to 00:08:18.540 --> 00:08:21.839 be God's man, God's woman in their generation? 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:25.120 Will they have the values and the perspective 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.500 and the faith and the regard and the view for 00:08:27.500 --> 00:08:30.660 God that will sustain them through a world that 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:32.840 keeps getting crazier and crazier and crazier 00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:39.240 and more carnal? Or will they sit in a little 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:41.259 room and have someone pull out a little will 00:08:41.259 --> 00:08:45.159 and they'll read a few little lines and find 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.159 out they got the grandfather clock, they got 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.960 the earrings, they got 11 .5 % of the estate, 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:55.960 but they never really knew your heart. They never 00:08:55.960 --> 00:08:58.419 knew your passion for the word of God. They never 00:08:58.419 --> 00:09:00.100 knew the secrets you learned in your marriage. 00:09:00.279 --> 00:09:02.360 They never knew the forgiveness that you received 00:09:02.360 --> 00:09:05.899 after your abortion. They never knew what it 00:09:05.899 --> 00:09:11.429 was like. To grow in Christ and what it was like 00:09:11.429 --> 00:09:14.049 to live with an ailing mate and to serve them 00:09:14.049 --> 00:09:16.950 and love them for years and where you got the 00:09:16.950 --> 00:09:20.070 strength. See, that's the stuff that'll sustain 00:09:20.070 --> 00:09:24.190 that you pass on. Apostle Paul talks a lot about 00:09:24.190 --> 00:09:26.370 life as a race. In 1 Corinthians 9, he talks 00:09:26.370 --> 00:09:28.509 about running a race and not wanting to be disqualified. 00:09:28.730 --> 00:09:31.210 When he gets to the very end of his life, 2 Corinthians 00:09:31.210 --> 00:09:35.450 chapter 4, he says, I have run the race. I've 00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:40.039 fought the fight. And this picture of a race 00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:42.700 is not only just finishing well, but Paul sees 00:09:42.700 --> 00:09:47.000 life as a relay race. And he sees that the relay 00:09:47.000 --> 00:09:51.419 race is the truth and the life of Christ deposited 00:09:51.419 --> 00:09:54.960 in him is like a baton that he has to pass on 00:09:54.960 --> 00:09:59.720 to the next runner. And if you're a sports, especially 00:09:59.720 --> 00:10:02.399 track and field, you realize that in terms of 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:05.960 the track and field world nationals, we've had 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.259 the fastest team twice. And we've dropped the 00:10:09.259 --> 00:10:12.919 baton in the Olympics in the four by. And then 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:15.720 two years later, they dropped the baton again. 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:21.279 And see, that's where failure in the race usually 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:25.240 occurs. It's in the exchange. And what we're 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:28.679 going to talk about in our time together is what 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:31.820 is it that really needs to be passed on and how 00:10:31.820 --> 00:10:35.059 practically do you pass it on to those that you 00:10:35.059 --> 00:10:37.539 love the most? And you'll see here, it says five 00:10:37.539 --> 00:10:39.679 core values that we must pass on to the next 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:43.360 generation. And I remember a very sobering moment. 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:45.840 It was a number of years ago and some of you 00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:48.940 remember the Columbine shootings. And I was pastoring 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:51.059 a church at the time in California. It was growing 00:10:51.059 --> 00:10:53.279 very rapidly and lots of people were coming and 00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:55.740 I had kind of kids at all different age levels. 00:10:55.960 --> 00:10:59.539 And I remember thinking because of the nature 00:10:59.539 --> 00:11:01.500 of the people who committed those crimes and 00:11:01.500 --> 00:11:04.639 what happened, I remember asking myself, what 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:07.799 is it? that I want to pass on to my kids? And 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:10.519 what is it that I want to pass on to the church 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.659 that money could never buy? And I began to think 00:11:13.659 --> 00:11:15.639 and pray. And by that time, I'd been a Christian 00:11:15.639 --> 00:11:17.980 quite a few years and a pastor for a number of 00:11:17.980 --> 00:11:19.799 years. And I realized, you know what? At the 00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:22.399 end of the day, it's not all these little rules 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:24.419 or it's not how often they do this and it's not 00:11:24.419 --> 00:11:26.679 this external behavior and it's not how often 00:11:26.679 --> 00:11:28.240 they go to church. It's not if they just read 00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.220 their Bible here or if they do this or if they 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:32.259 learn to give off the top. All those are practical 00:11:32.259 --> 00:11:34.960 things. But what I realized is there are values. 