WEBVTT 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.179 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:17.079 Did you know that God has a dream for your life? 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:20.940 A very specific, positive, and wonderful plan? 00:00:21.219 --> 00:00:24.300 You want to know what it is? Stay with me. We're 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:28.480 going to unpack that today. Welcome to Living 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.120 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm your host, 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:33.500 Dave Drewy. And today we're launching a powerful 00:00:33.500 --> 00:00:36.719 series called God's Dream for Your Life. Using 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:39.439 Romans chapter 12 as the roadmap, Chip shows 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.579 us what authentic Christianity looks like. Not 00:00:42.579 --> 00:00:45.280 religious striving, but relational transformation. 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:48.600 You'll discover three missing ingredients in 00:00:48.600 --> 00:00:51.920 most Christians' lives, power, peace, and purpose. 00:00:52.539 --> 00:00:55.219 If you've been trying hard but feeling stuck, 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.399 if you know you're born again but lack the vitality 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.140 you thought Christianity promised, this message 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:04.719 changes everything. Well, here's Chip with today's 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.709 teaching. I want you to know that every parent 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:11.590 has a dream for your child. I want you to think 00:01:11.590 --> 00:01:13.670 back, if you're a parent, if not, just listen 00:01:13.670 --> 00:01:16.170 and think about this is what your parents were 00:01:16.170 --> 00:01:19.430 thinking. Every parent, I want you to go back 00:01:19.430 --> 00:01:22.109 to that firstborn. You didn't have any kids and 00:01:22.109 --> 00:01:27.409 your wife was pregnant or you were the wife and 00:01:27.409 --> 00:01:30.230 you are pregnant. And you thought about all the 00:01:30.230 --> 00:01:31.909 things that went through your mind about what 00:01:31.909 --> 00:01:33.810 this little boy or what this little girl might 00:01:33.810 --> 00:01:37.450 be like. The dreams and the thoughts and the 00:01:37.450 --> 00:01:41.250 hopes and the aspirations. And what I want to 00:01:41.250 --> 00:01:44.170 tell you is that God has a dream for his children. 00:01:44.349 --> 00:01:46.790 But what we do is we get that sort of theological 00:01:46.790 --> 00:01:49.930 over there. And somehow we think he's more like 00:01:49.930 --> 00:01:53.170 the transcendent force out there someday, some 00:01:53.170 --> 00:01:55.670 way. And there's rules and standards to live 00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:58.569 up to. And so for you to capture the emotion 00:01:58.569 --> 00:02:01.930 of how God feels, I want to share a very brief 00:02:01.930 --> 00:02:04.909 and personal story. about when I understood how 00:02:04.909 --> 00:02:07.930 deeply God plants desires and dreams for us, 00:02:07.950 --> 00:02:11.310 for our kids. It was our firstborn for Teresa 00:02:11.310 --> 00:02:15.909 and myself. We were at a banquet. Middle of the 00:02:15.909 --> 00:02:19.349 banquet, Teresa says, Chip, it is time. I said, 00:02:19.370 --> 00:02:21.310 Teresa, let's go. You know, you don't know what 00:02:21.310 --> 00:02:24.050 you're doing. The contractions had been about 00:02:24.050 --> 00:02:27.210 three hours. We go home, get things set up. We 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.650 go to Baylor Hospital. For the next 27 hours, 00:02:30.909 --> 00:02:33.879 Teresa and I will be together. It's a long labor. 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:38.120 There's complications. For a number of reasons, 00:02:38.219 --> 00:02:41.599 they can't take the baby. They find out something's 00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:43.520 wrong. They put a monitor on this little boy 00:02:43.520 --> 00:02:47.180 inside of my wife. And I sit next to her for 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:50.000 27 hours. And that little monitor, if you know, 00:02:50.080 --> 00:02:52.060 a baby's heartbeat goes like this. Beep, beep, 00:02:52.060 --> 00:02:53.639 beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, 00:02:53.639 --> 00:02:56.300 beep, beep, beep, beep, right? And then she would 00:02:56.300 --> 00:02:59.099 have a contraction. And it would go beep, beep, 00:02:59.139 --> 00:03:04.310 beep, beep, beep. Beep. Then doctors and nurses 00:03:04.310 --> 00:03:07.969 would run in. Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, 00:03:08.129 --> 00:03:09.770 beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. And 00:03:09.770 --> 00:03:13.110 we went through that. About three times in 27 00:03:13.110 --> 00:03:15.289 hours, about every eight hours, we just stopped 00:03:15.289 --> 00:03:18.050 and we prayed and we cried and we gave that little 00:03:18.050 --> 00:03:21.129 boy back to God. And I thought, we may have him, 00:03:21.150 --> 00:03:23.550 we may not. Then I started thinking about Teresa 00:03:23.550 --> 00:03:25.909 and I may not have her. What's going to happen? 00:03:27.310 --> 00:03:29.930 And with 27 hours, I had a lot of time to think 00:03:29.930 --> 00:03:33.000 about all the dreams I had. for that little boy 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:35.439 that came to the surface that I thought I might 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:40.340 lose. And I want you to know that something deep, 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:44.620 deep inside of me was so fearful and grieving 00:03:44.620 --> 00:03:47.520 at what I might lose. And then when that little 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:52.080 boy was born, 27 hours later, that nurse wiped 00:03:52.080 --> 00:03:55.159 him off. Teresa was wiped out. I think she said 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:59.939 hi. And then they put that baby in my arms. It 00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:01.460 was one of those places where they really thought 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:03.479 the dad was important, and I got a half hour 00:04:03.479 --> 00:04:07.500 with my son. And I held that little baby, and 00:04:07.500 --> 00:04:10.560 I just, I held that baby with tears streaming 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.699 down my face, thinking I didn't know if this 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:16.279 was going to happen. And I thought of all the 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:19.079 dreams I might have lost. And I still remember 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:21.720 it was a linoleum floor and I had such a sense 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:24.379 of gratitude. I remember getting on my knees 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:27.040 on a linoleum floor and holding that little boy 00:04:27.040 --> 00:04:32.920 and just crying and thanking God. And I want 00:04:32.920 --> 00:04:37.600 you to know why. Because I'm made in the image 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:41.199 of God and embedded in the heart of a father 00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:44.980 and embedded in the heart of a mother is a dream 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:48.639 and a desire for your kids because God made you. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:54.180 And that's how he feels about you. And for many 00:04:54.180 --> 00:04:56.100 of us, when our kids are small, the dreams, and 00:04:56.100 --> 00:04:58.040 we're sort of young, immature parents, we have 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:00.319 dreams like, I hope he's a baseball player, or 00:05:00.319 --> 00:05:02.680 I hope she's musical, or it'd be great if she's 00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:05.500 athletic or artistic. And then as you get a little 00:05:05.500 --> 00:05:07.199 bit older and they go through some stages in 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:09.600 life, then you will hope they get a good job 00:05:09.600 --> 00:05:11.899 and hope they do well in school. And a lot of 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:15.180 the dreams are about kind of what they do. Then 00:05:15.180 --> 00:05:17.699 the older you get and the older they get, you 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:21.720 get to where I don't care what they do. I just 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:25.399 want a kid that loves me, loves God, tells the 00:05:25.399 --> 00:05:28.459 truth. Your dreams turn into what kind of person 00:05:28.459 --> 00:05:32.100 will this be? And you'll notice on your notes, 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:35.279 I want you to know this, is that our heavenly 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.420 father has a dream for every one of his children, 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:42.339 and God's dream is to make you like his, write 00:05:42.339 --> 00:05:47.180 the word, son. Be ye mature, or fulfill your 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:51.250 design, Matthew. Chapter 5, verse 48 says, be 00:05:51.250 --> 00:05:53.610 ye perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect. 00:05:53.910 --> 00:05:57.129 In Romans 8, 29, he says God uses every circumstance, 00:05:57.269 --> 00:06:00.189 every up, every down, every relationship, everything 00:06:00.189 --> 00:06:02.810 we ever go through to conform us to the image 00:06:02.810 --> 00:06:05.290 of his son. He says in Ephesians 4 that the whole 00:06:05.290 --> 00:06:09.209 purpose of the church is designed so that Through 00:06:09.209 --> 00:06:11.329 the relationships that we have and the gifts 00:06:11.329 --> 00:06:13.649 that God places in the body is that we would 00:06:13.649 --> 00:06:16.290 all grow up to the measure