WEBVTT 00:00:01.449 --> 00:00:04.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:04.290 --> 00:00:07.950 Are you facing a big decision? Maybe a big decision 00:00:07.950 --> 00:00:11.990 about money? Maybe about work or career? Or more 00:00:11.990 --> 00:00:14.730 importantly, maybe a very big decision about 00:00:14.730 --> 00:00:18.510 a relationship. How do you make wise choices? 00:00:18.809 --> 00:00:24.230 That's today. We're living in upside down times 00:00:24.230 --> 00:00:27.589 where our culture brazenly calls evil good and 00:00:27.589 --> 00:00:31.399 godly behavior evil. this moral chaos is rooted 00:00:31.399 --> 00:00:34.000 in faulty thinking that's been absorbed drop 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:37.920 by drop screen by screen choice by choice today 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:40.500 on living on the edge chip ingram continues his 00:00:40.500 --> 00:00:42.880 teaching series called leaving a legacy that 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:45.920 lasts forever in this study he'll explain why 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:49.079 exposing the cultural chaos is the greatest legacy 00:00:49.079 --> 00:00:52.490 we might leave our offspring And then just after, 00:00:52.570 --> 00:00:55.130 Chip's message will explain how you can leverage 00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:57.729 your year -end giving through the match that's 00:00:57.729 --> 00:01:00.630 active right now. Until December 31st, every 00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:03.530 dollar given to support Living on the Edge is 00:01:03.530 --> 00:01:06.430 automatically matched and therefore doubled in 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:09.930 size and impact because of this match. More later, 00:01:10.049 --> 00:01:12.230 but right now, the message from Chip Ingram. 00:01:12.450 --> 00:01:17.230 We make our choices and then our choices make 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:20.730 us. Some of our good choices have resulted in 00:01:20.730 --> 00:01:23.609 a happy marriage, a great job, and deep personal 00:01:23.609 --> 00:01:27.609 satisfaction. Some of our poor choices have resulted 00:01:27.609 --> 00:01:32.290 in destroying a marriage, losing a job, and suffering 00:01:32.290 --> 00:01:37.930 shame and reproach. Few things will determine 00:01:37.930 --> 00:01:42.590 the quality and the fulfillment of your life 00:01:42.590 --> 00:01:47.549 more than the choices you make, for better or 00:01:47.549 --> 00:01:50.840 for worse. I've heard someone say that when you 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:54.620 boil it all down, you will probably make a half 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:59.319 a dozen very major important choices about God, 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:02.439 about future, about relationships, and about 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:04.280 how to deal with some difficult things in your 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:07.799 life that will determine all of your life. You 00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:10.990 just basically play out the rest. In fact, let 00:02:10.990 --> 00:02:13.789 me give you some time with yourself. I'd like 00:02:13.789 --> 00:02:16.250 you to think as fast as you can about the two 00:02:16.250 --> 00:02:20.330 best choices you've ever made. Two choices that 00:02:20.330 --> 00:02:22.969 you say, some of the richest, deepest blessing. 00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:26.069 When I look at my life from where I am now backwards, 00:02:26.189 --> 00:02:29.150 I think about, I made a couple choices. These 00:02:29.150 --> 00:02:31.969 were good choices. And some of you think back 00:02:31.969 --> 00:02:35.550 to a window of time and you chose to make a decision 00:02:35.550 --> 00:02:38.750 that was kind of counterculture. and you ended 00:02:38.750 --> 00:02:41.009 up in a world and in a job that you were made 00:02:41.009 --> 00:02:42.650 for, and you look back, I can't believe I got 00:02:42.650 --> 00:02:46.949 to do that, right? So I just want you to mentally 00:02:46.949 --> 00:02:49.210 think about what are maybe the top two or three 00:02:49.210 --> 00:02:51.870 choices you've made, and some of you just need 00:02:51.870 --> 00:02:53.530 to remember you have made some good choices. 00:02:54.370 --> 00:02:58.150 Okay, now I want to go to the other side. Just 00:02:58.150 --> 00:03:01.990 what's one choice that you've made that if you 00:03:01.990 --> 00:03:03.689 could take this one back, you'd take it back? 00:03:04.150 --> 00:03:06.210 One choice you made in the past that you just 00:03:06.210 --> 00:03:09.560 thought, oh my. I mean, that was dumb. In fact, 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:11.620 that was worse than dumb. That was biblically 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:17.319 unwise. In fact, that choice cost me a lot. And 00:03:17.319 --> 00:03:19.139 it could be a choice that cost you a lot of money. 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:21.000 It could be a choice that cost you a relationship. 00:03:21.360 --> 00:03:23.539 It could be a choice that in a just quick moment 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:26.300 of time, and it was like it's, you know, it promised 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:28.479 a lot of pleasure, but it really delivered a 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:31.419 lot of pain. Can you think of any? Now, here's 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:33.699 why I want you to get your emotions around that 00:03:33.699 --> 00:03:36.590 instead of just your head and your heart. In 00:03:36.590 --> 00:03:41.530 like manner, there are few gifts that you will 00:03:41.530 --> 00:03:45.789 give to those that are coming behind you, okay? 00:03:46.189 --> 00:03:49.469 This whole series is about passing on the things 00:03:49.469 --> 00:03:53.150 that matter most. And when you think about that 00:03:53.150 --> 00:03:55.009 person you're wanting to help grow spiritually 00:03:55.009 --> 00:03:58.909 or that child of yours or that grandchild or 00:03:58.909 --> 00:04:01.310 someone in church or someone who's looking to 00:04:01.310 --> 00:04:04.469 you and you want to pass on what matters most, 00:04:05.099 --> 00:04:09.340 Few things could be a greater gift than you giving 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:13.300 them the skill and the ability to make wise choices. 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:17.899 In fact, I'd go out on a limb and say, to give 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:22.519 people wealth without wisdom is to sentence them 00:04:22.519 --> 00:04:26.839 to a life of folly and failure in their future. 00:04:27.540 --> 00:04:32.240 And yet, I mean, the research is in. Almost all... 00:04:32.350 --> 00:04:34.750 followers of Christ have spent much more time 00:04:34.750 --> 00:04:37.569 thinking very carefully about how to transfer 00:04:37.569 --> 00:04:41.649 their wealth to their kids and grandkids than 00:04:41.649 --> 00:04:45.730 they have their wisdom. And so, you know, it's 00:04:45.730 --> 00:04:48.990 not too late, but I mean, if you take time to 00:04:48.990 --> 00:04:51.550 make an estate plan and to make a will to think 00:04:51.550 --> 00:04:53.250 about how important it is to give them your stuff, 00:04:53.569 --> 00:04:57.889 what you want to do is translate your soul. What 00:04:57.889 --> 00:05:00.649 are your values? Teach them how to make great. 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:04.939 Great decisions. Great decisions about God. Great 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:07.199 decisions about relationships. Great decisions 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:10.519 about money. Great decisions about how to respond 00:05:10.519 --> 00:05:13.360 to adversity. Great decisions about how to resolve 00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:17.500 conflict. Make wise, wise decisions about opportunities 00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:19.639 that seem too good to be true because they are. 00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:24.939 Wise, wise decisions about how to discover who 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:27.699 God made them to be. Wise decisions about if 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:31.470 they're parents, how to parent well. wise decisions 00:05:31.470 --> 00:05:34.250 about how to take care of their body. You know, 00:05:34.269 --> 00:05:36.750 one of the greatest gifts you could ever impart 00:05:36.750 --> 00:05:39.790 to those that you care about the most is the 00:05:39.790 --> 00:05:43.089 skill and the knowledge and the ability to make 00:05:43.089 --> 00:05:47.209 excellent, wise decisions. And so our transferable 00:05:47.209 --> 00:05:53.269 concept is teach them to make wise choices. And 00:05:53.269 --> 00:05:56.660 what I'd like to do now is say, I believe There's 00:05:56.660 --> 00:05:58.839 a place to start. And if I was gonna just open 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:01.759 the Bible in the middle here and open to Proverbs 00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:04.879 like it did, let me read one verse sort of as 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:07.639 a launching point. It's not in your notes. Here's 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:12.980 the wisest man in the world. Past, present, future. 