WEBVTT 00:00:11.200 --> 00:00:14.220 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.380 --> 00:00:17.460 God wants to do something impossible through 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:21.219 you. Not hard, not unlikely, not difficult, but 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:24.280 impossible. He wants you to experience his supernatural 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:27.879 power in ways that are literally unimaginable. 00:00:28.219 --> 00:00:30.980 The question is, how does that work? What do 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:33.899 you need to do in order to experience that kind 00:00:33.899 --> 00:00:36.960 of life -changing breakthrough? That's what we'll 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:41.600 cover today. Stay with me. How did Jesus prepare 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:44.619 his disciples for breakthrough? Today on Living 00:00:44.619 --> 00:00:47.259 on the Edge, Chip Ingram takes us inside Jesus' 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:50.799 ministry training program. Watch how Jesus deliberately 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:53.539 teaches his followers to recognize his goodness, 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:56.890 power, and compassion. From healing the sick 00:00:56.890 --> 00:00:59.670 to feeding thousands, every miracle had a purpose, 00:00:59.850 --> 00:01:03.030 to show that God isn't just powerful, He's good. 00:01:03.409 --> 00:01:06.290 It's all part of our series, Experience Breakthrough, 00:01:06.409 --> 00:01:09.329 learning to stop feeling confined by life's biggest 00:01:09.329 --> 00:01:12.829 barriers and spiritual futility. If you're ready 00:01:12.829 --> 00:01:15.769 to see God work in ways you never imagined, this 00:01:15.769 --> 00:01:18.769 message is for you. Let's join Chip Ingram with 00:01:18.769 --> 00:01:22.329 the first step to breakthrough. How did Jesus, 00:01:22.569 --> 00:01:26.500 are you ready for this? How? did Jesus teach 00:01:26.500 --> 00:01:30.859 his disciples to experience breakthrough? If 00:01:30.859 --> 00:01:33.280 you're taking notes, the first question was, 00:01:33.439 --> 00:01:36.659 what is breakthrough? The second question was, 00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:38.980 is there a biblical pattern of breakthrough? 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:41.799 And I think we've demonstrated that. The third 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:47.239 question, how did Jesus teach the disciples to 00:01:47.239 --> 00:01:50.599 experience and be agents of breakthrough? It's 00:01:50.599 --> 00:01:54.739 twofold. Repent and believe the good news. Repent. 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:58.599 Metanoia. It means with your mind. Have a change 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:02.079 of mind. Think differently about God. Think differently 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.560 about yourself and start thinking about it the 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:08.219 way God thinks about it and believe the good 00:02:08.219 --> 00:02:11.960 news. Believe that he loves you and live out 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:14.599 of the freedom and the reality. The gospel is 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:17.199 not what can I do for God? How can I earn his 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:20.939 favor? The gospel is good news. This is what 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:25.099 God has already done for you. Receive it. Believe 00:02:25.099 --> 00:02:28.919 it. Let it fill you up. And then out of thanksgiving 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:31.819 and love, express that same kind of love to others. 00:02:32.939 --> 00:02:35.259 Now with that said, how did he teach his disciples? 00:02:35.780 --> 00:02:39.039 He wanted to teach these good Jewish religious 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:42.639 boys that he didn't come to change the culture. 00:02:43.759 --> 00:02:47.659 He came for people to move out of their stuck 00:02:47.659 --> 00:02:51.699 religion and the wickedness of the day. and to 00:02:51.699 --> 00:02:54.280 have a relationship with the living God. And 00:02:54.280 --> 00:02:57.639 so he announced what it was. And then as you 00:02:57.639 --> 00:02:59.680 look at the book of Mark, what I want you to 00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:03.560 see, his goodness, his goodness, his kindness. 00:03:04.659 --> 00:03:07.060 So as you pick it up, notice, okay, he's going 00:03:07.060 --> 00:03:08.780 to announce the good news. Skip down, if you 00:03:08.780 --> 00:03:10.680 will, to verse 21. Then he went to Capernaum, 00:03:10.699 --> 00:03:13.060 and the Sabbath came, and Jesus went into the 00:03:13.060 --> 00:03:15.379 synagogue, and he began to teach. And the people 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:17.000 were amazed at his teaching because he taught 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:19.460 them as one who had authority, not as the teachers 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:22.030 of the law, And there was a man in the synagogue 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:25.409 who was possessed by an evil spirit. What do 00:03:25.409 --> 00:03:28.389 you want to do with me? The first thing he does 00:03:28.389 --> 00:03:32.490 is eradicate evil. So there's sort of some authentication. 00:03:32.949 --> 00:03:36.210 Whoa, who is this guy? The next thing he does, 00:03:36.210 --> 00:03:39.090 as you skim, look at verse 29, he goes over to 00:03:39.090 --> 00:03:40.969 Peter's mother -in -law's house and she's sick. 00:03:41.689 --> 00:03:43.949 And people are wondering, wow, who is this guy? 00:03:44.069 --> 00:03:47.810 And he heals her. And then if you skim down a 00:03:47.810 --> 00:03:49.990 little bit after that, what you find is there's 00:03:49.990 --> 00:03:53.310 a real buzz here. And he spends almost all night. 