WEBVTT 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:14.220 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.339 --> 00:00:17.440 Where do you need courage today? Do you need 00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:19.679 courage to have a hard talk with one of your 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:22.879 children? Do you need courage to say, today's 00:00:22.879 --> 00:00:26.519 the day I quit alcohol or drugs? I mean, honestly, 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:30.769 where do you need courage today? Today on Living 00:00:30.769 --> 00:00:32.869 on the Edge, we're going to learn how God can 00:00:32.869 --> 00:00:35.590 develop courage in your heart to help you take 00:00:35.590 --> 00:00:38.250 the step you know you need to take. Stay with 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:43.210 me. Something's blocking your breakthrough. Maybe 00:00:43.210 --> 00:00:45.409 it's religious traditions that have nothing to 00:00:45.409 --> 00:00:47.929 do with scripture. Maybe it's a deep sense of 00:00:47.929 --> 00:00:50.229 unworthiness. Or maybe you simply don't have 00:00:50.229 --> 00:00:52.829 the resources you think you need. Well, today 00:00:52.829 --> 00:00:55.329 on Living on the Edge, we continue our series 00:00:55.329 --> 00:00:58.670 called Experience Breakthrough. Chip Ingram examines 00:00:58.670 --> 00:01:01.770 how Jesus systematically removed every barrier 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:05.629 his disciples faced. Through miracles, hard conversations, 00:01:05.870 --> 00:01:08.750 and unforgettable lessons, he showed them that 00:01:08.750 --> 00:01:11.450 courage is the catalyst that unleashes God's 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:15.170 power into impossible situations. Here's Chip 00:01:15.170 --> 00:01:17.730 Ingram with his message, Courage, the Catalyst 00:01:17.730 --> 00:01:22.209 to Breakthrough. What? Keeps us from taking that 00:01:22.209 --> 00:01:26.250 sort of dynamic step that causes the chain reaction 00:01:26.250 --> 00:01:29.569 of God's power to come into our life. Barrier 00:01:29.569 --> 00:01:33.430 number one. Courageous steps that overcome this 00:01:33.430 --> 00:01:35.870 barrier. Our first barrier is our traditions. 00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:39.650 We open it up in Mark chapter 7. Now you can 00:01:39.650 --> 00:01:41.510 scan the passage, but I'm going to tell you what's 00:01:41.510 --> 00:01:43.510 in it. Seven times the word tradition is there. 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:47.079 And Jesus says, your traditions nullify the truth 00:01:47.079 --> 00:01:49.359 of the word of God. Actually, the barrier of 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:51.159 your tradition keeps you from obeying what God 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:54.040 actually says. The second one, he says, there's 00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.019 a barrier of our unworthiness. Right after this, 00:01:57.079 --> 00:01:58.959 it's interesting, the issue was whether you're 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:01.739 unclean. And right after this, Jesus is trying 00:02:01.739 --> 00:02:04.859 to get a little R &R, if you will. I mean, he's 00:02:04.859 --> 00:02:08.060 been bombarded by all these people. All of them, 00:02:08.060 --> 00:02:10.840 they want his time, they want his energy. And 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:13.560 so he gets away, verse 24, Jesus left that place 00:02:13.560 --> 00:02:15.800 and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered 00:02:15.800 --> 00:02:22.120 a house and didn't want anyone to know it. He 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:24.340 could not keep his presence secret. In fact, 00:02:24.340 --> 00:02:28.099 as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:30.560 little girl was possessed by an evil spirit came, 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:35.840 fell on her face, and she begged him to heal 00:02:35.840 --> 00:02:39.680 his little girl. And so this is a woman the author 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:42.620 wants to note. She's a Gentile, Greek origin. 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:46.800 She's a woman. She breaks in. She's uninvited. 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:49.379 She does everything wrong, but she's passionate. 00:02:50.279 --> 00:02:52.560 And the conversation goes, as you read a little 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:54.680 bit later, and he says, look, I came for the 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:58.280 house of Israel, the Jewish nation. And the Gentiles 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:00.879 were called dogs in that day in a slang term. 00:03:01.020 --> 00:03:03.419 And Jesus, I think, testing her says, you know, 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:06.039 I came for the children and not for the dogs. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:10.319 And her answer of faith was, even the dogs, after 00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:12.180 the children eat, get to come in and get the 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:14.960 crumbles under the table. And basically what 00:03:14.960 --> 00:03:16.620 she's saying is, you know what? I believe in 00:03:16.620 --> 00:03:19.479 you and I don't have any hope, but I don't care 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:22.479 what anyone says. I don't care. I'm coming and 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:25.780 I need your hand. And then the text says, daughter, 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:29.900 go home. You've answered well. Your faith, your 00:03:29.900 --> 00:03:32.819 daughter's well. But you know, if I was one of 00:03:32.819 --> 00:03:35.099 those disciples, I would say that woman is unworthy. 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:39.539 The third barrier is the barrier of our deafness. 