00:06:14.019 --> 00:06:17.639 And he says, verse seven, the fear of the Lord 00:06:17.639 --> 00:06:22.639 is the beginning of wisdom. Only fools despise 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:26.259 wisdom and discipline. The fear of the Lord. 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:29.360 And the fear of the Lord is reverential awe for 00:06:29.360 --> 00:06:33.579 sure. The fear of the Lord is emotional. He is 00:06:33.579 --> 00:06:35.759 awesome and powerful and all -knowing and pure. 00:06:35.920 --> 00:06:39.240 And you are actually afraid. You're afraid not 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:44.019 to do life his way. The fear of the Lord, both 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:46.939 positively and negatively, part out of admiration 00:06:46.939 --> 00:06:52.040 and part out of just actual fear, is to say to 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:56.220 God, I want to do life your way because you have 00:06:56.220 --> 00:06:58.899 designed it in a way for my good. And by the 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:01.300 way, you're God, whether it's for my good or 00:07:01.300 --> 00:07:04.420 not, you are God and you created me and you say 00:07:04.420 --> 00:07:07.420 these things. And I am afraid to do anything 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:10.500 other than what the one who created me and deserves 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:12.839 to have rightfully, anything he wants, he can 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:17.009 have. He made me. And so the fear of the Lord, 00:07:17.069 --> 00:07:18.930 and what I would like to suggest is if we're 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:21.069 gonna learn to make wise decisions, we need to 00:07:21.069 --> 00:07:24.689 walk through a theology of holiness. And I've 00:07:24.689 --> 00:07:27.089 summarized, I didn't put all the verses there, 00:07:27.209 --> 00:07:30.189 but I've kind of summarized a theology of holiness. 00:07:30.410 --> 00:07:33.209 Now when you hear this word, please do not go 00:07:33.209 --> 00:07:37.250 to black robes, lit candles, prune -faced people 00:07:37.250 --> 00:07:40.829 chanting in the dark, or people who don't wear 00:07:40.829 --> 00:07:45.879 makeup ever, or don't play cards, okay? I'm not 00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:48.620 talking about external holiness. Write next to 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:50.920 this in your notes, a theology of holiness, put 00:07:50.920 --> 00:07:54.579 a dash, and write the word wholeness, W -H -O 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:58.259 -L -E -N -E -S -S. The root word of holiness 00:07:58.259 --> 00:08:02.420 comes from wholeness. It comes from health. The 00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:06.459 prerequisite for the universe that a perfect, 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:10.459 holy God has made is for it to be whole and to 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:13.829 be healthy, it must be holy. And the fall is 00:08:13.829 --> 00:08:17.730 like cancer. And it's like eating away at the 00:08:17.730 --> 00:08:20.009 environment, at the world, at the structure that 00:08:20.009 --> 00:08:23.930 God created. And so his holiness is his standard 00:08:23.930 --> 00:08:27.470 that provides health. When we live a holy life, 00:08:27.709 --> 00:08:31.850 when we follow God's holiness, it not only is 00:08:31.850 --> 00:08:34.769 what he expects because of who he is, but it's 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:38.379 also... his way of helping us get health in our 00:08:38.379 --> 00:08:40.620 relationships with him and with others and what 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:44.000 makes us whole and complete. And, you know, they 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:45.980 didn't know all the scientific stuff that we 00:08:45.980 --> 00:08:48.360 know. And when he gave multiple commands and 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:50.779 it looked like just ceremonial holiness, I mean, 00:08:50.799 --> 00:08:52.320 they didn't know about bacteria and they're washing 00:08:52.320 --> 00:08:54.240 their hands all the time. They didn't know that 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:58.259 the platelets clot at, what is it, when you circumcise 00:08:58.259 --> 00:09:00.899 a child, Purdue did a study that, you know, the 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:03.799 platelets clot the most on that very day. But 00:09:03.799 --> 00:09:07.610 all these, standards and all these laws that 00:09:07.610 --> 00:09:10.649 God gave his people to be this holy nation were 00:09:10.649 --> 00:09:12.909 for their health and for their good, and so they 00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:15.269 would reflect him. And so what does it mean? 00:09:15.309 --> 00:09:17.470 What is holiness? Let's walk through it. First, 00:09:17.629 --> 00:09:21.889 God is high and holy, and the idea of holy means 00:09:21.889 --> 00:09:25.710 he's totally other. He's not a bigger, better 00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:31.149 category. He's completely different. We are creation 00:09:31.149 --> 00:09:34.769 and he is creator. When we look at our little 00:09:34.769 --> 00:09:37.350 Milky Way with a couple billion stars and then 00:09:37.350 --> 00:09:41.710 try to imagine behind it maybe 200 billion other 00:09:41.710 --> 00:09:45.389 galaxies, we are speaking of one who spoke a 00:09:45.389 --> 00:09:49.389 word and it came into existence. He is a God 00:09:49.389 --> 00:09:51.509 that when people ever get even near his presence, 00:09:51.570 --> 00:09:54.549 they fall on their face. He's a God who's unapproachable 00:09:54.549 --> 00:09:58.779 light. He is absolute purity. Absolute holiness. 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:04.940 He's the source of all life. And so he's other. 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.200 He's not, you know, the old man with the beard 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:11.799 who, you know, nods at his children and he's 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:14.460 not a divine Santa Claus or he's not a cosmic 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:18.200 vending machine. He is holy. God is absolute 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:23.179 truth. John 14, 6, Jesus came, he said, I'm the 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:27.350 way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to 00:10:27.350 --> 00:10:31.769 the Father except by me. God is truth. God's 00:10:31.769 --> 00:10:36.649 word defines absolute truth. Might John 17, 17, 00:10:36.750 --> 00:10:42.269 the last prayer of Jesus. Sanctify them by your 00:10:42.269 --> 00:10:45.830 truth. Your word is truth. And sanctify, that's 00:10:45.830 --> 00:10:47.789 our same root word for holist. Set them apart 00:10:47.789 --> 00:10:50.789 is the idea. Something special, not something 00:10:50.789 --> 00:10:56.470 regular. Theology of holiness includes God's 00:10:56.470 --> 00:11:00.269 law or morals is for our protection. When God 00:11:00.269 --> 00:11:04.629 lays out these commands, these guardrails, this 00:11:04.629 --> 00:11:08.110 is not from a prudish God that is against sex 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:10.990 or someone that has all these rules to frustrate 00:11:10.990 --> 00:11:12.970 us in anything that we like to do. You know, 00:11:12.970 --> 00:11:14.629 he comes up with a command to say, don't do that. 00:11:15.470 --> 00:11:18.389 They're for our protection. They're for our boundaries. 