WEBVTT 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:14.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:17.149 Are you bored? Does your Bible reading seem dry? 00:00:17.370 --> 00:00:20.429 Are your prayers bouncing off the wall? Are you 00:00:20.429 --> 00:00:22.550 going to church and feel like it's status quo, 00:00:22.629 --> 00:00:24.890 nothing's really happening, and you're simply 00:00:24.890 --> 00:00:28.429 not experiencing the power and the presence of 00:00:28.429 --> 00:00:30.629 Christ in your life? Well, if that's where you're 00:00:30.629 --> 00:00:32.990 at, you tuned in on the right time, on the right 00:00:32.990 --> 00:00:35.009 day, because we're going to talk about how you 00:00:35.009 --> 00:00:37.609 can experience the supernatural power of Christ. 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:42.380 Stay with me. If you're longing for real, lasting 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:45.039 life change, but feel like you just can't get 00:00:45.039 --> 00:00:48.079 there, this message is for you. In Chip's series, 00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:50.240 Free at Last, How to Break Out of a Destructive 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:52.659 Lifestyle, we're exploring where the power to 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:55.679 change actually comes from. And today, Chip gets 00:00:55.679 --> 00:00:58.479 practical. I'm Dave Drewy, your host here on 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:00.939 Living on the Edge, with today's message titled, 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:04.079 Where Do We Get the Power to Change? Before we 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.340 dive in, remember all of these messages can be 00:01:06.340 --> 00:01:11.180 revisited anytime at livingontheedge .com. Well, 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:14.719 now here's Chip Ingram with today's lesson. So 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:19.739 the question is, how did Jesus conquer sin? And 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:22.400 how does that work practically in everyday life? 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:25.079 The Apostle Paul says it's going to be a struggle. 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:30.140 Now, verse 7 through 10 of Ephesians 4 will explain 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:33.540 how it happens. But here's what I want you to 00:01:33.540 --> 00:01:42.030 get. out of this passage will help you and me 00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:45.469 understand how to deal with the struggle of sin 00:01:45.469 --> 00:01:48.189 and tap into the power that we already possess. 00:01:49.150 --> 00:01:52.650 Implication number one, fact is, Christ is a 00:01:52.650 --> 00:01:55.390 conquering victor over sin, death, and Satan. 00:01:55.430 --> 00:01:58.930 The power to live a new life was made possible 00:01:58.930 --> 00:02:03.019 by his death and resurrection. Colossians 2, 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:07.540 13 through 15. Notice how Paul in this passage 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.939 talks about the victory, talks about the conquering 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:13.819 of evil. He says he made you, speaking to the 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:16.479 Colossian church, alive together with him. How? 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:19.919 Having forgiven all your transgressions, having 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:23.009 nailed it to the cross. And then notice this 00:02:23.009 --> 00:02:25.909 addition, and having disarmed the rulers and 00:02:25.909 --> 00:02:29.210 the authorities, he made a public spectacle of 00:02:29.210 --> 00:02:33.090 them, triumphing over them by the cross. And 00:02:33.090 --> 00:02:35.169 he's speaking of this event that we just talked 00:02:35.169 --> 00:02:39.909 about. The principle is life change always begins 00:02:39.909 --> 00:02:44.009 with the truth. It's objective. And here's three 00:02:44.009 --> 00:02:46.550 truths that come out of this. Number one, you 00:02:46.550 --> 00:02:49.909 are free. Sin's power has been broken. Write 00:02:49.909 --> 00:02:53.689 that in your notes. I am free. Number two, you 00:02:53.689 --> 00:02:59.669 are forgiven. And third, you are secure. Satan 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:02.449 does not have power over you anymore. You can 00:03:02.449 --> 00:03:05.270 give in to sin. You can give in to temptation. 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:08.150 You can be fearful of demonic spirits, but you're 00:03:08.150 --> 00:03:10.949 not a slave to it. You have a choice. You have 00:03:10.949 --> 00:03:16.069 power. You have access. Truth. That's the beginning. 00:03:16.830 --> 00:03:21.930 of real life change. Fact number two, we become 00:03:21.930 --> 00:03:25.229 co -partakers of Christ's victory over sin, death, 00:03:25.449 --> 00:03:29.490 and Satan the moment we receive Christ as our 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:33.150 personal Savior by faith. Remember what I said? 00:03:33.250 --> 00:03:37.870 Whatever is true of Jesus, the teaching of the 00:03:37.870 --> 00:03:40.770 New Testament and the Bible, it's true of you. 00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:43.699 This gets a little bit vague and hard to understand. 