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:43.639 Right after this, we read that A group of people 00:03:43.639 --> 00:03:46.500 come and they have a friend who's deaf and mute. 00:03:46.659 --> 00:03:49.340 And they bring him to Jesus. Look at your text. 00:03:49.439 --> 00:03:52.099 They beg him. Notice the pattern. The people 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:54.139 at the end of chapter 6, they brought their friends 00:03:54.139 --> 00:03:56.400 and they begged Jesus to heal. The woman comes 00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:59.319 and she begs for her daughter. And now they come 00:03:59.319 --> 00:04:01.539 and they beg for their friend. He can't hear 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:04.680 and he's a mute. And so Jesus takes him aside 00:04:04.680 --> 00:04:08.259 out from the crowd. He heals him. Some of us, 00:04:08.259 --> 00:04:11.240 you can't hear from God. And then we get the 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:14.900 fourth barrier. It's not just our deafness, but 00:04:14.900 --> 00:04:17.980 it's our lack of resources. I wonder how many 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:22.220 times those of us, God shows us a need. Need 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:24.519 at a local school. A need with some people that 00:04:24.519 --> 00:04:26.839 can't make their house payment. A need with some 00:04:26.839 --> 00:04:29.399 people, and we say, you know, God, I would really 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:32.420 help out, but I don't have the resources. What's 00:04:32.420 --> 00:04:36.899 God saying? Courage is the catalyst to breakthrough. 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:40.529 Take what you do have. Take a step and start 00:04:40.529 --> 00:04:43.170 meeting some need, and then what you see, God 00:04:43.170 --> 00:04:49.569 will show up. The fifth is blindness. He's going 00:04:49.569 --> 00:04:52.610 to heal a blind person. Jesus is going to have 00:04:52.610 --> 00:04:55.370 a little talk with his disciples, and he's going 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:59.990 to say, I've shown you miraculously hearing and 00:04:59.990 --> 00:05:04.790 seeing, and you can trust me. And yet, they don't 00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:07.589 get it. In fact, notice the two groups that don't 00:05:07.589 --> 00:05:11.350 get it. Skip back up now to verse 11. The Pharisees 00:05:11.350 --> 00:05:14.889 came and began to question him. And so they come 00:05:14.889 --> 00:05:17.329 not to hear, not to learn, not to grow. What's 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:19.810 it say? They came to test him and they asked 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:23.310 him for a sign from heaven. And he sighed deeply. 00:05:25.029 --> 00:05:27.509 Why does this generation ask for miraculous signs? 00:05:27.689 --> 00:05:29.370 I tell you the truth, no sign will be given. 00:05:30.129 --> 00:05:31.750 And then he left them and got into the boat. 00:05:32.449 --> 00:05:34.370 Here's people that really think they've got it 00:05:34.370 --> 00:05:37.899 wired. And this is how we do with God sometimes. 00:05:38.279 --> 00:05:39.839 You know what? I'm kind of hearing this stuff, 00:05:39.899 --> 00:05:42.720 God. When you restore my marriage, get me a good 00:05:42.720 --> 00:05:45.180 job, I get my house back, and my kid's life turns 00:05:45.180 --> 00:05:47.160 around. And by the way, I've had this chronic 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:49.319 pain. Take care of that too. When you do all 00:05:49.319 --> 00:05:51.839 that, then I think I'll believe. Let me tell 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:56.259 you Jesus' response. He sighs deeply and says, 00:05:56.300 --> 00:06:00.079 you know, faith isn't you seeing all the things 00:06:00.079 --> 00:06:04.529 and then... Faith is choosing to step out of 00:06:04.529 --> 00:06:07.649 the boat when you feel afraid in believing what 00:06:07.649 --> 00:06:10.970 I've said. See, they weren't sincere. They were 00:06:10.970 --> 00:06:12.810 trying to manipulate. They came to test him. 00:06:14.129 --> 00:06:16.889 And then notice the disciples, because these 00:06:16.889 --> 00:06:20.029 are the people I think I identify with. You know, 00:06:20.050 --> 00:06:21.910 by now, I mean, isn't there part of you that's 00:06:21.910 --> 00:06:23.870 thinking, if you were walking around with Jesus, 00:06:24.050 --> 00:06:28.050 5 ,000 people, 4 ,000 people, a deaf guy, a blind 00:06:28.050 --> 00:06:29.910 man, I mean, at some point, wouldn't you think, 00:06:29.970 --> 00:06:32.449 hey, I believe in this guy. I mean, if he says 00:06:32.449 --> 00:06:38.009 it, let's do it. And yet, we pick up the disciples' 00:06:38.269 --> 00:06:41.509 response, picking up verse 14, chapter 8. The 00:06:41.509 --> 00:06:43.750 disciples had forgotten, so, you know, they leave 00:06:43.750 --> 00:06:45.850 the Pharisees, they're in the boat. They've forgotten 00:06:45.850 --> 00:06:48.269 to bring any bread except for just one loaf. 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:51.199 And Jesus, he's always teaching like we're supposed 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:53.139 to teach our kids and help one another. They're 00:06:53.139 --> 00:06:56.139 in the boat. And he says, now be careful of the 00:06:56.139 --> 00:06:59.899 yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. You know, 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:01.800 a little lesson as you're seeing all these miracles, 00:07:01.959 --> 00:07:04.100 I want you to trust me. I want you to be courageous. 00:07:04.259 --> 00:07:06.279 I want you to step out. But you need to understand 00:07:06.279 --> 00:07:07.939 there's a yeast. A yeast is something that starts 00:07:07.939 --> 00:07:10.680 small and, you know, infiltrates. And the yeast 00:07:10.680 --> 00:07:13.259 of the Pharisees is hypocrisy. Guys, you've got 00:07:13.259 --> 00:07:16.199 to guard. It's easy to go there. The yeast of 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:19.660 Herod's is power. And you can get intoxicated 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:22.360 with that. I mean, and sometimes we make these 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:24.740 Bible stories. Can you imagine what it would 00:07:24.740 --> 00:07:29.040 be like to be a part of the entourage? I mean, 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:31.720 you know, just picture you and me right here. 