00:11:19.210 --> 00:11:21.169 Imagine if you will, okay, this is a little. 00:11:21.440 --> 00:11:23.100 word picture. For me, sometimes these things 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:25.740 are abstract. I have this picture, because I've 00:11:25.740 --> 00:11:28.519 struggled with all of this a lot. And I didn't 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:30.059 grow up as a Christian. I never read the Bible 00:11:30.059 --> 00:11:33.059 growing up. And all I knew was, even when I was 00:11:33.059 --> 00:11:35.220 a young Christian, if I liked to do it, I could 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:37.320 find a command that said it. I'm not supposed 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:40.159 to. And I spent probably the first five years 00:11:40.159 --> 00:11:42.460 of my Christian life with, I'm on this side and 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:44.960 God's on this side. And there's this big fence. 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:48.639 And all the time he was telling me, Ingram, you 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:50.179 can't do that. You can't do that. I thought he 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:52.950 was against me. And I had a warped view of God. 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:56.049 And what I came to understand is actually he's 00:11:56.049 --> 00:11:59.029 on the same side with me. And this fence or this 00:11:59.029 --> 00:12:02.200 barrier. of some laws that he gives me are that 00:12:02.200 --> 00:12:04.179 he's all wise and all knowing and loving and 00:12:04.179 --> 00:12:06.480 he cares about me. And I begin to see those as 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:08.759 guardrails. And so here's the word picture that 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.919 I came up to that really helped me want to obey 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:14.720 is imagine, if you will, this little chalet at 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:16.980 the top of a mountain. And there's this windy, 00:12:17.220 --> 00:12:19.840 windy, windy road to get up to it. But when you 00:12:19.840 --> 00:12:22.460 get up to it, I mean, the refrigerator is stocked. 00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:26.679 There's a workout room. The view is absolutely 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:29.299 glorious. All your closest friends are there 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:31.200 and they can stay forever and ever and ever. 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:34.840 I mean, it is life at its very best. And that's 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:37.080 the trail, this quote, abundant life that God 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:39.320 has for us. But you need to go on this trail 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:41.860 and it's windy and it's dangerous. And so all 00:12:41.860 --> 00:12:44.100 along the trail, you know, you get near the edge 00:12:44.100 --> 00:12:45.799 and there's like a thousand foot drop off. So 00:12:45.799 --> 00:12:48.659 he puts these guardrails. And the guardrails 00:12:48.659 --> 00:12:52.080 are his laws and his decrees so that when you 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:54.799 bump into him, you realize, oh, don't do that 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:57.039 or you could go over the edge. But if you stay 00:12:57.039 --> 00:13:00.279 inside those guardrails of his moral decrees 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:02.379 and laws, he wants you to get to that chalet. 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:05.799 He wants to enjoy you. He wants you to have the 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:08.340 very best. He cares about you. You're the object 00:13:08.340 --> 00:13:12.059 of affection. So they're for you. And so, I mean, 00:13:12.080 --> 00:13:15.179 especially in those college years and those post 00:13:15.179 --> 00:13:17.559 -college years, I mean, I didn't grow up as a 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:19.639 Christian and I learned for 18 years how to relate 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:21.679 to girls. And then I become a Christian right 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:23.580 before I leave for college and there's four girls 00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:25.879 for every guy. I mean, ugly guys were getting 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:28.360 good girls where I went to school. I mean, you 00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:29.799 didn't even have to try and you could get a girlfriend. 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.200 And, you know, this is the early 70s. So, I mean, 00:13:32.220 --> 00:13:33.740 everybody's sleeping with everybody. I mean, 00:13:33.759 --> 00:13:35.980 I remember, you know, the co -ed dorm thing was 00:13:35.980 --> 00:13:37.940 starting to come in and I'd walk out of the bathroom 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:39.419 and the girls were like, whoa, you know, I mean, 00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:43.159 just this is wild. And now I got this new Bible 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:45.580 and God telling me, now you need to be sexually 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:50.419 pure. And I'm thinking, boy, you must be very 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:54.080 powerful. You think that can happen? And I made 00:13:54.080 --> 00:13:57.019 a commitment to be. But it was always like, you 00:13:57.019 --> 00:13:58.759 know, God, I'm missing out. God, I'm missing 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:02.679 out. And then, and I've done a lot of research 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:05.139 in this area. And I've learned, you know, the 00:14:05.139 --> 00:14:08.029 most sexually fulfilled people. in all the planet 00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:11.750 are highly religious, monogamously married people 00:14:11.750 --> 00:14:14.929 that have no other partners, that believe in 00:14:14.929 --> 00:14:18.429 God and that he created marriage, and they have 00:14:18.429 --> 00:14:21.149 31 % how they measure this, don't ask me, but 00:14:21.149 --> 00:14:23.090 they have 31 % better sex than all the rest of 00:14:23.090 --> 00:14:27.409 the people. I dare not ask how that happens, 00:14:27.509 --> 00:14:33.330 you know. Those people who live together prior 00:14:33.330 --> 00:14:36.309 to marriage have a 50 % higher divorce rate. 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:41.120 They have about a 75 % more likelihood of adultery. 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:45.940 Sexually transmitted diseases can lie dormant 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:49.299 for over 10 years before they pop up to let you 00:14:49.299 --> 00:14:53.440 know that what you did on a fling back then can 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.059 come back and visit you or you can pass it on 00:14:56.059 --> 00:14:59.240 to your partner or other people. Now, God knows 00:14:59.240 --> 00:15:02.600 all that. And so when God says the marriage bed 00:15:02.600 --> 00:15:05.259 is holy and when he says don't have sex outside 00:15:05.259 --> 00:15:07.480 of marriage, I mean, I didn't even get to the 00:15:07.480 --> 00:15:09.820 spiritual implications. I didn't get to any of 00:15:09.820 --> 00:15:12.080 the issues emotionally. I didn't get to the baggage 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:13.620 in the back of your mind when you're making love 00:15:13.620 --> 00:15:17.000 with your wife and the pictures of the past can 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.139 come up or vice versa. And so all I'm saying 00:15:20.139 --> 00:15:23.779 is when God says things like, don't have sex 00:15:23.779 --> 00:15:26.919 before marriage. This isn't a prudish God that 00:15:26.919 --> 00:15:29.100 doesn't understand that we have hormones. This 00:15:29.100 --> 00:15:32.139 is an all -wise, all -loving God going, you don't 00:15:32.139 --> 00:15:33.899 want that second -rate stuff with all the baggage, 00:15:33.980 --> 00:15:38.000 emotionally, physically, right? I got chalet 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.919 sex for you, okay? I want you to be completely 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.899 committed, without guilt, free of shame. You'll 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:47.899 still have your struggles, but you know what? 00:15:47.980 --> 00:15:50.450 When he has a command about money, You ought 00:15:50.450 --> 00:15:52.570 to give here, save here, and do it this way. 00:15:52.940 --> 00:15:55.600 Same reasoning. When he has a command about telling 00:15:55.600 --> 00:15:57.620 the truth and speaking the truth in love rather 00:15:57.620 --> 00:16:00.500 than gossiping, every one of his moral commands, 00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:03.840 because he's holy, is for your health. And when 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:07.059 you can ever get your arms around, his commands 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:10.740 are for my good. That's why read Psalm 119. David, 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:13.659 despite his struggles and his failures, his commands 00:16:13.659 --> 00:16:16.440 are my delight. I rise in the middle of the night. 