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:45.800 I've got a picture that will help you. But I 00:03:45.800 --> 00:03:47.900 want you, if you will, turn to Romans chapter 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:52.439 6. What I'm going to share is so radical, even 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:55.939 in that day, because God is going to say that 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:59.180 the grace of God is so overwhelming, no matter 00:03:59.180 --> 00:04:02.240 where you are, how far you are, however deep 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.900 the sin is, grace abounds still more. So much 00:04:05.900 --> 00:04:08.080 so that people were bending the truth, and they 00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:10.439 started saying, hey, you know something? This 00:04:10.439 --> 00:04:13.500 New Testament stuff's really great. If God gives 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:15.120 more grace, if you send more, why don't we just 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.980 start sending more? Chapter six opens up with 00:04:18.980 --> 00:04:22.779 an emphatic, that is not at all an option. He 00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:24.639 says, what shall we say then? Shall we go on 00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:26.959 sending so that grace may increase? By no means. 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:31.540 Now, follow carefully. This is the key. We died 00:04:31.540 --> 00:04:34.160 to sin. How then can we live in it any longer? 00:04:34.360 --> 00:04:36.779 Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:39.579 into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:42.680 We were therefore buried with him through baptism 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:46.319 and death in order that just as Christ was raised 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.800 from the dead through the glory of the Father, 00:04:48.980 --> 00:04:53.459 we too might walk in newness of life. Now follow 00:04:53.459 --> 00:04:57.160 along carefully. If we've been united with him 00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:00.199 like this in his death, we will certainly be 00:05:00.199 --> 00:05:02.899 united with him in his resurrection. For we know 00:05:02.899 --> 00:05:06.259 that our old self was crucified with him so that 00:05:06.259 --> 00:05:09.000 the body of sin might be done away, that we should 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:12.060 no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:15.519 has died is freed from sin. Now, if we died with 00:05:15.519 --> 00:05:17.399 Christ, we will believe we'll also live with 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:19.850 him. For we know that since Christ was raised 00:05:19.850 --> 00:05:23.269 from the dead, he cannot die again. Death no 00:05:23.269 --> 00:05:26.410 longer has mastery over him. The death he died, 00:05:26.509 --> 00:05:29.490 he died to sin once and for all. But the life 00:05:29.490 --> 00:05:33.350 he lives, he lives to God in the same way. Application. 00:05:34.009 --> 00:05:37.350 Count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God 00:05:37.350 --> 00:05:39.350 in Christ Jesus. And then he begins to explain 00:05:39.350 --> 00:05:42.250 what that is and how to do that. And we'll discuss 00:05:42.250 --> 00:05:44.930 that as we go along in this process. You will 00:05:44.930 --> 00:05:48.079 learn how to. count yourself dead to sin and 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:51.259 how to present your members by faith. What the 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:54.740 Bible teaches in Romans chapter 6, what Paul 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:57.220 is explaining in verses 7 through 10 of Ephesians 00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:02.759 chapter 4 is that Christ died in your place. 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:06.660 He descended to the lower parts of the earth. 00:06:07.180 --> 00:06:12.100 He declared victory over the wicked. He proclaimed 00:06:12.100 --> 00:06:15.529 new life. He rose from the dead. He's conquered 00:06:15.529 --> 00:06:20.410 sin, death, and Satan. And the moment that you 00:06:20.410 --> 00:06:24.550 believe and trust in him, you become a co -partaker. 