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:37.360 So you guys with Jesus? Yeah. How's it going? 00:07:37.519 --> 00:07:42.459 We had 45 ,000 at the last one. Yeah, yeah, you 00:07:42.459 --> 00:07:46.420 know, we see a few people healed, a couple raised 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:49.209 from the dead. It was a pretty good week. So 00:07:49.209 --> 00:07:51.389 do you like talk to him like up close? Oh, yeah, 00:07:51.589 --> 00:07:57.550 I cook a fish. Yeah, Jesus, me, we're tight. 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:01.290 You know what Jesus is saying? Don't go there. 00:08:02.350 --> 00:08:04.529 Don't get intoxicated with the power and the 00:08:04.529 --> 00:08:07.430 people and the public. And he's trying to guard 00:08:07.430 --> 00:08:10.490 their heart from what can happen and then aware 00:08:10.490 --> 00:08:12.879 of their discussion. Look in your text. Look 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.639 at the Bible, verse 17. Jesus asked him, why 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:18.060 are you talking about having no bread? Do you 00:08:18.060 --> 00:08:20.560 still not see or understand? Are your hearts 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:24.100 hardened? The answer is yes. And in the Bible, 00:08:24.139 --> 00:08:27.360 a hard heart is unbelief. Do you have eyes but 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:30.399 fail to see and ears but fail to hear? And don't 00:08:30.399 --> 00:08:32.320 you remember when I broke the five loaves or 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:35.259 the 5 ,000? How many basketfuls and pieces did 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:37.340 you pick up? And I think in unison they all said 00:08:37.340 --> 00:08:40.559 12. And when I broke the seven loaves for the 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:42.820 4 ,000, how many baskets or pieces did you pick 00:08:42.820 --> 00:08:46.940 up? And they said, seven. He said, do you still 00:08:46.940 --> 00:08:51.549 not understand? The most encouraging part about 00:08:51.549 --> 00:08:54.029 this is you can have that much experience and 00:08:54.029 --> 00:08:56.409 be that close to Jesus and see those many miracles 00:08:56.409 --> 00:08:59.549 and still have your heart hardened. They're still 00:08:59.549 --> 00:09:01.970 not willing to step out. They're still not courageous. 00:09:02.070 --> 00:09:04.509 And they still don't believe. They don't have 00:09:04.509 --> 00:09:06.990 enough bread for a little trip from point A to 00:09:06.990 --> 00:09:10.570 point B. Oh, what are we going to do? But how 00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:12.370 many times do we do that? Isn't that a barrier? 00:09:13.709 --> 00:09:16.769 There's some of us, I've been there, I have begged 00:09:16.769 --> 00:09:20.570 God in ICU for the life of one of my sons. I 00:09:20.570 --> 00:09:22.950 mean, begged God, oh God, don't let my boy die. 00:09:22.990 --> 00:09:25.690 Don't let my boy die. And God answered. I have 00:09:25.690 --> 00:09:28.429 begged God when my wife got cancer. I have begged 00:09:28.429 --> 00:09:30.750 God. I've been at times where the bills were 00:09:30.750 --> 00:09:33.029 this big and the resources were this big and 00:09:33.029 --> 00:09:35.870 I was on my face before God with my closest friends. 00:09:35.990 --> 00:09:41.350 Oh God. And I watched him. And yet, I can turn 00:09:41.350 --> 00:09:44.570 around two weeks later and have a financial need 00:09:44.570 --> 00:09:47.429 or a relational need or a big health issue and 00:09:47.429 --> 00:09:50.870 find myself paralyzed by fear. Oh, God. Oh, God. 00:09:51.029 --> 00:09:53.129 And it's like, you know, Ingram, when are you 00:09:53.129 --> 00:09:56.409 going to kind of like... It's like I get a spiritual 00:09:56.409 --> 00:10:01.330 lobotomy. And I forget. How about you? What about 00:10:01.330 --> 00:10:03.950 your track record? God wants you to step out. 00:10:04.649 --> 00:10:07.070 When's the last time you said, okay, forget none 00:10:07.070 --> 00:10:09.090 of his benefits and you start listening. He did 00:10:09.090 --> 00:10:10.769 this, he did this, he did this, he did this, 00:10:10.789 --> 00:10:12.690 he did this, he did this, he did this. I mean, 00:10:12.710 --> 00:10:15.669 go back as far as you need to. Can that God take 00:10:15.669 --> 00:10:19.610 care of this problem? If the answer's yes, courageously 00:10:19.610 --> 00:10:26.509 step out and trust him. It's the catalyst. It's 00:10:26.509 --> 00:10:33.480 the catalyst to breakthrough. The final barrier 00:10:33.480 --> 00:10:37.519 we're going to uncover when the disciples get 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:41.500 close, and now it's sort of exam time, the barrier 00:10:41.500 --> 00:10:44.799 of self -interest. And I do pray that you'll 00:10:44.799 --> 00:10:48.519 dig in and spend some time reading slowly from 00:10:48.519 --> 00:10:53.990 chapter 6 all the way through chapter 9. The 00:10:53.990 --> 00:10:56.269 self -interest goes something like this. He gets 00:10:56.269 --> 00:10:59.149 the disciples along, which is his pattern. Miracles, 00:10:59.230 --> 00:11:01.950 teaching, small group disciples, explanation. 00:11:03.649 --> 00:11:06.070 Checking, small group disciples, explanation. 00:11:08.090 --> 00:11:10.110 Specific questions to see what they're learning. 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:13.470 And so as we flow through the text at the end 00:11:13.470 --> 00:11:17.909 of chapter 8, Jesus says, so who do men say that 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:22.000 I am? Well, some think John the Baptist, others 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.600 Elijah, others the prophet that's to come. Now, 00:11:25.639 --> 00:11:28.879 the author has just told you that the disciples 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.240 are blind. They see, but they don't understand. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:35.039 And so Jesus heals someone who sees partially, 00:11:35.139 --> 00:11:39.580 and then the next question helps them see fully. 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:44.720 And so he's picturing for us the process. And 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.840 so, yeah, you're pretty close. A prophet, Elijah, 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:51.659 John the Baptist. But who do you say that I am? 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:55.159 And again, this is Peter. He just steps up, inspired 00:11:55.159 --> 00:11:57.779 by the Spirit of God. You are the Messiah. You 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:02.279 are the Son of the living God. Peter, A plus, 00:12:02.519 --> 00:12:05.559 and you didn't get that. God gave that to you. 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:08.019 The Father revealed that to you. And by the way, 00:12:08.039 --> 00:12:10.519 that's how this works. We take steps, but the 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:13.899 Spirit of God will powerfully and supernaturally 00:12:13.899 --> 00:12:17.419 confirm and reveal inside your heart the reality 00:12:17.419 --> 00:12:20.120 of who He is. And so as you take steps of faith, 00:12:20.259 --> 00:12:22.500 He'll let you know, I'll support, I'll show up. 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:26.679 But then something happens because as God begins 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:30.840 to work in our life, then Jesus begins a little 00:12:30.840 --> 00:12:36.480 bit of the truth. And the truth is, men all prophesied 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.360 through the Old Testament is, yes, the Messiah 00:12:38.360 --> 00:12:41.399 will come and reign. But before he reigns, he's 00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:44.039 going to be a suffering servant. And the text 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:46.379 says, he began to explain to them plainly that 00:12:46.379 --> 00:12:48.899 he would die and rise on the third day, that 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:50.639 he would be betrayed by the Pharisees and the 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:52.820 teachers of the law. And he was trying to prepare 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:55.320 them. And as he's preparing them, does anybody 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:59.779 remember what our great hero Peter does? Peter 00:12:59.779 --> 00:13:04.059 takes him aside. Hey, Lord. I don't know what 00:13:04.059 --> 00:13:05.480 you're thinking, but you need to cut that one. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:08.740 That is not the right message. Look, we got thousands 00:13:08.740 --> 00:13:11.320 of people. The money's rolling in. These miracles. 00:13:11.480 --> 00:13:17.080 I mean, you are the man. Rome's going down. Pharisees 00:13:17.080 --> 00:13:19.580 going out. You're the big dude, and we're with 00:13:19.580 --> 00:13:25.860 you. So, I mean, that was their view. And after 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:29.120 being the hero who heard from God, you're the 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:33.159 Messiah. What's Jesus say to him? He says the 00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:35.139 harshest words that any human being I think has 00:13:35.139 --> 00:13:38.340 ever heard. Get behind me. Not Peter, Satan. 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:43.399 See, Satan's the father of lies. But then what's 00:13:43.399 --> 00:13:46.980 the explanation? For you do not have on your 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:50.100 mind and heart the things of God, but the things 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:53.600 of men. In other words, you want to use me. You 00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.139 don't want me to fulfill the Father's will. You 00:13:56.139 --> 00:13:58.600 don't care about anyone else, Peter. You want 00:13:58.600 --> 00:14:01.419 to use me. You don't want the price. All you 00:14:01.419 --> 00:14:04.019 want is the product. You're not willing to follow 00:14:04.019 --> 00:14:07.460 me and to suffer and realize this is God's plan. 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:11.039 You really want Jesus to be sort of your little 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:13.620 self -help genie to make your life work out your 00:14:13.620 --> 00:14:18.000 way. Anybody else other than me struggle with 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:23.379 that? It's a barrier. It's a barrier. I mean, 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:27.120 you think of this passage, who experienced breakthroughs? 00:14:27.759 --> 00:14:29.879 I mean, if you went down through, who experienced 00:14:29.879 --> 00:14:33.100 the miraculous, the breakthrough? Unlikely people, 00:14:33.419 --> 00:14:37.539 right? Unworthy women, deaf guys, blind people. 00:14:37.960 --> 00:14:41.019 Who didn't experience breakthrough? Religious 00:14:41.019 --> 00:14:45.950 people, disciples. What did they do? What did 00:14:45.950 --> 00:14:48.370 the Pharisees do? Criticize, feel threatened, 00:14:48.610 --> 00:14:50.570 trying to figure out a way to manipulate the 00:14:50.570 --> 00:14:53.850 situation. What did the disciples do? Worry, 00:14:54.049 --> 00:14:57.350 uptight, concerned about them. The people that 00:14:57.350 --> 00:14:59.909 got breakthroughs, what did they do? Passionately 00:14:59.909 --> 00:15:03.330 came to Jesus and said, literally, I beg you, 00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:06.269 I beg you, I beg you, I beg you. Five times they 00:15:06.269 --> 00:15:09.950 come and say, I just need help. I'll do anything. 00:15:10.149 --> 00:15:12.970 You're the answer. I don't care what people think. 