WEBVTT 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:14.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:17.350 As parents, we all have a dream for our kids. 00:00:17.949 --> 00:00:20.649 And yet there's times when they make decisions 00:00:20.649 --> 00:00:23.449 and they get on the wrong path and it breaks 00:00:23.449 --> 00:00:26.390 our heart. I want you to know that that happens 00:00:26.390 --> 00:00:29.410 to us as Christians as well. And you have a Heavenly 00:00:29.410 --> 00:00:32.630 Father that wants to stop you, help you turn 00:00:32.630 --> 00:00:35.950 around, and help you experience the life that's 00:00:35.950 --> 00:00:41.240 really life. Don't miss this message. Authentic 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:44.479 community. Can it really exist? Where someone 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:47.340 knows the real you, the struggles, the doubts, 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:50.240 the failures, and doesn't condemn but supports? 00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:52.979 Well, I'm Dave Drewy, and today on Living on 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:55.960 the Edge, Chip Ingram discusses God's dream for 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:59.460 your life. Using Romans chapter 12, Chip shows 00:00:59.460 --> 00:01:02.420 us what normal Christianity looks like when lived 00:01:02.420 --> 00:01:04.939 out in relationship with other believers and 00:01:04.939 --> 00:01:08.120 with those hostile to the gospel. If you've ever 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:10.359 wondered how to experience genuine community 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:13.519 or overcome the raw deals life throws at you, 00:01:13.599 --> 00:01:16.719 stay tuned. Well, here's Chip with today's message, 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:21.239 God's Dream for Your Life. Our Heavenly Father 00:01:21.239 --> 00:01:24.700 has a dream for every one of His children, and 00:01:24.700 --> 00:01:27.900 God's dream is to make you like His, write the 00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:32.739 word, Son. God gives us a very... clear picture 00:01:32.739 --> 00:01:35.620 of what his dream is for your life in Romans 00:01:35.620 --> 00:01:39.540 chapter 12. God's desire, God's will for every 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:43.219 single follower is that they would become a Romans 00:01:43.219 --> 00:01:46.519 12 Christian. Follow along if you will. Notice 00:01:46.519 --> 00:01:49.060 what it says in verse 1. Therefore I urge you, 00:01:49.099 --> 00:01:51.519 brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:54.480 bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:56.920 to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. 00:01:57.719 --> 00:02:00.040 And that answers one of the biggest questions. 00:02:00.620 --> 00:02:03.120 that you'll ever face in your life. And that 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.540 question is this. How do you give God what he 00:02:05.540 --> 00:02:07.379 wants the most? And you know what you're gonna 00:02:07.379 --> 00:02:12.939 learn? He wants you. He wants you. My observation 00:02:12.939 --> 00:02:15.439 is in most Christians' life, there's a missing 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:19.280 ingredient. And the missing ingredient in most 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:24.800 Christians' lives is power. We're anemic. If 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:27.620 your life isn't surrendered, you don't experience 00:02:27.620 --> 00:02:30.419 his power. Becoming a Romans 12 Christian begins 00:02:30.419 --> 00:02:32.740 in your relationship with God by being surrendered 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:35.620 to him. But notice beginning in verse two, it 00:02:35.620 --> 00:02:38.020 says, do not conform any longer to the pattern 00:02:38.020 --> 00:02:40.780 of this world, but be transformed by the renewing 00:02:40.780 --> 00:02:43.379 of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and 00:02:43.379 --> 00:02:46.240 improve what God's will is, that which is good 00:02:46.240 --> 00:02:49.759 and pleasing and perfect. You know the question, 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:51.740 the big question in life this verse answers? 00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:55.680 How do you get the very best from God? Verse 00:02:55.680 --> 00:02:58.159 one answers, how do you give God what he really 00:02:58.159 --> 00:03:02.120 wants? Verse two says, if God really loves me 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:05.419 and he died for me and he rose from the dead 00:03:05.419 --> 00:03:07.960 and he has a plan for my life, how do you tap 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:10.939 into that? We'll explain from this verse exactly 00:03:10.939 --> 00:03:14.199 how it works. And the missing ingredient I find 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:16.520 in the great majority of Christians that I talk 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:20.759 to is not just lack of power because of an unsurrendered 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:24.939 life. but a lack of peace. Beginning in verse 00:03:24.939 --> 00:03:28.479 3 and through 8, we learn that in our relationship 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:33.979 to ourselves, God desires a sober self -assessment. 