WEBVTT 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:14.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.269 --> 00:00:17.870 When life comes apart, when a dream dies, when 00:00:17.870 --> 00:00:20.809 relationships are broken, how do you put it back 00:00:20.809 --> 00:00:25.410 together? Simply stated, you have to die. Let 00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:29.050 me say that again. If you want real life, hope 00:00:29.050 --> 00:00:32.469 that never fades, and a deep abiding peace, you 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:35.670 gotta die. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Well, stay 00:00:35.670 --> 00:00:38.329 with me for the next 20 minutes. You'll discover 00:00:38.329 --> 00:00:42.399 God's amazing... counterintuitive plan of life. 00:00:44.500 --> 00:00:47.359 Welcome to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:50.179 I'm your host, Dave Drewy, and today we continue 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:52.979 a powerful series called God's Dream for Your 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:56.479 Life as we gear up for the Easter weekend. Using 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:59.280 Romans chapter 12 as the roadmap, Chip shows 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.039 us what authentic Christianity looks like, not 00:01:02.039 --> 00:01:04.939 religious striving, but relational transformation. 00:01:05.480 --> 00:01:08.019 You'll discover three missing ingredients in 00:01:08.019 --> 00:01:11.170 most Christians' lives. Power, peace, and purpose. 00:01:11.689 --> 00:01:14.010 Well, here's Chip to explain how to get it, keep 00:01:14.010 --> 00:01:17.170 it, and give it away. Well, as most of you know, 00:01:17.230 --> 00:01:21.090 Easter is kind of the high day, the pinnacle 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:25.370 of Christianity. It's a message that you've heard, 00:01:25.450 --> 00:01:28.230 you've sung. It's about life, it's about hope, 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:31.370 and it's about peace. And if there's ever a time, 00:01:31.409 --> 00:01:33.030 I don't know about in your personal life, but 00:01:33.030 --> 00:01:35.310 in the world that we need life and hope and peace, 00:01:35.370 --> 00:01:38.590 I would say it's about now. I mean, it's easy 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:40.989 to kind of get focused in on your world and my 00:01:40.989 --> 00:01:44.370 world and my email and, you know, my little kind 00:01:44.370 --> 00:01:47.930 of relationships, but the world is a messed up 00:01:47.930 --> 00:01:50.329 place right now. I mean, we're living in pretty 00:01:50.329 --> 00:01:55.049 historic days. I mean, did you ever, ever dream 00:01:55.049 --> 00:01:57.510 that there would be a group of people, a small 00:01:57.510 --> 00:02:00.409 group, a minority who would think that, you know, 00:02:00.409 --> 00:02:02.549 they get an A from the God that they worship 00:02:02.549 --> 00:02:06.549 by killing people they've never met? That's the 00:02:06.549 --> 00:02:10.169 world that we're currently living in. And we 00:02:10.169 --> 00:02:11.949 gotta get our heads out of the sand to realize 00:02:11.949 --> 00:02:15.569 if there is a message that's real about life 00:02:15.569 --> 00:02:18.590 and hope and peace, the world needs it now. But 00:02:18.590 --> 00:02:21.090 it can't just be some religious little experience. 00:02:21.129 --> 00:02:24.550 It's gotta make sense. The flip side of that 00:02:24.550 --> 00:02:27.310 is sometimes you don't even have to watch CNN 00:02:27.310 --> 00:02:29.969 or Fox or the network news to see what's happening 00:02:29.969 --> 00:02:31.490 in the world. All you have to do is kind of look 00:02:31.490 --> 00:02:35.300 in your own home. I don't know a lot of you very 00:02:35.300 --> 00:02:37.960 well, but if you and I could go get a cup of 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:39.539 coffee somewhere and say, hey, you know, tell 00:02:39.539 --> 00:02:41.919 me how you're really doing. And I promise not 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:44.520 to tell anyone. Just what's really, what are 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:46.439 the biggest hurts in your life in the last nine 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:48.919 to 12 months? I will guarantee you I would hear 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:51.419 about the divorce or separation you recently 00:02:51.419 --> 00:02:54.960 went through, the baby that you lost, or someone 00:02:54.960 --> 00:02:57.319 who found out that your wife or husband is having 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:00.240 an affair. I wonder how many people here you'd 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:02.919 say, well, honestly, I haven't told anybody, 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:05.360 but I have an addiction. And whether it's prescription 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:09.460 drugs or whether it's porn or cocaine, I mean, 