of the stature of 00:06:16.290 --> 00:06:18.769 the fullness of Christ. You need to understand, 00:06:19.029 --> 00:06:22.589 primarily your life with your heavenly father 00:06:22.589 --> 00:06:24.970 is not about what you do, not about what you 00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:27.649 accomplish, not what kind of job you have, not 00:06:27.649 --> 00:06:30.230 how many points you're scoring spiritually. His 00:06:30.230 --> 00:06:34.410 primary dream is the kind of person you become, 00:06:34.649 --> 00:06:38.050 the kind of relationship you have with him. He 00:06:38.050 --> 00:06:42.290 wants you to be a loving, kind, gentle, holy 00:06:42.290 --> 00:06:46.329 person who walks in integrity. I think it's the 00:06:46.329 --> 00:06:49.410 greatest need in the world today is for Christians 00:06:49.410 --> 00:06:53.370 to live like Christians. And here's what's exciting. 00:06:53.949 --> 00:06:57.110 It's not guesswork. It's not about trying hard. 00:06:57.589 --> 00:07:00.930 It's not about being religious. God gives us 00:07:00.930 --> 00:07:04.519 a very... clear picture of what his dream is 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:07.800 for your life in Romans chapter 12. God's dream 00:07:07.800 --> 00:07:10.699 for every child is to become a disciple or a 00:07:10.699 --> 00:07:13.540 follower, and you can write it in, a Romans 12 00:07:13.540 --> 00:07:16.899 Christian. That's his will. Are you ready? His 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:20.079 will for every child of God on the face of the 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:22.639 earth, regardless of background, nationality, 00:07:22.660 --> 00:07:26.420 gender, denomination, God's desire, God's will 00:07:26.420 --> 00:07:30.000 for every single follower is that they would 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.189 become a Romans 12 Christian. Now, I'm not saying 00:07:33.189 --> 00:07:36.509 that Romans 12 is all there is to being a disciple, 00:07:36.649 --> 00:07:39.850 but here's what I'm saying. I'm saying it is 00:07:39.850 --> 00:07:43.569 the executive summary. It's the snapshot. It's 00:07:43.569 --> 00:07:46.250 like this amazing mind that God gave the apostle 00:07:46.250 --> 00:07:49.110 Paul. He takes all the teachings of Jesus, and 00:07:49.110 --> 00:07:51.610 for 11 chapters, he writes about the work of 00:07:51.610 --> 00:07:54.350 Christ and the sin of mankind, all that God has 00:07:54.350 --> 00:07:56.790 accomplished, and how much he loves people. And 00:07:56.790 --> 00:07:59.810 then in chapter 12, he stops, and he gives us 00:07:59.810 --> 00:08:03.120 a snapshot. And he gives us this very quick kind 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:06.199 of cliff note snapshot. What we're going to learn 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:07.920 as we go through it, number one, are you ready 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.000 for this? It's relational. And if you have a 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:14.500 pen, circle a few keywords just as we go through 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:16.120 the passage. All we're going to do is give an 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:18.439 overview and we'll dig into each of these sections. 00:08:18.579 --> 00:08:20.939 But circle the word. It says relationship with 00:08:20.939 --> 00:08:24.620 God. Circle the word God. Verse 1 is going to 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:27.439 talk about what's the snapshot of spiritual maturity, 00:08:27.699 --> 00:08:30.199 of true spirituality with God. Then go down, 00:08:30.220 --> 00:08:31.959 it says, look, it's the relationship with the 00:08:31.959 --> 00:08:34.580 world. Circle the phrase, the world. There's 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:36.299 a world system that we're going to learn about. 00:08:36.779 --> 00:08:39.559 A world system that's anti -God, that's energized 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:42.519 by the enemy of your soul, seeking to seduce 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:45.139 you away from your love for Christ. And then 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:46.759 it's going to talk about your relationship with 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:49.919 yourself. Circle the word yourself. We're going 00:08:49.919 --> 00:08:51.559 to learn a little bit later that God wants you 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:54.899 to have an accurate, Sober self -assessment. 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.200 Then notice that we talk about relationship on 00:08:57.200 --> 00:08:59.240 the second page, relationship with believers. 00:08:59.419 --> 00:09:02.139 Circle the word believers. There's a way that 00:09:02.139 --> 00:09:06.080 spiritually mature, authentic followers relate 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.399 with other Christians in a way that does amazing 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.820 things in them and amazing things in others. 