00:03:35.219 --> 00:03:37.180 Notice the little phrase, for by the grace of 00:03:37.180 --> 00:03:40.280 God. I say to every man among you, don't think 00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:42.580 more highly of yourself than you ought to think, 00:03:42.620 --> 00:03:45.080 but think as to have sound or sober judgment, 00:03:45.180 --> 00:03:47.479 as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:51.479 In the sovereignty of God, he wants you to have 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:56.020 an accurate, sober view of yourself. God wants 00:03:56.020 --> 00:04:00.460 you to see yourself the way he sees you. Dearly 00:04:00.460 --> 00:04:06.080 loved. Forgiven. And you know the big question 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:09.060 this answers? How do you come to grips with the 00:04:09.060 --> 00:04:12.379 real you? This section will teach you how to 00:04:12.379 --> 00:04:14.599 come to grips with the real you, and then it 00:04:14.599 --> 00:04:17.850 supplies the missing ingredient. Verse one supplies 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:21.290 the power when you understand it. Verse two supplies 00:04:21.290 --> 00:04:25.209 the peace. And verse three supplies your purpose. 00:04:25.829 --> 00:04:31.689 Because see, God made you specifically. You are 00:04:31.689 --> 00:04:34.470 his workmanship. You're created in Christ Jesus 00:04:34.470 --> 00:04:36.870 unto a good work, which before the foundations 00:04:36.870 --> 00:04:39.930 of the earth. So guess what? He's gifted you 00:04:39.930 --> 00:04:43.889 to do something specific. Do you know how freeing 00:04:43.889 --> 00:04:47.670 it is to understand this is why I'm here. My 00:04:47.670 --> 00:04:50.790 purpose is this. And this is what I'm good at 00:04:50.790 --> 00:04:52.550 and this is what I'm not good at. This is where 00:04:52.550 --> 00:04:54.889 I need help and this is where I need to step 00:04:54.889 --> 00:04:59.329 out and let God use me. It's revolutionary. It's 00:04:59.329 --> 00:05:02.949 absolutely revolutionary. I have a good friend 00:05:02.949 --> 00:05:07.250 over in Santa Cruz and he was a fellow entrepreneur. 00:05:07.470 --> 00:05:10.829 He ran... half of the United States of one of 00:05:10.829 --> 00:05:13.649 those really, really giant companies and saw 00:05:13.649 --> 00:05:15.689 that he was kind of losing touch with his family 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:17.689 and the travel. And so he decided that he would 00:05:17.689 --> 00:05:20.230 start a business of his own. And so he developed 00:05:20.230 --> 00:05:24.470 these, about 26 of these stores around that, 00:05:24.529 --> 00:05:26.370 you know, kind of like Joanne's or Michael's, 00:05:26.370 --> 00:05:28.149 but he called it by his wife's name, which I 00:05:28.149 --> 00:05:31.079 thought was very nice. And he became a mentor 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:33.779 of mine. I spent a lot of time and he would help 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:36.939 me. And I was teaching through sort of in the 00:05:36.939 --> 00:05:39.199 infant stages of my journey about a sober self 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:41.379 -assessment and a part of that understanding 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.220 what your primary spiritual gift is. And he went 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:48.000 through that. And you know what? Just people 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:50.990 are people in his world. Okay, he was a good 00:05:50.990 --> 00:05:53.170 business guy. He became very successful. When 00:05:53.170 --> 00:05:54.769 you're very successful in business, he made a 00:05:54.769 --> 00:05:56.629 lot of money. So there he was a good leader and 00:05:56.629 --> 00:05:58.449 blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Because you 00:05:58.449 --> 00:06:00.730 know what his whole, like 25 years of church 00:06:00.730 --> 00:06:04.110 experience was? Sitting on committees in meetings 00:06:04.110 --> 00:06:06.129 where everyone wanted to talk about money and 00:06:06.129 --> 00:06:07.970 then counting money afterwards. And if there 00:06:07.970 --> 00:06:09.790 was ever a capital campaign, Dick, you do it. 00:06:10.750 --> 00:06:15.290 And he said, I hated it all. And we went through 00:06:15.290 --> 00:06:17.509 a journey and he discovered his spiritual gift. 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:20.300 And he discovered what he likes to do is launch 00:06:20.300 --> 00:06:23.199 things. And what he likes to do is equip people. 00:06:23.399 --> 00:06:25.060 And what he likes to do is bring together networks. 