WEBVTT 00:00:11.369 --> 00:00:13.929 I want you to think of someone right now that's 00:00:13.929 --> 00:00:16.890 really, really discouraged that you care about. 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:20.070 What's the best thing you could give them? Would 00:00:20.070 --> 00:00:22.890 it be money? Would it be a great vacation? Just 00:00:22.890 --> 00:00:25.690 a little relief? I'm going to tell you there's 00:00:25.690 --> 00:00:28.969 something far better and more important. Stay 00:00:28.969 --> 00:00:34.570 with me. Welcome to this weekend edition of Living 00:00:34.570 --> 00:00:37.280 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. The mission of 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.640 this daily program is to intentionally disciple 00:00:39.640 --> 00:00:42.240 Christians through the insightful Bible teaching 00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:44.719 of Chip Ingram. In this past week, we continued 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:47.399 our study in the book of Philippians as we launched 00:00:47.399 --> 00:00:50.579 our series, I Choose Hope. For the next handful 00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:52.960 of days, we'll learn how to confidently face 00:00:52.960 --> 00:00:56.140 any circumstance in life by holding tightly to 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:58.920 the hope only Christ can offer. Today, we're 00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.079 highlighting the first program in this insightful 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:04.049 series. But before we get going, let me encourage 00:01:04.049 --> 00:01:06.430 you to download our message notes to help you 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:08.670 get the most out of Chip's teaching. They contain 00:01:08.670 --> 00:01:11.510 his outline, scripture references, and much more. 00:01:11.750 --> 00:01:15.609 Get them by visiting the broadcasts tab at livingontheedge 00:01:15.609 --> 00:01:19.829 .org, app listeners tab, fill in notes. Well, 00:01:19.849 --> 00:01:21.790 if you have your Bible, go to Philippians chapter 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:25.189 3 as we join Chip for his message, Finding Hope. 00:01:26.510 --> 00:01:28.950 A couple years ago, I had a chance to listen 00:01:28.950 --> 00:01:31.450 to a speaker, and he is a very, very effective 00:01:31.450 --> 00:01:34.010 leader. He's a guy that I've admired. I would 00:01:34.010 --> 00:01:36.489 call him a friend. I don't know him real well, 00:01:36.549 --> 00:01:39.170 but we've hung out a few times, and when I get 00:01:39.170 --> 00:01:41.370 close to someone that I can tell is really real, 00:01:41.450 --> 00:01:44.090 it's very exciting. And he was giving a message 00:01:44.090 --> 00:01:47.489 and he said, there's actually something in our 00:01:47.489 --> 00:01:50.109 day that you can measure, that you can actually 00:01:50.109 --> 00:01:53.989 grow, that has a higher ability to predict the 00:01:53.989 --> 00:01:58.209 future than either your IQ or even your EQ. He 00:01:58.209 --> 00:02:01.269 said, there's something called an HQ that depending 00:02:01.269 --> 00:02:04.609 on how full your HQ is, that will tell you a 00:02:04.609 --> 00:02:06.469 lot more about the future of your marriage, your 00:02:06.469 --> 00:02:09.189 future in school, your future with people, your 00:02:09.189 --> 00:02:12.990 future in work. than even how smart you are or 00:02:12.990 --> 00:02:16.009 your emotional intelligence. And I was leaning 00:02:16.009 --> 00:02:18.270 forward like, I'd like to know what that is. 00:02:18.590 --> 00:02:23.370 He says, HQ is your hope quotient. And then he 00:02:23.370 --> 00:02:26.789 talked about a research project that had started 00:02:26.789 --> 00:02:29.949 at the time seven years earlier, and it came 00:02:29.949 --> 00:02:32.729 out of a conversation with his daughter who was 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:35.349 in school at the time and in a class on leadership. 