00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:19.159 I like someone, you know, waiting for the dawn. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:24.240 I love his word. Why? Because He got it. They 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:27.799 weren't prohibitions. They were the pathway. 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:30.700 They were the guardrails to get the highest and 00:16:30.700 --> 00:16:33.960 the best. That's what holiness is about. It's 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:36.279 about wholeness and it's about health and it 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:38.840 reflects God's character. God's ultimate aim 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:42.419 is to make us holy. You know, we quote Romans 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:45.350 8, 28 quickly when life's bad, right? For we 00:16:45.350 --> 00:16:47.149 know that God works all things together for the 00:16:47.149 --> 00:16:49.429 good, you know, the car wreck and, you know, 00:16:49.450 --> 00:16:51.549 the down economy and the struggle with one of 00:16:51.549 --> 00:16:53.409 our kids and the tension in our marriage and 00:16:53.409 --> 00:16:55.590 circumstances. He works it all for the good. 00:16:55.610 --> 00:16:58.750 And we quote 28. Well, verse 29 is the purpose 00:16:58.750 --> 00:17:02.090 behind how he takes every situation, every person, 00:17:02.129 --> 00:17:04.309 every circumstance, every difficulty that you'll 00:17:04.309 --> 00:17:08.769 ever face. And what? Verse 29 says that in order 00:17:08.769 --> 00:17:10.970 that he might conform us to the image of his 00:17:10.970 --> 00:17:14.519 son. The game plan is to make you like Jesus. 00:17:14.579 --> 00:17:17.420 That's what holiness really is, Christ -likeness. 00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:21.539 In Ephesians chapter four, we get the picture 00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:24.140 of what the church is all about. And in verse 00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:27.660 11 through 13, we're told why God gives leaders 00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:29.359 in the church. He gave some as apostles, some 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:31.799 as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors 00:17:31.799 --> 00:17:34.140 and teachers. Why? For the equipping of the saints, 00:17:34.299 --> 00:17:35.920 for the work of service to the building up of 00:17:35.920 --> 00:17:38.450 the body of Christ. And then why is the body 00:17:38.450 --> 00:17:40.809 of Christ supposed to be built up? Until we all 00:17:40.809 --> 00:17:43.849 attain to the unity of the faith of the standard 00:17:43.849 --> 00:17:47.250 of the measure of the fullness of Christ. Maturity. 00:17:47.849 --> 00:17:50.509 Paul said, my goal in life is to present every 00:17:50.509 --> 00:17:54.210 man perfect. It's the same word, teleos, or mature. 00:17:55.269 --> 00:17:57.289 You know what that is? That's called being holy. 00:17:57.869 --> 00:18:00.150 That's called being Christ -like. That's his 00:18:00.150 --> 00:18:03.490 aim for you. Now, a byproduct is as you walk 00:18:03.490 --> 00:18:06.339 that way, you'll have great joy. But happiness 00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:09.980 has to do with circumstance. Joy is the byproduct 00:18:09.980 --> 00:18:14.019 of relationships. And you know what? Your happiness 00:18:14.019 --> 00:18:17.039 can go up with the stock market and it can go 00:18:17.039 --> 00:18:19.960 down with the stock market. Up with your in love, 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:24.059 down with your heartbroken. God's aim is to make 00:18:24.059 --> 00:18:27.460 us holy and to reflect his son. It's a winsome, 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:32.200 pure, not weird, religious out there. You people 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:34.779 are, where are you coming from? Holiness. It 00:18:34.779 --> 00:18:37.700 is a holiness that is loving and winsome and 00:18:37.700 --> 00:18:41.599 pure and approachable and Christ -like. When 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:44.619 you're holy, you're like Jesus. And that's God's 00:18:44.619 --> 00:18:48.119 agenda. The Old Testament roots are we get Exodus 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:52.009 chapter three. Verses five and six, Moses sees 00:18:52.009 --> 00:18:55.049 the bush. God says, don't come any closer. Take 00:18:55.049 --> 00:18:57.289 off your sandals for the place where you're standing 00:18:57.289 --> 00:19:01.029 is, remember, holy ground. Then he said, I am 00:19:01.029 --> 00:19:03.009 the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the 00:19:03.009 --> 00:19:05.769 God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. At this, Moses 00:19:05.769 --> 00:19:08.390 hid his face because he was afraid to look at 00:19:08.390 --> 00:19:11.670 God. We've lost a generation of people that are 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:14.710 afraid to look at God. We're casual with God. 00:19:14.890 --> 00:19:17.690 We think God's gonna wink at stuff. I've got 00:19:17.690 --> 00:19:19.880 a lot of friends in, Churches all around the 00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:22.200 country, and as we kind of compare notes, I will 00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:26.180 tell you the average single person in the average 00:19:26.180 --> 00:19:28.640 evangelical church, and I'm just going to throw 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:30.740 a statistics out. It's probably higher than this, 00:19:30.819 --> 00:19:33.259 but the average single person in evangelical 00:19:33.259 --> 00:19:36.420 churches is sleeping around about 80 % of the 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:40.000 time. And people will just look you in the eye 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:42.200 and say, well, you know, I don't think God really 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:45.000 expects that anymore. I mean, like eight out 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:46.640 of 10 commandments, that's pretty good. Isn't 00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:51.339 that like an 80 on a test? And we've, it's, we 00:19:51.339 --> 00:19:56.019 have really lost the sense of the awesome holiness 00:19:56.019 --> 00:19:59.420 and purity of God. Here we have a situation, 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:03.440 Moses, God says, take off your, why? Nothing 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:07.440 artificial, man. Wherever I am, it is holy. You 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:12.180 find John meets Jesus, right? Revelation chapter 00:20:12.180 --> 00:20:15.420 one, bam, he's on his face. Joshua meets the 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:18.500 angel of the Lord. You know, we've lost the sense 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:22.099 of God's transcendence. He is not our buddy. 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:25.259 He is approachable. He's imminent. He's loving. 