00:03:53.469 --> 00:03:56.090 And the whole town comes out. He casts out demons 00:03:56.090 --> 00:03:58.349 and heals. And people are coming from everywhere. 00:03:59.229 --> 00:04:01.550 And then he gets up real early the next morning 00:04:01.550 --> 00:04:04.030 to pray, to stay focused. And the disciples say, 00:04:04.150 --> 00:04:07.430 Jesus, last night you were a super hit. Everyone's 00:04:07.430 --> 00:04:09.330 talking about you. This is going to be awesome. 00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:12.409 Come on back. And he says, no, no, no, no. There's 00:04:12.409 --> 00:04:14.330 many other villages and places I need to go. 00:04:14.969 --> 00:04:17.170 So he teaches the disciples it can't be about 00:04:17.170 --> 00:04:19.029 them. It can't be about us. It can't be about 00:04:19.029 --> 00:04:22.189 just now. It's fulfilling what God wants. And 00:04:22.189 --> 00:04:25.829 so notice then he begins a preaching tour. And 00:04:25.829 --> 00:04:28.089 in chapter 2, what's he do? He heals a paralytic. 00:04:29.129 --> 00:04:33.029 And then in the end of 2 and the early part of 00:04:33.029 --> 00:04:36.170 3, he calls the disciples, deals with some theological 00:04:36.170 --> 00:04:39.670 issues. And then chapter 3, notice, he went into 00:04:39.670 --> 00:04:42.629 a synagogue again. And there's a man with a shriveled 00:04:42.629 --> 00:04:45.149 hand. His popularity is mushrooming. And now 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:47.790 the Pharisees are jealous. And what's he do? 00:04:47.829 --> 00:04:49.910 He speaks, doesn't even touch him. He speaks, 00:04:49.910 --> 00:04:53.529 and the man is healed. Afterwards, the Pharisees, 00:04:53.529 --> 00:04:55.170 the religious people, are plotting how to kill 00:04:55.170 --> 00:04:57.970 him. Then the crowds follow Jesus. Skip down, 00:04:58.069 --> 00:05:00.649 if you will, verse 9 of chapter 3. It says, because 00:05:00.649 --> 00:05:02.970 of the crowds, he told the disciples to have 00:05:02.970 --> 00:05:05.149 a small boat ready for him to keep the people 00:05:05.149 --> 00:05:09.069 from crowding him, for he had healed many. So 00:05:09.069 --> 00:05:11.089 that those with diseases were pushing forward 00:05:11.089 --> 00:05:14.709 to touch him. What's the message? It's a new 00:05:14.709 --> 00:05:16.889 preacher and you say to yourself, what's he doing? 00:05:16.949 --> 00:05:18.990 He just keeps healing people and healing people 00:05:18.990 --> 00:05:20.930 and touching people and touching people that 00:05:20.930 --> 00:05:23.850 no one thinks is worth anything. It's good news. 00:05:24.649 --> 00:05:27.870 This isn't measuring up. He just keeps loving 00:05:27.870 --> 00:05:30.089 people. And if you're one of his early Jewish 00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:31.730 boys, disciples, you're going, this is really 00:05:31.730 --> 00:05:35.269 different. And did you notice? It's not about 00:05:35.269 --> 00:05:38.310 how many services they have or how many buildings 00:05:38.310 --> 00:05:41.430 they're building. What is it? It's his power. 00:05:42.709 --> 00:05:45.069 The world today doesn't need to see more church 00:05:45.069 --> 00:05:47.709 buildings or more services or our numbers increase 00:05:47.709 --> 00:05:50.889 for that sake. They need to see the power of 00:05:50.889 --> 00:05:54.910 God in you and in me, in our homes, in our work, 00:05:54.949 --> 00:05:57.910 in our neighborhood, unleashing the power that 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:02.110 does good. That's the gospel. And that's what 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:04.560 he wants to teach them. Well, notice he appoints 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:07.120 the 12, and they come with him. And then chapter 00:06:07.120 --> 00:06:11.639 4, he begins to do some teaching, which is always 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:13.439 very important. So he teaches them about the 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:16.720 kingdom. And then after he teaches them about 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:23.279 the kingdom, he wants them to understand that 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:26.540 they are agents to bring breakthrough in the 00:06:26.540 --> 00:06:30.579 lives of people. And we don't have time to go. 00:06:31.160 --> 00:06:33.120 into depth, but I encourage you to read it on 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.899 your own. Chapter four, he teaches about the 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:38.379 kingdom, about trusting God, about the soil, 00:06:38.639 --> 00:06:41.000 it's responding to God's word. And he talks about 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:42.879 how it grows with the mustard seed and how if 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:44.660 we don't respond to the truth that we get, we 00:06:44.660 --> 00:06:46.959 don't get more truth. And he talks about how 00:06:46.959 --> 00:06:48.759 it's a supernatural thing that happens and in 00:06:48.759 --> 00:06:51.060 and of itself, it will grow. It's the power of 00:06:51.060 --> 00:06:53.660 God's word as the Holy Spirit uses it in the 00:06:53.660 --> 00:06:56.519 hearts of people that are open and willing. And 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:58.360 then he says, let's go to the other side because 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:01.519 what he wants to do now He has helped them see 00:07:01.519 --> 00:07:04.439 this is my message. It's good news. But now he 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:06.920 wants them to understand this is who I really 00:07:06.920 --> 00:07:11.379 am. And I'm not only good, but I'm powerful enough 00:07:11.379 --> 00:07:14.459 to handle anything that ever comes up anytime 00:07:14.459 --> 00:07:17.600 with anyone. And so he says, let's go to the 00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:20.319 other side. And these professional fishermen 00:07:20.319 --> 00:07:25.819 get into an impossible storm. And what's he do? 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:29.990 You know the story? He's at peace. He's asleep. 