00:09:11.000 --> 00:09:13.200 And then finally, circle the last one. It's a 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:16.710 relationship with non -believers. There's a way 00:09:16.710 --> 00:09:18.830 that people that love Jesus, where His Spirit 00:09:18.830 --> 00:09:21.690 lives inside of you, respond to the harshest, 00:09:21.710 --> 00:09:24.190 most difficult, painful evil that comes into 00:09:24.190 --> 00:09:28.049 your life. You're listening to Living on the 00:09:28.049 --> 00:09:30.429 Edge with Chip Ingram. We're halfway through 00:09:30.429 --> 00:09:32.909 today's message, so don't go anywhere just yet. 00:09:33.409 --> 00:09:35.870 Today's insightful lesson comes from our series 00:09:35.870 --> 00:09:38.830 called God's Dream for Your Life. Want to dig 00:09:38.830 --> 00:09:41.509 deeper into these truths? Well, the full series 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:44.590 is ready for you online at Living on the Edge. 00:09:54.389 --> 00:09:57.909 Well, now let's rejoin Chip with today's message. 00:09:58.250 --> 00:10:01.769 The second thing you learn about a Romans 12 00:10:01.769 --> 00:10:05.029 Christian is that it's practical and it's measurable. 00:10:06.250 --> 00:10:08.750 Okay, this isn't just a ooey -gooey spiritual 00:10:08.750 --> 00:10:11.629 feeling. Follow along, if you will. Notice what 00:10:11.629 --> 00:10:14.190 it says in verse 1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, 00:10:14.269 --> 00:10:16.750 in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies 00:10:16.750 --> 00:10:19.649 as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. 00:10:19.850 --> 00:10:23.250 This is your spiritual act of worship. Well, 00:10:23.289 --> 00:10:25.110 look at this. But this word for offer is at a 00:10:25.110 --> 00:10:27.730 point in time. And what he's going to say is 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:30.490 that here's what you can know practically and 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:35.649 measurably. A spiritually mature, authentic follower 00:10:35.649 --> 00:10:40.129 is surrendered to God. On a certain day, at a 00:10:40.129 --> 00:10:43.549 certain time, on their spiritual journey, a man 00:10:43.549 --> 00:10:46.809 or a woman or a student has realized how great 00:10:46.809 --> 00:10:49.529 and how powerful God is and that his will is 00:10:49.529 --> 00:10:52.049 good and you have bowed the knee and bowed the 00:10:52.049 --> 00:10:55.049 heart and said to God, I'm all in. I will do 00:10:55.049 --> 00:10:57.210 whatever you want me to do. Your word will be 00:10:57.210 --> 00:10:59.730 the guide of my life. I want to arrange my life, 00:10:59.730 --> 00:11:01.809 my relationships, and my priorities around whatever 00:11:01.809 --> 00:11:06.730 you say. And that answers one of the biggest 00:11:06.730 --> 00:11:09.259 questions. that you'll ever face in your life. 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:13.299 And that question is this. How do you give God 00:11:13.299 --> 00:11:16.019 what he wants the most? Have you ever thought 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:19.200 about that? God is a person. He's not some invisible, 00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:24.200 transcendent, impersonal force. He's a person. 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:28.539 And if you have a good friend, and they have 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:31.360 a birthday, don't you ask questions like, I wonder 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:33.220 what he or she would want for their birthday? 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:36.580 Or if you're married, you say, I wonder what 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:39.690 my mate would want the most? Or if you're a parent, 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:42.470 I wonder how I could really help or bless my 00:11:42.470 --> 00:11:44.889 kids the most. Have you ever asked yourself, 00:11:45.129 --> 00:11:49.850 I wonder what God wants the most from me? And 00:11:49.850 --> 00:11:51.509 you know what you're going to learn? He wants 00:11:51.509 --> 00:11:56.029 you. He wants you. My observation is in most 00:11:56.029 --> 00:11:58.190 Christians' life, there's a missing ingredient. 00:11:58.809 --> 00:12:01.789 And Romans 12 not only is relational and practical, 00:12:02.600 --> 00:12:05.659 It answers this big question and it also gives 00:12:05.659 --> 00:12:08.100 us the missing ingredient in every relationship. 00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.639 And the missing ingredient in most Christians' 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:14.539 lives, and you just jot this on the side of your 00:12:14.539 --> 00:12:19.220 notes, is power. We're anemic. So many Christians 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:23.120 try really, really hard. We've had tens of thousands 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:25.220 of small groups in America and around the world 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:27.980 go through this material. So I've got like research. 