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:28.319 He's kind. But he's unapproachable light and 00:20:28.319 --> 00:20:33.240 purity and holiness. We'll hear more from Chip 00:20:33.240 --> 00:20:35.839 Ingram's message in just a moment. First, we're 00:20:35.839 --> 00:20:38.359 inviting you to multiply your year -end donation 00:20:38.359 --> 00:20:40.839 through an exciting match that's active right 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.190 now. Because of the match, your donation will 00:20:43.190 --> 00:20:45.630 be matched dollar for dollar in the month of 00:20:45.630 --> 00:20:48.210 December. And when you support this match, you're 00:20:48.210 --> 00:20:50.950 not funding yesterday's methods. You're investing 00:20:50.950 --> 00:20:54.230 in a discipleship strategy that actually reaches 00:20:54.230 --> 00:20:57.950 the smartphone generation right where they are. 00:20:58.250 --> 00:21:00.950 Will you give to the next generation? Double 00:21:00.950 --> 00:21:04.650 the impact of your gift at livingontheedge .org. 00:21:04.990 --> 00:21:08.289 From a series called Leaving a Legacy That Lasts 00:21:08.289 --> 00:21:11.250 Forever. Again, our Bible teacher, Chip Ingram. 00:21:12.029 --> 00:21:14.329 Isaiah caught it in Isaiah chapter 6. Listen 00:21:14.329 --> 00:21:16.609 to the verse. In the year that King Uzziah died, 00:21:16.809 --> 00:21:22.650 I saw the Lord. What was he like? High and exalted, 00:21:22.750 --> 00:21:25.029 and the train of his robe filled the temple. 00:21:25.190 --> 00:21:28.579 Above him were seraphs, these special... Angels, 00:21:28.579 --> 00:21:30.680 each with six wings. Two, they covered their 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:32.440 faces. And with two, they covered their feet. 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:34.180 And with two, they were flying. And they were 00:21:34.180 --> 00:21:37.000 calling out to one another, holy, holy, holy 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:39.920 is the Lord God Almighty. The whole earth is 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:42.460 full of his glory. This is the only time you 00:21:42.460 --> 00:21:46.779 ever find God addressed as three different things. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:49.559 In Hebrew, they don't have, I can't remember 00:21:49.559 --> 00:21:51.400 what you call them in English. Like we say, very 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:54.140 good or best or better. They don't have that 00:21:54.140 --> 00:21:57.599 in Hebrew. The way you make. A stronger statement, 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:00.440 it's holy, or you go holy, holy, or if you want 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:03.799 to make it holy, holy, holy. It's a majestic, 00:22:03.920 --> 00:22:08.779 exponential, it's whoo. And that's what the angels 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:10.759 are doing then, and according to the book of 00:22:10.759 --> 00:22:12.660 Revelation, that's what they're doing now, and 00:22:12.660 --> 00:22:13.839 there's going to day come where they're going 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:15.140 to keep doing it, and we're going to get in on 00:22:15.140 --> 00:22:19.119 it. But that's who God is. And these are perfect, 00:22:19.180 --> 00:22:22.500 angelic. beings that are of the higher ups. I 00:22:22.500 --> 00:22:24.380 don't understand all cherubs and seraphs and 00:22:24.380 --> 00:22:26.519 who knows how all that works, but I'll tell you 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:28.940 what, they are in the very presence of God night 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:31.839 and day. Later we find out they have eyes all 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:34.259 over them and there's all this wisdom and they're 00:22:34.259 --> 00:22:36.220 innocent and they're pure and yet in the presence 00:22:36.220 --> 00:22:40.140 of God, they hide their face and they cover their 00:22:40.140 --> 00:22:45.039 feet and they declare who he is. I will tell 00:22:45.039 --> 00:22:48.180 you, you get a glimpse of who God really is. 00:22:48.259 --> 00:22:52.210 It changes everything. You know, everyone throws 00:22:52.210 --> 00:22:53.890 around that, you know, it's not about us, it's 00:22:53.890 --> 00:22:58.569 not about us. It's not about us. It's not about 00:22:58.569 --> 00:23:01.250 being in control. It's not about making your 00:23:01.250 --> 00:23:03.710 little life work out or my little life work out 00:23:03.710 --> 00:23:05.250 and our plans work out and what other people 00:23:05.250 --> 00:23:07.569 think. When you see God for who he is, it's just 00:23:07.569 --> 00:23:12.710 like, all that stuff goes away. And then at the 00:23:12.710 --> 00:23:14.549 sound of their voices, the text goes on, the 00:23:14.549 --> 00:23:16.809 door posts and the thresholds, they shook and 00:23:16.809 --> 00:23:19.410 the temple was filled with smoke. And this is 00:23:19.410 --> 00:23:22.670 what happens when you see God afresh. Woe is 00:23:22.670 --> 00:23:26.569 me, I cried, I'm ruined. This is a prophet. This 00:23:26.569 --> 00:23:29.029 is the statesman of the day. This is a man who 00:23:29.029 --> 00:23:31.569 heard from God. This is a guy that his righteousness, 00:23:31.670 --> 00:23:33.829 I'm sure compared to most of ours, his is here 00:23:33.829 --> 00:23:36.089 and we're here, but he sees God, I'm ruined. 00:23:36.970 --> 00:23:39.009 For I'm a man of unclean lips and I live among 00:23:39.009 --> 00:23:41.549 a people of unclean lips. And my eyes have seen 00:23:41.549 --> 00:23:44.309 the King, the Lord Almighty. And then we get 00:23:44.309 --> 00:23:46.670 this powerful picture of the seraph who flies 00:23:46.670 --> 00:23:49.450 with the coal, takes it from the altar, touches 00:23:49.450 --> 00:23:52.799 his lips. And you have this process that I think 00:23:52.799 --> 00:23:55.500 needs to happen. The old word for it is repentance 00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:58.480 and renewal. But it's this process where we get 00:23:58.480 --> 00:24:01.240 into the scriptures and in community and in worship, 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.880 where we again get a glimpse of who God really 00:24:03.880 --> 00:24:06.960 is, which leads to an accurate view of ourselves, 00:24:07.299 --> 00:24:10.039 which leads to a realignment of our agenda with 00:24:10.039 --> 00:24:13.599 his. And that process is over and over and over 00:24:13.599 --> 00:24:15.799 in scripture. And that has to happen with us. 00:24:16.839 --> 00:24:20.799 And it's painful. Sitting quietly before God, 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:23.700 worshiping God for who he is versus just asking 00:24:23.700 --> 00:24:27.000 and telling and whining and complaining. We can 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.200 do all that. But we need to come before God and 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:34.700 worship him for who he is. And remember who he 00:24:34.700 --> 00:24:39.880 is. And then ask him to, by his searching light, 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:42.740 pray the prayer that David prayed. Search me, 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:46.329 O God, into my heart. Test me. Examine me. See 00:24:46.329 --> 00:24:48.650 if there's anything in me. And you know what? 00:24:48.690 --> 00:24:52.509 Then sit quietly. And unless you're living on 00:24:52.509 --> 00:24:54.150 a different planet than I am, he'll show you 00:24:54.150 --> 00:24:57.009 stuff. And for some of you that are very mature 00:24:57.009 --> 00:24:59.349 and walk with the Lord far longer than me, it 00:24:59.349 --> 00:25:01.490 probably won't be, you know, outward external 00:25:01.490 --> 00:25:04.890 stuff. It'll be that little self -righteous attitude. 00:25:06.109 --> 00:25:08.630 It'll be that little judgmental, you know, thing 00:25:08.630 --> 00:25:10.730 of how you think about so -and -so. It'll be 00:25:10.730 --> 00:25:13.779 about issues like motive. When everyone looks 00:25:13.779 --> 00:25:17.000 to you and yet what you know is you play into 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:18.920 the crowd just a little bit too much. You're 00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:20.940 liking the praise of men just a little too much. 00:25:21.160 --> 00:25:22.900 You've become a little bit of a people pleaser 00:25:22.900 --> 00:25:25.039 a little too much. You've allowed your faith 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.440 and how you live to be sort of a little badge. 00:25:28.539 --> 00:25:33.099 And you know, you're human. And you just need 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:35.960 to get the fiery flame of the holiness of God 00:25:35.960 --> 00:25:39.279 to purge you and me purge me and allow him to 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:42.539 do that. And then we recognize with a new level 00:25:42.539 --> 00:25:44.779 how unworthy we are. And guess what that does? 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:47.119 The work of Jesus then becomes very precious. 