00:07:30.870 --> 00:07:36.449 They cry out. He speaks. And what happens? It's 00:07:36.449 --> 00:07:40.430 a breakthrough. And they go, who is this guy? 00:07:41.490 --> 00:07:44.009 And then they go to the other side. And there's 00:07:44.009 --> 00:07:46.870 not just a guy with demons. If you read it later 00:07:46.870 --> 00:07:50.069 today, very carefully, it's a demoniac that has 00:07:50.069 --> 00:07:53.370 a legion of demons in him. And no one, in other 00:07:53.370 --> 00:07:56.329 words, it's impossible. No one can control this 00:07:56.329 --> 00:08:00.600 guy. Anybody have demons in your life? I don't 00:08:00.600 --> 00:08:03.519 mean necessarily literal ones, but I mean, we 00:08:03.519 --> 00:08:06.160 talk about, you know, the demons from our past, 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.879 our family of origin, my addiction. And there 00:08:09.879 --> 00:08:13.560 may be some literal ones. And what's he do? He 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:17.579 speaks and he's healed. And he wants them to 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:19.899 know that it really happened. So the demons get 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:22.540 into pigs. So visually you can see this is reality. 00:08:23.439 --> 00:08:25.259 And then they go back across, and as he's going, 00:08:25.300 --> 00:08:27.259 he hears there's a little girl that's very, very 00:08:27.259 --> 00:08:30.000 sick. And as he's walking, there's a woman who's 00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:32.559 in an impossible situation. I mean, the author 00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:35.279 makes it very clear. She's used up all her money. 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:37.820 She's sought all the doctors she can find. Nothing 00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:41.399 works. But she believes there's goodness in this 00:08:41.399 --> 00:08:43.840 man. She's heard. She's seen. If I could just 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:47.320 touch him, and she does. The goodness of God 00:08:47.320 --> 00:08:51.100 is so great that... Jesus unaware when someone 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:54.500 draws near to the goodness of God by faith, supernatural 00:08:54.500 --> 00:08:57.259 things happen. She's healed on the spot. And 00:08:57.259 --> 00:08:59.179 did you notice what he said to her? Daughter, 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:04.220 you're what made you well? Your faith. But she 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:05.860 got to the point that George Mueller talked about. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:08.720 I'm bankrupt. There's nothing I can do. If this 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:10.840 Jesus can't help me, if I don't get a breakthrough, 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:14.259 there's no hope. And then he's on the way to 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:16.659 help the little girl. The servants come. It's 00:09:16.659 --> 00:09:19.690 too late. Don't bother him. She's dead. And this 00:09:19.690 --> 00:09:24.309 might be worth putting your nose in. Mark chapter 00:09:24.309 --> 00:09:32.610 5. Ignoring verse 36, what they said, Jesus told 00:09:32.610 --> 00:09:37.289 the synagogue ruler, don't be afraid, just believe. 00:09:38.850 --> 00:09:43.590 Are you starting to get the gospel? It's a declaration. 00:09:44.769 --> 00:09:47.649 It's an announcement. How is he teaching these 00:09:47.649 --> 00:09:51.299 disciples? What's he doing? He's demonstrating 00:09:51.299 --> 00:09:55.559 the goodness and the love of God. And then if 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:59.440 you would care to skip over to chapter 6, the 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:02.559 beginning, because hearing about it and watching 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:05.419 it never makes it real in your life. So chapter 00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:07.860 6, he says, boys, I'm going to send you on an 00:10:07.860 --> 00:10:10.220 expedition, but I want you to depend on me and 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:11.679 I want you to experience what you've seen. So 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:15.129 no cloaks, no second bags, no money. No, walking 00:10:15.129 --> 00:10:17.549 sticks. I want you to go to these villages. I'm 00:10:17.549 --> 00:10:19.789 on a preaching tour and I want you to heal the 00:10:19.789 --> 00:10:21.710 sick. I want you to cast out demons and I want 00:10:21.710 --> 00:10:23.730 you to announce the kingdom. And they go do it 00:10:23.730 --> 00:10:26.330 and God works through them. Whoa! And they come 00:10:26.330 --> 00:10:28.190 back to him and they're exhausted and they're 00:10:28.190 --> 00:10:30.610 excited. They're now agents of breakthrough. 00:10:31.429 --> 00:10:34.169 Lord, the demons, they listened to us. People 00:10:34.169 --> 00:10:36.549 were healed. He says, well, let's go get a break. 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:39.570 And they go to get a break and as they arrive, 00:10:39.809 --> 00:10:43.169 oh, my lands. He makes Mick Jagger and every 00:10:43.169 --> 00:10:46.669 rock star. in the entire world seem like nothing 00:10:46.669 --> 00:10:49.009 because the crowds swell and swell and swell 00:10:49.009 --> 00:10:52.009 and swell and swell. He has compassion on them. 00:10:52.570 --> 00:10:56.389 And so in chapter 6, don't miss this. In chapter 00:10:56.389 --> 00:11:01.169 6, the disciples, after he teaches them, by this 00:11:01.169 --> 00:11:04.470 time, verse 35, it was late in the day, the disciples 00:11:04.470 --> 00:11:07.830 came to him in this remote place. He said, it's 00:11:07.830 --> 00:11:10.009 already very late. Send the people away so they 00:11:10.009 --> 00:11:12.269 can go to the surrounding countryside and villages. 