00:02:35.610 --> 00:02:37.990 In fact, I put the question that she asked him. 00:02:38.210 --> 00:02:41.030 It was a homework assignment. And the homework 00:02:41.030 --> 00:02:43.770 assignment was to find a leader and ask questions 00:02:43.770 --> 00:02:45.969 so you could learn about leadership. So she thought, 00:02:46.030 --> 00:02:49.110 my dad's a leader. I'll ask him. So they began 00:02:49.110 --> 00:02:52.169 to talk for a couple hours. And he said her last 00:02:52.169 --> 00:02:55.729 question was question number 20. And it was the 00:02:55.729 --> 00:02:59.849 best one. She said, what's the single most important 00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:02.729 thing you do as a leader? Now think of that. 00:03:02.830 --> 00:03:05.310 The single most important. Is it strategy? Is 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:07.889 it planning? He happens to pastor one of the 00:03:07.889 --> 00:03:10.069 largest churches in all of America. Is it prayer? 00:03:10.310 --> 00:03:14.310 I mean, what is it? And he said, instinctively, 00:03:14.310 --> 00:03:16.289 after all these years, I said, oh, that's easy. 00:03:17.250 --> 00:03:22.189 I make sure I stay encouraged. And I remember 00:03:22.189 --> 00:03:25.930 sitting there listening to him, because when 00:03:25.930 --> 00:03:28.409 she asked that question, I wanted to know, what 00:03:28.409 --> 00:03:30.310 is it? But that's not what I thought he would 00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:33.409 say. And then I got to think about it, and he 00:03:33.409 --> 00:03:36.310 went on to say, when I'm encouraged, I make good 00:03:36.310 --> 00:03:38.789 decisions. When I'm encouraged and emotionally 00:03:38.789 --> 00:03:41.409 whole, I relate to people well. But when I'm 00:03:41.409 --> 00:03:45.669 discouraged, I make bad decisions. When I'm discouraged, 00:03:45.949 --> 00:03:48.689 I tend to fall into temptation. When I'm discouraged, 00:03:48.930 --> 00:03:51.569 I lose confidence. When I'm discouraged and live 00:03:51.569 --> 00:03:53.729 in a discouraged manner, I start losing credibility 00:03:53.729 --> 00:03:56.469 with the people around me. And then he went on 00:03:56.469 --> 00:03:59.449 to say, he said, the greatest gift parents can 00:03:59.449 --> 00:04:03.120 ever give their kids is hope. The greatest thing 00:04:03.120 --> 00:04:05.599 you can give your marriage partner is hope. The 00:04:05.599 --> 00:04:07.240 greatest thing you can give your employees or 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:10.659 your friends is hope. And I thought to myself, 00:04:11.039 --> 00:04:14.360 I have never thought about it like that, but 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:17.839 it rings true. I found a quote by my mentor, 00:04:17.980 --> 00:04:20.579 Howard Hendricks, speaking of the flip side of 00:04:20.579 --> 00:04:23.300 hope. He says, discouragement, this is a great 00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:27.209 line, is the anesthetic. that the devil uses 00:04:27.209 --> 00:04:31.889 on a person just before he reaches in and carves 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:35.709 out their heart. That's graphic, isn't it? Well, 00:04:35.769 --> 00:04:38.689 what is hope? I've done a lot of research, and 00:04:38.689 --> 00:04:40.269 I could give you biblical words and dictionary 00:04:40.269 --> 00:04:43.490 words, but as I put them all together, I think 00:04:43.490 --> 00:04:46.329 the heart of hope is this. It's the mental and 00:04:46.329 --> 00:04:50.930 emotional outlook that life is good, the future 00:04:50.930 --> 00:04:55.370 is promising, Progress is certain even in the 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:57.649 midst of challenging circumstances or difficult 00:04:57.649 --> 00:05:01.110 relationships. It's an emotional and intellectual 00:05:01.110 --> 00:05:04.490 outlook. It's just you get up and there's something 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:06.209 about your emotions. There's something about 00:05:06.209 --> 00:05:09.550 your thinking. And it's like life is good. Hey, 00:05:09.569 --> 00:05:11.269 life is good. Of course, there's challenges. 00:05:11.329 --> 00:05:15.480 But the future, the future is promising. The 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:17.500 future of my marriage is promising. The future 00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:19.740 of my singleness is promising. My future at work 00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:22.600 is promising. And progress is absolutely certain, 00:05:22.699 --> 00:05:26.579 even in the midst of difficulty and challenges. 