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:51.140 Because you realize without him, you're in big 00:25:51.140 --> 00:25:54.700 trouble. And so the cross takes on new meaning. 00:25:56.279 --> 00:25:59.240 The biblical profiles are Moses and Stephen. 00:25:59.960 --> 00:26:02.059 I like the Hebrews passage where it says, Moses 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:06.380 chose to be mistreated for a time, then live 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:09.259 in a pagan culture and enjoy the pleasures of 00:26:09.259 --> 00:26:13.079 Egypt. There's a price tag to be holy. And Stephen, 00:26:13.180 --> 00:26:14.940 you have this, you know, when they chose Stephen, 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:18.099 remember Acts chapter six, choose from you men 00:26:18.099 --> 00:26:21.779 who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:24.480 the very first name is Stephen. He's a holy man. 00:26:24.680 --> 00:26:27.099 He's filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom. 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:29.700 And then chapter seven, what do we have? We have 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:32.180 Stephen making this defense and they bring these 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:35.000 trumped up charges. And as he's looking up, God 00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:37.859 gives him a vision of Jesus next to the throne. 00:26:38.220 --> 00:26:40.920 And you have courage when you're holy. And you 00:26:40.920 --> 00:26:43.079 have boldness when you're holy. And you know 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:45.240 the word of God because he goes through the entire 00:26:45.240 --> 00:26:47.519 history of Israel when you're holy. And then 00:26:47.519 --> 00:26:49.559 he gets to the end and you have a forgiving heart. 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:53.259 Father, forgive them. Please don't take this 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:56.220 into account. That's what a holy life looks like. 00:26:56.619 --> 00:26:59.200 Not people who dress funny or put praise the 00:26:59.200 --> 00:27:01.279 Lord on the back of their cars or have big black 00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:04.420 Bibles. Holiness is a quality of life that is 00:27:04.420 --> 00:27:07.420 winsome and loving and word -centered and deeply 00:27:07.420 --> 00:27:12.359 caring and morally pure. The New Testament command 00:27:12.359 --> 00:27:15.980 is 1 Peter 15 and 16, but just as he who called 00:27:15.980 --> 00:27:18.759 you is holy, so be holy in your notes where you 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:22.519 circle the word all in all you do. For it is 00:27:22.519 --> 00:27:27.289 written, be holy because I'm holy. In all you 00:27:27.289 --> 00:27:30.890 do. In what you watch. In what you put into your 00:27:30.890 --> 00:27:33.569 mind. In what comes out of your mouth. In what 00:27:33.569 --> 00:27:37.569 goes into your mouth. In what you say. In what 00:27:37.569 --> 00:27:42.990 you think. Be holy in all that you do. Holiness 00:27:42.990 --> 00:27:45.089 is not an option. The scripture says without 00:27:45.089 --> 00:27:48.029 holiness no one will see the Lord. Holiness is 00:27:48.029 --> 00:27:51.829 not external religious activity. Holiness is 00:27:51.829 --> 00:27:55.190 a condition of the heart. A purity of the mind 00:27:55.190 --> 00:27:58.490 that expresses itself in a righteous lifestyle. 00:28:00.509 --> 00:28:03.089 And then notice the great promise. Blessed are 00:28:03.089 --> 00:28:05.210 the pure in heart, because what do they get? 00:28:05.670 --> 00:28:08.710 They see God. And you know, at the end of the 00:28:08.710 --> 00:28:10.930 day, that's God's heart's desire, and you'll 00:28:10.930 --> 00:28:14.630 never get a greater reward. Just see God, know 00:28:14.630 --> 00:28:18.329 Him for who He is. And by the way, that's how 00:28:18.329 --> 00:28:22.000 transformation occurs. 1 John will tell us, we 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:23.420 don't know exactly what we're gonna be like, 00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:26.119 but this is what we know, 1 John 3, 2. When we 00:28:26.119 --> 00:28:29.339 see him, we'll be like him. And Paul would say 00:28:29.339 --> 00:28:31.119 in 2 Corinthians 3, when he's talking about the 00:28:31.119 --> 00:28:32.279 difference between the old and the new covenant, 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:34.839 he goes, but we all with unveiled face, beholding 00:28:34.839 --> 00:28:37.059 as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being 00:28:37.059 --> 00:28:39.980 transformed, processed from glory to glory, just 00:28:39.980 --> 00:28:41.859 as from the Lord the Spirit. And his point is, 00:28:41.900 --> 00:28:44.079 as we get these glimpses of who God really is. 00:28:44.670 --> 00:28:47.250 how loving he is, how holy he is, how pure he 00:28:47.250 --> 00:28:48.950 is. You know what? And when they have that attitude, 00:28:49.109 --> 00:28:51.250 it's not like I get, okay, I can read a chapter 00:28:51.250 --> 00:28:53.390 a day to keep the devil away. Or I read five 00:28:53.390 --> 00:28:55.309 chapters. I feel really holy today. God, what 00:28:55.309 --> 00:28:56.349 do you think? Can I get a little star in the 00:28:56.349 --> 00:28:59.490 refrigerator up there? I prayed for 15 .7 minutes. 00:28:59.509 --> 00:29:02.710 I fasted for two whole days. Those are all performance 00:29:02.710 --> 00:29:06.950 mentalities. I read because I love you. Would 00:29:06.950 --> 00:29:10.630 you speak to me? I fasted because I'm not clear 00:29:10.630 --> 00:29:12.730 and I don't know what to do and I want to eliminate 00:29:12.730 --> 00:29:15.170 the distractions. I get no brownie points. I'm 00:29:15.170 --> 00:29:17.369 not better than anyone else. I just need to pull 00:29:17.369 --> 00:29:19.130 away from the world because I need to hear your 00:29:19.130 --> 00:29:22.369 voice. Will you speak to me? I love you. I want 00:29:22.369 --> 00:29:25.150 to sing to God because he's my savior in what 00:29:25.150 --> 00:29:29.809 he's done and I forget that. That's what holiness 00:29:29.809 --> 00:29:33.980 looks like. And then you begin to pass on and 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:36.400 give to others what God has given to you. On 00:29:36.400 --> 00:29:40.180 the application, it says, I, I like you, if you 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:42.319 would be so bold to write your name in there, 00:29:42.440 --> 00:29:45.720 commit to learn how to discern good from evil. 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:51.079 That's the heart of becoming holy. See, the problem 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:53.619 is we have a real, real hard time in our day. 00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:58.079 You're living in a mirage, in a mirage of lies 00:29:58.079 --> 00:30:02.279 and appearances. Paul would pray, we'll look 00:30:02.279 --> 00:30:04.180 at it a little bit later in Philippians 1, he 00:30:04.180 --> 00:30:06.839 would pray that God would grant them the ability 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:11.940 to discern good from evil. Isaiah in his day 00:30:11.940 --> 00:30:14.299 would say the world and the religious leaders, 00:30:14.500 --> 00:30:16.839 he would say, you know, what's happened is now 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:20.059 we're calling evil good and good evil. And I 00:30:20.059 --> 00:30:21.940 don't know about you, but I see that today everywhere. 00:30:23.839 --> 00:30:30.420 So how do you pass this on? And how do you pass 00:30:30.420 --> 00:30:34.960 on this view of God, this sense of holiness? 00:30:35.019 --> 00:30:38.319 Because if holiness has to do with being whole 00:30:38.319 --> 00:30:41.660 and health, and if God, because of the nature 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:45.099 of who he is, demands holiness for the health 00:30:45.099 --> 00:30:48.240 of his universe, and when people violate that 00:30:48.240 --> 00:30:50.779 holiness, there's consequences because God is 00:30:50.779 --> 00:30:53.960 pure. When a parent lets anyone do something 00:30:53.960 --> 00:30:56.200 that's harmful for them over and over without 00:30:56.200 --> 00:30:59.400 consequences, you don't love them. Proverbs says 00:30:59.400 --> 00:31:02.119 the evidence of love and Hebrews 12 says the 00:31:02.119 --> 00:31:04.740 evidence of real love is when a parent disciplines. 