00:11:13.070 --> 00:11:16.529 and buy for themselves something to eat. Notice 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:21.529 Jesus' response. But he answered them, You give 00:11:21.529 --> 00:11:25.129 them something to eat. You're listening to Living 00:11:25.129 --> 00:11:27.590 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We'll hear more 00:11:27.590 --> 00:11:30.110 from Chip in just a moment. If you've missed 00:11:30.110 --> 00:11:32.110 any part of this message, or if you'd like to 00:11:32.110 --> 00:11:34.490 share it with a friend, you can find it anytime 00:11:34.490 --> 00:11:39.159 online at Living on the Edge. And while you're 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:41.659 there, you'll also discover a full library of 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:44.139 Chip's teaching series, small group resources, 00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:46.919 and practical tools to help you grow in your 00:11:46.919 --> 00:11:50.139 faith. It's all waiting for you at livingontheedge 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:53.580 .org. Now let's get back to today's message. 00:11:54.139 --> 00:11:56.100 Now, I don't know about you, but I've, you know, 00:11:56.100 --> 00:11:58.340 they've seen some miracles. God's used them to 00:11:58.340 --> 00:11:59.940 perform some of the miracles. There's been some 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:02.279 breakthroughs. There's 5 ,000. The way they counted 00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:04.379 in those days were 5 ,000 men, who knows how 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:08.419 many people. Okay, listen very carefully. This 00:12:08.419 --> 00:12:14.580 is what we lost. Jesus expects you to do impossible 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:21.019 things. Period. God expects to do impossible 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:25.179 things in you and through you. And if you go 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:26.600 on and read the story, you will say, well, how 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:28.460 does it happen? What's he do? He said, well, 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:31.059 what do you got? I'm not asking you to do something 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:33.519 with what you don't have. What do you got? Bring 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.940 it to me. Trust me. And when you understand by 00:12:37.940 --> 00:12:41.759 faith how good I am, and you're willing to obey 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:46.700 what I've already said, I will show up in ways 00:12:46.700 --> 00:12:51.200 that declare and reveal my glory and my goodness 00:12:51.200 --> 00:12:53.360 to people that have no idea that I love them. 00:12:55.139 --> 00:12:59.340 That's what breakthrough's about. Now, when I 00:12:59.340 --> 00:13:02.240 read things like that, I get very encouraged. 00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:06.399 But I also begin to ask questions like, number 00:13:06.399 --> 00:13:10.259 four, is there a historical precedent that breakthrough 00:13:10.259 --> 00:13:13.600 can happen in our day? Right? In other words, 00:13:13.600 --> 00:13:16.320 this is great. This is great stuff. It's Bible 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:21.179 stuff. But does God still do that? And I would 00:13:21.179 --> 00:13:23.919 say, if we could do a quick run of church history, 00:13:23.960 --> 00:13:27.240 of which we won't, what I'd say is you would 00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:31.019 see that the book of Acts is a picture of breakthrough, 00:13:31.200 --> 00:13:32.860 and there'll be many things that we'll learn 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:38.220 about what these very ordinary people did. Where 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:41.700 God, through a clear vision of people who believed 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:45.340 what he said, who were very ordinary, transformed 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:48.500 by about the next 300 years the entire world. 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:52.620 And during that time, you'll find guys like Athanasius 00:13:52.620 --> 00:13:56.639 who stood his ground when all of Christianity 00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:59.720 was moving in a way apart from the truth. And 00:13:59.720 --> 00:14:02.360 there was a breakthrough. And you'll see times 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:04.919 where then corruption happens in the church and 00:14:04.919 --> 00:14:07.179 they get connected in this, quote, Holy Roman 00:14:07.179 --> 00:14:11.240 Empire. And everything that Jesus said and all 00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:13.559 that he taught and who we were to be, little 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:15.840 by little by little, would begin to just be so 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:17.759 far away from what was happening in the life 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.980 of the church. And so he would raise up a St. 00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:24.360 Francis over here and a group of monks over here 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:28.659 and a Teresa Avia here. And then a John Huss, 00:14:28.659 --> 00:14:31.440 a Czech priest who said, wait a second, and it's 00:14:31.440 --> 00:14:35.159 the Bible. And then a Luther, a Calvin, and a 00:14:35.159 --> 00:14:39.419 Zwingli and a Reformation would be birthed. And 00:14:39.419 --> 00:14:42.759 they did it imperfectly and they did some wonderful 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:44.580 things and then they did some really terrible 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:46.639 things in the midst of it because God doesn't 00:14:46.639 --> 00:14:49.019 use perfect people who have it all together to 00:14:49.019 --> 00:14:52.539 do breakthroughs. They have blind spots. And 00:14:52.539 --> 00:14:55.409 then after that Reformation you have People