00:06:25.269 --> 00:06:29.310 And so what you see is when God the Father sees 00:06:29.310 --> 00:06:32.870 you, remember justified? When God sees you, and 00:06:32.870 --> 00:06:35.709 you need to get this. You need to get this in 00:06:35.709 --> 00:06:38.490 your intellect and get it into your heart. God 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:41.709 declared you righteous based on his work. And 00:06:41.709 --> 00:06:45.269 when he looks at you, Despite your experiential 00:06:45.269 --> 00:06:49.470 times of sin, he sees you as righteous, as forgiven, 00:06:49.769 --> 00:06:52.069 as through the lens of the blood of his son, 00:06:52.250 --> 00:06:57.449 as precious, as a child, as adopted. You'll never 00:06:57.449 --> 00:07:00.089 be more loved than you are today. And you're 00:07:00.089 --> 00:07:03.550 connected to him forever. Now in this journey 00:07:03.550 --> 00:07:06.410 of sanctification, how do I live out what's true 00:07:06.410 --> 00:07:09.670 of me? He says this is how it works. Whatever 00:07:09.670 --> 00:07:15.279 is true of him is now true of you. I am crucified 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:18.480 with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:21.899 but Christ lives in me. And this life I now live, 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:26.259 I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me 00:07:26.259 --> 00:07:31.319 and gave himself for me. It's not religious activity. 00:07:31.620 --> 00:07:35.040 It's not a formula. It's not... my self -effort 00:07:35.040 --> 00:07:38.920 of trying hard. It's understanding the bedrock 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:42.759 truth that when you trusted Christ, you're connected 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:46.220 to him for all eternity. So principle number 00:07:46.220 --> 00:07:49.399 one, life change begins with the truth. Principle 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:54.540 number two, we must act on the truth for life 00:07:54.540 --> 00:07:58.019 change to occur. Life change demands that we 00:07:58.019 --> 00:08:01.139 act on the truth. Do you know what acting on 00:08:01.139 --> 00:08:05.930 the truth is called in the Bible? Faith. Faith, 00:08:05.970 --> 00:08:08.610 that's what it is. Now, faith isn't a feeling. 00:08:08.670 --> 00:08:11.509 Faith isn't some ooey -gooey thought. Faith is 00:08:11.509 --> 00:08:15.009 believing what God has said to the point of acting 00:08:15.009 --> 00:08:18.329 on it, whether I feel like it or not. Let me 00:08:18.329 --> 00:08:19.769 say that again, because sometimes I think we 00:08:19.769 --> 00:08:21.730 think, I don't have enough faith. You don't have 00:08:21.730 --> 00:08:26.850 to feel anything. Faith is believing what God 00:08:26.850 --> 00:08:29.449 has said to the point I act on it, whether I 00:08:29.449 --> 00:08:32.750 feel like it or not. God says that sexual purity 00:08:32.750 --> 00:08:36.029 is my will for this relationship. I don't feel 00:08:36.029 --> 00:08:38.309 like that maybe in a relationship. And I say, 00:08:38.330 --> 00:08:40.450 you know what? I'm going to act on that. And 00:08:40.450 --> 00:08:43.490 the moment I act and make provision to be sexually 00:08:43.490 --> 00:08:46.149 pure, God gives grace. And then he does a lot 00:08:46.149 --> 00:08:48.090 of wonderful things in that relationship that 00:08:48.090 --> 00:08:52.230 sin block. Faith says, I'm going to prioritize 00:08:52.230 --> 00:08:56.320 the first portion of my life. my future, my priorities, 00:08:56.419 --> 00:08:58.960 and my relationships by what God says. I don't 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:01.360 always feel like loving my wife. I don't always 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:03.019 feel like turning off the remote and walking 00:09:03.019 --> 00:09:05.159 over and dealing with one of my kids. I don't 00:09:05.159 --> 00:09:07.600 always feel like doing, but when by faith I trust, 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:10.440 the other side of faith is the moment I take 00:09:10.440 --> 00:09:13.759 that step, it's obedience, and I get grace. That's 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:17.080 how transformation occurs. Left to myself, I 00:09:17.080 --> 00:09:19.379 don't do very well. So there's community of people 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:21.919 who their gifts and their love and their encouragement 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:23.600 helped me on my walk. Because remember, what 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:24.779 did we learn about the little babies when they 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:29.779 walk? Step, step, step, great, then, right? And 00:09:29.779 --> 00:09:32.179 we're all going to keep falling. And we have 00:09:32.179 --> 00:09:34.879 a heavenly father who understands, who says, 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:39.899 look, that's who you really are. My dad did not 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:42.870 grow up as a Christian. and I had been a Christian 00:09:42.870 --> 00:09:44.769 a year, and you know, sometimes when God's changing 00:09:44.769 --> 00:09:46.669 you, it's so close to you, you don't see how 00:09:46.669 --> 00:09:50.490 it really works, and all I knew was what I just 00:09:50.490 --> 00:09:53.330 shared with you about what Christ had done. I 00:09:53.330 --> 00:09:56.570 trusted him in 1972. I went away to college, 00:09:56.610 --> 00:09:59.889 and there was a bricklayer who was a godly man 00:09:59.889 --> 00:10:02.049 who came up and taught me how to get in the Bible 00:10:02.049 --> 00:10:04.409 for myself, and so I started reading the Bible 00:10:04.409 --> 00:10:07.409 in the mornings, and I memorized, you know, just 00:10:07.409 --> 00:10:09.870 a few verses, and I got in a small group and 00:10:09.870 --> 00:10:12.259 did some Bible study, You know, little by little, 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:14.659 just the old was passing away and new had come, 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:17.159 but I had a long way to go. And I came home that 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:19.120 summer, and after about three weeks, my dad said, 00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:23.460 what happened to you? I said, what do you mean? 