00:11:36.519 --> 00:11:38.860 And if there was some core values that you could 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:41.840 kind of upload in your heart from God and download 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:45.480 into their hearts and they were really a part 00:11:45.480 --> 00:11:47.620 of who they were, you wouldn't have to worry 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:51.120 about anything else. And as I began to pray and 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:52.779 ponder that, I realized what I really wanted 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:54.940 to pass on to my kids, my grandkids, my friends, 00:11:55.059 --> 00:11:57.159 the disciples in the church, I want them to learn 00:11:57.159 --> 00:12:00.639 to suffer well. I want them to learn to work 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:03.299 unto the Lord. I want them to learn to manage 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:06.000 their wealth wisely. I wanted to teach them to 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.600 make wise decisions. And I wanted to have them 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:11.779 learn to live grace -filled lives. And I just 00:12:11.779 --> 00:12:15.399 can't wait to share those five things in our 00:12:15.399 --> 00:12:18.480 time. And just not what they are, but how do 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:21.320 you pass them on? And so let's start with, it 00:12:21.320 --> 00:12:24.700 says radical sustained change always begins with 00:12:24.700 --> 00:12:27.480 our thinking, not our behavior. And I really 00:12:27.480 --> 00:12:30.440 want to emphasize this. In our day, and especially 00:12:30.440 --> 00:12:34.100 among... Christians, I think we have overemphasized 00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:36.960 behavior. And out of our fears, we want our kids 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:39.340 or the person we're discipling or our grandkids 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:41.679 or our friends or the people in the women's group 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:43.799 or the men's academy group, their behavior, the 00:12:43.799 --> 00:12:44.940 behavior. What are they doing? What are they 00:12:44.940 --> 00:12:46.080 doing? What are they doing? What are they doing? 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:47.980 And somehow we get thinking if we can just get 00:12:47.980 --> 00:12:49.620 them reading the Bible and praying and giving 00:12:49.620 --> 00:12:51.940 and going to things and maybe even a short -term 00:12:51.940 --> 00:12:54.200 missions trip. And we focus on this exterior. 00:12:55.629 --> 00:12:58.230 And by the way, no problem. All those things, 00:12:58.350 --> 00:13:00.330 when done for the right reason, are very, very, 00:13:00.389 --> 00:13:04.649 very wonderful conduits of grace. Lasting change 00:13:04.649 --> 00:13:08.350 always starts with your thinking, not your behavior. 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:12.090 When the Apostle Paul wanted to teach about how 00:13:12.090 --> 00:13:16.210 lasting supernatural change occurs, after 11 00:13:16.210 --> 00:13:19.879 chapters of truth, he opens up... Romans chapter 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:22.559 12. And says it begins with offering yourself 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:25.179 as a living sacrifice. And then he says don't 00:13:25.179 --> 00:13:27.500 be conformed any longer to this world. But be 00:13:27.500 --> 00:13:29.860 transformed. It doesn't say by going to church 00:13:29.860 --> 00:13:33.120 more often. It doesn't say by trying harder. 00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:35.980 It doesn't say by cleaning up your externals. 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:39.460 But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:13:40.800 --> 00:13:42.919 It's a change of perspective. It's realizing 00:13:42.919 --> 00:13:45.620 God's on your team. It's looking at sin differently. 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:48.500 It's realizing that the things the world offers 00:13:48.500 --> 00:13:50.820 are cheap and insignificant and won't pay off, 00:13:51.000 --> 00:13:53.000 and you agree with God about those things. He 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:55.980 changes how you think. And he says, by the renewing 00:13:55.980 --> 00:13:58.100 of your mind, and then you will test, literally 00:13:58.100 --> 00:14:01.279 experience or approve what God's will is, that 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:03.860 which is good, acceptable, and perfect. And so 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:05.559 what we're going to talk about, and I just want 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:08.220 to get this kind of on the table early, is this 00:14:08.220 --> 00:14:10.929 is not going to be, you know, a bunch of different 00:14:10.929 --> 00:14:14.250 things we can get people to start doing. Now 00:14:14.250 --> 00:14:15.830 they will do things, but what you want to do 00:14:15.830 --> 00:14:18.929 is give them a new worldview. You want to give 00:14:18.929 --> 00:14:21.490 them a completely new perspective. You want them 00:14:21.490 --> 00:14:24.429 to think differently so it soaks from their head 00:14:24.429 --> 00:14:27.190 and concept about what the scriptures teach and 00:14:27.190 --> 00:14:29.750 who God is and who they are and their identity 00:14:29.750 --> 00:14:31.950 and how they think about values and money and 00:14:31.950 --> 00:14:34.850 people and relationships and sex and priorities. 