like 00:14:55.409 --> 00:14:57.009 Tyndale who said, you know something, we've got 00:14:57.009 --> 00:14:58.450 this printing press. I'm going to start making 00:14:58.450 --> 00:15:01.789 Bibles in English that people can get. And Huss 00:15:01.789 --> 00:15:04.809 made a copy. You know, breakthroughs are expensive, 00:15:05.190 --> 00:15:08.830 really expensive. They burned Huss at the stake 00:15:08.830 --> 00:15:13.830 as a heretic. Probably the greatest breakthrough 00:15:13.830 --> 00:15:15.850 that happened in the last 500 years was Martin 00:15:15.850 --> 00:15:21.269 Luther. And in my journey here, it was led very 00:15:21.269 --> 00:15:24.730 clearly by God to study Martin Luther. Because 00:15:24.730 --> 00:15:29.850 the parallels of what was happening in 1512 through 00:15:29.850 --> 00:15:33.830 about 1560 are very akin to what's happening 00:15:33.830 --> 00:15:37.450 in our world today. Here's the historical context. 00:15:37.570 --> 00:15:41.629 The Holy Roman Empire is now in cahoots with 00:15:41.629 --> 00:15:46.590 the church. There's corruption. No Bible for 00:15:46.590 --> 00:15:48.710 the common people. The only person who could 00:15:48.710 --> 00:15:51.250 interpret the scripture was the Pope. Only priests 00:15:51.250 --> 00:15:54.120 had access to God. The church and the church 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:57.399 laws was the authority, not the Bible. People 00:15:57.399 --> 00:15:59.399 were paying at this point for their salvation 00:15:59.399 --> 00:16:01.919 and indulgences, trying to pay their way out 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:03.879 of hell into heaven. And there was ignorance, 00:16:03.980 --> 00:16:06.940 poverty, a functional caste system with the nobles, 00:16:06.940 --> 00:16:09.120 hierarchy of the church, and most of the world, 00:16:09.220 --> 00:16:12.720 illiterate peasants called the Dark Ages. After 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:16.480 Huss blazed the trail, literally, no pun intended, 00:16:16.899 --> 00:16:22.240 Martin Luther shows up. He had a tortured childhood, 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:25.559 very strict, strict parents. That's putting it 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:28.879 mildly. He had a conscience that he could never 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:33.000 get right. And he found himself longing to please 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:35.700 God and he did get a good education, but in the 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:37.360 middle of his education in law school, he had 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.139 this horrendous experience, some sort of lightning 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:41.179 or thunderstorm along with the loss of a friend. 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:45.039 And he promised God, he prayed, according to 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:47.039 church history, he prayed to Saint Anne, if you 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.840 get me out of this, I'll be a monk. And he lived, 00:16:49.860 --> 00:16:54.299 and so he went to be a monk, Wittenberg. He got 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:59.220 his doctorate, his master's, then his, became 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:02.600 a teacher at Wittenberg. And he had no peace 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:05.099 in his soul. I mean, it was a complete works 00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:07.839 orientation. The justice of God, the justice 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:10.819 of God, what God demands, said Luther in his 00:17:10.819 --> 00:17:14.099 own words, made me hate God. I hated God. And 00:17:14.099 --> 00:17:17.190 he was like. obsessive compulsive over the top 00:17:17.190 --> 00:17:20.170 I'll do whatever it takes he fasted he did all 00:17:20.170 --> 00:17:23.069 kind of weird things to himself he went on pilgrimages 00:17:23.069 --> 00:17:25.849 he prayed for long I mean he just anything that 00:17:25.849 --> 00:17:28.089 can earn God's favor and he would always come 00:17:28.089 --> 00:17:30.029 back realizing his own heart his own motives 00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:32.309 and he just hated God and so his supervisor but 00:17:32.309 --> 00:17:34.690 you're a monk it's hard to be a monk and hate 00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:41.329 God I mean it's not a good job and so his supervisor 00:17:41.329 --> 00:17:44.740 had him do his doctoral work in the original 00:17:44.740 --> 00:17:46.900 languages where he taught the Psalms, Romans, 00:17:47.119 --> 00:17:49.839 and Galatians. And after teaching those courses 00:17:49.839 --> 00:17:52.240 for about three years on a certain day at a certain 00:17:52.240 --> 00:17:55.289 time, For the first time ever, he read what the 00:17:55.289 --> 00:17:58.230 Bible said, not the indoctrination of the heresy 00:17:58.230 --> 00:18:00.750 that he'd heard, that the just shall live by 00:18:00.750 --> 00:18:03.789 faith. Therefore, we have peace with God since 00:18:03.789 --> 00:18:06.410 we've been justified by faith. And the lights 00:18:06.410 --> 00:18:09.369 came on, and Luther had what he described as 00:18:09.369 --> 00:18:12.309 an evangelical awakening, and he thought it was 00:18:12.309 --> 00:18:14.289 no big deal. What he realized was, I've just 00:18:14.289 --> 00:18:17.190 rescued the authentic gospel, and he began to 00:18:17.190 --> 00:18:19.089 teach it, and things started happening in Wittenberg. 00:18:20.109 --> 00:18:22.789 And he literally, the first was 97 theses, not 00:18:22.789 --> 00:18:25.369 95. And people were excited and there was a movement. 00:18:25.789 --> 00:18:28.029 And there was conflict with the Holy Roman Empire 00:18:28.029 --> 00:18:30.970 and God and his sovereignty had this king, Frederick, 00:18:31.089 --> 00:18:33.369 who really liked Luther and so the Pope didn't 00:18:33.369 --> 00:18:35.650 want to mess with him. And then he did the 95 00:18:35.650 --> 00:18:38.930 theses later and I mean all blank broke loose. 