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:28.279 And so he said, you know what? I just decided 00:06:28.279 --> 00:06:30.860 I'm not going to be on any more boards. This 00:06:30.860 --> 00:06:33.240 was a spiritual decision. He said, this is what 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:35.860 I'm going to do. And he actually was the one 00:06:35.860 --> 00:06:37.779 that launched Living on the Edge. It was his 00:06:37.779 --> 00:06:41.879 idea. He's the guy who got it going. And I can 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:44.399 now tell you four, five, six, seven, eight different 00:06:44.399 --> 00:06:46.939 ministries he's launched. And he just says there's 00:06:46.939 --> 00:06:50.639 such joy when you figure out how God made you 00:06:50.639 --> 00:06:54.680 and you fulfill your purpose. Do you know yours? 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:59.720 Do you realize how so much of Christendom is 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:02.980 like people got like another job? And often a 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:05.600 job you don't like. And often a job you don't 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:07.019 like and you're actually not doing very well 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:11.550 at. That's not true spirituality. True spirituality 00:07:11.550 --> 00:07:14.810 is relational. It's practical. It's measurable. 00:07:15.230 --> 00:07:17.370 It's normal people like us that are surrendered 00:07:17.370 --> 00:07:21.009 to God on a day where we actually cross that 00:07:21.009 --> 00:07:23.350 line and then progressively we're separate from 00:07:23.350 --> 00:07:25.470 the world's values and then we develop a sober 00:07:25.470 --> 00:07:29.470 self -assessment. And we start to discover our 00:07:29.470 --> 00:07:31.589 purpose and why we're here and it actually gets 00:07:31.589 --> 00:07:34.709 downright exciting. The fourth thing you see 00:07:34.709 --> 00:07:37.050 is that it's relationship with believers is it's 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:44.980 serving in love. True spiritual maturity is love 00:07:44.980 --> 00:07:47.060 must be sincere, and the word literally is without 00:07:47.060 --> 00:07:50.620 a mask or without hypocrisy. Hate what is evil, 00:07:50.660 --> 00:07:52.379 cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:54.949 in brotherly love. And then the rest of that 00:07:54.949 --> 00:07:57.209 passage, we'll unpack it and it'll talk about 00:07:57.209 --> 00:07:58.949 honoring one another and giving preference to 00:07:58.949 --> 00:08:01.170 one another. And it's really about people that 00:08:01.170 --> 00:08:03.569 actually know each other and like each other 00:08:03.569 --> 00:08:06.689 and sacrifice for one another and pray for one 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:08.829 another and do whatever it takes to help one 00:08:08.829 --> 00:08:11.170 another. And it's like doing life in community. 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:17.170 But you serve in love, but it's real love. It's 00:08:17.170 --> 00:08:20.220 not a... A meeting I go to, it's not okay, you 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:21.899 know, we made it three out of four times this 00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:23.720 month. I'm feeling really good about that checkbox. 00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:29.939 I read the Bible four times this week. It's so 00:08:29.939 --> 00:08:33.120 different when it's a relationship with this 00:08:33.120 --> 00:08:36.559 God who loves you so much and you open his word 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:39.019 with a sense of holy trembling that he would 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:41.720 so love and want to speak to you today and he 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:43.419 would love to hear what's on your mind and on 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:46.769 your heart. And actually his spirit lives inside 00:08:46.769 --> 00:08:49.789 of these other people called other fellow Christians. 00:08:50.149 --> 00:08:52.990 And he's deposited gifts in them. And he wants 00:08:52.990 --> 00:08:55.210 to hug you through them. And he wants to love 00:08:55.210 --> 00:08:57.210 you through them. And he wants to hold you accountable 00:08:57.210 --> 00:08:59.289 through them. He wants to encourage you through 00:08:59.289 --> 00:09:01.029 them. And are you ready? He wants you to do that 00:09:01.029 --> 00:09:05.070 right back. And there's this amazing thing in 00:09:05.070 --> 00:09:06.610 the early church. Remember what Jesus said? A 00:09:06.610 --> 00:09:09.370 new commandment I give unto you. To the early 00:09:09.370 --> 00:09:12.169 disciples, John 13, that you love one another, 00:09:12.269 --> 00:09:17.610 how? Just as I've loved you. By this, not by 00:09:17.610 --> 00:09:20.629 buildings, not by external morality, by this 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:22.730 the world will know that the Father has sent 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:29.690 me by how you love one another. And this section 00:09:29.690 --> 00:09:32.470 of true