00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:12.460 I can just tell you, oh no, that's not it. It's 00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:14.439 my aging parents. No, no, no, no, no. It's my, 00:03:14.539 --> 00:03:17.439 I lost my job. They foreclosed on my home. Our 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:19.680 business went under. I mean, that's the world 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:22.060 that we're living in. And here's what I wanted 00:03:22.060 --> 00:03:24.219 to do in our time together, because it's really 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:27.270 important. I want to talk today about how do 00:03:27.270 --> 00:03:30.969 you really find life and hope and peace in a 00:03:30.969 --> 00:03:35.050 world that's really messed up. There was a man 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:40.789 many years ago named Frank. And Frank had everything 00:03:40.789 --> 00:03:42.789 that we would think would bring life and hope 00:03:42.789 --> 00:03:47.530 and peace. He lived a carefree life. He inherited 00:03:47.530 --> 00:03:51.719 a great amount of wealth. House would be nestled 00:03:51.719 --> 00:03:53.939 up into the hills. He would have a couple luxury 00:03:53.939 --> 00:03:57.280 cars. His kids had high SAT scores. I mean, his 00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:00.879 life would just be amazingly wonderful by all 00:04:00.879 --> 00:04:04.539 our standards. And he lived that high life, but 00:04:04.539 --> 00:04:06.780 he found there was an emptiness about what really 00:04:06.780 --> 00:04:09.400 brings life and what really gives purpose. And 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:14.090 so he did something crazy. he heard the words 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.569 and the teachings of an itinerant preacher that 00:04:16.569 --> 00:04:18.970 had lived roughly 1 ,200 years before he was 00:04:18.970 --> 00:04:22.610 born, a man named Jesus. And as he read the words, 00:04:22.610 --> 00:04:25.870 he thought, this is so radical, but I've got 00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:28.670 money, I've got wealth, I've got it all, and 00:04:28.670 --> 00:04:31.610 I'm empty inside, so I'm going to take this person, 00:04:31.670 --> 00:04:34.129 and he follows these words of Christ in a very 00:04:34.129 --> 00:04:37.290 literal way and left everything. And he found 00:04:37.290 --> 00:04:39.269 a small little band of people who would say, 00:04:39.370 --> 00:04:41.810 will you leave everything with me? Why don't 00:04:41.810 --> 00:04:44.709 we try this out as an experiment? Let's radically 00:04:44.709 --> 00:04:47.089 love people. Let's not worry about material stuff. 00:04:47.209 --> 00:04:50.970 Let's just go after it. And they did. That was 00:04:50.970 --> 00:04:55.990 almost a thousand years ago. And his little group 00:04:55.990 --> 00:04:59.790 is still going on. And they live by a motto. 00:05:00.529 --> 00:05:03.930 It's a prayer that he wrote. I think his name 00:05:03.930 --> 00:05:07.290 was Frank when he started off. Later, when he 00:05:07.290 --> 00:05:09.829 got to be more famous, people started calling 00:05:09.829 --> 00:05:14.329 him Francis. And his prayer and his motto of 00:05:14.329 --> 00:05:16.290 how to live for life and hope and peace was, 00:05:16.350 --> 00:05:19.730 Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. And 00:05:19.730 --> 00:05:21.889 where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where 00:05:21.889 --> 00:05:24.050 there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, 00:05:24.230 --> 00:05:26.829 faith. Where there is despair, hope. And where 00:05:26.829 --> 00:05:30.649 there is sadness, joy. Oh, divine master, grant 00:05:30.649 --> 00:05:33.089 that I may not so much, listen to the counterintuitive, 00:05:33.290 --> 00:05:37.649 grant that I may not so much seek, To be consoled 00:05:37.649 --> 00:05:40.670 as to console. To be understood as to understand. 00:05:41.089 --> 00:05:46.170 To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that 00:05:46.170 --> 00:05:49.889 we receive. That's counterintuitive. It is in 00:05:49.889 --> 00:05:53.430 pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in 00:05:53.430 --> 00:05:58.790 dying that we are born to eternal life. The Franciscans 00:05:58.790 --> 00:06:01.069 almost a thousand years later are doing what? 00:06:02.269 --> 00:06:05.740 Helping the poor. Living out his prayer. You 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:07.139 may not agree with all they're doing, but I will 00:06:07.139 --> 00:06:12.360 tell you what, they have experienced a life that's 00:06:12.360 --> 00:06:14.839 impacted millions upon millions upon millions 00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:17.259 of people in the things that money can't buy. 00:06:18.019 --> 00:06:20.139 And as I read that, I thought to myself, where 00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:22.060 did he get those crazy ideas? Now, I know he 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:25.060 got them from Jesus, but how does it really work? 00:06:26.360 --> 00:06:29.339 Secular scholars say that the Apostle Paul was 00:06:29.339 --> 00:06:31.860 probably the greatest mind of the first century. 