00:15:13.149 --> 00:15:17.100 I'm not unworthy. I'm trusting you. I don't see 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:19.779 clearly. I know I don't completely hear. I know 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:22.440 I've got self -interest, but I will. And what 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:27.700 happens to them? Bam, bam, bam. God's power, 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:35.159 courage is the catalyst for breakthrough. You're 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.559 listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:39.899 and we'll continue our lesson in just a minute. 00:15:40.409 --> 00:15:42.990 If you've missed any part of this series or want 00:15:42.990 --> 00:15:45.149 to dive deeper into the principles we're learning 00:15:45.149 --> 00:15:48.350 about, everything is available at livingontheedge 00:15:48.350 --> 00:15:51.470 .org. You'll find the complete message library, 00:15:51.929 --> 00:15:54.850 small group resources, and practical study tools, 00:15:55.049 --> 00:15:57.769 all designed to help you experience the breakthrough 00:15:57.769 --> 00:16:00.590 you're seeking. It's all there, waiting for you 00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:04.870 at livingontheedge .org. Well, now let's continue 00:16:04.870 --> 00:16:07.850 with today's message. What lessons did he want 00:16:07.850 --> 00:16:10.409 him to learn? If you went through each one of 00:16:10.409 --> 00:16:15.730 these, he wants them to learn God's word, not 00:16:15.730 --> 00:16:21.090 tradition, is what you go by. God's love, no 00:16:21.090 --> 00:16:25.049 respective persons. God's power, available in 00:16:25.049 --> 00:16:27.090 impossible situations, even when you're deaf. 00:16:28.590 --> 00:16:33.269 Might be dim and deaf. God's provision is always 00:16:33.269 --> 00:16:37.480 available. And that God's demands... Here's the 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:42.419 hard part, are for your good. See, Peter unconsciously 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:45.080 thought he knew what was best for his future, 00:16:45.139 --> 00:16:48.740 his life, and his relationships. And again, he 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:51.620 forgot about God's goodness. There are things 00:16:51.620 --> 00:16:54.600 God will ask you and me to do in following him 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:58.860 that are hard, that are unpleasant, and that 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:02.940 are scary. And what we have to remember, he's 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:05.059 a sun and a shield. He gives grace and glory. 00:17:05.759 --> 00:17:08.859 And there's nothing good that he withholds. In 00:17:08.859 --> 00:17:12.839 fact, look at chapter 9. Because there is a question 00:17:12.839 --> 00:17:16.559 that every one of us will have to answer. There's 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:19.500 a path that we must take and a vision to inquire. 00:17:19.619 --> 00:17:23.519 And what he does here is he helps weak people 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.920 get courage. I mean, the whole goal of what's 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:29.240 happening right here is he wants these followers 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:34.039 to be infused with courage. And so when he asks 00:17:34.039 --> 00:17:36.119 them, here's the question he asks them, but he 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:40.079 asks us, who do you think Jesus is? Is he like 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:42.279 a good moral character? Is it a biblical worldview? 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:45.039 Is it try hard to be a nice person? Or has the 00:17:45.039 --> 00:17:48.640 living God died for you, risen from the dead, 00:17:48.779 --> 00:17:51.220 the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the one 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:53.579 to whom all people of all time, every knee will 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:56.000 bow, every tongue confess, and he's invited you 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:00.539 to a personal relationship to follow him. That's 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:02.519 a lot different than I believe in God and Jesus 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:05.740 paid for my sin and I kind of live my life and 00:18:05.740 --> 00:18:10.680 I squeeze him in when I can. And the path, what's 00:18:10.680 --> 00:18:14.119 the path? Look at verse 34. He says to them, 00:18:14.200 --> 00:18:17.000 if any man, if any woman would come after me, 00:18:17.140 --> 00:18:21.019 let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:27.000 me. He's saying power is resurrection power. 00:18:27.819 --> 00:18:30.259 But the only way you experience resurrection 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:34.640 power is when there's a death. And what you have 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:37.859 to die to, and this is the hard part, is your 00:18:37.859 --> 00:18:40.940 agenda and take your future and your relationships 00:18:40.940 --> 00:18:44.480 and your finances and your kids and your uncertainty 00:18:44.480 --> 00:18:47.940 and your work and your dreams and you offer them 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:51.660 to God and say, I'm all in, I'll follow you. 00:18:52.900 --> 00:18:56.460 And when we say that, what the enemy whispers 00:18:56.460 --> 00:19:00.069 is, Well, then it'll be hard. It'll be terrible. 00:19:00.269 --> 00:19:02.130 You'll never get married. You'll never have any 00:19:02.130 --> 00:19:04.470 money. It's going to be really rough. And all 00:19:04.470 --> 00:19:07.349 that is like, oh, so God, he's willing to die 00:19:07.349 --> 00:19:09.509 for you and loves you that much, but he really 00:19:09.509 --> 00:19:11.490 wants life on earth to be just a real pain in 00:19:11.490 --> 00:19:15.990 the rear. That's how we act. And so what does 00:19:15.990 --> 00:19:19.579 he say? Afterwards, he tries to help his disciples 00:19:19.579 --> 00:19:21.220 with his arm around him saying, guys, don't you 00:19:21.220 --> 00:19:24.960 understand? This is the path I will follow. I 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:27.859 will die and I will rise from the dead and I'm 00:19:27.859 --> 00:19:30.559 going to blaze the trail. Because unless a grain 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:32.299 of wheat fall into the earth and die, it remains 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:34.900 by itself alone. But if it dies, it bears forth 00:19:34.900 --> 00:19:37.980 much fruit. For what will it profit a man or 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:40.599 a woman if you gain the whole world but you forfeit 00:19:40.599 --> 00:19:45.329 your soul? He said, I've got your best interests. 