00:14:35.710 --> 00:14:37.409 And what you want them is to have a completely 00:14:37.409 --> 00:14:40.090 different worldview and a set of values that 00:14:40.090 --> 00:14:43.629 plant in their heart so they begin to live out 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:47.470 of this identity in Christ and they own it for 00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:51.490 them versus external religious activities of 00:14:51.490 --> 00:14:53.970 trying to somehow please God and, you know, get 00:14:53.970 --> 00:14:56.129 a couple, you know, brownie points on that big 00:14:56.129 --> 00:14:59.389 refrigerator in the sky, wherever it is. And 00:14:59.389 --> 00:15:01.769 so that's what we're going to talk about. Transferable 00:15:01.769 --> 00:15:04.350 concept number one. And this may sound strange, 00:15:04.570 --> 00:15:09.289 but teach them to suffer well. Teach them to 00:15:09.289 --> 00:15:14.809 suffer well. We have raised a generation of people, 00:15:14.850 --> 00:15:18.389 when they think of suffering, the only concept 00:15:18.389 --> 00:15:20.789 they can think of is how to get out of it, how 00:15:20.789 --> 00:15:25.070 to limit it, and how to avoid it. And unfortunately, 00:15:25.250 --> 00:15:27.870 it's not biblical, and unfortunately, it sets 00:15:27.870 --> 00:15:31.759 them up with really bad expectations. Let me 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:33.759 give you a theology of suffering, if you will. 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.559 I'll go through it rather quickly, and then each 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:38.379 time I'll give you the theology, and then we'll 00:15:38.379 --> 00:15:41.000 talk about the practice. But a theology of suffering 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:43.139 goes something like this from Scripture. Life 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:47.960 is hard, but God is good. Okay, life is hard. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:51.940 Your kids, your disciples, your grandkids, your 00:15:51.940 --> 00:15:54.539 friends, people in the ladies' group, they come 00:15:54.539 --> 00:15:57.799 to Christ. Something hard hits them. Gosh, what's 00:15:57.799 --> 00:16:01.809 going on? Life is hard. The very last thing Jesus 00:16:01.809 --> 00:16:03.370 said, he could have said a lot of things, John 00:16:03.370 --> 00:16:07.950 16, 33. In the world, you will have tribulation, 00:16:07.950 --> 00:16:11.769 trouble, difficulty. But I've overcome the world. 00:16:14.210 --> 00:16:16.750 We'll hear more from Chip Ingram's message in 00:16:16.750 --> 00:16:19.269 just a moment. First, we're inviting you to multiply 00:16:19.269 --> 00:16:22.350 your year -end donation through an exciting match 00:16:22.350 --> 00:16:24.870 that's active right now. I'm sure you're watching 00:16:24.870 --> 00:16:27.889 the trend, and it is so exciting. I mean, all 00:16:27.889 --> 00:16:30.190 across our high schools and college campuses, 00:16:30.450 --> 00:16:33.190 there is a spiritual awakening taking place. 00:16:33.409 --> 00:16:36.110 Young men in particular, they're finding Jesus. 00:16:36.370 --> 00:16:39.389 The time to respond is right now. Living on the 00:16:39.389 --> 00:16:42.309 Edge is ready. There's never been a more important 00:16:42.309 --> 00:16:45.649 time to disciple the next generation. God is 00:16:45.649 --> 00:16:48.590 moving. We've created the resources. We have 00:16:48.590 --> 00:16:51.710 the game plan. 30 years of God's faithfulness 00:16:51.710 --> 00:16:54.269 and lots more to accomplish. God has sustained 00:16:54.269 --> 00:16:56.940 Living on the Edge for three decades. Because 00:16:56.940 --> 00:17:00.320 people like you said yes. Now we're asking again, 00:17:00.580 --> 00:17:03.340 but with a twist. Living on the Edge meets young 00:17:03.340 --> 00:17:06.180 people in the digital spaces where they actually 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:08.720 live. Because of the match, your donation will 00:17:08.720 --> 00:17:11.160 be matched dollar for dollar in the month of 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:13.420 December. Will you give to the next generation? 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:16.559 Our most fruitful years are ahead. And when you 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.500 support this match, you're not funding yesterday's 00:17:19.500 --> 00:17:22.259 methods. You're investing in a discipleship strategy 00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:25.359 that actually reaches the smartphone generation 00:17:25.359 --> 00:17:29.599 right where they are. Double the impact of your 00:17:29.599 --> 00:17:34.240 gift at livingontheedge .org. From a series called 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:37.299 Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever. Again, our 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:40.319 Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. We need to help people 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:42.839 understand life is going to be hard and filled 00:17:42.839 --> 00:17:45.000 with trouble, but God is good. Jot, if you will, 00:17:45.059 --> 00:17:47.380 Psalm 8411 next