00:31:05.140 --> 00:31:08.700 So when we step outside of God's moral law and 00:31:08.700 --> 00:31:11.240 boundaries and he brings consequences, what he's 00:31:11.240 --> 00:31:13.420 saying is, I love you. Could you keep doing that? 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:16.079 You're gonna get hurt badly. You're going to 00:31:16.079 --> 00:31:18.420 get hit real badly. That attitude is going to 00:31:18.420 --> 00:31:20.519 bring pain. That behavior is going to bring pain. 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:22.599 You keep logging on to that site, you're going 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:24.940 to lose affection for your wife. You keep chatting 00:31:24.940 --> 00:31:27.259 around and reading those romance novels and creating 00:31:27.259 --> 00:31:30.200 this ultra world that you hide in and have this 00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:32.039 virtual world. I'll tell you what, it'll ruin 00:31:32.039 --> 00:31:34.400 your marriage. You keep letting your kids hang 00:31:34.400 --> 00:31:36.299 out with that group, I will tell you, they're 00:31:36.299 --> 00:31:39.119 going to land in the ditch. And so he says there's 00:31:39.119 --> 00:31:41.859 a standard of holiness, but the standard of holiness 00:31:41.859 --> 00:31:45.470 is built out of blocks or bricks of love. to 00:31:45.470 --> 00:31:48.109 bring about health and wholeness. So let's talk 00:31:48.109 --> 00:31:50.769 about maybe some practical ways. How do we pass 00:31:50.769 --> 00:31:55.509 this on so they can make wise decisions? Number 00:31:55.509 --> 00:31:59.210 one, encourage them to saturate their mind with 00:31:59.210 --> 00:32:04.130 truth. The Bible, great books, videos. You have 00:32:04.130 --> 00:32:06.450 in your notes, this is one of my favorite passages, 00:32:06.569 --> 00:32:08.710 Romans chapter eight, verses five through eight. 00:32:09.769 --> 00:32:12.529 It says, those who live according to the flesh. 00:32:13.769 --> 00:32:16.650 Have their minds set on the flesh. But those 00:32:16.650 --> 00:32:18.630 who live according to the spirit have their minds 00:32:18.630 --> 00:32:21.930 set on what the spirit desires. The mind of sinful 00:32:21.930 --> 00:32:24.190 man is death, but the mind controlled by the 00:32:24.190 --> 00:32:28.089 spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is 00:32:28.089 --> 00:32:31.849 hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, 00:32:32.029 --> 00:32:34.869 nor can it do so. And those who are controlled 00:32:34.869 --> 00:32:37.910 by the sinful nature of the flesh cannot please 00:32:37.910 --> 00:32:42.930 God. All I want you to get is where do you set? 00:32:43.230 --> 00:32:48.529 your mind? Where do you set your mind? First 00:32:48.529 --> 00:32:52.089 and foremost, we have to model this, but we have 00:32:52.089 --> 00:32:55.130 got to pass on to our kids, to those that we're 00:32:55.130 --> 00:32:58.490 discipling, to our grandkids, to the groups that 00:32:58.490 --> 00:33:01.069 we hang out with. I'll tell you what, I've been 00:33:01.069 --> 00:33:02.910 in small groups where the Bible's never opened, 00:33:03.049 --> 00:33:05.450 truth is never discussed, but we know a lot about 00:33:05.450 --> 00:33:08.430 what's on sale, what sport teams are doing different. 00:33:08.509 --> 00:33:10.549 We have a good social time, and I think that 00:33:10.549 --> 00:33:13.599 social interaction is great. It just doesn't 00:33:13.599 --> 00:33:17.160 transform your life. The great majority, I don't 00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:19.339 do counseling per se, and I was kind of joking, 00:33:19.420 --> 00:33:21.319 but when I get done speaking at different places, 00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:24.140 there's usually a line, a long line of people, 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:26.319 and they come up and tell me stuff. I don't know 00:33:26.319 --> 00:33:28.740 why, but I'm thinking, I would never tell anybody 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:32.460 that. And they tell me all kind of really painful, 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:35.930 horrendous, difficult. marriages, homosexual 00:33:35.930 --> 00:33:39.789 affairs, drugs, addicts, on and on and on and 00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:42.650 on. And many very sincere believers who never 00:33:42.650 --> 00:33:45.829 dreamed this could happen to them. And I, despite 00:33:45.829 --> 00:33:47.690 what I told you about myself when I first meet 00:33:47.690 --> 00:33:50.269 people, I ask God for great compassion and I 00:33:50.269 --> 00:33:52.529 listen attentively and I ask questions and I 00:33:52.529 --> 00:33:54.970 try to discover what's going on. But I have learned 00:33:54.970 --> 00:33:56.930 over the years, I always ask one question. Would 00:33:56.930 --> 00:33:59.369 you tell me? I mean, I know you've been a believer 00:33:59.369 --> 00:34:00.910 so long. I know you never thought this could 00:34:00.910 --> 00:34:03.170 happen to you and, you know, that someone like 00:34:03.170 --> 00:34:04.710 you could never have an affair and you're a leader 00:34:04.710 --> 00:34:06.529 in the church, et cetera, et cetera. Would you 00:34:06.529 --> 00:34:09.349 tell me right now a little bit about your personal 00:34:09.349 --> 00:34:13.889 time in God's word? And I can, I know, I almost 00:34:13.889 --> 00:34:16.550 know the answer 100 % of the time. And I will 00:34:16.550 --> 00:34:20.630 tell you, it goes like this. Well, I used to, 00:34:20.630 --> 00:34:24.630 but, well, I go to church regularly. I didn't 00:34:24.630 --> 00:34:26.420 ask you if you went to church regularly. Well, 00:34:26.440 --> 00:34:28.199 I listen to Christian radio now and they're great, 00:34:28.420 --> 00:34:29.900 God bless, you know, some of those guys are okay. 00:34:32.460 --> 00:34:35.039 I ask you about your personal time in God's word 00:34:35.039 --> 00:34:37.739 where God speaks to you and it's a heart relationship. 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:43.880 You gotta pass that on. The great majority of 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:48.480 Christians do not spend personal time in God's 00:34:48.480 --> 00:34:51.300 word and therefore are powerless to break the 00:34:51.300 --> 00:34:54.559 bonds of sin and are duped and seduced because 00:34:54.559 --> 00:34:57.079 they're not armed with the truth. And we've got 00:34:57.079 --> 00:35:00.480 to model that first. And then you've got to pass 00:35:00.480 --> 00:35:03.099 that on. And it's got to be passed on not as 00:35:03.099 --> 00:35:05.940 a club, you know. Okay, kids, get around the 00:35:05.940 --> 00:35:08.460 table right now. It's breakfast time or supper 00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:11.619 time. All right. Nathaniel, open Proverbs chapter 00:35:11.619 --> 00:35:13.059 1. It's the first day of the month, isn't it? 00:35:13.099 --> 00:35:17.219 Read it now. Ethel, shut up. Listen to your brother. 00:35:17.320 --> 00:35:23.079 He's reading God's Word. I can tell you where 00:35:23.079 --> 00:35:24.960 these kids are going to be at about 18. it will 00:35:24.960 --> 00:35:30.800 not be in church. Or much to do with God. But 00:35:30.800 --> 00:35:33.340 in winsome ways, early on, I remember my wife, 00:35:33.500 --> 00:35:36.500 she has read to all of our kids. They became 00:35:36.500 --> 00:35:39.280 readers. And I mean, she read all the Chronicles 00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:41.300 of Nardi and then she read other things. And 00:35:41.300 --> 00:35:43.880 she read to them even at times where they got 00:35:43.880 --> 00:35:45.360 old enough it would have been embarrassing so 00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:47.380 we didn't talk about it. You know, especially 00:35:47.380 --> 00:35:51.130 the boys. And then I was much more concerned 00:35:51.130 --> 00:35:53.050 little by little by little. I met with my kids 00:35:53.050 --> 00:35:54.989 and kind of taught them how to spend some time 00:35:54.989 --> 00:35:57.110 with God. And Teresa and I would just try and 00:35:57.110 --> 00:36:00.130 share the love and what was happening, you know, 00:36:00.130 --> 00:36:03.010 in our struggles and our journey, but with God. 00:36:03.090 --> 00:36:06.030 So, and I wanted my kids far more to begin to 00:36:06.030 --> 00:36:08.389 meet with God on their own than us have sort 00:36:08.389 --> 00:36:10.510 of perfunctory family devotions. Although, you 00:36:10.510 --> 00:36:13.500 know, we met and did that. And I talk to my kids 00:36:13.500 --> 00:36:15.460 now. My one son is a pastor. I said, well, Ryan, 00:36:15.559 --> 00:36:19.039 what was it that really clicked for you in terms 