00:05:27.699 --> 00:05:31.959 Why does it matter? People that think like that 00:05:31.959 --> 00:05:34.120 the majority of the time have more satisfying 00:05:34.120 --> 00:05:37.120 relationships. They're more productive. They're 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:39.319 affected less by stress. They're more successful, 00:05:39.420 --> 00:05:43.120 more satisfied. They're more compassionate. They're 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:45.779 more willing to help people in need. Their physical 00:05:45.779 --> 00:05:49.240 life, they're healthier. They hold a higher moral 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:51.920 and ethical standard. They're more likely to 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:55.019 assume leadership positions. And it's interesting, 00:05:55.139 --> 00:05:58.180 they're more likely to see God as loving, caring, 00:05:58.439 --> 00:06:01.199 and forgiving. So let me ask you, just before 00:06:01.199 --> 00:06:03.839 we get going here, if, you know, just think, 00:06:03.879 --> 00:06:05.600 you know, your hope meter, let's make it just 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:09.579 a one up to a 10. If you had to give yourself 00:06:09.579 --> 00:06:11.180 a number of hope right now, what do you got? 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:17.360 What's going on inside? Discouraged? Encouraged? 00:06:21.639 --> 00:06:26.740 What's the source of your hope? Now, I know the 00:06:26.740 --> 00:06:29.879 Sunday school answer, right? Jesus, right? Jesus 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:32.600 is the source. Okay, we got that. That's the 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.639 right answer. Now, let's get to the honest one. 00:06:37.100 --> 00:06:40.980 If you honestly would say, what's your hope? 00:06:41.040 --> 00:06:44.269 What are you hoping for? What do you... intuitively 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:47.769 or unconsciously believe if this would happen 00:06:47.769 --> 00:06:51.069 or if that would happen, my life would be good. 00:06:51.670 --> 00:06:55.029 The future would be positive. I know I'd make 00:06:55.029 --> 00:06:58.589 progress. Maybe a different way to come at it 00:06:58.589 --> 00:07:01.170 is look at the negative. What is it that when 00:07:01.170 --> 00:07:04.250 it happens, discourages you and gets you down 00:07:04.250 --> 00:07:08.790 quickly? So that'll probably tell you where a 00:07:08.790 --> 00:07:11.949 lot of your hope rests. You know, the really 00:07:11.949 --> 00:07:14.560 big question, I'm asking you to think about it. 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:17.860 I've done a lot of thinking about it. And just, 00:07:17.959 --> 00:07:20.600 we're not going to have all the right hope all 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:23.100 the time. But here's the big question that we 00:07:23.100 --> 00:07:25.980 want to ask and answer in this season, but in 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:30.300 this series, is how do you find and keep hope 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:33.379 alive? Because, you know, I don't have a lot 00:07:33.379 --> 00:07:39.720 of control over my IQ. I can study. I don't have 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:43.410 much control over my EQ. You kind of can learn 00:07:43.410 --> 00:07:46.509 some things, but I'm going to tell you, you have 00:07:46.509 --> 00:07:52.410 100 % control of your HQ. You can raise your 00:07:52.410 --> 00:07:54.810 hope. You can build your hope. You can fill your 00:07:54.810 --> 00:07:59.529 hope. The Apostle Paul is writing to a church 00:07:59.529 --> 00:08:03.170 that he loves, the Philippians. We need to get 00:08:03.170 --> 00:08:05.069 a little context because we've taken a break. 00:08:05.290 --> 00:08:07.790 He's in difficult circumstances in chapter one. 00:08:07.930 --> 00:08:10.610 He thinks he may die at any moment. And so he 00:08:10.610 --> 00:08:15.230 chooses joy. His C plus P equals E. His circumstances 00:08:15.230 --> 00:08:17.990 plus his perspective equals experience. And he 00:08:17.990 --> 00:08:20.529 has an upward focus and an outward focus. And 00:08:20.529 --> 00:08:23.769 he says, God, I know you're in control. In chapter 00:08:23.769 --> 00:08:27.360 two, there's disunity in relationships. And we 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:30.459 learned that you can choose love. You develop 00:08:30.459 --> 00:08:33.759 a I am second mentality. It's about humility. 