spirituality from Romans 12 answers the 00:09:32.470 --> 00:09:36.750 question that we all struggle with is how do 00:09:36.750 --> 00:09:39.700 I experience authentic community? Boy, there's 00:09:39.700 --> 00:09:42.559 so many lonely people. I don't mean just being 00:09:42.559 --> 00:09:45.320 in a group. I don't mean just being a member 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:48.220 of something. I mean, how do I experience where 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:52.019 there's someone or two or three in my life that 00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:55.080 I can unzip my heart and I can risk putting it 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.220 out there and I can tell them things and I won't 00:09:57.220 --> 00:09:59.519 be condemned and they'll support me and love 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:01.879 me. And when I'm going through a horrendous time, 00:10:02.039 --> 00:10:04.600 they'll be there for me and they know I'd be 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:07.899 there for them. You ready? Having some friends 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:10.870 who would literally, not figuratively, not metaphorically, 00:10:10.929 --> 00:10:14.210 friends who would die for you. That's authentic 00:10:14.210 --> 00:10:17.509 community. And I'll tell you what, when you get 00:10:17.509 --> 00:10:19.049 around people that love each other like that, 00:10:19.210 --> 00:10:23.509 it's powerful. You know what's missing in most 00:10:23.509 --> 00:10:27.570 Christians' lives? It's not just power. It's 00:10:27.570 --> 00:10:30.870 not just purpose. You know what's missing in 00:10:30.870 --> 00:10:33.889 most Christians' lives? Experiencing God's presence. 00:10:35.539 --> 00:10:38.200 Somehow it's like we do these things and we hope 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:40.779 God will do this and like he's out there somewhere, 00:10:40.840 --> 00:10:44.059 somehow, someway. Do you know God's primary plan 00:10:44.059 --> 00:10:47.559 apart from when you read his word or you're talking 00:10:47.559 --> 00:10:50.399 to him or meditating? Do you know his primary 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:54.080 way to manifest his presence? It's through other 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:58.840 Christians. I mean, if an angel comes at the 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:00.340 middle of the night at the foot of your bed tonight, 00:11:00.580 --> 00:11:03.720 go for it. Tell me about it later. And if he 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:07.289 hugs you and, Fixes you a meal and says, you 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:08.889 know, tell me what's really going on inside because 00:11:08.889 --> 00:11:10.370 I really want to hear it because I really care. 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:16.389 God bless you. But for 99 .9 % of all the rest 00:11:16.389 --> 00:11:18.769 of us, you know how Jesus is going to show up 00:11:18.769 --> 00:11:21.330 in your life? He's going to show up in the body 00:11:21.330 --> 00:11:25.009 of another person. A man or a woman or a fellow 00:11:25.009 --> 00:11:27.289 student where there's kind of this chemistry 00:11:27.289 --> 00:11:30.789 and this... safety and this love, and you're 00:11:30.789 --> 00:11:33.809 devoted to one another in brotherly love. And 00:11:33.809 --> 00:11:36.090 you give preference to one another in honor. 00:11:36.370 --> 00:11:40.710 And you do life together. You're listening to 00:11:40.710 --> 00:11:43.509 Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We're halfway 00:11:43.509 --> 00:11:45.549 through today's message, so don't go anywhere 00:11:45.549 --> 00:11:48.710 just yet. Today's insightful lesson comes from 00:11:48.710 --> 00:11:51.049 our series called God's Dream for Your Life. 00:11:51.409 --> 00:11:54.350 Want to dig deeper into these truths? Well, the 00:11:54.350 --> 00:11:57.169 full series is ready for you online at Living 00:11:57.169 --> 00:12:10.460 on the Edge. Well, now let's rejoin Chip with 00:12:10.460 --> 00:12:13.360 today's message. The final portion of becoming 00:12:13.360 --> 00:12:15.779 a Romans 12 Christian isn't just your relationship 00:12:15.779 --> 00:12:18.100 with God or your relationship with the world 00:12:18.100 --> 00:12:21.519 or yourself or believers, but the evil in the 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:24.779 world. Relationships with non -believers that 00:12:24.779 --> 00:12:27.080 are hostile to the gospel. And unfortunately, 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:30.159 sometimes relationships with believers that are 00:12:30.159 --> 00:12:34.059 evil and hostile toward you. But it's supernaturally 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:38.379 responding to evil with good. Here the Apostle 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:40.460 Paul, you can hear him just reaching into the 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:42.720 Sermon on the Mount by the Spirit of God. Bless 00:12:42.720 --> 00:12:44.799 those who persecute you. Bless and curse not. 