00:12:29.870 --> 00:12:32.070 And there's still one email that I remember reading 00:12:32.070 --> 00:12:35.169 and thinking, wow. The lady said I was at the 00:12:35.169 --> 00:12:40.009 kitchen sink doing the dishes. And that morning 00:12:40.009 --> 00:12:42.389 I woke up and I felt kind of distant from God. 00:12:42.450 --> 00:12:45.350 I've been a Christian about 22 years. And for 00:12:45.350 --> 00:12:48.230 some reason I just thought about, I wonder if 00:12:48.230 --> 00:12:51.570 any friend described me, if they would even use 00:12:51.570 --> 00:12:54.769 the word good Christian or someone who really 00:12:54.769 --> 00:12:58.860 loves God with my name. And she said, you know, 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:01.159 I've tried, failed, tried, failed, tried, failed. 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:04.519 I know that I'm born again. I've been a Christian 00:13:04.519 --> 00:13:08.620 22 years. I have an alcohol problem that I presently 00:13:08.620 --> 00:13:12.139 have right now. And I have an immorality problem 00:13:12.139 --> 00:13:19.659 and a porn problem. And I don't like me. And 00:13:19.659 --> 00:13:23.360 those thoughts that... guilt because of how I'm 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.399 living were popping up and I'm doing the dishes 00:13:25.399 --> 00:13:27.980 and the radio was on and this message comes on 00:13:27.980 --> 00:13:30.559 about becoming a Romans 12 Christian and it was 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:32.860 the one on surrender. And she said, as I was 00:13:32.860 --> 00:13:35.399 doing the dishes, the tears just started streaming 00:13:35.399 --> 00:13:38.220 down my face. And she said, I never heard that 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:42.899 before. I never understood that before. And she 00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:45.240 talked about drying her hands, going to her bedroom, 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:48.379 kneeling by her bed, and telling God, I can't 00:13:48.379 --> 00:13:51.080 do this. I can't live this life. I surrender 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:54.519 to you. And the rest of that email was, that 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:56.700 was four and a half months ago, and let me tell 00:13:56.700 --> 00:13:59.500 you what God did in my life since then. Power. 00:14:01.059 --> 00:14:03.159 You know, if you've ever been in one of those 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.259 water fights in the backyard, and someone starts 00:14:05.259 --> 00:14:07.620 with a squirt gun, right? And if you're smart, 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:10.110 what do you do? You get the hose. And so they 00:14:10.110 --> 00:14:13.210 got one of those guns and you get the hose. But 00:14:13.210 --> 00:14:15.990 what does someone really, really smart do if 00:14:15.990 --> 00:14:19.070 you get the hose? They go over here and they 00:14:19.070 --> 00:14:23.669 grab the hose and they kink it. And when they 00:14:23.669 --> 00:14:28.210 kink it, how much water comes out? None. What 00:14:28.210 --> 00:14:30.269 I want you to understand is you can be a legitimate, 00:14:30.409 --> 00:14:34.610 sincere, born again believer in Jesus. And if 00:14:34.610 --> 00:14:38.779 your hose is kinked, If your life isn't surrendered, 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:42.100 you don't experience his power. And so all it 00:14:42.100 --> 00:14:47.179 becomes is this moralism and attempts to live 00:14:47.179 --> 00:14:52.039 a life that's absolutely impossible. Becoming 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:53.940 a Romans 12 Christian begins in your relationship 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:57.340 with God by being surrendered to him. But notice 00:14:57.340 --> 00:14:59.720 beginning in verse two, it says, do not conform 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:02.179 any longer to the pattern of this world, but 00:15:02.179 --> 00:15:03.940 be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:15:04.539 --> 00:15:06.460 Then you'll be able to test and improve what 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:09.480 God's will is, that which is good and pleasing 00:15:09.480 --> 00:15:13.179 and perfect. There's a negative and a positive 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:14.980 command, and we're going to develop this and 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:17.519 talk about it. But in essence, what he says is, 00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:20.620 with regard to this world system that tells you 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:25.279 that money and stuff and sex and power and prestige 00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:28.220 will deliver on security and significant and 00:15:28.220 --> 00:15:31.940 great relationships, he's saying, you've got 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:35.340 to live separate from the world's values. You 00:15:35.340 --> 00:15:38.919 can't let it, but notice he doesn't say try hard 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.200 to be a good Christian. He says, let your mind 00:15:41.200 --> 00:15:44.600 be transformed. Then you'll test, you'll experience. 