in your notes to God is good. 00:17:48.400 --> 00:17:51.900 The Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:55.920 gives grace and glory. No, no good thing will 00:17:55.920 --> 00:17:58.359 he withhold from those who walk uprightly. He 00:17:58.359 --> 00:18:00.720 has a good plan for us. He loves us. He's for 00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:04.420 us. He delights to be generous to us, but it's 00:18:04.420 --> 00:18:07.140 in the context of a difficult world. Second, 00:18:07.339 --> 00:18:10.720 life is unjust, but God is sovereign. Sovereign 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:14.539 is the key word. Life's not fair, but God's in 00:18:14.539 --> 00:18:18.000 control. Luke 13, you might jot down. I mean, 00:18:18.019 --> 00:18:20.759 a group of people came to Jesus and said, hey, 00:18:20.880 --> 00:18:22.519 what's going on here? Did you hear about this? 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:24.839 The Tower of Siloam fell on this certain group 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:26.140 of people. And Jesus said, well, do you think 00:18:26.140 --> 00:18:27.519 they were more unrighteous than other people? 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:30.880 His point is, it's a fallen world. Bad things. 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.619 Are you ready for this? Non -Christians get cancer. 00:18:33.859 --> 00:18:37.960 Ready for this? Christians get cancer. Non -Christians 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:40.500 get hit by drunk drivers. Are you ready? Christians 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.859 get hit by drunk drivers. The economy caves in. 00:18:44.140 --> 00:18:46.240 I don't know about you, but I don't think, was 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:49.759 it isolated? Only non -believers, 401ks are now 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:54.599 101ks, right? It's a fallen world. But God's 00:18:54.599 --> 00:18:58.400 in control. Romans 8, 28. He will work all things 00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:02.279 together for good. To who? To those that are 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:05.190 called. To those that love him. But the good 00:19:05.190 --> 00:19:07.650 isn't always external circumstances going your 00:19:07.650 --> 00:19:10.109 way. The ultimate good is he'll use everything, 00:19:10.230 --> 00:19:13.309 what? To make you like his son. Because God's 00:19:13.309 --> 00:19:15.589 primary agenda is to make you holy, not happy. 00:19:16.910 --> 00:19:18.809 Now there's a lot of happiness that comes with 00:19:18.809 --> 00:19:22.970 it. Let me give you the Old Testament roots of 00:19:22.970 --> 00:19:28.170 this. It's Genesis 37 through 50. It's the story 00:19:28.170 --> 00:19:33.460 of Joseph. Now think about this. There's 50 chapters 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:36.240 in the book of Genesis. This is the most foundational 00:19:36.240 --> 00:19:38.380 book of all of scripture. Almost every major 00:19:38.380 --> 00:19:40.819 doctrine is introduced in Genesis. It's the book 00:19:40.819 --> 00:19:43.059 of beginnings. We get creation, you know, we 00:19:43.059 --> 00:19:45.500 get Abraham, we get the entire line, we get even 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:47.960 early with Noah. I mean, you get all these thousands 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:51.420 of years and yet 13 chapters, that's over 25%. 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:54.700 It's about 28 plus percent of the entire book 00:19:54.700 --> 00:20:00.000 about one man. Why? What is the story about? 00:20:00.959 --> 00:20:04.900 It explains what happened between Genesis 1 and 00:20:04.900 --> 00:20:08.740 2 and 3. In Genesis 1 and 2, we have a perfect 00:20:08.740 --> 00:20:11.319 world with a loving, perfect God in a perfect 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:13.140 environment that wants his best for his people. 00:20:13.900 --> 00:20:16.700 And then we have a coup, and there's a rebellion. 00:20:17.619 --> 00:20:19.779 And this rebellion is, God, I don't want your 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:22.859 way, and there's a willful sin, and so sin enters 00:20:22.859 --> 00:20:25.460 in. It's called the fall is what theologians 00:20:25.460 --> 00:20:28.670 call it. And so sin enters the human race, and 00:20:28.670 --> 00:20:30.769 we have been a rebellious people ever since, 00:20:31.009 --> 00:20:33.349 but God is a redeeming God, so he takes Adam 00:20:33.349 --> 00:20:35.250 and Eve and gets them out of the garden and sets 00:20:35.250 --> 00:20:37.950 a guard so that they can't eat from the tree 00:20:37.950 --> 00:20:41.829 of life and be in this state permanently. But 00:20:41.829 --> 00:20:44.869 now God in his sovereignty and in his love is 00:20:44.869 --> 00:20:46.829 going to orchestrate, even through the bad decisions, 00:20:46.910 --> 00:20:48.990 the ups and downs, and the evil and the sin, 00:20:49.130 --> 00:20:52.390 he wants to work for man's good, and the life 00:20:52.390 --> 00:20:56.950 of Joseph is the story. of how God works good 00:20:56.950 --> 00:21:01.009 in us and through us in the midst of a fallen 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:05.210 world to bring about the highest and best for 00:21:05.210 --> 00:21:09.269 us and to accomplish his purposes. And that's 00:21:09.269 --> 00:21:11.130 why for those of you that are still in the, you 00:21:11.130 --> 00:21:13.829 know, reading