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:36.129 He was from Tarsus. It was a nice town. He was 00:06:36.129 --> 00:06:38.730 a Roman citizen, which was a big deal. He had 00:06:38.730 --> 00:06:43.110 wealth. And his life wasn't making sense. And 00:06:43.110 --> 00:06:45.370 he tried so hard, so hard, so hard, so hard to 00:06:45.370 --> 00:06:49.370 be good. And then he encountered the living Christ. 00:06:50.769 --> 00:06:53.930 And he realized that he had to die. He needed 00:06:53.930 --> 00:06:56.670 to stop trying, stop working, stop attempting, 00:06:56.949 --> 00:07:02.050 stop trying to prove, pose. And he met the living 00:07:02.050 --> 00:07:05.180 Christ. And in the midst of a world, and here's 00:07:05.180 --> 00:07:06.819 what you've got to understand. Sometimes we think 00:07:06.819 --> 00:07:09.360 it's really, really bad now. You ought to study 00:07:09.360 --> 00:07:11.220 church history. I majored in history in college. 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:14.379 You ought to study what Rome was like and what 00:07:14.379 --> 00:07:16.519 it was like to grow up there. You ought to study 00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:18.939 and look at the culture of what the Greeks taught. 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:22.259 And there was gods on every corner. And there 00:07:22.259 --> 00:07:24.819 was an immorality that makes our triple X porn 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:29.180 look mild. The poor had unbelievable injustice. 00:07:29.660 --> 00:07:36.370 Greed and power ruled. Women had nothing. And 00:07:36.370 --> 00:07:39.209 in the midst of all that, this brilliant intellect 00:07:39.209 --> 00:07:42.949 said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, 00:07:43.129 --> 00:07:47.470 I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives inside of 00:07:47.470 --> 00:07:50.110 me. And now this life that I live day by day 00:07:50.110 --> 00:07:52.670 in this physical body, I live by faith in the 00:07:52.670 --> 00:07:55.769 Son of God who gave himself for me. And what 00:07:55.769 --> 00:07:58.750 he was saying was, listen to that word, I'm crucified 00:07:58.750 --> 00:08:01.949 with Christ. He said, I had to die. I had to 00:08:01.949 --> 00:08:06.170 die to my agenda, my selfishness, my greed, my 00:08:06.170 --> 00:08:08.850 demands. I had to die. And Francis picked that 00:08:08.850 --> 00:08:10.810 up and he put it in that prayer that he prayed 00:08:10.810 --> 00:08:15.850 and that prayer that he lived. The gateway to 00:08:15.850 --> 00:08:19.050 the deepest relationships, peace that won't go 00:08:19.050 --> 00:08:22.209 away, and hope that you can have when you find 00:08:22.209 --> 00:08:24.889 out someone you love has cancer or when you find 00:08:24.889 --> 00:08:26.870 out someone you love has hooked up with someone 00:08:26.870 --> 00:08:30.949 else. Death begins with a death, because when 00:08:30.949 --> 00:08:32.950 there's no death, there can't be resurrection. 00:08:34.470 --> 00:08:37.610 In one sentence, the Apostle Paul, it's out of 00:08:37.610 --> 00:08:39.830 his letter to the Galatians, chapter 2, verse 00:08:39.830 --> 00:08:43.490 20, says this is how it works. Now, here's what 00:08:43.490 --> 00:08:46.309 I want to do. I want to step back and ask, how 00:08:46.309 --> 00:08:49.169 does that really play out? And so, we're going 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:53.549 to ask four very basic questions. Question number 00:08:53.549 --> 00:08:56.559 one, well, how did we get here? How did the world 00:08:56.559 --> 00:08:58.840 get this messed up? There's chaos out there and 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:01.360 there's chaos in here. And what I want to tell 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.019 you is the world, this world that we live in 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:08.019 now is not the world God created. The world that 00:09:08.019 --> 00:09:10.799 God created, the eternal creator of all that 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:13.639 it is, who spoke the world into existence, created 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:17.779 an absolutely perfect world. And he created human 00:09:17.779 --> 00:09:21.600 beings that he placed in a perfect world. You're 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:23.779 listening to Living on the Edge, and today's 00:09:23.779 --> 00:09:26.100 teaching from Chip Ingram continues in just a 00:09:26.100 --> 00:09:29.659 minute. His message is available anytime at livingontheedge 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:32.720 .org. Listen again, share it with a friend, or 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:35.000 explore hundreds of additional programs, all 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:38.360 free, all online. You can even search for specific 00:09:38.360 --> 00:09:41.779 topics like parenting, personal growth, and unchangeable 00:09:41.779 --> 00:09:44.580 truths. Plus, find small group resources and 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:46.679 practical tools to help you live the Christian 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:50.720 life every day. It's all waiting for you at livingontheedge 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:54.039 .org. Well, now let's get back to today's message. 