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:26.379 He said, what happened to you? I said, I mean, 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:28.899 what do you mean what happened to me? There's 00:10:28.899 --> 00:10:32.580 a piece about you I can't understand. And I said, 00:10:32.600 --> 00:10:35.799 well, Dad, I, you know, we went to church, but 00:10:35.799 --> 00:10:37.159 we didn't believe the Bible, and we didn't know 00:10:37.159 --> 00:10:38.759 about a personal relationship to God, so it was 00:10:38.759 --> 00:10:41.379 hard to say. I said, well, I put my faith in 00:10:41.379 --> 00:10:44.000 Christ, and I have a new relationship with God. 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:47.659 So he said, well, how'd you get it? And honestly, 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:50.080 this is not really good news for the people that 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:52.080 were helping me, I suppose. I said, I don't know. 00:10:53.259 --> 00:10:55.659 You know? And so eventually I just said, well, 00:10:55.740 --> 00:10:58.379 the one key, I said, I started reading the Bible. 00:10:58.879 --> 00:11:01.679 And so, you know, you got an ex -Marine, okay. 00:11:02.529 --> 00:11:04.190 That's how you do it. He got up at five every 00:11:04.190 --> 00:11:07.090 morning, read the Bible for a year, almost. Matthew, 00:11:07.090 --> 00:11:08.370 Mark, Luke, and John. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 00:11:08.370 --> 00:11:10.330 John. Then finally, like six months into it, 00:11:10.330 --> 00:11:12.669 he goes, do these guys not know the story? They 00:11:12.669 --> 00:11:14.590 keep telling the same story over and over. And 00:11:14.590 --> 00:11:16.529 I had to say, well, actually, Dad, you know, 00:11:16.570 --> 00:11:18.190 Mark's writing to the Romans and Luke to the 00:11:18.190 --> 00:11:20.649 Greeks. And, you know, it's sort of a composite 00:11:20.649 --> 00:11:23.730 picture. And after six months, my dad comes to 00:11:23.730 --> 00:11:26.769 me. And, I mean, he'd been in religious all his 00:11:26.769 --> 00:11:28.730 life. And in his own words, he would say, I went 00:11:28.730 --> 00:11:30.759 to church whether I was drunk or not. So he's 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:33.340 a recovering alcoholic who, because he knew he 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:34.940 was going to lose his marriage, stopped drinking 00:11:34.940 --> 00:11:37.759 a year earlier. And he wants to change and doesn't 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.799 know how. His kid comes home and there's something 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:42.960 different. His kid can't explain even, you know, 00:11:42.980 --> 00:11:45.820 I wish I could have said, oh, dad, it's a substitutionary 00:11:45.820 --> 00:11:48.240 work of Christ. He died in your place on the 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:50.179 cross, rose from the dead. What he wants to you 00:11:50.179 --> 00:11:52.299 by faith turned to him. I couldn't explain it. 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:55.620 And so he just, but here's the point. Truth. 00:11:56.279 --> 00:11:58.700 Life change begins with the truth. He got in 00:11:58.700 --> 00:12:02.879 the Bible. You're listening to Living on the 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:05.440 Edge with Chip Ingram, and we'll continue the 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:08.019 lesson in a moment. But while you're with us, 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:10.360 did you know that Chip's teaching is also available 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:13.389 on YouTube? The Living on the Edge channel has 00:12:13.389 --> 00:12:17.029 full video series, short form clips, and a growing 00:12:17.029 --> 00:12:20.350 library of content you can watch anytime. Check 00:12:20.350 --> 00:12:23.429 out Chip's other series like Sacred Strongholds, 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:26.429 exploring the lies we believe that quietly destroy 00:12:26.429 --> 00:12:29.850 the lives we love. Just search Living on the 00:12:29.850 --> 00:12:32.970 Edge with Chip Ingram on YouTube and hit subscribe 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:36.289 so you never miss what's new. Well, now here's 00:12:36.289 --> 00:12:38.350 Chip. I'll tell you what, the people that I meet 00:12:38.350 --> 00:12:40.389 and talk to in terms of their journey with God, 00:12:41.019 --> 00:12:43.100 I would much rather have someone read the Bible 00:12:43.100 --> 00:12:45.860 with me and have coffee and I put my arm around 00:12:45.860 --> 00:12:47.399 him as a friend and let's just talk about what 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:50.000 this is like for months as opposed to someone 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:52.039 feeling some quick moment of guilt and praying 00:12:52.039 --> 00:12:54.600 a quick prayer. Because I will tell you, God's 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.700 word never returns void. After six months, he 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:01.039 says to me, you know something? I don't know 00:13:01.039 --> 00:13:02.860 what this whole deal is you have, but it has 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:05.419 something to do with faith. I mean, here's a 00:13:05.419 --> 00:13:07.460 guy that's never read the Bible. It's faith. 