stories to your kids stage, Joseph 00:21:13.829 --> 00:21:16.569 needs to be one of the most heroes in your home. 00:21:16.730 --> 00:21:19.349 Or you grandparents, or those of you who are 00:21:19.349 --> 00:21:22.230 doing Bible study, you need to early on get people 00:21:22.230 --> 00:21:25.480 identified with Joseph. Because guess what? They're 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:29.019 going to be sold into slavery of some kind. They're 00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:31.200 going to get betrayed by someone. They're going 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:33.400 to have someone slander them. They're going to 00:21:33.400 --> 00:21:36.000 be forgotten, right? Isn't that all a part of 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.880 life? And do you remember the very end of the 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:41.240 story? I call it the Genesis 50 -20 principle. 00:21:42.740 --> 00:21:45.160 Joseph is at the end. Remember, God exalts him. 00:21:45.259 --> 00:21:47.680 He becomes the ruler of all of Egypt. He saves 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.680 the nation of Israel. He saves the... chosen 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:52.839 people. He actually saves, you know, Pharaoh 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:55.480 and Egypt and all the rest. And then when dad 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:58.460 dies, his brothers still don't get, you know, 00:21:58.480 --> 00:22:01.440 what's going on. And so when dad dies, they start 00:22:01.440 --> 00:22:03.680 making up little stories. This is a loose translation 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:05.539 of the text. This is a little Ingramism here. 00:22:05.619 --> 00:22:08.380 So, I mean, basically they're thinking, you know, 00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:11.180 Joseph was really nice to us why dad was alive, 00:22:11.319 --> 00:22:13.380 but now he's gone. I think he's, I mean, we betrayed 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:15.619 him. We were thinking about killing him and we 00:22:15.619 --> 00:22:18.680 just, you know, sold him instead. And we used 00:22:18.680 --> 00:22:21.369 him and abused him and I bet now he's going to 00:22:21.369 --> 00:22:24.390 get back at us. And I just had this picture of 00:22:24.390 --> 00:22:26.490 Joseph leaning kind of on his staff and shaking 00:22:26.490 --> 00:22:28.710 his head and said, guys, you still don't get 00:22:28.710 --> 00:22:33.130 it, do you? Genesis 50 verse 20. As for you, 00:22:33.250 --> 00:22:37.670 you meant this for evil, but God meant it for 00:22:37.670 --> 00:22:41.509 good to bring about this present result. And 00:22:41.509 --> 00:22:43.569 I think he's looking over the land to preserve 00:22:43.569 --> 00:22:47.519 many people alive. See, you've got to teach your 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.160 Bible study friends. You've got to teach your 00:22:49.160 --> 00:22:51.339 kids. You've got to teach your grandkids. You've 00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:52.920 got to teach them that, you know what? It's a 00:22:52.920 --> 00:22:56.359 fallen world. Life is hard. Life is unfair. God 00:22:56.359 --> 00:22:59.559 is good. God is in control. And just like Joseph, 00:22:59.720 --> 00:23:02.579 he will actually use the most painful, difficult, 00:23:02.900 --> 00:23:05.839 sinful, injustice, betrayal, everything you go 00:23:05.839 --> 00:23:11.200 through to fulfill his ultimate purposes if you, 00:23:11.259 --> 00:23:13.799 like Joseph, say, you know, I don't always understand 00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:17.329 this, but I'm not bailing out. I'm going to trust 00:23:17.329 --> 00:23:20.430 God. And you know, what would it be like that, 00:23:20.490 --> 00:23:22.950 you know, God gave him this dream. This is what 00:23:22.950 --> 00:23:24.769 I'm going to do with you. I'm just thinking when 00:23:24.769 --> 00:23:27.910 he's in that cell, hey God, where are you? And 00:23:27.910 --> 00:23:30.210 when he gets falsely accused of rape, God, where 00:23:30.210 --> 00:23:32.349 are you? When he gets forgotten, you know, by 00:23:32.349 --> 00:23:33.890 the guys after he interprets the dream, God, 00:23:34.009 --> 00:23:38.529 where are you? But he doesn't. God, I don't understand. 00:23:39.650 --> 00:23:42.369 But I'm confident of this. And he didn't have 00:23:42.369 --> 00:23:44.990 this verse, but it was still true then. that 00:23:44.990 --> 00:23:47.069 he who began a good work in me will perfect it 00:23:47.069 --> 00:23:49.930 until the day of Christ Jesus. And so we need 00:23:49.930 --> 00:23:52.730 to have a clear picture. The other biblical profile 00:23:52.730 --> 00:23:55.690 is Jesus, and Peter gives us the explanation 00:23:55.690 --> 00:23:59.890 of Jesus' role in teaching us about suffering. 00:24:00.789 --> 00:24:05.589 1 Peter 2, 21 -23. It says, To this you were 00:24:05.589 --> 00:24:07.809 called. Put a circle in your notes around the 00:24:07.809 --> 00:24:10.680 phrase, to this. Because I want you to think 00:24:10.680 --> 00:24:13.740 about what is the to this. You're called to this, 00:24:13.859 --> 00:24:17.660 whatever it is. Because Christ suffered for you, 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:21.019 leaving you an example that you should follow 00:24:21.019 --> 00:24:23.420 in his steps. So circle the word example. And 00:24:23.420 --> 00:24:28.500 now you've got the answer to this. You were called. 