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:57.279 There was God and the human beings that he made 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:01.820 in perfect fellowship. But God, in this perfect 00:10:01.820 --> 00:10:05.500 world that he made, wanted to have a very real 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:07.899 relationship with us. And there's a price for 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:11.620 freedom. See, you can make robots and have them 00:10:11.620 --> 00:10:15.039 bow down to you or say words to you, but robots 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:17.720 don't have the freedom to say yes or no. They're 00:10:17.720 --> 00:10:20.759 programmed. God wanted people that would have 00:10:20.759 --> 00:10:25.559 a real, authentic relationship with him because 00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:28.700 they had to be able to do what free moral agents 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:33.419 can, say yes to him or say no to him. And so 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:36.059 what we find is the great price of freedom was 00:10:36.059 --> 00:10:38.299 that we, mankind, said, God, I don't want you. 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:41.139 I'm going to do my own thing. I think I know 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:42.860 what's best for me. And there was devastating 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:46.419 consequences. The theologians call it the fall 00:10:46.419 --> 00:10:49.039 or when sin entered the world. And the impact 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:51.580 was it separated us from God. It separates us 00:10:51.580 --> 00:10:53.559 from each other and it separates us even from 00:10:53.559 --> 00:10:57.080 ourselves. And the scripture says that even the 00:10:57.080 --> 00:11:01.259 globe, the actual earth, the fall impacted. That's 00:11:01.259 --> 00:11:04.320 how we got here. And so there was a need. There's 00:11:04.320 --> 00:11:07.799 a tremendous need. If God cares, what are you 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:10.340 going to do about this? See, if God made the 00:11:10.340 --> 00:11:12.500 world the way as it is, he's not a very good 00:11:12.500 --> 00:11:14.340 God. He's not a good God. He's not a kind God. 00:11:14.460 --> 00:11:17.039 He's a cruel God. But the world that you live 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:20.200 in is messed up. God didn't mess it up. We did. 00:11:21.019 --> 00:11:24.480 But he cares. And so the question number two 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:27.860 is where is God in the chaos? Not just in the 00:11:27.860 --> 00:11:30.159 suffering that's happening in places around the 00:11:30.159 --> 00:11:33.190 world, but where is God in your chaos? In the 00:11:33.190 --> 00:11:36.009 relationship that isn't going well and the anger 00:11:36.009 --> 00:11:37.629 and the bitterness and the people that have talked 00:11:37.629 --> 00:11:40.710 about you and all the junk. Where is God in the 00:11:40.710 --> 00:11:43.509 chaos? Here's the message of Easter. Get this 00:11:43.509 --> 00:11:46.629 down. Easter is about a divine intervention. 00:11:47.970 --> 00:11:51.029 Anybody here know what an intervention is? Anybody 00:11:51.029 --> 00:11:53.909 had a friend or a relative? I have. It's either 00:11:53.909 --> 00:11:57.190 a crack addict, a sex addict, an alcoholic, a 00:11:57.190 --> 00:12:00.389 prescription drugger, cocaine addict. Well, I 00:12:00.389 --> 00:12:02.409 have. I've been involved in intervention when 00:12:02.409 --> 00:12:06.090 my mother did it with my dad, with us kids. You 00:12:06.090 --> 00:12:08.129 know what interventions are? Interventions are 00:12:08.129 --> 00:12:11.269 people are living in destructive ways that are 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:14.450 killing them and ruining everything and everyone 00:12:14.450 --> 00:12:18.110 around them. And we watch the devastation, we 00:12:18.110 --> 00:12:20.549 watch the pain. And then someone gets the courage 00:12:20.549 --> 00:12:22.990 to say, I'm not playing in the system any longer. 00:12:23.129 --> 00:12:25.169 And you get all the friends and you get all the 00:12:25.169 --> 00:12:27.230 family and usually find a pro who's done this 00:12:27.230 --> 00:12:28.669 before because you need to know what you're doing. 00:12:28.809 --> 00:12:31.789 And you all create this place and then usually 00:12:31.789 --> 00:12:34.009 have to trick them to get them there. And he 00:12:34.009 --> 00:12:37.590 walks in and he goes, oh, what's going on? And 00:12:37.590 --> 00:12:40.950 they say, we love you and you have a big problem. 