00:18:40.549 --> 00:18:45.990 And one man stood very imperfectly and because 00:18:45.990 --> 00:18:49.250 of that the Reformation And here's what happened 00:18:49.250 --> 00:18:51.690 to you because of that breakthrough. All individuals, 00:18:51.930 --> 00:18:54.769 you, normal people, can have a personal relationship 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:57.390 with Christ. Salvation is by faith. Salvation 00:18:57.390 --> 00:19:02.089 is a gift of God's grace. You are a priest. You 00:19:02.089 --> 00:19:04.230 can talk to him directly and God wants to use 00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:06.990 you. Marriage was elevated. Peace and assurance. 00:19:07.130 --> 00:19:09.950 A joyful life. Not living under the thumb of 00:19:09.950 --> 00:19:12.670 this angry God. Scripture is the authority of 00:19:12.670 --> 00:19:15.130 your life. No teacher, no church, no organization. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:19.539 The word of God is your authority. The equality 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:23.059 of men and the basis of democracy are all rooted 00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:26.460 in even peasants matter to God. You know what 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:30.920 the message was? God is good. God is good. God 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:35.240 is loving. God is great. God wants to bless people. 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:37.640 He doesn't think any more of kings than he does 00:19:37.640 --> 00:19:41.059 of peasants. Germany went through this tumultuous 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.099 time and the king hid Luther and he translated 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:47.039 the Bible. into German for the common people. 00:19:47.880 --> 00:19:51.140 And despite his horrendous views of Jews and 00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:53.579 some of his anti -Semitic, they were terrible 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:56.220 early on, and then as he grew in Christ, he moderated 00:19:56.220 --> 00:19:57.720 them, and then near the end of his life, he got 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:00.559 frustrated. He said some terrible things. I mean, 00:20:00.579 --> 00:20:02.680 he was a very blunt. You would read some of his 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:05.440 stuff and go, are you kidding? And the only thing 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:10.740 I can tell you is, it's encouraging to me. Because 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:12.960 I don't know if the Lord will come back or... 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:17.640 maybe there'll be another 50 years, but if I'm 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:19.720 dead 50 years from now, I'm sure there's gonna 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:22.079 be some people that'll listen to or read a sermon 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:24.779 and say, you know, how could Ingram be just, 00:20:25.039 --> 00:20:26.960 I mean, he seemed like he was really on about 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:30.660 this, but he was so off. I mean, that, because 00:20:30.660 --> 00:20:32.480 we are a product of our culture and environment, 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:35.519 but we don't know it. And God can use ordinary 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:40.839 people where you are in your life now. So the 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:46.180 first question is, so what, What is this idea 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:49.700 of breakthrough? Is there a pattern in Scripture? 00:20:49.940 --> 00:20:53.559 Yes. How did Jesus teach his disciples? Is there 00:20:53.559 --> 00:20:56.019 historical precedent? And I mean, it's happening 00:20:56.019 --> 00:20:57.880 through history. And after Luther, it goes on. 00:20:58.019 --> 00:20:59.960 And I mean, we could talk about then the next 00:20:59.960 --> 00:21:02.400 generation of them and what Cary did. And then 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:04.539 Wesley and Whitefield and Edwards in America. 00:21:04.720 --> 00:21:06.720 And then the next generation of Moody and Spurgeon. 00:21:06.819 --> 00:21:09.420 And then the end of the century, Amy McPherson 00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:11.000 at the turn of the century and Billy Sunday. 00:21:11.220 --> 00:21:13.420 And then all of a sudden a war and Dawson Trotman 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:18.000 and Billy Graham and Bill Bright. Regular, ordinary 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:24.920 people like you and me. Whom God becomes so real 00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:28.900 and so good, they live out of what he's already 00:21:28.900 --> 00:21:31.559 done for them and they believe it to the point 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:35.200 that they begin to look at other people as objects 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.900 of God's love and mercy and they begin to treat 00:21:37.900 --> 00:21:41.339 and think and act that way and live with a joy 00:21:41.339 --> 00:21:44.420 because they don't have to measure up. You already 00:21:44.420 --> 00:21:49.059 measure up. That's the gospel. Final question. 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:54.980 Maybe the most important one. How do you experience 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:59.119 the first step of breakthrough? And I'm going 00:21:59.119 --> 00:22:02.059 to tell you it is so easy to say and so hard 00:22:02.059 --> 00:22:06.019 to experience. Are you ready? It's to believe 00:22:06.019 --> 00:22:09.259 that God is good. Not intellectually, I mean 00:22:09.259 --> 00:22:13.720 believe. It's to believe that he is willing. 