00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:10.429 And I said, Dad, I think you're right. He says 00:13:10.429 --> 00:13:13.350 so what do I do? I said I don't know. You know? 00:13:13.509 --> 00:13:16.169 So he goes another nine months or so, and I go 00:13:16.169 --> 00:13:17.970 off to school, and I get a call a little bit 00:13:17.970 --> 00:13:20.429 later, and he said, I got it. I got it. I said, 00:13:20.470 --> 00:13:21.929 what do you mean you got it? I'm a Christian 00:13:21.929 --> 00:13:24.529 now. I said, really? What happened, Dad? He said, 00:13:24.529 --> 00:13:26.070 well, I knew it was about faith. I kept reading, 00:13:26.169 --> 00:13:28.049 reading, reading, and I don't know where it came 00:13:28.049 --> 00:13:30.190 from, but I was walking by my dresser, and there 00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:31.590 was a little pamphlet called The Four Spiritual 00:13:31.590 --> 00:13:33.950 Laws, and I read it. It had all the stuff I've 00:13:33.950 --> 00:13:35.929 been reading. God has a plan for your life. What 00:13:35.929 --> 00:13:38.129 separates you from God is your sin. Christ died 00:13:38.129 --> 00:13:40.370 in your place. You need to trust him by faith, 00:13:40.450 --> 00:13:42.399 and it had a little prayer. And it was like, 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:44.240 wow, so that's how you do it. And he says, what 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:46.759 I did is I got down right on my bed, and I said, 00:13:46.779 --> 00:13:48.799 God, I have killed thousands and thousands and 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:50.519 thousands of people, and I've lived with nightmares 00:13:50.519 --> 00:13:53.720 and shame all my life, but I received the blood 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:55.679 of Jesus to forgive me right now at this moment. 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:58.039 And in my dad's late 50s, he came to Christ. 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:04.340 Life change begins with the truth. Life change 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:08.450 demands that we act on the truth by faith. Let 00:14:08.450 --> 00:14:10.629 me give you the greatest example of acting on 00:14:10.629 --> 00:14:12.330 the truth. At the very bottom, I put a little 00:14:12.330 --> 00:14:16.110 chart, if you will, and I put a verse, because 00:14:16.110 --> 00:14:18.730 it's truth, and I want you to get to act on it 00:14:18.730 --> 00:14:21.269 if that's where you're at. The truth is Romans 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:23.769 6 .23. It says, for the wages of sin is death, 00:14:23.909 --> 00:14:26.230 but the free gift of God is eternal life through 00:14:26.230 --> 00:14:29.669 Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, what I've put there 00:14:29.669 --> 00:14:32.269 is a picture of kind of like two cliffs, if you 00:14:32.269 --> 00:14:36.450 will. There's us on this side, and there's God 00:14:36.450 --> 00:14:39.470 on this side. And when you look at that, on the 00:14:39.470 --> 00:14:43.490 us side, it says the wages. What are wages? It's 00:14:43.490 --> 00:14:44.809 what you earn, right? It's what you get for what 00:14:44.809 --> 00:14:49.090 you do. The wages of our sin, there's this chasm 00:14:49.090 --> 00:14:53.049 like in Luke 16. There's this chasm that separates 00:14:53.049 --> 00:14:57.769 us from God forever. But the free gift of God 00:14:57.769 --> 00:15:03.370 through Jesus, you have eternal life. So what 00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:05.870 you need to do. is you need to pull your pen 00:15:05.870 --> 00:15:08.190 out, and I want you to make a bridge because 00:15:08.190 --> 00:15:10.970 Jesus is the bridge to life. So make a little 00:15:10.970 --> 00:15:13.909 bridge, okay? And once you make the horizontal 00:15:13.909 --> 00:15:16.409 line, why don't you make it a really cool, nifty 00:15:16.409 --> 00:15:19.950 bridge and put a vertical line? And if you put 00:15:19.950 --> 00:15:21.710 a vertical line and a horizontal line, what do 00:15:21.710 --> 00:15:26.850 you have there? You got a cross. Now here, we're 00:15:26.850 --> 00:15:30.450 right back to what Jesus said. Jesus said, the 00:15:30.450 --> 00:15:32.269 day will come when I'm going to speak to all 00:15:32.269 --> 00:15:34.720 that are dead. One day, all of us will be dead. 