00:12:42.239 --> 00:12:46.080 We care so much. We refuse to play the game. 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:48.779 We're intervening now. And we want you to know 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:50.419 there's hope and there's a path that you can 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:54.019 take, but we won't support this any longer. And 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:55.840 I'll never forget the day my mom did that with 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.820 our family after my dad was an alcoholic for 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:01.799 about 25 years. And she said, you can have this 00:13:01.799 --> 00:13:04.360 bottle or you can have me and the kids, but you 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:07.259 can't have both. And you got 24 hours to figure 00:13:07.259 --> 00:13:12.090 it out. 24 hours later, He said, I'd choose you 00:13:12.090 --> 00:13:14.269 all. Now, I wish he would have got some counseling 00:13:14.269 --> 00:13:16.190 and got some help, but I'll tell you what, radical 00:13:16.190 --> 00:13:19.029 change in his life. He came to Christ after that. 00:13:19.990 --> 00:13:23.970 But you know what Easter is? God looking down 00:13:23.970 --> 00:13:26.370 from heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy 00:13:26.370 --> 00:13:30.429 Spirit, of seeing all people of all times simultaneously 00:13:30.429 --> 00:13:33.409 in all of our needs and seeing the chaos and 00:13:33.409 --> 00:13:35.730 the destruction, both personally and globally. 00:13:36.529 --> 00:13:40.769 And the Son saying, I'll go. Let's do an intervention. 00:13:41.529 --> 00:13:44.070 Let's help them see that they are messed up and 00:13:44.070 --> 00:13:46.649 they are selfish and they need to die and receive 00:13:46.649 --> 00:13:49.649 life so they can be resurrected. And so Jesus 00:13:49.649 --> 00:13:52.269 came and he did the intervention to rescue us. 00:13:52.409 --> 00:13:55.309 His life mission, he said, was I came to seek 00:13:55.309 --> 00:13:58.330 and to save those which were lost. And so the 00:13:58.330 --> 00:14:00.830 first thing he offered was life because we're 00:14:00.830 --> 00:14:03.789 on death patterns. For God so loved the world 00:14:03.789 --> 00:14:06.309 that he gave his only begotten son that whoever, 00:14:06.529 --> 00:14:09.539 underline the word, believe in him. should not 00:14:09.539 --> 00:14:12.200 perish but have everlasting life. Circle the 00:14:12.200 --> 00:14:15.259 word have. Have, present tense, the moment you 00:14:15.259 --> 00:14:20.100 believe. And then the very next verse was probably 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:23.179 as life -changing for me as the first one. For 00:14:23.179 --> 00:14:26.000 God did not send his son into the world to judge 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:30.509 the world, but he sent his son to save us. God's 00:14:30.509 --> 00:14:33.009 not down on you. God's not down on me. He's not 00:14:33.009 --> 00:14:35.070 this angry God whose arms are crossed with a 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:37.210 big club who has a lot of rules and just waiting 00:14:37.210 --> 00:14:39.049 for you to mess up to bang over your head or 00:14:39.049 --> 00:14:42.950 knock you on the knuckles. His invitation is 00:14:42.950 --> 00:14:46.309 not get religious, get more moral, try harder, 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.629 pull up your bootstraps. That's not it. It's 00:14:49.629 --> 00:14:52.649 an intervention where you say how you're living 00:14:52.649 --> 00:14:55.649 your life doesn't work. It's bringing death to 00:14:55.649 --> 00:14:58.309 you and death to others. I want to give you life. 00:14:58.789 --> 00:15:01.629 There's a gift. And what we're going to learn 00:15:01.629 --> 00:15:04.889 is he went to the cross and he died on the cross 00:15:04.889 --> 00:15:07.909 for you. He intervened and said, what you can't 00:15:07.909 --> 00:15:10.690 do for yourself, I'm going to do. And he literally 00:15:10.690 --> 00:15:12.669 paid. That's what the word redemption means. 00:15:12.809 --> 00:15:15.610 He paid for your sin and paid for mine. And then 00:15:15.610 --> 00:15:18.870 he rose from the grave and says, look, free gift. 00:15:19.990 --> 00:15:21.750 But he says, not just life, I'm going to give 00:15:21.750 --> 00:15:24.529 you hope. The very last night, he looked into 00:15:24.529 --> 00:15:26.509 his disciples' eyes, and he could see the fear 00:15:26.509 --> 00:15:29.450 in their eyes. And they'd seen him feed the poor 00:15:29.450 --> 00:15:31.210 and raise people from the dead, and they knew 00:15:31.210 --> 00:15:33.370 he was the Messiah, but it was like, how is this 00:15:33.370 --> 00:15:35.070 gonna work? Because you keep talking about you're 00:15:35.070 --> 00:15:39.049 checking out. And he said, do not let your hearts 00:15:39.049 --> 00:15:43.570 be troubled. You believe in God, believe also 00:15:43.570 --> 00:15:46.750 in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling 00:15:46.750 --> 00:15:48.870 places, and if it were not so, I would not have 00:15:48.870 --> 00:15:52.000 told you. And then listen carefully. For I go 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:55.539 and prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare 00:15:55.539 --> 00:15:58.039 a place for you, I will come again and I will 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:01.899 receive you to myself that where I am, you may 00:16:01.899 --> 00:16:03.480 be also. Do you get it? It's about relationship. 