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:38.059 Pride kills relationships. Humility always causes 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:41.600 grace to flow. And so you follow the example 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:45.000 of Jesus and you consider others as more important. 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:48.500 You choose to love others in ways that are meaningful. 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.799 In chapter 3, he's concerned about them because 00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:55.970 culturally there's chaos and confusion. Some 00:08:55.970 --> 00:08:58.669 false teachers kept following Paul. Paul would 00:08:58.669 --> 00:09:03.570 plant a church, Galatia, Ephesus, here in Philippi, 00:09:03.570 --> 00:09:06.350 and there'd be a group called Judaizers. They 00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:09.610 were new Christians, but they were Jewish Christians, 00:09:09.710 --> 00:09:13.610 and they said Jesus is great and grace is important, 00:09:13.750 --> 00:09:17.370 plus. You need to be circumcised. You need to 00:09:17.370 --> 00:09:20.029 keep the law. Here's 17 rules you need to do. 00:09:20.149 --> 00:09:22.190 And so they would follow Paul and then they would 00:09:22.190 --> 00:09:24.990 teach their false doctrine and take loads of 00:09:24.990 --> 00:09:27.110 guilt and put it on people. Now you've got to 00:09:27.110 --> 00:09:28.970 keep all the Jewish laws. Well, no one's ever 00:09:28.970 --> 00:09:32.549 been able to do that. It's been fulfilled. It's 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:35.580 not Jesus plus anything. And so he writes chapter 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:39.460 3 because the hope is getting shifted from a 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:42.440 grace -loving relationship that God says, you're 00:09:42.440 --> 00:09:45.139 his son, you're his daughter, I'm for you because 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:47.220 of what I have done. And the hope is getting 00:09:47.220 --> 00:09:49.399 shifted to, this is what you've got to do. And 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:51.059 in order to measure up, you need to do this and 00:09:51.059 --> 00:09:55.080 this and this and this. You're listening to Living 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:57.539 on the Edge, and Chip will be back in just a 00:09:57.539 --> 00:10:00.129 minute to finish today's talk. But quickly, this 00:10:00.129 --> 00:10:02.649 program is supported by the generosity of listeners 00:10:02.649 --> 00:10:05.570 like you. And right now, during our mid -year 00:10:05.570 --> 00:10:08.110 match, it's a great time to partner with us. 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:11.370 Between now and June 30th, every gift we receive 00:10:11.370 --> 00:10:14.330 will be doubled dollar for dollar. You can give 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:17.669 today by going to livingontheedge .org or by 00:10:17.669 --> 00:10:22.850 calling 888 -333 -6003. Well, with that, here 00:10:22.850 --> 00:10:26.230 again is Chip to continue his message. Open your 00:10:26.230 --> 00:10:31.299 Bibles, if you will. Philippians chapter 3, he 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:34.559 gives him a command. Verse 1, he says, finally, 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:37.820 my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the 00:10:37.820 --> 00:10:40.759 same things again is no trouble to me, and it's 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:44.980 a safeguard for you. He says, find your joy in 00:10:44.980 --> 00:10:49.159 your relationship. He says, it's not a big deal 00:10:49.159 --> 00:10:51.700 for me to remind you of this. But then remember 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:54.240 the end of chapter one, he said, you're experiencing 00:10:54.240 --> 00:10:56.960 