00:19:45.390 --> 00:19:47.690 There are some things that are hard, but you 00:19:47.690 --> 00:19:49.970 want deep relationships. You want my blessing 00:19:49.970 --> 00:19:51.930 in your life. You want to have a connection with 00:19:51.930 --> 00:19:54.769 your kids. You want my hand of power and blessing 00:19:54.769 --> 00:20:00.829 upon your work. Take up your cross. Follow me. 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:04.000 Because what will it profit you if you cut corners 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:06.680 and neglect me and one of your kids gets in Stanford 00:20:06.680 --> 00:20:09.140 and another in Columbia and they have high SAT 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:11.660 scores and your company finally goes public and 00:20:11.660 --> 00:20:13.819 then you get that really good raise and you not 00:20:13.819 --> 00:20:15.559 only get this house but you get to remodel your 00:20:15.559 --> 00:20:17.140 kitchen and then a little piece in the mountains 00:20:17.140 --> 00:20:19.039 or maybe in the beach and you work, work, work, 00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:21.119 work, work, work, work, work. And then you're 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:24.220 this lonely person alienated from God and you 00:20:24.220 --> 00:20:26.759 have all these toys and all this stuff and you 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:31.269 realize it's empty. Now, they may be blessings 00:20:31.269 --> 00:20:33.269 that God would use. He's not saying those things 00:20:33.269 --> 00:20:37.369 are wrong. What he's saying is they're bad, bad, 00:20:37.390 --> 00:20:41.450 and they might be a blessing that could be used 00:20:41.450 --> 00:20:47.990 and enjoyed. But as you follow the trail, well, 00:20:48.049 --> 00:20:52.329 how does this all work? How do we move from... 00:20:52.839 --> 00:20:55.980 this vision that Jesus is who he said he is, 00:20:56.140 --> 00:20:58.359 that he's the Lord, he's the son of God, he's 00:20:58.359 --> 00:21:00.259 a good shepherd, he's a Messiah, he's a savior, 00:21:00.380 --> 00:21:04.420 you believe him. And you get to where when you're 00:21:04.420 --> 00:21:07.839 afraid, you can take a step of courage and begin 00:21:07.839 --> 00:21:10.799 to see him work. So I'm gonna take everything 00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:13.980 we've talked about and I wanna walk through and 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:17.359 give you a very linear, specific path and game 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:21.000 plan to apply it. Because if you'll take a step 00:21:21.000 --> 00:21:24.019 of courage, you will see God show up in you and 00:21:24.019 --> 00:21:27.319 through you like never before. Here's the path, 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:31.759 the analysis. Fear keeps us from stepping out 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:34.220 to unleash God's power into impossible situations. 00:21:34.220 --> 00:21:38.640 Fair? We're all afraid. But it keeps us from 00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:40.480 stepping out. I know I should, I know I ought, 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:44.059 but we don't. Two, stepping out requires courage. 00:21:45.220 --> 00:21:47.779 Courage is the power to act despite our fears. 00:21:49.959 --> 00:21:52.380 Courage is birthed in us when we see God for 00:21:52.380 --> 00:21:54.400 who he is and therefore the size of our God becomes 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:57.220 greater than the size of the obstacles, our problems, 00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:00.200 and our fear. Courage is birthed when our circumstances 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:02.720 are so impossible and we're so desperate that 00:22:02.720 --> 00:22:04.900 we step out and seek God's help because we've 00:22:04.900 --> 00:22:07.720 exhausted all other options. Have you ever noticed 00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:10.119 that the biggest times in your life where God 00:22:10.119 --> 00:22:11.759 showed up was when you didn't bring anything 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:15.519 to the party? You were desperate. Can I just 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:18.059 tell you and me, we're as desperate today if 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:20.329 your circumstances are good. As you were when 00:22:20.329 --> 00:22:23.029 your kid was in ICU or someone you love has cancer. 00:22:25.650 --> 00:22:27.430 But boy, no one had to teach me how to pray when 00:22:27.430 --> 00:22:32.730 my wife had cancer. No boxes to check. I was 00:22:32.730 --> 00:22:36.150 begging God. When's the last time you came before 00:22:36.150 --> 00:22:39.410 God with urgency and passion and begged him to 00:22:39.410 --> 00:22:41.890 intervene in something in your life or something 00:22:41.890 --> 00:22:44.150 about your character or something, a habit that 00:22:44.150 --> 00:22:46.089 you have or a relationship that you know has 00:22:46.089 --> 00:22:48.369 got to turn around instead of, I hope it works 00:22:48.369 --> 00:22:50.470 out and I'll try this and I'll read another book 00:22:50.470 --> 00:22:52.890 on that and maybe if I talk to her who talks 00:22:52.890 --> 00:22:54.349 to him and then she'll get this turned around 00:22:54.349 --> 00:22:57.809 or maybe we try some different medicine. I'm 00:22:57.809 --> 00:22:59.789 all for all the doctors, all the wisdom, all 00:22:59.789 --> 00:23:06.539 the counsel. But God does the impossible. Courage 00:23:06.539 --> 00:23:09.420 then demands faith that God will do what he's 00:23:09.420 --> 00:23:12.700 promised. I mean, I don't step out. I'm not Peter 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:14.839 until I believe if he said come, I can come. 