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:48.299 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:50.240 room for the wrath of God. Vengeance is mine. 00:12:50.279 --> 00:12:52.519 I will repay. If your enemy's hungry, what do 00:12:52.519 --> 00:12:55.899 you do? Feed him. If your enemy's thirsty, what 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:59.519 do you do? Give him a drink. Do not be overcome 00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:04.370 with evil. See, we're humans. Evil is going to 00:13:04.370 --> 00:13:07.250 come into all of our lives on your little journey 00:13:07.250 --> 00:13:09.169 on this earth. Some of you had more than others. 00:13:09.350 --> 00:13:10.769 You're going to get ripped off. You're going 00:13:10.769 --> 00:13:12.070 to get betrayed. You're going to have mates walk 00:13:12.070 --> 00:13:13.830 out on you. You're going to have kids say terrible 00:13:13.830 --> 00:13:15.830 things to you. You're going to have people who 00:13:15.830 --> 00:13:18.029 you've loaned them money and they promise to 00:13:18.029 --> 00:13:19.590 pay it back. And guess what? They're not going 00:13:19.590 --> 00:13:23.789 to. And there's evil that's sort of systemic. 00:13:25.850 --> 00:13:28.090 You can love God with all your heart. Guess what? 00:13:28.950 --> 00:13:30.690 Christians that love God with all their heart 00:13:30.690 --> 00:13:35.490 get cancer. They get hit by drunk drivers. They 00:13:35.490 --> 00:13:38.129 get swooped into down economies and lose their 00:13:38.129 --> 00:13:40.529 homes. And they've been faithful with their finances. 00:13:42.230 --> 00:13:46.789 Evil is coming your way. So what's true spirituality? 00:13:47.309 --> 00:13:50.049 What I love about what God says, true spirituality 00:13:50.049 --> 00:13:53.490 is how the Spirit of God lives the life of Christ 00:13:53.490 --> 00:13:55.870 out in relationship with my Heavenly Father, 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:58.250 with the world, with myself, with believers, 00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:00.350 and then with unbelievers when the raw deals 00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:04.059 are coming my way. The question it answers is 00:14:04.059 --> 00:14:07.799 how do you overcome the evil aimed at you? And 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:11.659 the thing that most Christians, listen carefully, 00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:17.559 most Christians have missing in their life is 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:22.820 perspective. We all could probably take out a 00:14:22.820 --> 00:14:25.559 three by five card or get out your mobile device 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:27.360 and press the little app where it says notes 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:29.259 and we could probably all list four or five people 00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:31.379 that used to walk with God that don't walk with 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:35.480 God now. After their mate walked out on them. 00:14:36.100 --> 00:14:39.080 After the car wreck. After they got ripped off 00:14:39.080 --> 00:14:45.120 at work, right? See, there's a reason that almost 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:49.360 25 % of the book of Genesis is dedicated to the 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:52.639 life of Joseph. Because Joseph is a picture of 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:55.720 true spirituality, of how do you respond at the 00:14:55.720 --> 00:15:00.980 evil aimed at you. And it wasn't easy. And I 00:15:00.980 --> 00:15:05.250 mean, he was betrayed. falsely accused, forgotten, 00:15:05.690 --> 00:15:11.110 sold. But that little phrase, the Lord was with 00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:14.549 Joseph. And do you know what Joseph had? Perspective. 00:15:15.730 --> 00:15:18.450 Joseph kind of took, even though they didn't 00:15:18.450 --> 00:15:21.129 have him in those days, follow it. Joseph took 00:15:21.129 --> 00:15:24.190 the helicopter of spiritual perspective. And 00:15:24.190 --> 00:15:26.350 in those days in prison or falsely accused, he 00:15:26.350 --> 00:15:28.289 just kept taking that helicopter up really, really, 00:15:28.309 --> 00:15:30.850 really high and looking at all of it and saying, 00:15:30.909 --> 00:15:33.919 you know something? There's a sovereign God that 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.679 either decreed or allowed this and he loves me 00:15:36.679 --> 00:15:38.580 and I don't know how it's going to work out. 