the same difficulty which you saw to be in me. 00:10:57.440 --> 00:10:59.600 And he's just bringing their focus back. Yeah, 00:10:59.679 --> 00:11:02.299 you got to love other people, but you got to 00:11:02.299 --> 00:11:05.120 find your joy in your relationship with God because 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:08.139 everything and everyone else sometime sooner 00:11:08.139 --> 00:11:11.159 or later is going to let you down. And then he 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:14.559 gives them a warning in verse two. He says, beware 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:18.309 of the dogs. Beware of the evil workers. Beware 00:11:18.309 --> 00:11:20.889 of the false circumcision. These are these Judaizers. 00:11:21.350 --> 00:11:23.669 He gives them three labels. He calls them dogs 00:11:23.669 --> 00:11:27.470 because don't think of Ranger. That's my dog. 00:11:29.049 --> 00:11:32.549 Ranger is a golden retriever. The biggest problem 00:11:32.549 --> 00:11:34.330 we have with Ranger is he walks up to you and 00:11:34.330 --> 00:11:37.750 he just licks you. He's the most loving dog in 00:11:37.750 --> 00:11:40.789 the world. These are scavenger dogs. These are 00:11:40.789 --> 00:11:42.590 dogs that are running the city. These are dogs 00:11:42.590 --> 00:11:44.929 that snarl. These are the kind of dogs that people 00:11:44.929 --> 00:11:47.309 were afraid of and carried disease. And he's 00:11:47.309 --> 00:11:49.610 talking to them in this negative language. And 00:11:49.610 --> 00:11:52.309 it was a slang term also that Jewish people would 00:11:52.309 --> 00:11:58.250 use for Gentiles. And he says, they'll gobble 00:11:58.250 --> 00:12:00.429 you. They're diseased. They'll mess you up. And 00:12:00.429 --> 00:12:01.889 then he says, not only that, but they're evil 00:12:01.889 --> 00:12:04.649 workers. They have a works mentality. And there's 00:12:04.649 --> 00:12:06.769 a play on this where he's saying, they're works. 00:12:07.389 --> 00:12:09.549 are going to take you down a bad path, and they're 00:12:09.549 --> 00:12:13.590 a false circumcision. If you were a good Jewish 00:12:13.590 --> 00:12:16.090 little boy, the sign of the covenant at eight 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:18.950 days is the foreskin was to be cut, and you're 00:12:18.950 --> 00:12:21.149 going to be circumcised. And even after people 00:12:21.149 --> 00:12:23.070 came to Christ, regardless of their age, the 00:12:23.070 --> 00:12:25.929 Judaizers said, you need to do that. Keep the 00:12:25.929 --> 00:12:28.210 law. Keep the Sabbath. Keep the dietary laws. 00:12:29.629 --> 00:12:31.610 And Paul says, these people are going to take 00:12:31.610 --> 00:12:34.470 you down a path that will rob your hope in your 00:12:34.470 --> 00:12:37.460 relationship with Christ. And here's the reason. 00:12:37.539 --> 00:12:42.139 He says, for we are the true circumcision. How? 00:12:42.840 --> 00:12:46.000 We serve God by his spirit, we boast in Christ 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:48.220 Jesus, and we put no confidence in the flesh. 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:51.159 He gives three characteristics of the false teachers, 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:53.360 and he says, no, no, no, no, no. Hey, Philippians, 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:57.559 we're the true circumcision. Okay, it's of the 00:12:57.559 --> 00:13:00.049 heart. Romans, you might jot down right above 00:13:00.049 --> 00:13:03.250 that. Romans 2, verses 28 and 29. He says people 00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:05.590 that are physically born of Abraham, just because 00:13:05.590 --> 00:13:07.710 you're a physical Jew doesn't make you right 00:13:07.710 --> 00:13:09.750 with God. He's going to say it's a circumcision 00:13:09.750 --> 00:13:12.309 of the heart. It's a relationship that we have 00:13:12.309 --> 00:13:15.649 with God through Christ. We're the true circumcision, 00:13:15.750 --> 00:13:18.289 and here's the three characteristics. We worship 00:13:18.289 --> 00:13:22.029 God by the Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells in 00:13:22.029 --> 00:13:25.419 us, and we have relationship. Second, he says, 00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:28.340 we boast in Christ. It's about a person. Anytime 00:13:28.340 --> 00:13:31.740 religion takes you into the church, the leader, 00:13:31.899 --> 00:13:34.100 you have to do these five things to be right. 