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:18.259 So do you have faith? Well, where do you get 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:21.059 faith? Faith is a result of seeing Jesus up close 00:23:21.059 --> 00:23:24.559 for who he is. And so did you notice in chapter 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:28.329 9, verse 2? He has them on this journey. He wants 00:23:28.329 --> 00:23:30.130 them to have courage. You know, his courage comes 00:23:30.130 --> 00:23:32.170 through faith. He wants them to step out. How 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:34.730 are they going to get faith? He takes his three 00:23:34.730 --> 00:23:37.789 key guys, James, John, and Peter, up on a mountain. 00:23:37.950 --> 00:23:41.049 And remember, what did he say? You see, but you 00:23:41.049 --> 00:23:44.250 don't understand. You hear, and you don't get 00:23:44.250 --> 00:23:46.410 it. And so he takes them up with his mountain 00:23:46.410 --> 00:23:48.329 of transfiguration. And it wasn't a light from 00:23:48.329 --> 00:23:50.970 heaven, contrary to movies. The light came out 00:23:50.970 --> 00:23:55.980 of Jesus. He pulled back and they saw the glory 00:23:55.980 --> 00:23:59.440 of the Son of God. And I mean, it was bright. 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:01.279 And then all of a sudden, two people show up 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:03.240 that these guys trust. Moses. What was Moses? 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:06.880 Moses was the greatest revealer of God's truth 00:24:06.880 --> 00:24:09.339 in the Old Testament. Elijah is the greatest 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:14.160 revealer of God's power. And these three guys 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:16.559 with all their doubts, all of a sudden, this 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:21.900 is who Jesus is. I see it. And here's the testimony. 00:24:22.880 --> 00:24:25.880 And then a cloud comes and they actually hear. 00:24:26.059 --> 00:24:30.579 They're not deaf anymore. This is my dearly loved 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:40.160 son. Listen to him. And those three guys will 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:44.440 believe. And they'll be courageous because they 00:24:44.440 --> 00:24:48.539 believe. And Jesus took them up so they could 00:24:48.539 --> 00:24:52.019 see him for who he is. And notice we can in our 00:24:52.019 --> 00:24:54.839 day, and here's how, prayer is God's invitation 00:24:54.839 --> 00:24:59.579 to see Jesus up close and believe he will do 00:24:59.579 --> 00:25:03.259 what is impossible for you. You need to totally 00:25:03.259 --> 00:25:06.700 revamp how you think about praying. Okay, five 00:25:06.700 --> 00:25:08.759 minutes, eight minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes. 00:25:08.960 --> 00:25:11.319 Okay, I think I'm supposed to do, okay, thank 00:25:11.319 --> 00:25:13.319 you, God, thank you, God. Help me, I'll see you 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:16.980 later. You know, I'll catch you in the car. God 00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:19.940 wants a relationship. What do you really want? 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:25.099 What do you really want? Intentional, passionate, 00:25:25.480 --> 00:25:28.740 focused. God, I want you to restore my marriage. 00:25:29.160 --> 00:25:32.660 God, I would like a husband or a wife. God, I 00:25:32.660 --> 00:25:34.839 want you to turn one of my kids around. God, 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:37.200 I think this kid has this opportunity. I want 00:25:37.200 --> 00:25:38.559 you to do something inside there. I want you 00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:41.059 to open this avenue. Lord, I want to build a 00:25:41.059 --> 00:25:43.039 great business, and I'm telling you on the front 00:25:43.039 --> 00:25:45.339 end, you can do with it whatever you want, but 00:25:45.339 --> 00:25:49.220 this is what I'm asking. Are you praying like 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:52.079 that? God, I'm mad. God, I'm ticked off. God, 00:25:52.160 --> 00:25:54.180 I can't take this anymore. I don't understand. 00:25:54.680 --> 00:25:59.660 The raw, real you before the living God. Because 00:25:59.660 --> 00:26:03.839 what God honors is truth. Not these plastic little 00:26:03.839 --> 00:26:07.099 bless here and now I lay me down to sleep and, 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:09.279 you know, help us do this and help us do that. 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:12.160 You don't really want help. God, I'm scared to 00:26:12.160 --> 00:26:14.920 death. And you spoke to me about taking a step. 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.440 And if you don't show up, I'll sink like Peter. 00:26:18.380 --> 00:26:20.420 And for some of you, if you're like me, you feel 00:26:20.420 --> 00:26:22.339 like you don't have time. So our final point 00:26:22.339 --> 00:26:25.740 is fasting is choosing to remove whatever distracts 00:26:25.740 --> 00:26:28.240 us from seeing and experiencing God for who he 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:31.579 is. And by the way, for some of you, food is 00:26:31.579 --> 00:26:33.079 the last thing in the world you need to fast 00:26:33.079 --> 00:26:36.539 from. It's a good start. You need to fast from 00:26:36.539 --> 00:26:39.759 your phone. You need to fast from Facebook. You 00:26:39.759 --> 00:26:42.140 need to fast from your hobby. You need to fast 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:44.759 from every moment of every time of how much football 00:26:44.759 --> 00:26:46.660 you're going to watch or how many fantasy leagues 00:26:46.660 --> 00:26:50.500 or how much time you shop. Whatever it is, some 00:26:50.500 --> 00:26:52.880 of you need to fast from a relationship. This 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:55.700 person is no good for your spiritual, emotional, 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:58.119 and intellectual health. You need to fast for 00:26:58.119 --> 00:26:59.660 them and get away from them for two or three 00:26:59.660 --> 00:27:03.099 weeks. Now, if it's your marriage partner, that's 00:27:03.099 --> 00:27:06.819 not what I'm recommending. But do you understand? 