00:22:15.160 --> 00:22:19.670 It's to embrace. That God wants to do not something 00:22:19.670 --> 00:22:22.789 hard or difficult, but the impossible in you 00:22:22.789 --> 00:22:26.609 and through you. It's his will. If you were one 00:22:26.609 --> 00:22:28.849 of his disciples, he would turn to you. He would 00:22:28.849 --> 00:22:31.049 look you right in the eye and say, you feed him. 00:22:31.109 --> 00:22:34.369 And you go, what? You reach your neighborhood. 00:22:34.529 --> 00:22:37.049 What? You be the breakthrough at work. What? 00:22:37.410 --> 00:22:39.329 You take the first step in the reconciliation 00:22:39.329 --> 00:22:43.029 of this marriage. What? You break that addiction 00:22:43.029 --> 00:22:46.440 and bring other people with you. What? It's what 00:22:46.440 --> 00:22:50.920 he expects. And all the power is available to 00:22:50.920 --> 00:22:55.079 do it. How? I don't want you to intellectually 00:22:55.079 --> 00:22:57.240 be, oh yeah, when I was there, it seemed like 00:22:57.240 --> 00:22:58.920 God really loved me and he cares about me and 00:22:58.920 --> 00:23:01.240 I'm valued and I'm forgiven and his spirit lives 00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:02.960 in me and I have gifts and he's got a plan for 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:04.539 my life. Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay. And then Monday 00:23:04.539 --> 00:23:09.400 morning. I want you to read this over and I want 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:12.279 you to put your name in it. Because I want you 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:15.140 not to memorize this or say, God will love me 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:18.720 more if I get this down. This passage was not 00:23:18.720 --> 00:23:23.059 written just to read at funerals. This is one 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:25.539 of the most graphic pictures of God's goodness 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:29.680 in all the Bible. And when you personalize it. 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:33.240 I mean, just in preparing for this, I just read, 00:23:33.359 --> 00:23:36.460 the Lord is Chip's shepherd. Chip lacks nothing. 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.519 He makes Chip lie down in green pastures. He 00:23:39.519 --> 00:23:43.799 leads Chip beside quiet waters. Wow. He refreshes 00:23:43.799 --> 00:23:46.720 Chip's soul. He guides Chip along the right path 00:23:46.720 --> 00:23:50.319 for his namesake. Even though Chip walks through 00:23:50.319 --> 00:23:53.279 the darkest valley, Chip will fear no evil, for 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:58.160 you are with Chip. Your rod and your staff, they 00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:00.640 comfort Chip. You prepare a table for Chip in 00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:03.019 the presence of Chip's enemies. You anoint Chip's 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:06.160 head with oil. Chip's cup will overflow. Surely, 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:09.720 goodness and love will follow Chip, not somebody 00:24:09.720 --> 00:24:13.319 somewhere sometime, me. All the days of Chip's 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:16.259 life and Chip, we'll talk about promise, will 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:21.920 dwell in the house of the Lord forever. I want 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:24.859 you this week to write your name in there, and 00:24:24.859 --> 00:24:28.359 I want you just to read it over. And by the way, 00:24:28.380 --> 00:24:31.599 as you're reading, if you slip in to start praising 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:36.160 God, it's okay. If problems about, oh, I mean, 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:37.859 God would really give me direction or help me 00:24:37.859 --> 00:24:39.539 get through this, and you start thinking and 00:24:39.539 --> 00:24:41.740 thoughts come to your mind that solve problems, 00:24:41.880 --> 00:24:46.200 that's okay. If you renew your mind next seven 00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:50.299 days, okay, at least a couple times a week, your 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:53.940 intellectual assent that God is good will move 00:24:53.940 --> 00:24:56.980 from your head into your heart. And you will 00:24:56.980 --> 00:25:00.819 begin to see differently. And you will begin 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:07.099 the first step for breakthrough. This is Living 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:09.900 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Did you catch what 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:12.279 Chip just taught us? Jesus didn't just perform 00:25:12.279 --> 00:25:15.180 miracles to show off his power. He was teaching 00:25:15.180 --> 00:25:18.619 his disciples and us that God is good and he 00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:21.259 wants to work through us. Chip will be back with 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:23.950 one more thought, so please stay with us. As 00:25:23.950 --> 00:25:26.210 we continue this series on Breakthrough, we want 00:25:26.210 --> 00:25:28.450 to make sure you have tools to help you dig deeper. 00:25:28.690 --> 00:25:31.109 That's why we're offering Chip's free 10 -day 00:25:31.109 --> 00:25:34.349 devotional called Psalms of Hope. This isn't 00:25:34.349 --> 00:25:36.769 your typical devotional. Here's the format. Each 00:25:36.769 --> 00:25:39.549 day, Chip gives you 10 minutes of focused teaching 00:25:39.549 --> 00:25:44.069 on Psalm 1, Psalm 15, or Psalm 23. Then you take 00:25:44.069 --> 00:25:46.549 10 minutes alone with God to meditate, pray, 00:25:46.789 --> 00:25:49.900 and let His Word sink deep into your soul. Just 00:25:49.900 --> 00:25:52.640 20 minutes a day for 10 days. You'll discover 00:25:52.640 --> 00:25:55.319 how these psalms address the very issues we're 00:25:55.319 --> 00:25:58.000 talking about in this series. How to find strength 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.680 when life feels impossible. How to stay close 00:26:00.680 --> 00:26:03.579 to God when everything's falling apart. And how 00:26:03.579 --> 00:26:06.099 to experience His presence even in dark valleys. 