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.779 If you ever do these two things, all that stuff, 00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:39.440 he says, we boast in Christ and what he's done. 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:44.519 And third, notice what he says. We put no confidence 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:46.659 in the flesh. It's sarx is the word. It means 00:13:46.659 --> 00:13:49.840 in what we do outside of what Christ has provided. 00:13:50.990 --> 00:13:53.929 It's this idea that on bad days, all of us, right, 00:13:54.049 --> 00:13:55.450 we've got this battle. We want to do what God 00:13:55.450 --> 00:13:59.070 wants us to do, but we live in this flesh. And 00:13:59.070 --> 00:14:01.289 it's a battle. It's those desires and habits, 00:14:01.490 --> 00:14:05.350 time, form, that it's doing things out of our 00:14:05.350 --> 00:14:08.049 own energy, out of our own effort, out of our 00:14:08.049 --> 00:14:11.490 own motives. Now, notice then Paul is going to 00:14:11.490 --> 00:14:14.309 shift gears here, and he's basically going to 00:14:14.309 --> 00:14:17.120 say, let me prove this to you all. And then I 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:20.000 think there's three huge takeaways for us about 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:23.159 finding hope. Basically, he's going to say to 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:25.120 them, let me give you the sense of it. He's going 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.200 to say, these guys are saying you need to keep 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:30.080 all this stuff. Basically, he's going to say, 00:14:30.100 --> 00:14:33.580 so if anyone wanted to go toe -to -toe on really 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:37.179 keeping the law, my argument is not going to 00:14:37.179 --> 00:14:39.860 be that these guys do it and none of us can. 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:41.740 He goes, I'm going to tell you from my life, 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:44.629 I used to be in that group. In fact, I used to 00:14:44.629 --> 00:14:47.090 be an all -star. I was the budding star. In fact, 00:14:47.149 --> 00:14:49.269 Gamaliel was my teacher, and he was the most 00:14:49.269 --> 00:14:52.350 famous teacher, and I was the rising star. And 00:14:52.350 --> 00:14:54.429 he's going to sort of throw out his pedigree, 00:14:54.450 --> 00:14:56.269 says, you know, kind of arguing like, I mean, 00:14:56.269 --> 00:14:58.190 if anyone was going to get right with God in 00:14:58.190 --> 00:15:02.629 that system, I was scoring 100 as far as you 00:15:02.629 --> 00:15:05.769 could in that system. And then he's going to 00:15:05.769 --> 00:15:10.759 contrast that and say, but all of that. He says, 00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:13.159 I look at that, and he's going to use, in fact, 00:15:13.159 --> 00:15:14.759 a little bit later, I'll have you circle the 00:15:14.759 --> 00:15:17.279 word gain, loss, gain, loss, and the word consider, 00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:19.340 because the word consider is an accounting term. 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:22.000 And he's going to actually look at his life in 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:24.039 Christ and his life before Christ and his life 00:15:24.039 --> 00:15:25.720 with all of his good works, and he's going to 00:15:25.720 --> 00:15:27.940 say in an accounting term, gain, gain, gain, 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:33.299 loss, loss, loss. Ready to follow along? Though 00:15:33.299 --> 00:15:35.539 I myself have reasons for such confidence, if 00:15:35.539 --> 00:15:38.360 someone thinks they have reasons to put confidence 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:42.029 in the flesh, I far more. Then he gives us seven 00:15:42.029 --> 00:15:45.269 specific statements. Circumcised on the eighth 00:15:45.269 --> 00:15:48.330 day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of 00:15:48.330 --> 00:15:51.210 Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, with regard to 00:15:51.210 --> 00:15:54.190 law, a Pharisee. That was the strictest sect. 00:15:54.769 --> 00:15:58.330 As for zeal, I mean, someone was fired up, persecutor 00:15:58.330 --> 00:16:02.830 of the church. As for righteousness, based on 00:16:02.830 --> 00:16:07.370 the law, blameless or faultless. Paul's basically 00:16:07.370 --> 00:16:14.700 saying, I was in the system. I was OCD spiritual 00:16:14.700 --> 00:16:18.000 like you have never seen. I have all the pedigree. 