00:15:45.519 --> 00:15:47.500 You know the question, the big question in life 00:15:47.500 --> 00:15:50.360 this verse answers? How do you get the very best 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:54.580 from God? How do you get the very best from God? 00:15:55.440 --> 00:15:58.100 Verse one answers, how do you give God what he 00:15:58.100 --> 00:16:01.960 really wants? Verse two says, if God really loves 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:05.440 me, He died for me and he rose from the dead 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:07.960 and he has a plan for my life. How do you tap 00:16:07.960 --> 00:16:10.899 into that? We'll explain from this verse exactly 00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:14.940 how it works. And the missing ingredient I find 00:16:14.940 --> 00:16:17.879 in the great majority of Christians that I talk 00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:22.059 to is not just lack of power because of an unsurrendered 00:16:22.059 --> 00:16:27.139 life, but a lack of peace. There's Christians 00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:28.740 that can't come in. You got to turn on the TV. 00:16:29.159 --> 00:16:31.419 You got to go to the refrigerator. When you get 00:16:31.419 --> 00:16:33.340 in the car, you got to put sound and music on 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:39.139 because absolute dead, deathly quiet times make 00:16:39.139 --> 00:16:43.080 you very uncomfortable. There are few positions, 00:16:43.179 --> 00:16:45.639 I think, in all the world that are more miserable 00:16:45.639 --> 00:16:49.320 than a legitimate, born -again follower of Jesus 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:52.659 in whom the Spirit of God lives, who lives with 00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:55.899 one foot in walking with God and the other foot 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:59.519 in the world system. I happen to be an expert 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:02.879 on this. I've done extensive personal research. 00:17:03.620 --> 00:17:05.779 I know what it's like to be at Bible study on 00:17:05.779 --> 00:17:08.440 Thursday night and hit every bar on Friday night. 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:11.380 I have been over here where I've, oh, Bible study 00:17:11.380 --> 00:17:13.779 and talking about sexual purity and lusted like 00:17:13.779 --> 00:17:15.799 crazy over here and telling God I'll never do 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:18.960 this, this, this or that again. And I will tell 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:20.940 you, I was the most miserable Christian in the 00:17:20.940 --> 00:17:24.400 world for the first three years. That is the 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:29.579 place the great majority of believers live. And 00:17:29.579 --> 00:17:33.200 we forfeit God's peace. We're going to learn. 00:17:33.339 --> 00:17:35.299 Are you ready? We're going to learn how to break 00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:38.440 that cycle. How God's spirit and God's power 00:17:38.440 --> 00:17:40.779 can help you live the kind of life that you long 00:17:40.779 --> 00:17:43.140 to and that he wants for you. And we'll learn 00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:46.940 that's how you get his best. Beginning in verse 00:17:46.940 --> 00:17:50.420 3 and through 8, we learn that in our relationship 00:17:50.420 --> 00:17:55.799 to ourselves, God desires a sober self -assessment. 00:17:57.139 --> 00:17:58.980 Notice the little phrase, for by the grace of 00:17:58.980 --> 00:18:02.380 God. What I want you to hear in all where he 00:18:02.380 --> 00:18:05.339 sort of sets the bar of holiness and righteousness 00:18:05.339 --> 00:18:07.220 and what it means to have true spirituality, 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:09.720 I want you to hear behind it this compassionate 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:13.259 heart of love. For by the grace of God, I say 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:15.500 to every man among you, don't think more highly 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:17.480 of yourself than you ought to think, but think 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:20.220 as to have sound or sober judgment, as God has 00:18:20.220 --> 00:18:24.660 allotted to each a measure of faith. He talks 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:26.920 about, How you get that and how you're a part 00:18:26.920 --> 00:18:29.859 of a body. And we'll discover that he's deposited 00:18:29.859 --> 00:18:32.079 a supernatural gift. If you look at verses six 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:34.579 through eight, we'll cover all those later. But 00:18:34.579 --> 00:18:36.839 he wants you in your relationship to yourself 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:40.119 to look in the physical mirror and to look in 00:18:40.119 --> 00:18:42.619 the spiritual and the relational mirror and say, 00:18:42.660 --> 00:18:48.500 I like that person. God made them. That personality, 00:18:48.619 --> 00:18:53.079 that gifts, that height, that eye color. Those 00:18:53.079 --> 00:18:56.420 struggles, that family background, and the sovereignty 00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:59.400 of God. He wants you to have an accurate, sober 00:18:59.400 --> 00:19:03.000 view of yourself. In that one verse, that word 00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:05.440 sober, think, think, think, four different times. 