00:36:19.039 --> 00:36:21.639 of how did God lead you that way? And I'm thinking, 00:36:21.659 --> 00:36:23.420 maybe it's one of my great messages, I'm sure, 00:36:23.519 --> 00:36:26.639 you know. But this is my kids. He said, well, 00:36:26.639 --> 00:36:29.059 that is really pretty easy, you know. I don't 00:36:29.059 --> 00:36:30.079 know how many times, you know, when you're a 00:36:30.079 --> 00:36:31.360 little kid and you get up and go to the bathroom 00:36:31.360 --> 00:36:32.480 and you think it's the middle of the night because 00:36:32.480 --> 00:36:33.980 it's like five o 'clock and for you it's the 00:36:33.980 --> 00:36:36.079 middle of the night and there's a light on and 00:36:36.079 --> 00:36:38.639 mom's on her knees praying or she's sitting in 00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:40.119 the chair with a cup of coffee reading God's 00:36:40.119 --> 00:36:46.079 word. I just grew up watching you and mom. That's 00:36:46.079 --> 00:36:48.579 what mattered. And when we drove in the car and 00:36:48.579 --> 00:36:50.360 we were in the back seat and you guys were just, 00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:53.099 you know, didn't sound spiritual, just sounded 00:36:53.099 --> 00:36:56.539 like kind of what you were doing in life. That's 00:36:56.539 --> 00:37:01.659 what they catch. And so you have to create when 00:37:01.659 --> 00:37:04.260 they're little and then when they're older. I 00:37:04.260 --> 00:37:06.920 will tell you, I didn't pay my kids to do the 00:37:06.920 --> 00:37:08.940 chores, remember we talked about? I paid them 00:37:08.940 --> 00:37:12.059 for extra stuff. I paid them to read books. You 00:37:12.059 --> 00:37:13.739 say, that's bribing them. Absolutely. Did it 00:37:13.739 --> 00:37:17.440 on purpose. I mean, when my kids got in high 00:37:17.440 --> 00:37:18.820 school and now they're getting all these world 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:21.920 views, James Sires, Windows, okay? Tell you what, 00:37:22.000 --> 00:37:23.539 I'll give you 10 bucks to read that and write 00:37:23.539 --> 00:37:25.539 me a report on it. Here's a thicker one. I'll 00:37:25.539 --> 00:37:27.019 give you 15 bucks to read that one and we'll 00:37:27.019 --> 00:37:30.039 discuss it. I mean, hey, they wanted money. I 00:37:30.039 --> 00:37:33.769 wanted truth to get in their mind. But you've 00:37:33.769 --> 00:37:37.510 got to saturate their mind with truth. Encourage 00:37:37.510 --> 00:37:43.449 that. These are the biblical principles to instill 00:37:43.449 --> 00:37:46.690 in our families. It's a legacy that will last 00:37:46.690 --> 00:37:49.349 forever. You're listening to Living on the Edge 00:37:49.349 --> 00:37:51.889 with Bible teacher Chip Ingram. We'll hear a 00:37:51.889 --> 00:37:54.650 closing comment from Chip in just a moment. This 00:37:54.650 --> 00:37:57.429 practical five -part series concludes next week. 00:37:57.849 --> 00:38:00.269 To hear any of Chip's messages from the study 00:38:00.269 --> 00:38:03.070 or to order the companion resources to facilitate 00:38:03.070 --> 00:38:06.110 personal study or perhaps a small group, give 00:38:06.110 --> 00:38:11.530 us a call, 888 -333 -6003 is our number, or go 00:38:11.530 --> 00:38:15.369 to livingontheedge .org. Look for Chip's helpful 00:38:15.369 --> 00:38:18.550 series called Leaving a Legacy That Lasts Forever, 00:38:18.829 --> 00:38:21.590 How to Give Your Kids and Grandkids What Money 00:38:21.590 --> 00:38:24.519 Can't Buy. Chip, although we've been on radio 00:38:24.519 --> 00:38:27.139 for 30 years, we're finding that young listeners 00:38:27.139 --> 00:38:29.699 don't tune in this way. Instead, they're using 00:38:29.699 --> 00:38:32.599 new platforms, and they're asking honest, vulnerable 00:38:32.599 --> 00:38:35.920 questions. It's our role as parents and grandparents 00:38:35.920 --> 00:38:38.480 to bolster their confidence in the credibility 00:38:38.480 --> 00:38:42.159 of the Bible. Young adults today are asking questions 00:38:42.159 --> 00:38:45.820 their parents never ask. How do I know Christianity 00:38:45.820 --> 00:38:48.480 is true with so many other religions? You know, 00:38:48.500 --> 00:38:50.840 why does the Bible seem to contradict science? 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:54.239 Or how can I trust a God who allows such suffering? 00:38:54.699 --> 00:38:57.139 These aren't rebellious questions. They're honest 00:38:57.139 --> 00:38:59.739 questions. And they deserve an honest answer, 00:38:59.880 --> 00:39:02.659 a thoughtful answer. Living on the edge doesn't 00:39:02.659 --> 00:39:05.420 shy away from the hard stuff. You might remember 00:39:05.420 --> 00:39:07.920 our series, Caring Enough to Confront, where 00:39:07.920 --> 00:39:11.519 we taught on abortion. Politics, the environment, 00:39:11.800 --> 00:39:17.340 LGBTQ, porn, heterosexual sin. I mean, if they 00:39:17.340 --> 00:39:19.900 don't hear God's perspective that is winsome 00:39:19.900 --> 00:39:23.599 and loving and clear and truthful, how do we 00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:26.960 expect them to follow him? We have to give answers. 00:39:27.719 --> 00:39:30.840 with a spirit of kindness and love, but we have 00:39:30.840 --> 00:39:33.719 to shoot it straight. And by and large, that 00:39:33.719 --> 00:39:36.860 has not happened across America. This is where 00:39:36.860 --> 00:39:39.920 God is called living on the edge to step in and 00:39:39.920 --> 00:39:43.099 both be kind and winsome, but at the same time, 00:39:43.099 --> 00:39:46.639 tackle controversial issues in a way that's clear, 00:39:46.780 --> 00:39:50.119 that's biblical, that's relevant, and speaks 00:39:50.119 --> 00:39:52.840 to the heart of young people. When you give to 00:39:52.840 --> 00:39:55.880 this match, you're helping us get the Word of 00:39:55.880 --> 00:39:59.139 God to a group of people that are in desperate 00:39:59.139 --> 00:40:02.920 need of truth, but truth that's packaged in a 00:40:02.920 --> 00:40:06.340 way that says, I get you. I'm for you. Would 00:40:06.340 --> 00:40:09.099 you explore this with me? Each time you give 00:40:09.099 --> 00:40:11.940 to Living on the Edge until December 31st, your 00:40:11.940 --> 00:40:14.780 gift is doubled because there's a group of people 00:40:14.780 --> 00:40:17.420 that say, I believe that we have to reach the 00:40:17.420 --> 00:40:20.280 next generation. And if people will give, I will 00:40:20.280 --> 00:40:22.800 give extra money to double it and double the 00:40:22.800 --> 00:40:25.659 impact. This is a critical time in our nation. 00:40:25.800 --> 00:40:28.340 It's a critical time in this generation. Will 00:40:28.340 --> 00:40:31.099 you stand with us? We've made it simple to respond 00:40:31.099 --> 00:40:33.980 to Chip Ingram by calling this number, 888 - 00:40:34.159 --> 00:40:39.019 333 -6003. If you prefer to give online, just 00:40:39.019 --> 00:40:43.679 go to livingontheedge .org. Many in our audience 00:40:43.679 --> 00:40:45.980 prefer to send a check in the mail. You can do 00:40:45.980 --> 00:40:48.380 that by addressing your envelope to Living on 00:40:48.380 --> 00:40:54.039 the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. 00:40:54.719 --> 00:40:57.539 Living on the Edge aired its first radio broadcast 00:40:57.539 --> 00:41:01.260 30 years ago. And God has been faithful to transform 00:41:01.260 --> 00:41:03.880 a fledgling ministry that featured one man's 00:41:03.880 --> 00:41:06.940 voice into a global movement of discipleship 00:41:06.940 --> 00:41:09.159 through Bible teaching, books and resources, 00:41:09.400 --> 00:41:11.800 and with on -site training and encouragement. 00:41:12.139 --> 00:41:14.860 It's astounding what God has accomplished through 00:41:14.860 --> 00:41:17.360 Living on the Edge and the visionary friends 00:41:17.360 --> 00:41:20.739 like you who support us. Maybe you've been listening 00:41:20.739 --> 00:41:23.179 for quite some time, but have never stepped forward 00:41:23.179 --> 00:41:26.059 with a gift. We hope this match provides the 00:41:26.059 --> 00:41:28.760 inspiration for you to reach out and to double 00:41:28.760 --> 00:41:31.860 the size and impact of your contribution. Our 00:41:31.860 --> 00:41:35.559 address again is P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 00:41:35.719 --> 00:41:40.800 30024. Here's our phone number again, 888 -333 00:41:40.800 --> 00:41:46.539 -6003, or give online at livingontheedge .org. 00:41:47.849 --> 00:41:50.250 How do we teach those we love how to make wise 00:41:50.250 --> 00:41:53.349 decisions? Well, I'm Dave Drewy, urging you to 00:41:53.349 --> 00:41:55.510 hear Chip Ingram's compelling answer Thursday 00:41:55.510 --> 00:41:57.469 on Living on the Edge.