00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:07.220 It's not about morality. When the relationship 00:16:07.220 --> 00:16:10.220 is right, the morality always changes. But he 00:16:10.220 --> 00:16:13.840 says, you need hope. You need hope when your 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:16.169 marriage is falling apart. You need hope when 00:16:16.169 --> 00:16:18.149 you find out someone you love has cancer. You 00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:20.309 need hope when your parents are totally messed 00:16:20.309 --> 00:16:23.210 up. You need hope when your biggest dreams were 00:16:23.210 --> 00:16:24.929 to get into that school and you didn't get in. 00:16:25.250 --> 00:16:27.190 You need hope when you've based all your life 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:29.350 on that athletic career and then boom, it's ACL 00:16:29.350 --> 00:16:32.250 and nobody wants you. You need hope when life 00:16:32.250 --> 00:16:34.190 doesn't work. But guess what? There's going to 00:16:34.190 --> 00:16:39.450 come a day and the research is in. 100 % of the 00:16:39.450 --> 00:16:44.769 population at some point in time dies. It's true. 00:16:46.049 --> 00:16:49.169 So you know when you need hope? You need hope 00:16:49.169 --> 00:16:52.009 that there's someone who's personal and real 00:16:52.009 --> 00:16:54.750 and who's the God of the universe who made you, 00:16:54.830 --> 00:16:58.509 who is preparing a place and wants you with him. 00:16:59.809 --> 00:17:03.190 Wants you with him because he loves you. And 00:17:03.190 --> 00:17:06.009 then knowing that in a fallen world, you need 00:17:06.009 --> 00:17:08.700 peace. I mean, you get anxious when you don't 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:10.140 have enough money. You get anxious when, you 00:17:10.140 --> 00:17:11.480 know what, you used to have a house, you don't 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:13.059 have a house. You get anxious when you don't 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:15.039 have a job. You get anxious. And you know what 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:19.079 he says? Don't let your heart be troubled. And 00:17:19.079 --> 00:17:20.380 then he goes on to say, look, I want to give 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:24.700 you peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, 00:17:24.700 --> 00:17:30.640 but be courageous. I want you to know I've overcome 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:34.299 the world and the peace that I have. I'm in control. 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.640 Hey, it's awful at times. It's difficult at times. 00:17:38.019 --> 00:17:40.880 I'm in control of the big tsunamis and the little 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:44.039 tsunamis. I'm sovereignly in control of all that 00:17:44.039 --> 00:17:46.440 there is and I will take even all the evil and 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:48.960 all the people and all the bad stuff. And for 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:51.259 those who would turn from their sin and say, 00:17:51.299 --> 00:17:53.720 I want a relationship with you, I will do an 00:17:53.720 --> 00:17:57.319 intervention and we'll do life together. And 00:17:57.319 --> 00:18:00.819 I want to love you. That's the message of Easter. 00:18:02.059 --> 00:18:04.019 And the question you ought to be asking is, if 00:18:04.019 --> 00:18:06.339 that's the message of Easter, what gives this 00:18:06.339 --> 00:18:09.339 Jesus the right to make that outlandish offer? 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:12.779 Don't other religions have offers about peace 00:18:12.779 --> 00:18:15.680 and life and hope? I mean, what makes you think 00:18:15.680 --> 00:18:19.819 this one's real? Right? That was my question. 00:18:21.880 --> 00:18:24.200 Jesus makes this offer based on four things. 00:18:24.259 --> 00:18:28.759 First, his life. Sinless, revealing God's character. 00:18:29.259 --> 00:18:33.039 If we... could have found, if his enemies could 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.220 have found one sin, the message of Jesus and 00:18:36.220 --> 00:18:38.920 all of his claims go out the window. But instead, 00:18:39.019 --> 00:18:40.920 Jesus said, look, here's the deal. I've come 00:18:40.920 --> 00:18:43.759 to do an intervention, and you have death. Life, 00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:46.180 you want to see what life looks like? See the 00:18:46.180 --> 00:18:48.680 poor? I feed them. See the hungry? I feed them. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:52.140 See the people that have lost? I raise them from 00:18:52.140 --> 00:18:54.759 the dead. If you have seen me, you've seen the 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:57.259 Father. You want to know what God is like? You 00:18:57.259 --> 00:18:59.839 see this prostitute? and the messed up life she's 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:02.579 had, and the four partners, go and sin no more. 00:19:03.359 --> 00:19:05.640 You see this lady whose heart's broken, and this 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:07.839 guy that's just lost his daughter? I raise her 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:10.400 from the dead. You see people don't have purpose, 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:12.680 and these religious people and all their pious 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.200 stuff? I shoot it straight with them and say, 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:18.960 quit pretending. Quit posturing. Quit being a 00:19:18.960 --> 00:19:23.900 hypocrite. His life. I mean, it marks A .D., 00:19:23.900 --> 00:19:27.319 B .C. All of life is around this single, solitary 00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:32.440 life that's changed the world. You've been listening 00:19:32.440 --> 00:19:35.259 to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and we'll 00:19:35.259 --> 00:19:37.980 hear more encouragement in just a moment. Chip 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:40.000 brought us face -to -face today with a truth 00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:42.849 that's counterintuitive. but central to everything 00:19:42.849 --> 00:19:45.970 the Christian life promises. The gateway to deep 00:19:45.970 --> 00:19:48.470 relationships, to peace that holds when everything 00:19:48.470 --> 00:19:51.150 falls apart, to hope that doesn't crumble under 00:19:51.150 --> 00:19:53.609 the weight of real life, begins with a death. 00:19:53.990 --> 00:19:56.869 As Paul wrote to the Galatians, I am crucified 00:19:56.869 --> 00:20:01.119 with Christ, nevertheless I live. Francis understood 00:20:01.119 --> 00:20:04.039 it, Paul lived it, and Chip laid it out plainly 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:07.160 today. When you stop striving, stop posturing, 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:09.859 stop trying to earn what can only be received, 00:20:10.180 --> 00:20:12.839 that's when resurrection becomes possible. For 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:15.440 over 30 years, Living on the Edge has existed 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:17.619 to bring that message to people who need it. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:20.480 Not religion, not performance, the real thing. 00:20:20.779 --> 00:20:23.319 And it reaches them because of partners who believe 00:20:23.319 --> 00:20:26.279 this mission matters. If you already give to 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:29.200 support this ministry, thank you. Every program, 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.940 every resource, every moment of teaching that 00:20:31.940 --> 00:20:34.319 lands in someone's heart at just the right time 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:37.880 happens because you said yes. And if you've never 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:40.640 given before, today's a great day to start. To 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:43.599 donate right now, visit livingontheedge .org 00:20:43.599 --> 00:20:49.339 or call us at 888 -333 -6003. You can also mail 00:20:49.339 --> 00:20:52.299 us by writing to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:57.569 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. And don't forget 00:20:57.569 --> 00:20:59.750 to subscribe to the Living on the Edge podcast, 00:21:00.190 --> 00:21:02.650 now featuring complete full -length teachings 00:21:02.650 --> 00:21:05.390 from Chip Ingram. Subscribe to the Living on 00:21:05.390 --> 00:21:08.650 the Edge podcast today. Well, now here's Chip. 00:21:08.809 --> 00:21:11.549 As we wrap up today, first, I want to invite 00:21:11.549 --> 00:21:14.029 you to join me for the rest of this message in 00:21:14.029 --> 00:21:16.170 our next program. But just for today, I want 00:21:16.170 --> 00:21:19.130 to ask you that question I ask in the teaching. 