00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:09.599 God wants you to see yourself the way he sees 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:18.440 you. Dearly loved, valuable, precious, forgiven. 00:19:22.569 --> 00:19:25.910 And you know the big question this answers? How 00:19:25.910 --> 00:19:29.509 do you come to grips with the real you? I mean, 00:19:29.529 --> 00:19:32.150 do you realize how much time and energy and money 00:19:32.150 --> 00:19:36.430 and posing and image management we do? Just as 00:19:36.430 --> 00:19:39.190 normal human beings, even as Christians, to try 00:19:39.190 --> 00:19:40.990 and project to all these different people that 00:19:40.990 --> 00:19:42.930 I'm like this and I'm like this and I'm dressed 00:19:42.930 --> 00:19:44.789 like that and I'm cool like that and I know this 00:19:44.789 --> 00:19:46.769 and did you know I know so and so and this is 00:19:46.769 --> 00:19:48.890 how many people report to me or my son or my 00:19:48.890 --> 00:19:50.809 daughter, they got this on their SAT scores and 00:19:50.809 --> 00:19:52.569 he hit two home runs and I want you to know I 00:19:52.569 --> 00:19:55.829 went to an Ivy League school and this purse, 00:19:55.829 --> 00:19:57.589 it's not a knockoff, it's really real and this 00:19:57.589 --> 00:20:00.130 watch, it really is and I got promoted and yeah, 00:20:00.150 --> 00:20:04.339 yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you spiritualize 00:20:04.339 --> 00:20:06.259 it all and you get in a Bible study. Well, according 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:08.059 to so -and -so's commentary, when I was reading 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:09.660 the Greek text a little bit earlier in preparation 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:14.880 for this, we do it, we do it, we do it, we do 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:18.839 it. This section will teach you how to come to 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:21.000 grips with the real you and then it supplies 00:20:21.000 --> 00:20:25.059 the missing ingredient. Verse one supplies the 00:20:25.059 --> 00:20:28.059 power when you understand it. Verse two supplies 00:20:28.059 --> 00:20:31.900 the peace. And verse three supplies your purpose. 00:20:33.680 --> 00:20:39.180 Because see, God made you specifically. You are 00:20:39.180 --> 00:20:41.940 his workmanship. You're created in Christ Jesus 00:20:41.940 --> 00:20:44.259 unto a good work, which before the foundations 00:20:44.259 --> 00:20:47.299 of the earth. So guess what? He's gifted you 00:20:47.299 --> 00:20:50.980 to do something specific. In his sovereignty, 00:20:51.180 --> 00:20:53.720 he has you in relationships that have been difficult 00:20:53.720 --> 00:20:57.400 in some ways and empowering in others. But God 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:01.009 has a purpose for your life. When you're always 00:21:01.009 --> 00:21:04.109 pretending to be someone else or comparing yourself 00:21:04.109 --> 00:21:06.710 with someone else and not accepting, these are 00:21:06.710 --> 00:21:08.569 my strengths, these are my weaknesses, these 00:21:08.569 --> 00:21:11.230 are my gifts, this is my background, this produces 00:21:11.230 --> 00:21:13.549 some difficulty and dependency, this produces 00:21:13.549 --> 00:21:15.670 some great things. Until you get a sober self 00:21:15.670 --> 00:21:18.190 -assessment, you end up playing games your whole 00:21:18.190 --> 00:21:21.680 life. You try to fulfill your mom's purpose or 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:23.799 your dad's purpose or the culture's purpose or 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:25.900 the company's purpose or what other people think. 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:28.720 Do you know how freeing it is to understand this 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:33.240 is why I'm here. My purpose is this. And this 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:35.000 is what I'm good at and this is what I'm not 00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:37.079 good at. This is where I need help and this is 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:39.880 where I need to step out and let God use me. 00:21:40.440 --> 00:21:43.940 It's revolutionary. It's absolutely revolutionary. 