00:24:28.720 --> 00:24:34.160 I was called to what? To suffer. What? I thought 00:24:34.160 --> 00:24:36.730 we were. If we believed in God and we loved him 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:38.589 and we gave off the top and read our Bible in 00:24:38.589 --> 00:24:40.710 the morning and prayed real hard and were nice 00:24:40.710 --> 00:24:43.089 to everybody and tried to be a good person that 00:24:43.089 --> 00:24:44.910 God was going to make our life work out and everything 00:24:44.910 --> 00:24:46.690 would be wonderful and we'd never get sick and 00:24:46.690 --> 00:24:48.630 we'd have more money and our kids would be upwardly 00:24:48.630 --> 00:24:50.589 mobile and someday, someway, we'd end up at Thanksgiving 00:24:50.589 --> 00:24:54.670 and sing Kumbaya with all the 11 grandkids. You 00:24:54.670 --> 00:24:59.089 mean that's not the way it is? No! Whatever part 00:24:59.089 --> 00:25:00.869 of that you get, praise the Lord, press ahead, 00:25:00.990 --> 00:25:03.289 I'm glad for you. God didn't promise it. Here's 00:25:03.289 --> 00:25:05.829 what he promised. To this you were called because 00:25:05.829 --> 00:25:07.970 Christ suffered for you, leaving you example 00:25:07.970 --> 00:25:10.829 that you should what? Observe it and wonder? 00:25:12.049 --> 00:25:14.789 What's it say? That you should follow in his 00:25:14.789 --> 00:25:17.150 steps. And then by the way, when you think it's 00:25:17.150 --> 00:25:19.990 unfair, just so you get the story, he committed 00:25:19.990 --> 00:25:22.549 no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth. 00:25:22.670 --> 00:25:25.630 What's the point? He's absolutely innocent. I'm 00:25:25.630 --> 00:25:28.170 not and you're not. I mean, a lot of the suffering 00:25:28.170 --> 00:25:31.470 I get because I'm stupid and sinful. I've made 00:25:31.470 --> 00:25:35.630 dumb decisions and I've had sinful acts. He didn't 00:25:35.630 --> 00:25:38.450 do anything wrong. I mean, I get upset when I 00:25:38.450 --> 00:25:40.109 feel like, gosh, I'm really innocent. I'm getting 00:25:40.109 --> 00:25:43.390 a raw deal. Well, he did nothing wrong. When 00:25:43.390 --> 00:25:47.349 they hurled insults, injustice, he didn't retaliate. 00:25:48.089 --> 00:25:50.269 When he suffered, he made no threats. You do 00:25:50.269 --> 00:25:52.650 this, I'll get you back. I got a couple legion 00:25:52.650 --> 00:25:54.650 of angels, guys. You just wait. I mean, that 00:25:54.650 --> 00:25:58.309 wasn't it. Instead, listen to what he did. He 00:25:58.309 --> 00:26:03.730 entrusted himself to him who judges justly. Here's 00:26:03.730 --> 00:26:06.690 what you've got to understand. The model was, 00:26:06.970 --> 00:26:11.410 it's not fair. I'm being wrong. I'm being betrayed. 00:26:12.190 --> 00:26:15.549 I've done nothing wrong. I'm not going to retaliate. 00:26:15.690 --> 00:26:18.470 I'm following and blazing a trail that I want 00:26:18.470 --> 00:26:20.529 you as my children, my followers to follow with 00:26:20.529 --> 00:26:23.170 me. And when you don't understand it and when 00:26:23.170 --> 00:26:26.430 it hurts and when it seems unbearable, you entrust 00:26:26.430 --> 00:26:29.769 your soul to a faithful creator, a heavenly father 00:26:29.769 --> 00:26:33.049 who's sovereign and good and all wise and will 00:26:33.049 --> 00:26:34.829 bring about the best possible ends by the best 00:26:34.829 --> 00:26:36.849 possible means for the most possible people for 00:26:36.849 --> 00:26:39.369 the longest possible time. It's a classic definition 00:26:39.369 --> 00:26:42.309 of the wisdom of God. And who longs to bless 00:26:42.309 --> 00:26:44.230 and is the most generous being in the universe 00:26:44.230 --> 00:26:46.789 and who's going to orchestrate this present injustice 00:26:46.789 --> 00:26:50.309 suffering for your good and his purposes as you 00:26:50.309 --> 00:26:52.390 entrust it to him in the midst of your pain. 00:26:54.109 --> 00:26:59.089 That's learning to suffer well. That's commanded 00:26:59.089 --> 00:27:04.109 in God's word. And my fear is we have unconsciously 00:27:04.109 --> 00:27:07.150 or in some ways consciously taught a whole generation 00:27:07.150 --> 00:27:10.150 of people. That if you're really good and do 00:27:10.150 --> 00:27:11.970 the right stuff, everything comes out your way. 00:27:12.289 --> 00:27:14.589 And Jesus really is kind of like a self -help 00:27:14.589 --> 00:27:18.009 genie. And what he wants to do is make you happy 00:27:18.009 --> 00:27:21.269 and wonderful and have no problems. And if you 00:27:21.269 --> 00:27:23.789 have enough faith, nothing will ever go wrong. 00:27:24.390 --> 00:27:28.069 Do you see how people get set up to be very bitter 00:27:28.069 --> 00:27:32.349 at God and very disappointed and feeling like 00:27:32.349 --> 00:27:36.180 God doesn't care because this is the truth. So 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:38.619 what you need to do is have a very specific game 00:27:38.619 --> 00:27:43.140 plan to teach your friends, your disciples, your 00:27:43.140 --> 00:27:46.559 children, your groups, and your kids and grandkids 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:52.359 how to suffer well. I was getting in my car with 00:27:52.359 --> 00:27:57.119 my son who was about early 20s at the time, just 00:27:57.119 --> 00:27:59.579 beginning his musical career, was sort of in 00:27:59.579 --> 00:28:02.509 the band stage of In the Van. Riding all over, 00:28:02.549 --> 00:28:04.569 doing what they call gigs and leading worship. 00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:08.670 And little by little, kind of making progress. 