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:38.600 And one day, Jesus will return. And he said, 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:41.519 truly, truly, or verily, verily, it's just for 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:44.360 emphasis. This is really important. I say to 00:15:44.360 --> 00:15:50.340 all of you, those of you who hear my word and 00:15:50.340 --> 00:15:55.659 believe on him who sent me has, present tense, 00:15:55.879 --> 00:16:00.340 eternal life. So you are looking at truth. The 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:03.200 truth is there's a fact. that the eternal Son 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:05.779 of God, fully man, fully God, walked upon the 00:16:05.779 --> 00:16:09.139 earth, lived a perfect life. He built a bridge, 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.340 and he paid for the wages of your sin, and he 00:16:12.340 --> 00:16:16.220 atoned, or he's covering death. And it's by grace, 00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:19.620 it's a complete free gift. And if by faith you 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:22.200 receive the free gift, you move from this side 00:16:22.200 --> 00:16:24.620 of the bridge to the other side. And according 00:16:24.620 --> 00:16:27.980 to Jesus, it means you hear his word, and then 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:32.500 you believe. And when you do that, the gift of 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:34.980 eternal life. You're taken from the kingdom of 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:38.460 darkness to the kingdom of light. You're free, 00:16:38.519 --> 00:16:44.179 you're forgiven, and you're secure. There's some 00:16:44.179 --> 00:16:46.100 of you today that this is the most wonderful 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:49.779 day in your life ever. Today is better than the 00:16:49.779 --> 00:16:52.360 day that you were born because today's the day 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:55.480 that you will be born a second time or be born 00:16:55.480 --> 00:16:58.700 spiritually. Jesus said physical life requires 00:16:58.700 --> 00:17:01.820 a physical birth. Spiritual life requires a spiritual 00:17:01.820 --> 00:17:07.359 birth. If you have never by faith not come to 00:17:07.359 --> 00:17:09.680 church, not tried to be a moral person, not tried 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:11.380 to read the Bible a little bit, I'm not talking 00:17:11.380 --> 00:17:13.480 about giving to the United Way, I'm not talking 00:17:13.480 --> 00:17:16.599 about being religious. If you have never by faith 00:17:16.599 --> 00:17:19.799 said, I'm going to trust in the objective facts 00:17:19.799 --> 00:17:24.519 of what Christ did in my place, then right now 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:26.579 in your seat, the greatest thing you could do 00:17:26.579 --> 00:17:31.660 is cry out to God. Whether you feel or not feel 00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:35.640 is to say, your sin separates you from God for 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.440 all eternity. And God's word says, his desire 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:42.859 is that not one person would perish. And so he's 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:45.880 offered you a free gift. And so you, by faith, 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:49.380 say, I'm going to trust in Christ. I want to 00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:52.839 be united to him. Will you please forgive me 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:56.640 right now? I'm sorry for my sin. I turn from 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:59.079 it. It's called repentance. And I want to receive 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.420 right now eternal life. You can pray that in 00:18:02.420 --> 00:18:04.579 your seat right now at this moment, and God will 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:09.700 hear. Jesus came to give you that today. Fact 00:18:09.700 --> 00:18:12.960 number one, his death and resurrection is the 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:15.160 key. Life change always begins with the truth. 00:18:15.839 --> 00:18:19.319 Fact number two, you become a co -partaker when 00:18:19.319 --> 00:18:22.200 you receive Christ personally. Principle number 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:24.960 two is life change. demands that we act on the 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:29.480 truth. Remember when the conquering victor, general, 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:32.819 or king, when he was declaring his victory, remember 00:18:32.819 --> 00:18:35.799 there's the military, he humiliates his foes, 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:37.519 but remember what's in the back of the spoils? 00:18:38.019 --> 00:18:41.859 He gave gifts to everybody. He gave gifts of 00:18:41.859 --> 00:18:44.319 what was conquered. So every time people got 00:18:44.319 --> 00:18:47.440 a gift, they were reminded what? The love of 00:18:47.440 --> 00:18:49.680 their king and the victory that they shared in. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:52.539 Fact number three, every believer is given a 00:18:52.539 --> 00:18:56.160 spiritual gift, a supernatural enabling at the 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:59.619 moment of salvation for two reasons. Every believer. 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:03.779 What does it mean? He gave gifts to men. Reason 00:19:03.779 --> 00:19:06.059 number one, to remind us that life change occurs 00:19:06.059 --> 00:19:09.779 on the basis of grace, not self -effort. When 00:19:09.779 --> 00:19:12.319 that lady's milking that cow, when that other 00:19:12.319 --> 00:19:14.700 lady sees the bracelet, when the blacksmith, 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:16.819 when he came through town, he said, hey, wow, 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:19.700 here, you can have a donkey and two camels. When 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:22.039 he's taking care of those animals, he's reminded, 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:26.640 my king won a great victory. The evidence and 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:31.740 reminder that I was given this gift is my king's 00:19:31.740 --> 00:19:35.299 work for me. And that's the imagery. Can you 00:19:35.299 --> 00:19:37.559 imagine what would happen if every time you used 00:19:37.559 --> 00:19:39.839 your spiritual gift, if you really discovered 00:19:39.839 --> 00:19:42.619 what it was, and you realized you have this supernatural, 00:19:42.619 --> 00:19:46.500 sacred endowment? that you use to get to love 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:49.180 people in a supernatural way, that it would remind 00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:54.039 you it's a gift. Your salvation is a gift. The 00:19:54.039 --> 00:19:57.440 second reason is to be empowered as other -centered 00:19:57.440 --> 00:20:01.500 agents of grace who supply what others need to 00:20:01.500 --> 00:20:05.160 be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Remember, 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:07.380 if life change happens in community, sort of 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:11.009 in that spiritual cocoon, well... I was pretty 00:20:11.009 --> 00:20:13.650 honest with you. This last week, I wasn't humble 00:20:13.650 --> 00:20:15.829 and gentle and patient and bearing with and making 00:20:15.829 --> 00:20:18.849 every effort all the time. I had a lot of the 00:20:18.849 --> 00:20:22.670 right side. And you know what I need? To learn 00:20:22.670 --> 00:20:24.609 to be humble, I need people that put me first. 00:20:24.809 --> 00:20:27.769 I need people that'll be patient with me. I need 00:20:27.769 --> 00:20:29.450 people that won't be critical and judgmental, 00:20:29.450 --> 00:20:31.529 that will be grace -filled and loving and kind. 00:20:31.670 --> 00:20:33.970 Because you know what happens? Whoever you're 00:20:33.970 --> 00:20:37.099 around, you become like. And when the Jesus inside 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:40.480 of you and the Jesus inside of me, as we do life 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:42.859 together from the heart honestly, the Spirit 00:20:42.859 --> 00:20:45.180 of God will take your gifts and meet my needs 00:20:45.180 --> 00:20:48.200 and my gifts to meet your needs. And so you'll 00:20:48.200 --> 00:20:49.799 have wisdom and I'll make a great decision to 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:52.259 experience God. Or I'll really blow it and I'll 00:20:52.259 --> 00:20:54.319 feel ashamed and down on myself and beat myself 00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:56.299 up and the enemy will say, see, Ingram, you're 00:20:56.299 --> 00:20:58.799 a lousy, stinking, and you'll have the gift of 00:20:58.799 --> 00:21:00.180 mercy and you'll say, no, no, no, no, no, Chip. 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:03.839 That's your experience. That's who you are. God 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:07.170 loves you. The world's not over. And so it gives 00:21:07.170 --> 00:21:10.130 us power as we use our gifts with one another. 00:21:10.490 --> 00:21:14.069 The principle is life change is both a gift and 00:21:14.069 --> 00:21:19.750 a responsibility. It's a gift. You're listening 00:21:19.750 --> 00:21:22.910 to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram and a 00:21:22.910 --> 00:21:25.089 message called Where Do We Get the Power to Change? 00:21:25.490 --> 00:21:28.190 It's part of Chip's latest series, Free at Last, 00:21:28.450 --> 00:21:30.410 How to Break Out of a Destructive Lifestyle. 00:21:30.930 --> 00:21:33.150 Well, Chip has a final word for us in just a 00:21:33.150 --> 00:21:36.559 moment. Life change is both a gift and a responsibility. 