00:16:18.080 --> 00:16:20.759 I was born in the right place, born of the right 00:16:20.759 --> 00:16:23.940 parents, born of a special tribe. My name even, 00:16:23.980 --> 00:16:26.799 the first tribe came from Benjamin. He said, 00:16:26.820 --> 00:16:29.340 I was circumcised on exactly the right day in 00:16:29.340 --> 00:16:32.279 terms of religious or righteousness. I mean, 00:16:32.299 --> 00:16:34.580 I fasted the two days a week like Pharisees. 00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:37.100 I memorized probably all of the Torah and major 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:39.259 parts of the Old Testament. In terms of being 00:16:39.259 --> 00:16:42.860 a religious person who fulfilled what you can 00:16:42.860 --> 00:16:45.960 in your own effort and energy, I was the star 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.120 of Judaism. And as far as this whole, this sect, 00:16:49.279 --> 00:16:51.820 this follower, this Jesus stuff, I tried to kill 00:16:51.820 --> 00:16:58.480 him. And then notice the shift. True spirituality, 00:16:58.840 --> 00:17:02.000 authentic relationship is going to be rooted 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:06.759 in the person of Christ. In the person of Jesus, 00:17:06.819 --> 00:17:10.119 not religion. And then after this, notice what 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:14.400 he says. But, you might put a big underline because 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:17.960 this is the contrast. Whatever was to my gain, 00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:24.279 circle that, or profit. I now consider loss for 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:26.779 the sake of Christ. Put a box around the word 00:17:26.779 --> 00:17:31.240 consider. What's more, I consider, put a box 00:17:31.240 --> 00:17:35.000 around consider, everything to be a loss because 00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:38.380 it's surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, 00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:41.579 my Lord, for whose sake I've lost all things 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:45.099 and consider them as garbage that I might gain 00:17:45.099 --> 00:17:50.400 Christ and be found in him. Not having a righteousness 00:17:50.400 --> 00:17:53.619 of my own that comes, But that which is through 00:17:53.619 --> 00:17:57.240 faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes 00:17:57.240 --> 00:18:02.140 from God on the basis of faith. What he's going 00:18:02.140 --> 00:18:05.579 to say is, like an accountant doing a forensic 00:18:05.579 --> 00:18:08.819 audit, I've looked at all of the religion, and 00:18:08.819 --> 00:18:11.180 I look at my relationship with Christ, and now 00:18:11.180 --> 00:18:14.440 here's what it is. Here's the gains, the surpassing 00:18:14.440 --> 00:18:16.980 value of knowing Christ. And the word for knowing 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:20.599 here is an intimate, deep, rich, personal relationship. 00:18:21.279 --> 00:18:26.210 It's the opposite of knowing about God. We have, 00:18:26.329 --> 00:18:28.150 I believe, millions of people in the church, 00:18:28.289 --> 00:18:30.869 even an evangelical church, that know a lot about 00:18:30.869 --> 00:18:33.750 God and have a very unconscious mindset of what 00:18:33.750 --> 00:18:35.950 makes them right with God. I come to church very 00:18:35.950 --> 00:18:39.670 regularly. I read my Bible some. I pray when 00:18:39.670 --> 00:18:42.630 I can. I pray to prayer at one time. And what 00:18:42.630 --> 00:18:45.170 they're really trusting in is what they're doing. 