00:28:08.829 --> 00:28:10.990 But he had a friend that he came up with. And 00:28:10.990 --> 00:28:15.609 my garage was very loud many, many years. And 00:28:15.609 --> 00:28:18.490 John and Jason were always playing music. And 00:28:18.490 --> 00:28:19.849 then they would bring it inside. And there was 00:28:19.849 --> 00:28:21.809 keyboards here and keyboards here and the piano 00:28:21.809 --> 00:28:23.650 here. And then John would bring his drums. And 00:28:23.650 --> 00:28:25.450 their buddies would bring their electric guitars. 00:28:25.809 --> 00:28:28.589 And somewhere I said something about pursue your 00:28:28.589 --> 00:28:33.869 passions in a moment of weakness. And John was 00:28:33.869 --> 00:28:43.970 a young man. He was a prodigy. John played guitar, 00:28:44.029 --> 00:28:47.730 piano, violin, mandolin. John could pick up an 00:28:47.730 --> 00:28:49.569 instrument and two weeks he'd be playing it on 00:28:49.569 --> 00:28:52.509 stage. And they would, you know, we had a little 00:28:52.509 --> 00:28:54.829 small Saturday night worship. And so John and 00:28:54.829 --> 00:28:56.769 Jason, you know, even as young guys would help 00:28:56.769 --> 00:28:59.450 out and do that. And John began to write some 00:28:59.450 --> 00:29:02.019 songs. As Jason said one time, you know, John 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:04.559 had more musical ability in his little finger 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:07.619 than in my whole body. And my son Jason is sort 00:29:07.619 --> 00:29:10.799 of the focused, persevering, hard -charging, 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:14.059 won't -give -up type personality, and they just 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:17.000 became fast friends. And we would kid John. John 00:29:17.000 --> 00:29:19.740 was very thin. I mean, very, very thin. You know, 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:21.700 like, John, you know, if you stick out your tongue, 00:29:21.819 --> 00:29:23.240 we think it's a thermometer and, you know, all 00:29:23.240 --> 00:29:25.519 that kind of stuff. And we would tease him, and 00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:27.519 he'd milkshakes and tried to lift weights, and 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:29.380 he was just... No matter what he did, he was 00:29:29.380 --> 00:29:31.079 just, you know, you turn sideways, John is gone. 00:29:32.140 --> 00:29:35.980 And Jason was kind of traveling around. I'd come 00:29:35.980 --> 00:29:39.980 home, and I'd gotten a phone call from his mom 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:41.940 and dad and said, Chip, John's over here in the 00:29:41.940 --> 00:29:43.799 hospital, and they've run some tests, and we 00:29:43.799 --> 00:29:46.599 now know why he's been so skinny so long. He's 00:29:46.599 --> 00:29:49.200 got a slow -growing type of cancer, and we're 00:29:49.200 --> 00:29:51.160 here. His fiancée's here. Could you come by? 00:29:51.319 --> 00:29:53.380 And I remember sitting on the bed and looking 00:29:53.380 --> 00:29:57.079 at John. reading Psalm 46 out loud together and 00:29:57.079 --> 00:29:59.039 then going through about a 9 or 10, 11 month 00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:01.859 journey or so. And then I remember getting in 00:30:01.859 --> 00:30:04.200 the car with Jason and John was musical and so 00:30:04.200 --> 00:30:06.039 the worship leader and two or three of us and 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:10.200 my son and he looked like he had been in a concentration 00:30:10.200 --> 00:30:12.539 camp as the cancer had eaten him out. He was 00:30:12.539 --> 00:30:16.740 probably 80 pounds and gaunt. And it was the 00:30:16.740 --> 00:30:19.039 last day that he lived and we sang worship songs. 00:30:20.269 --> 00:30:22.569 and then we left, and John died the next day, 00:30:22.609 --> 00:30:26.509 but I sat in the car with my son Jason, and he 00:30:26.509 --> 00:30:30.130 looked at me and said, Dad, why? Why would God 00:30:30.130 --> 00:30:34.309 do this to John? I don't get it, Dad. Life's 00:30:34.309 --> 00:30:38.529 not fair. Dad, I mean, he's got more ability. 00:30:38.549 --> 00:30:41.750 Think how God could use him, and I'm healthy, 00:30:41.849 --> 00:30:44.509 and I have to try so hard that he can just do 00:30:44.509 --> 00:30:48.869 it. Why, Dad? And we cried together in the car. 00:30:50.960 --> 00:30:53.960 And then I could say, son, here's what you need 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:56.420 to understand. There's more to life than right 00:30:56.420 --> 00:30:59.660 now. And I don't have a quick, easy answer about 00:30:59.660 --> 00:31:02.539 John. I don't understand. But I can tell you 00:31:02.539 --> 00:31:05.440 it's a fallen world. And in a fallen world, good 00:31:05.440 --> 00:31:08.680 godly people get cancer. And it's a hard world. 00:31:08.799 --> 00:31:12.200 And it's an unfair world. But listen, son. God 00:31:12.200 --> 00:31:15.059 is good. And God is in control. And you just 00:31:15.059 --> 00:31:18.200 have a window of opportunity where we hurt and 00:31:18.200 --> 00:31:27.480 we grieve. will respond to suffering. And I will 00:31:27.480 --> 00:31:29.200 just tell you, that was one of the most profound, 00:31:29.299 --> 00:31:31.200 teachable moments I've ever had with my son. 00:31:35.319 --> 00:31:37.920 This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:40.880 He's showing us how to prepare our kids and grandkids 00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:43.680 for suffering. And this teaching comes from the 00:31:43.680 --> 00:31:46.420 series called Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever. 00:31:46.640 --> 00:31:49.420 How to give your kids and grandkids what money 00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:52.349 can't buy. Please stay with us because Chip has 00:31:52.349 --> 00:31:54.269 an encouraging word about the next generation 00:31:54.269 --> 00:31:57.349 coming up in just a moment. Well, Living on the 00:31:57.349 --> 00:32:00.490 Edge is celebrating 30 years of God's faithfulness. 