00:27:07.180 --> 00:27:09.319 Do you realize how many of us, you have traditions 00:27:09.319 --> 00:27:11.859 and habits and you want God to really work and 00:27:11.859 --> 00:27:15.099 you do this and do that for a couple hours and 00:27:15.099 --> 00:27:16.539 then you sit afterwards because you're exhausted 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:18.000 and you're exhausted because you didn't eat very 00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:19.319 well and you don't work out because you don't 00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:20.539 have time. You don't have time because you're 00:27:20.539 --> 00:27:22.099 sitting in front of a TV for two or three hours 00:27:22.099 --> 00:27:23.900 at the end of every day and you keep doing it 00:27:23.900 --> 00:27:25.259 and doing it and doing it and doing it and you 00:27:25.259 --> 00:27:26.619 come like here and you get all fired up and then 00:27:26.619 --> 00:27:32.359 you go, it doesn't work. Create space. And then 00:27:32.359 --> 00:27:34.680 if you do, you won't last two or three days. 00:27:35.200 --> 00:27:37.740 You can never sustain any kind of discipline, 00:27:37.880 --> 00:27:41.160 I mean, apart from people in your corner saying, 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:44.119 will you help me get there? No one does the journey 00:27:44.119 --> 00:27:46.220 alone. No one can keep their commitments alone. 00:27:49.180 --> 00:27:51.759 This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:27:51.819 --> 00:27:54.859 What a powerful reminder that breakthrough requires 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:58.279 community. Chip will be back in a moment, but 00:27:58.279 --> 00:28:00.240 if you want to revisit or share this important 00:28:00.240 --> 00:28:02.819 message with someone you know, just go online 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:07.279 to our website. livingontheedge .org. As you 00:28:07.279 --> 00:28:09.299 think about which barriers are holding you back, 00:28:09.500 --> 00:28:11.740 let me tell you about a resource designed to 00:28:11.740 --> 00:28:14.559 strengthen your spiritual foundation. It's Chip's 00:28:14.559 --> 00:28:17.740 free 10 -day devotional series called Psalms 00:28:17.740 --> 00:28:21.019 of Hope. These psalms speak directly to the struggles 00:28:21.019 --> 00:28:23.880 we face when seeking breakthrough. They reveal 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:26.200 how to stay anchored when life feels overwhelming, 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:29.500 how to hear God's voice above the noise, and 00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:31.960 how to trust His provision when resources seem 00:28:31.960 --> 00:28:35.190 scarce. Psalms of Hope is completely free and 00:28:35.190 --> 00:28:38.529 available right now online at livingontheedge 00:28:38.529 --> 00:28:42.369 .org. Just look for Psalms of Hope and start 00:28:42.369 --> 00:28:45.430 building that daily habit of study, contemplation, 00:28:45.430 --> 00:28:48.390 and prayer. You know, this ministry and resources 00:28:48.390 --> 00:28:51.210 like Psalms of Hope are made possible by friends 00:28:51.210 --> 00:28:54.250 like you who choose to invest in it. Your support 00:28:54.250 --> 00:28:56.650 makes it possible for others to discover the 00:28:56.650 --> 00:28:59.170 breakthrough truths you're learning. Will you 00:28:59.170 --> 00:29:02.730 help us reach more people? Give online at livingontheedge 00:29:02.730 --> 00:29:05.750 .org or send your gift to Living on the Edge, 00:29:05.869 --> 00:29:11.769 P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. You 00:29:11.769 --> 00:29:13.730 can also call us and give over the phone. Just 00:29:13.730 --> 00:29:19.730 dial 888 -333 -6003. And don't forget to subscribe 00:29:19.730 --> 00:29:22.410 to the Living on the Edge podcast. It's available 00:29:22.410 --> 00:29:26.369 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast 00:29:26.369 --> 00:29:29.500 platforms. You'll get each of these daily messages 00:29:29.500 --> 00:29:31.960 delivered right to your phone so you can listen 00:29:31.960 --> 00:29:35.079 wherever you are, whenever you want. Well, now 00:29:35.079 --> 00:29:37.880 here's Chip with some final thoughts. As we close 00:29:37.880 --> 00:29:41.339 today's program, the last section of the teaching 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:45.220 time answered the question, how do weak people 00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:48.640 get courage? And I walk through how Jesus taught 00:29:48.640 --> 00:29:51.339 his disciples. And then I did a little analysis. 00:29:51.440 --> 00:29:54.220 And I give you six very specific things that 00:29:54.220 --> 00:29:56.180 talk about fear and stepping out and courage 00:29:56.180 --> 00:29:59.240 and faith and prayer and even fasting. I can't 00:29:59.240 --> 00:30:01.799 develop all of those. Can I encourage you? Those 00:30:01.799 --> 00:30:04.079 are really powerful. They come right out of Scripture. 00:30:04.259 --> 00:30:07.420 Go to the website, livingontheedge .org. Download 00:30:07.420 --> 00:30:10.779 the notes for free. Ponder those. Pray over them. 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:13.680 And then act. And God will give you courage. 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:16.359 What if the biggest breakthroughs start with 00:30:16.359 --> 00:30:19.440 the smallest steps? I'm Dave Drewy, inviting 00:30:19.440 --> 00:30:22.220 you to join us tomorrow on Living on the Edge. 00:30:25.400 --> 00:30:27.920 Today's program is produced and sponsored by 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:29.039 Living on the Edge.