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:41.679 But if I don't bail out and trust him, he'll 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:44.419 work it for my good and he'll do in me and through 00:15:44.419 --> 00:15:46.980 me what could never happen. And so I refuse to 00:15:46.980 --> 00:15:49.820 be bitter. I refuse to not forgive. I refuse 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:52.379 to become a victim. I refuse to let the world 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:55.399 shape me. I will trust my God because I have 00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:58.840 perspective. And he would say to his brothers 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.440 at the very end of the book, you meant it for 00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:04.940 evil. but God meant it for good. If all those 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:07.179 difficult things wouldn't have happened, he would 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:09.159 have not been the second most powerful person 00:16:09.159 --> 00:16:11.519 in all the world, and he would have not saved 00:16:11.519 --> 00:16:15.879 the Jewish nation. And God has a game plan, and 00:16:15.879 --> 00:16:18.700 you have a Joseph story to live out. It'll be 00:16:18.700 --> 00:16:20.639 a big one for some, a smaller one for others. 00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:24.440 Are you starting to catch what true spirituality 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:28.429 is all about? It's about relationships. It's 00:16:28.429 --> 00:16:30.409 measurable. I mean, you can measure. Am I surrendered? 00:16:30.570 --> 00:16:32.190 Am I separate from the world's values? Do I have 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:35.450 a sober self -assessment? Am I serving in love? 00:16:35.970 --> 00:16:38.409 Am I supernaturally responding to evil with good? 00:16:41.049 --> 00:16:44.269 And then it helps you ask and answer those questions. 00:16:45.409 --> 00:16:47.370 And little by little, as we walk through this 00:16:47.370 --> 00:16:50.090 together, you will begin to experience as you 00:16:50.090 --> 00:16:54.509 trust and obey by faith God's power, God's peace, 00:16:54.809 --> 00:16:59.379 God's purpose. God's presence and God's perspective. 00:17:00.379 --> 00:17:03.399 And that's why I'm so excited. And you know what 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.519 I love about this? Guess whose book we got this 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:09.460 out of? This text? It's just the Bible. It's 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:12.880 true. What Jesus said to them, he said to us, 00:17:12.940 --> 00:17:15.400 if you abide in my word, and that word just means 00:17:15.400 --> 00:17:17.319 if you take it in for the purpose of apply it 00:17:17.319 --> 00:17:19.460 by faith, then you'll know the truth and the 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:22.259 truth will set you free. As you turn over the 00:17:22.259 --> 00:17:24.619 notes, I want to close with this one very important 00:17:24.619 --> 00:17:28.779 perspective. There is a danger on our journey. 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:31.900 Like every journey, there's dangers. But there's 00:17:31.900 --> 00:17:34.460 a danger on our journey to begin to very subtly 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:37.220 begin to think that sort of the R12 journey or 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:41.140 the Romans 12 journey is like a moral code and 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:43.859 a set of bars to live up to, okay, I'm gonna 00:17:43.859 --> 00:17:46.180 be surrendered, I'm gonna be separate, super 00:17:46.180 --> 00:17:48.599 self -assessment, I think I got that down, I'm 00:17:48.599 --> 00:17:50.539 gonna serve in love, and let's see, I can't remember 00:17:50.539 --> 00:17:52.220 the last one, supernaturally respond to something 00:17:52.220 --> 00:17:56.420 with something. And you can turn it into, The 00:17:56.420 --> 00:17:59.980 very thing we're trying to avoid. And so I want 00:17:59.980 --> 00:18:04.400 to remind you that true spirituality has nothing 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:08.619 to do with living a good life so that God will 00:18:08.619 --> 00:18:12.119 love you. True spirituality has everything to 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:15.019 do with beginning to grasp the height and depth 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:17.880 and length and breadth of how much God has already 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:21.779 loved you, has demonstrated that love, and you 00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:25.099 living out of the freedom of that love. And so 00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:26.640 I just put the little chart of the entire book 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:28.940 of Romans. What did he do? Chapters one through 00:18:28.940 --> 00:18:31.819 three, all of us fall short of the glory of God. 00:18:32.220 --> 00:18:34.460 We sugarcoat this. This isn't just being not 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:37.460 a nice person. We have sinned. We've betrayed 00:18:37.460 --> 00:18:40.740 God. We're people that have committed treason 00:18:40.740 --> 00:18:45.420 and he's holy. And his just wrath is upon us 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:49.039 for what we have done. And that's the problem. 