00:32:00.549 --> 00:32:03.289 And what started as one man's ministry on radio 00:32:03.289 --> 00:32:05.990 has blossomed into a full -blown movement of 00:32:05.990 --> 00:32:08.869 God. Last year alone, this daily program has 00:32:08.869 --> 00:32:11.589 been listened to more than 100 million times. 00:32:12.190 --> 00:32:14.829 It's staggering to see what God has done through 00:32:14.829 --> 00:32:17.130 His people. And today, our heart longs to reach 00:32:17.130 --> 00:32:19.720 the next generation. with the timeless wisdom 00:32:19.720 --> 00:32:22.400 of the Bible, providing those young men and women 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:25.180 with honest answers to tough questions. Chip? 00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:29.160 Picture this. It's 2 a .m., and a mom can't sleep. 00:32:29.619 --> 00:32:32.000 Her daughter has just come home from her first 00:32:32.000 --> 00:32:34.579 semester at college, and over dinner earlier 00:32:34.579 --> 00:32:36.859 in the day, she just casually mentioned that 00:32:36.859 --> 00:32:40.920 she's deconstructing her faith. The mom's mind 00:32:40.920 --> 00:32:42.980 is racing as she looks at the digital clock. 00:32:43.240 --> 00:32:46.299 Where did I go wrong? What do I say? How can 00:32:46.299 --> 00:32:49.039 I help her without pushing her away? Well, I 00:32:49.039 --> 00:32:50.660 want you to know Living on the Edge has heard 00:32:50.660 --> 00:32:53.279 that story from a lot of people, and we've become 00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:56.480 a lifeline for parents and grandparents in that 00:32:56.480 --> 00:32:59.420 exact situation. We're providing moms and dads 00:32:59.420 --> 00:33:01.900 with tools and language and a biblical framework 00:33:01.900 --> 00:33:04.980 to help meaningful conversations with their kids 00:33:04.980 --> 00:33:08.930 about doubt and faith and truth. We did a series 00:33:08.930 --> 00:33:11.710 where we interview people like Rebecca McLaughlin 00:33:11.710 --> 00:33:14.730 or Sean McDowell, or we have teaching and resources 00:33:14.730 --> 00:33:18.009 about how to actually start conversations when 00:33:18.009 --> 00:33:20.230 your kids start down that path without pushing 00:33:20.230 --> 00:33:23.549 them away. Your gift to this match doesn't just 00:33:23.549 --> 00:33:26.529 reach the next generation directly. It equips 00:33:26.529 --> 00:33:28.809 parents to become spiritual leaders with their 00:33:28.809 --> 00:33:31.609 kids that are in desperate need. I have to tell 00:33:31.609 --> 00:33:34.089 you, lots of parents are changing their theology 00:33:34.089 --> 00:33:37.559 when their kids change their values. That just 00:33:37.559 --> 00:33:40.359 can't happen. But they don't want to lose their 00:33:40.359 --> 00:33:42.900 kids, but they don't know what to do. When you 00:33:42.900 --> 00:33:45.640 give to this match, you're helping us help a 00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:48.359 parent stand firm on the Word of God, but then 00:33:48.359 --> 00:33:51.259 have a pathway to share their heart lovingly 00:33:51.259 --> 00:33:54.180 and kindly with a child who's been indoctrinated 00:33:54.180 --> 00:33:56.740 with things either from college or from the media 00:33:56.740 --> 00:33:59.920 or on the Internet. Would you help us reach the 00:33:59.920 --> 00:34:03.759 next generation by equipping moms and dads who 00:34:03.759 --> 00:34:07.059 can literally talk to their kids in a way that 00:34:07.059 --> 00:34:10.179 makes sense, that's biblical, that's winsome, 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:13.199 that's kind, and doesn't compromise the truth? 00:34:13.559 --> 00:34:15.940 You can respond to Chip right now by giving online 00:34:15.940 --> 00:34:19.820 at livingontheedge .org or by calling right now, 00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:25.159 888 -333 -6003. Our collective gifts to Living 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:27.579 on the Edge will accelerate the launch of critical 00:34:27.579 --> 00:34:29.860 new initiatives to reach a skeptical generation 00:34:29.860 --> 00:34:33.239 with the truth of the gospel. Together, let's 00:34:33.239 --> 00:34:35.820 make an impact by giving generously to the match 00:34:35.820 --> 00:34:38.599 that's active right now. This means that every 00:34:38.599 --> 00:34:41.460 dollar you send is automatically doubled in size, 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:44.570 having twice the impact. To send your donation 00:34:44.570 --> 00:34:47.210 in the mail, address your envelope to Living 00:34:47.210 --> 00:34:51.349 on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 00:34:51.510 --> 00:34:58.530 30024. You can also call 888 -333 -6003 or visit 00:34:58.530 --> 00:35:03.269 us online at livingontheedge .org. Well, I'm 00:35:03.269 --> 00:35:05.250 Dave Drewy. Join us when Chip Ingram describes 00:35:05.250 --> 00:35:08.010 how to teach your kids and grandkids to suffer 00:35:08.010 --> 00:35:10.769 well. Tomorrow on Living on the Edge.