00:21:47.210 --> 00:21:50.009 This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:21:50.309 --> 00:21:53.089 Today we launched a foundational series called 00:21:53.089 --> 00:21:55.650 God's Dream for Your Life. In this teaching is 00:21:55.650 --> 00:21:58.289 what Living on the Edge is all about. Chip will 00:21:58.289 --> 00:22:01.670 wrap up in just a moment. For over 30 years, 00:22:01.869 --> 00:22:04.309 Living on the Edge has existed for one purpose, 00:22:04.529 --> 00:22:06.869 to help Christians understand what it really 00:22:06.869 --> 00:22:09.740 means to follow Jesus. Not religious performance, 00:22:10.200 --> 00:22:12.960 not endless striving, but authentic biblical 00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:15.920 Christianity that transforms how you relate to 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:19.480 God, yourself, and others. Today's message from 00:22:19.480 --> 00:22:22.099 Romans chapter 12 is the heart of our mission. 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:25.380 We believe every believer needs a clear, practical 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:28.660 roadmap for spiritual maturity. That's why we 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:31.460 create resources, develop small group materials, 00:22:31.740 --> 00:22:34.140 and produce daily teaching that comes alongside 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:37.019 you, helping you live out God's dream for your 00:22:37.019 --> 00:22:40.089 life. This ministry reaches millions because 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:43.269 partners like you believe in this mission. When 00:22:43.269 --> 00:22:45.309 you give to Living on the Edge, you're helping 00:22:45.309 --> 00:22:48.529 believers move from confusion to clarity, from 00:22:48.529 --> 00:22:51.549 frustration to freedom, from merely knowing about 00:22:51.549 --> 00:22:55.210 God to genuinely walking with Him. Your support 00:22:55.210 --> 00:22:57.990 makes that possible. Will you join us in this 00:22:57.990 --> 00:23:00.630 mission? Partner with Living on the Edge today 00:23:00.630 --> 00:23:04.490 by giving online at livingontheedge .org or call 00:23:04.490 --> 00:23:10.210 us at 888 - 333 -6003 to give right now. Or write 00:23:10.210 --> 00:23:14.509 to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, 00:23:14.730 --> 00:23:19.089 Georgia, 30024. And don't miss the Chip Ingram 00:23:19.089 --> 00:23:21.950 Sermon Podcast, a new feature on the Living on 00:23:21.950 --> 00:23:25.250 the Edge podcast. Every sermon, complete and 00:23:25.250 --> 00:23:29.430 unedited, now available alongside our daily broadcasts. 00:23:29.450 --> 00:23:32.369 Subscribe to the Living on the Edge podcast today. 00:23:33.130 --> 00:23:36.380 Now here's Chip. As we close today's program, 00:23:36.640 --> 00:23:39.480 I want to remind you that the Christian life 00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:42.890 is not complex. Jesus taught in a way where the 00:23:42.890 --> 00:23:45.809 common people heard him gladly. And the Apostle 00:23:45.809 --> 00:23:48.410 Paul takes all the Christian life and gives us 00:23:48.410 --> 00:23:51.250 a summary and boils it down to those five significant 00:23:51.250 --> 00:23:53.849 relationships. And in our relationship to God, 00:23:53.950 --> 00:23:56.009 what do we learn? It's being surrendered to him. 00:23:56.150 --> 00:23:58.390 In relationship to the world, it's being separate 00:23:58.390 --> 00:24:00.910 from the world's values. In relationship to ourselves, 00:24:01.329 --> 00:24:03.750 it's having a sober self -assessment. And in 00:24:03.750 --> 00:24:05.750 relationship to believers, it's learning to serve 00:24:05.750 --> 00:24:08.309 one another in love. And then in those difficult, 00:24:08.329 --> 00:24:12.119 painful times when evil comes our way. It's supernaturally 00:24:12.119 --> 00:24:15.640 responding to evil with good. As you learn by 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:18.019 God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit 00:24:18.019 --> 00:24:21.640 to respond the way the Apostle Paul has outlined 00:24:21.640 --> 00:24:24.759 the Christian life, you will experience something 00:24:24.759 --> 00:24:28.299 in you that's fresh and through you that changes 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:31.000 all the world around you. Stay with me on this 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:33.700 series. This is going to be a great ride. I expect 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:36.759 God to do great things in you and then through 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:39.579 you in the next couple weeks. Ready to discover 00:24:39.579 --> 00:24:41.920 the missing ingredients most Christians lack? 00:24:42.059 --> 00:24:45.480 Power, peace, and purpose? I'm Dave Drewy. Join 00:24:45.480 --> 00:24:48.160 us tomorrow as Chip Ingram continues God's dream 00:24:48.160 --> 00:24:51.059 for your life, right here on Living on the Edge 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:56.440 with Chip Ingram. Today's program is produced 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:58.619 and sponsored by Living on the Edge.