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:51.579 In chapters four and five, there's a solution. 00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:56.240 The solution to sin is salvation. Jesus, fully 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:59.980 man, fully God, lived a perfect life, died upon 00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:03.460 the cross to pay for your sin and rose from the 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:06.980 dead and offers a free gift to whosoever would 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:10.200 believe and receive it. Chapter 6 through 8 goes 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:12.299 on to talk about how this new life is lived. 00:19:12.380 --> 00:19:14.299 And he didn't leave us alone. It wasn't a moral 00:19:14.299 --> 00:19:17.500 code. Try hard. He said, the spirit of the living 00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:19.619 God in the new covenant will take up residence 00:19:19.619 --> 00:19:22.619 inside your mortal body. After he takes you out 00:19:22.619 --> 00:19:24.160 of the kingdom of darkness, he places you in 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:27.140 the kingdom of light. And his spirit takes up 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:31.500 residence in the living. presence of Christ and 00:19:31.500 --> 00:19:34.079 the power of Christ by the word of God and the 00:19:34.079 --> 00:19:36.759 community of God's people births, literally Paul 00:19:36.759 --> 00:19:40.799 talks about, until Christ is formed in you. That's 00:19:40.799 --> 00:19:43.500 called sanctification. And it's a journey, and 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:45.980 often it's two steps forward and three back and 00:19:45.980 --> 00:19:49.880 then four steps forward, but you grow. And then 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:51.920 finally he reminded them that God always keeps 00:19:51.920 --> 00:19:55.630 his promises. So chapters 9 through 11, his promises 00:19:55.630 --> 00:19:57.970 to the Jews will be fulfilled, but they fumbled 00:19:57.970 --> 00:20:00.269 the ball in terms of their responsibility as 00:20:00.269 --> 00:20:02.670 a blesser and an instrument of God. And so he 00:20:02.670 --> 00:20:04.230 says, I'm going to take them out of the game 00:20:04.230 --> 00:20:06.829 and I will fulfill everything I made promises 00:20:06.829 --> 00:20:10.210 to Abraham and to David. But the church is going 00:20:10.210 --> 00:20:13.410 to be my agent of blessing until I call time 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:16.769 out and bring the very final days of history 00:20:16.769 --> 00:20:21.200 to a close. And after 11 chapters of regardless 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:24.819 of where you've been, God loves you, died for 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:27.480 you, puts his spirit inside of you and will keep 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:30.200 every promise. Therefore, I urge you brothers 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:34.140 to what? Offer your bodies a living sacrifice. 00:20:35.660 --> 00:20:40.059 Have you ever placed your faith in Christ personally 00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:43.839 to forgive your sin? Because what I've seen over 00:20:43.839 --> 00:20:46.400 and over is People just unconsciously think I'm 00:20:46.400 --> 00:20:48.980 trying hard to be this good person. And it's 00:20:48.980 --> 00:20:50.900 interesting and they begin to experience some 00:20:50.900 --> 00:20:53.440 change. But what sometimes they never realize 00:20:53.440 --> 00:20:56.220 is you need on a certain day at a certain time 00:20:56.220 --> 00:21:01.319 to be born from above or to be born again. And 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:03.180 that's back in chapter three and the beginning 00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:06.420 of chapter four. And where you come to God on 00:21:06.420 --> 00:21:09.279 a day like today and you just honestly admit, 00:21:09.460 --> 00:21:14.380 God, I need your help. I violated a holy God 00:21:14.380 --> 00:21:19.279 today. I believe your blood paid for my sin and 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:22.599 your resurrection proved it's true. And on this 00:21:22.599 --> 00:21:25.880 day, I want to ask you to come into my life forever 00:21:25.880 --> 00:21:29.740 to forgive me and to be my father. And if you've 00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:32.200 never done that, that's the smartest, wisest, 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:37.559 best thing you'll ever do. This is Living on 00:21:37.559 --> 00:21:40.339 the Edge with Chip Ingram. and a message from 00:21:40.339 --> 00:21:43.220 our series, God's Dream for Your Life. Today, 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:45.980 Chip showed us what Romans 12 Christianity looks 00:21:45.980 --> 00:21:49.119 like, experiencing God's presence through authentic 00:21:49.119 --> 00:21:52.579 community and responding supernaturally to evil. 