00:21:19.829 --> 00:21:25.579 Where is God in your chaos? He's closer to you 00:21:25.579 --> 00:21:28.700 than you could ever imagine, but he's a prayer 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:32.400 away. He's a leaning in away. He is a, I really 00:21:32.400 --> 00:21:35.900 need your help, Lord, away. God wants to help 00:21:35.900 --> 00:21:38.759 you. This is that time of year where it's so 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:41.500 easy, depending on your background, that, oh, 00:21:41.500 --> 00:21:43.440 it's Easter, and we kind of go through the motions, 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:46.920 and you go to a service here or there, and, oh, 00:21:46.920 --> 00:21:49.759 yeah, Jesus hung on the cross. He died. He rose 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:51.640 the third day, and there's five or six songs 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:55.099 you like. That's not what it's about. That's 00:21:55.099 --> 00:21:58.019 the story. But it's about hope. It's about hope 00:21:58.019 --> 00:22:00.680 for you. It's about hope in the things that you 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:04.220 struggle with, hope for your fears, your family, 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:07.579 the hope that you need to have because some people 00:22:07.579 --> 00:22:10.819 that you love died in the last year. This is 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:13.380 a message where Jesus wants you to know it's 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:17.980 not lilies. It's not dressing up. It's me. It's 00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:21.640 what he said to Martha. Martha, do you believe 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:25.880 I'm the resurrection and the life? He who believes 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:31.180 in me, though he dies, he will live. There's 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:34.839 hope for today and there's hope forever. And 00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:36.859 he wants you to know, I want to give you peace. 00:22:37.180 --> 00:22:39.319 He doesn't promise he's going to wave a little 00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:42.700 wand and all your problems go away and everything's 00:22:42.700 --> 00:22:45.700 going to be wonderful. But what he promises is 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:48.670 that I'll be with you. What he promised was, 00:22:48.730 --> 00:22:51.910 I've prepared a place for you. What he promised 00:22:51.910 --> 00:22:55.869 is that my spirit will dwell inside of you. If 00:22:55.869 --> 00:22:59.190 you will turn from your sin, ask me to forgive 00:22:59.190 --> 00:23:03.029 you and I will come into your life and I will 00:23:03.029 --> 00:23:05.490 take you out of the kingdom of darkness and I 00:23:05.490 --> 00:23:08.869 will place you in the kingdom of light and you 00:23:08.869 --> 00:23:13.950 will become born from above or born again a child 00:23:13.950 --> 00:23:17.940 of God. If you are already a child of God, then 00:23:17.940 --> 00:23:20.299 just in your heart of hearts say, Lord, I need 00:23:20.299 --> 00:23:23.970 you. And then get into his word. And if you're 00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:26.829 not a child of God or don't know for sure how, 00:23:27.049 --> 00:23:31.230 at this day, on this moment, cry out, Lord, I 00:23:31.230 --> 00:23:34.890 need you. I fall short. I know I've done things 00:23:34.890 --> 00:23:38.369 wrong, but I believe today you died in my place 00:23:38.369 --> 00:23:41.509 on that cross. I believe today you rose from 00:23:41.509 --> 00:23:44.230 the dead to prove it's true. And you promised, 00:23:44.309 --> 00:23:47.109 if I believe in my heart and I confess with my 00:23:47.109 --> 00:23:52.609 mouth, that you would save me, deliver me. Share 00:23:52.609 --> 00:23:54.910 that with your Heavenly Father at this moment, 00:23:55.029 --> 00:23:59.630 and He will forgive you, and He will give you 00:23:59.630 --> 00:24:04.150 a spiritual birth right now in your life, and 00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:07.589 His promise is eternal life beginning now, forever, 00:24:07.910 --> 00:24:11.240 and ever. And if you have just prayed that with 00:24:11.240 --> 00:24:14.619 me, make sure to contact us at Living on the 00:24:14.619 --> 00:24:17.079 Edge. We have a resource that's helpful and is 00:24:17.079 --> 00:24:20.440 free. And make sure you call or text the greatest 00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:23.519 Christian you know and say, hey, I don't have 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:26.099 it all figured out, but I prayed to receive Christ 00:24:26.099 --> 00:24:30.160 and I need help. And I know God will meet you. 00:24:30.779 --> 00:24:33.500 Great to be with you today. To get in touch, 00:24:33.500 --> 00:24:38.170 go to livingontheedge .org slash salvation. Well, 00:24:38.190 --> 00:24:40.490 real change doesn't start with trying harder. 00:24:40.650 --> 00:24:43.890 It starts with dying. I'm Dave Drewy, inviting 00:24:43.890 --> 00:24:46.450 you to find out more about what that means and 00:24:46.450 --> 00:24:49.190 why it's the best news you'll ever hear. Next 00:24:49.190 --> 00:24:51.950 time on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:24:54.970 --> 00:24:57.509 Today's program is produced and sponsored by 00:24:57.509 --> 00:24:58.630 Living on the Edge.