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:08.980 Whether you're dealing with disappointment, fear, 00:26:09.259 --> 00:26:11.759 or just need a fresh encounter with God's goodness, 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:14.799 Psalms of Hope will meet you exactly where you 00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:17.779 are. It's completely free at livingontheedge 00:26:17.779 --> 00:26:21.519 .org. Just search for Psalms of Hope and start 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:24.319 your journey today. Here's what makes all this 00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:27.119 possible. Faithful friends who invest in this 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:29.920 teaching ministry. Your financial support allows 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:32.500 us to keep creating resources and delivering 00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:35.720 biblical truth every single day. Now, if this 00:26:35.720 --> 00:26:37.660 ministry is making a difference in your life, 00:26:37.799 --> 00:26:41.000 please consider giving today. Visit livingontheedge 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:44.339 .org to give or write to Living on the Edge, 00:26:44.460 --> 00:26:50.579 P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. You 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:56.000 can also call 888 -333 -6003. And don't forget, 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:58.740 the Living on the Edge podcast brings you every 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:02.259 message on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever 00:27:02.259 --> 00:27:04.980 you listen. Subscribe today and share it with 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:07.759 someone who needs to hear this. Well, now here's 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:10.519 Chip with a final thought. As we close today's 00:27:10.519 --> 00:27:14.039 program and you think about the breakthrough, 00:27:14.279 --> 00:27:18.640 I mean, the impossible thing, and right now you 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:21.319 may not really be able to believe that it could 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:24.579 happen, but I want you to know that God is good, 00:27:24.660 --> 00:27:27.220 that he is your shepherd, that he is for you, 00:27:27.319 --> 00:27:32.319 that as the text says in Psalm 23, his goodness 00:27:32.319 --> 00:27:35.599 is literally running after you. It's pursuing 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:40.140 you. It's amazing to think about that the God 00:27:40.140 --> 00:27:43.940 of the universe, all powerful, that he knows 00:27:43.940 --> 00:27:46.880 everything about you and cares about you. And 00:27:46.880 --> 00:27:50.920 he wants to do good things, better things, even 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:54.259 that you could think or imagine. And so I have 00:27:54.259 --> 00:27:57.680 a little exercise that will help you begin to 00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:01.819 little by little start to get that from an intellectual 00:28:01.819 --> 00:28:05.019 concept to something in your life and heart that 00:28:05.019 --> 00:28:07.160 you could really believe. And so what I want 00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:10.180 you to do is get Psalm 23 out right in front 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:13.420 of you, and then I want you to rewrite it. And 00:28:13.420 --> 00:28:15.960 I want you to rewrite it where you put your name 00:28:15.960 --> 00:28:20.140 wherever there is a personal pronoun. And it'll 00:28:20.140 --> 00:28:22.140 feel a little funny at first. In other words, 00:28:22.240 --> 00:28:28.279 the Lord is Chip's shepherd. He's going to lead 00:28:28.279 --> 00:28:35.519 Chip in paths of righteousness. He restores Chip's 00:28:35.519 --> 00:28:38.099 soul. I mean, that's how I've done it. And as 00:28:38.099 --> 00:28:40.839 you go through that sort of meditatively, you'll 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:43.299 thank God. And, you know, four or five minutes 00:28:43.299 --> 00:28:46.279 just before you go to bed pondering that. And 00:28:46.279 --> 00:28:48.140 now you've planted that in your subconscious. 00:28:48.359 --> 00:28:51.119 And the Holy Spirit is going to begin to help 00:28:51.119 --> 00:28:55.500 you conceive and believe that you are precious 00:28:55.500 --> 00:28:58.859 and valuable and protected and God loves you. 00:28:59.039 --> 00:29:03.180 In fact, there's one verse that summarizes. Psalm 00:29:03.180 --> 00:29:07.220 23 very well in the New Living Translation. It's 00:29:07.220 --> 00:29:10.359 Psalm 86, 5. And I love the way he puts it. It 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:14.839 says, Oh, Lord, you are so good, so kind, so 00:29:14.839 --> 00:29:19.579 ready to forgive to everyone who calls upon your 00:29:19.579 --> 00:29:23.339 name. I just love that. So good, so kind, so 00:29:23.339 --> 00:29:26.599 ready to forgive. And here's the condition to 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:29.599 all of those who call upon your name. Could you 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:31.660 believe today that the beginning of breakthrough 00:29:31.660 --> 00:29:35.339 is believing that God is good and He wants to 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:37.880 be good to you? Ready to make room for God's 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:40.720 breakthrough in your life? I'm Dave Drewy, inviting 00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:43.339 you to hear what that looks like tomorrow on 00:29:43.339 --> 00:29:49.380 Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced 00:29:49.380 --> 00:29:51.579 and sponsored by Living on the Edge.