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:55.740 Chip will be back with one final word in just 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:58.980 a moment. Friend, for over 30 years, Living on 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:01.720 the Edge has been committed to one mission, helping 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:04.680 believers understand what it truly means to follow 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:08.160 Jesus. Not religious activity, not trying harder, 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:11.599 but relational, practical, measurable Christianity 00:22:11.599 --> 00:22:15.940 that transforms every area of life. Messages 00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:18.779 like today's exist because partners believe this 00:22:18.779 --> 00:22:21.599 mission matters. When you give to Living on the 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:24.119 Edge, you're helping Christians discover God's 00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:27.180 power, peace, purpose, presence, and perspective. 00:22:28.170 --> 00:22:30.390 You're investing in clear biblical teaching that 00:22:30.390 --> 00:22:33.650 moves people from confusion to clarity, from 00:22:33.650 --> 00:22:37.130 exhaustion to experiencing God's best. Would 00:22:37.130 --> 00:22:41.289 you join this mission today? Give online at livingontheedge 00:22:41.289 --> 00:22:47.410 .org or call us at 888 -333 -6003. You can also 00:22:47.410 --> 00:22:50.470 mail your gift to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 00:22:50.470 --> 00:22:56.500 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Want more content 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:59.599 throughout the week? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, 00:22:59.859 --> 00:23:03.299 and YouTube. Just search for Living on the Edge 00:23:03.299 --> 00:23:06.660 on Facebook and Instagram. And then for all of 00:23:06.660 --> 00:23:09.279 our video content, subscribe to Chip Ingram's 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:12.259 YouTube channel when you're there. One more thing, 00:23:12.339 --> 00:23:14.720 make sure you've subscribed to the Living on 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:17.200 the Edge podcast, where you can check out the 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:20.039 new Chip Ingram sermon podcast feature, offering 00:23:20.039 --> 00:23:22.980 Chip's complete unedited sermons as they were 00:23:22.980 --> 00:23:26.440 originally preached. Subscribe today. Well, now 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:29.400 here's Chip. What we've described, this dream, 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:34.099 is really normal Christianity. I mean, if you 00:23:34.099 --> 00:23:36.700 had a video camera and you could, in the first 00:23:36.700 --> 00:23:38.940 30 years of the church, sort of just walk around, 00:23:39.099 --> 00:23:41.099 you know, like Peter and then later the Apostle 00:23:41.099 --> 00:23:44.680 Paul and James and John and the boys, what you 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:47.019 would have seen as, you know, thousands of people 00:23:47.019 --> 00:23:49.700 came to Christ in the midst of a very, very difficult 00:23:49.700 --> 00:23:53.160 culture and opposition and persecution, what 00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:55.519 you would have seen as them, by the power of 00:23:55.519 --> 00:23:59.130 God, living surrendered lives, combating the 00:23:59.130 --> 00:24:01.450 idols of the world and being separate from the 00:24:01.450 --> 00:24:04.309 world, and accurately discovering who God made 00:24:04.309 --> 00:24:07.250 them to be, radically serving one another. It's 00:24:07.250 --> 00:24:09.210 just amazing what happened in the early church. 00:24:09.430 --> 00:24:12.150 And if we could take that camera through the 00:24:12.150 --> 00:24:14.849 centuries of church history, what we've described 00:24:14.849 --> 00:24:18.029 in the last two days is simply what it means 00:24:18.029 --> 00:24:21.130 to be a genuine follower of Jesus. And so can 00:24:21.130 --> 00:24:24.410 I ask you, where are you at? Which of these five 00:24:24.410 --> 00:24:27.460 relationships do you need to say, Lord, I need 00:24:27.460 --> 00:24:30.519 your help here. I want to be a follower of Jesus. 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:33.380 I want your dream to be a reality in my heart, 00:24:33.440 --> 00:24:36.819 my life, my relationships. Let me ask you, will 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:40.119 you ask God to give you clear direction? And 00:24:40.119 --> 00:24:42.599 then join me in our next broadcast as we continue 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:45.380 this journey together. I'm Dave Drewy, and we'll 00:24:45.380 --> 00:24:47.819 see you next time as we continue our series called 00:24:47.819 --> 00:24:51.480 God's Dream for Your Life, Monday on Living on 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:57.160 the Edge. Today's program is produced and sponsored 00:24:57.160 --> 00:24:58.619 by Living on the Edge.