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:39.839 That's where Chip landed today. And it's the 00:21:39.839 --> 00:21:42.019 thread running through every page of his book, 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:45.519 Yes, You Really Can Change. It's honest, hopeful, 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:48.180 and written for anyone who genuinely wants their 00:21:48.180 --> 00:21:51.019 faith to stop being something they know and start 00:21:51.019 --> 00:21:54.099 being something they actually live. And for a 00:21:54.099 --> 00:21:56.259 limited time, we're including a second copy with 00:21:56.259 --> 00:21:58.740 every order, one to keep, one to give to someone 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:01.339 who's ready to take this step with you. So get 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:04.299 your copy of Yes, You Really Can Change and a 00:22:04.299 --> 00:22:07.019 copy for someone you know by going online to 00:22:07.019 --> 00:22:11.480 livingontheedge .org slash offers. If Living 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:13.599 on the Edge is making a difference in your life, 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:17.019 we'd love your help to keep it going. Every gift, 00:22:17.059 --> 00:22:19.319 whatever the amount, goes directly toward reaching 00:22:19.319 --> 00:22:21.700 more people with this kind of practical biblical 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:25.500 teaching. Give online at livingontheedge .org 00:22:25.500 --> 00:22:31.200 or by phone at 888 -333 -6003. You can also reach 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:35.559 us by mail at Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:40.380 Atlanta, Georgia 30024. And every message in 00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:42.920 this series will also be available on the Living 00:22:42.920 --> 00:22:45.839 on the Edge podcast. Subscribe so you can get 00:22:45.839 --> 00:22:48.519 each message downloaded automatically every day. 00:22:49.230 --> 00:22:51.829 And the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast has every 00:22:51.829 --> 00:22:54.710 sermon in full, unedited from start to finish. 00:22:54.910 --> 00:22:57.950 Find it wherever you listen. Well, now here's 00:22:57.950 --> 00:23:00.430 Chip. For the last two days, we've been talking 00:23:00.430 --> 00:23:02.910 about how to experience Christ's resurrection 00:23:02.910 --> 00:23:06.029 power in our lives. There's three transformational 00:23:06.029 --> 00:23:08.549 principles we've dealt with. Number one, life 00:23:08.549 --> 00:23:11.359 change always begins with the truth. Number two, 00:23:11.880 --> 00:23:14.640 life change demands that we act on the truth. 00:23:14.839 --> 00:23:17.799 And number three, life change is both a gift 00:23:17.799 --> 00:23:21.000 and a responsibility. Today, as I begin to apply 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:23.180 that, I talked about the evidence of walking 00:23:23.180 --> 00:23:25.579 by faith and God having the first portion of 00:23:25.579 --> 00:23:27.640 our money and the first portion of our time. 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:31.440 And then I talked about that very sensitive area 00:23:31.440 --> 00:23:34.519 of forgiveness. And I want to camp there. I want 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:36.559 to stop there. I sense that maybe many of you 00:23:36.559 --> 00:23:39.660 listening to my voice have an issue with forgiveness. 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:43.220 I can't imagine how many people with ex -mates, 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:46.619 bad bosses, rebellious kids, abusive parents, 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:50.019 have unforgiveness in your heart and your life 00:23:50.019 --> 00:23:53.980 that is quenching the power of God. The application 00:23:53.980 --> 00:23:57.039 today is release them. Forgive them. It's not 00:23:57.039 --> 00:24:00.279 a feeling. It's a choice. It's a decision. And 00:24:00.279 --> 00:24:02.559 I'm going to call you before God right now to 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:05.579 act on the truth that you know. They don't deserve 00:24:05.579 --> 00:24:08.680 it. They have hurt you. But you release them, 00:24:08.839 --> 00:24:11.619 you entrust them to God's justice, and you make 00:24:11.619 --> 00:24:13.400 a commitment that you will not bring up in your 00:24:13.400 --> 00:24:16.640 mind negative, destructive thoughts, or you will 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:18.779 not say negative, destructive things about them. 00:24:18.859 --> 00:24:23.019 You let it go. You forgive. And then I want to 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:25.819 encourage you that to seal that deal, begin today 00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:29.220 praying for them, asking God to encourage them 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:32.140 and help them, and literally even bless them. 00:24:32.279 --> 00:24:34.599 Remember those words of Jesus, bless those who 00:24:34.599 --> 00:24:39.200 persecute you. Who do you need to forgive? Do 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:42.000 it today. That's the end of today's program. 00:24:42.220 --> 00:24:44.599 Join us next time as we continue our series, 00:24:44.779 --> 00:24:47.420 Free at Last, How to Break Out of a Destructive 00:24:47.420 --> 00:24:50.299 Lifestyle. That's next time with Chip Ingram 00:24:50.299 --> 00:24:56.440 on Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced 00:24:56.440 --> 00:24:58.619 and sponsored by Living on the Edge.