00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:47.869 But if you ask them, do you have a rich, deep, 00:18:48.049 --> 00:18:50.690 intimate relationship? Do you have a passion 00:18:50.690 --> 00:18:54.250 in your heart to get to know? Do you enjoy Jesus? 00:18:54.970 --> 00:18:58.349 Is there a sense of growth and intimacy? Some 00:18:58.349 --> 00:18:59.849 of them don't even know what you're talking about. 00:19:03.150 --> 00:19:05.769 This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:19:05.869 --> 00:19:07.809 And you've been listening to part one of Chip's 00:19:07.809 --> 00:19:10.930 message, Finding Hope, from our series, I Choose 00:19:10.930 --> 00:19:13.369 Hope. Chip will be back shortly to share some 00:19:13.369 --> 00:19:16.369 helpful application for us to think about. In 00:19:16.369 --> 00:19:18.809 times of uncertainty, where do you turn for hope? 00:19:18.990 --> 00:19:21.769 And how confident are you in your source of comfort 00:19:21.769 --> 00:19:24.900 to provide the stability you desire? As Chip 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:27.500 teaches through Philippians chapter 3, he'll 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:29.640 share what God has to say about our fears about 00:19:29.640 --> 00:19:32.400 the future and how feeling secure is possible, 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:35.900 even when anxiety comes. Learn how to embrace 00:19:35.900 --> 00:19:38.619 a more resilient hope that will help you face 00:19:38.619 --> 00:19:42.299 each day with certainty and peace. Well, Chip's 00:19:42.299 --> 00:19:44.519 back in studio with me now. And Chip, according 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:47.660 to the studies by Barna and Pugh, hypocrisy is 00:19:47.660 --> 00:19:50.619 the top reason unbelievers criticize or reject 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.400 Christianity. So take a minute if you wouldn't 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:56.640 explain why this is such a prevalent issue and 00:19:56.640 --> 00:19:59.460 how believers can respond well to it. Well, Dave, 00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:02.799 I get that. I almost miss the Lord Jesus because 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:05.819 I grew up in a church that Christians didn't 00:20:05.819 --> 00:20:07.880 live like Christians. And there was hypocrisy 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:10.980 everywhere. And so I decided to opt out. And 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:13.200 I think that's where a lot of people are. And 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:15.299 I'm thankful that I found people who lived out 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:17.680 their faith. And so what we need to understand 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:21.420 is that following Jesus is a radical choice and 00:20:21.420 --> 00:20:24.039 it's a radical way of living. And what we at 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:26.420 Living on the Edge want to do is help people 00:20:26.420 --> 00:20:29.259 connect that weekend experience of I went to 00:20:29.259 --> 00:20:32.339 church to how do you live out Monday? And that 00:20:32.339 --> 00:20:34.759 time of maybe reading the Bible when you felt 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:37.759 spiritual to how do I treat my wife or my husband? 00:20:37.819 --> 00:20:40.140 Or what's it look like to be a single person 00:20:40.140 --> 00:20:43.650 in a sex -saturated world? People need help and 00:20:43.650 --> 00:20:46.990 guidance to navigate dilemmas, cultural pressures, 00:20:47.089 --> 00:20:50.250 and know how to honor God. People need someone 00:20:50.250 --> 00:20:53.029 in their corner who says, This is what Scripture 00:20:53.029 --> 00:20:56.150 says. This is how much God loves you. Don't take 00:20:56.150 --> 00:20:59.650 the easy route. The road is narrow, but the rewards 00:20:59.650 --> 00:21:02.549 are so great in this life and in the life to 00:21:02.549 --> 00:21:06.630 come. We long, God longs, in fact, I think unbelievers 00:21:06.630 --> 00:21:08.990 long for Christians to live like Christians. 00:21:09.190 --> 00:21:12.349 When you support Living on the Edge, you're joining 00:21:12.349 --> 00:21:15.869 a movement of God to help break the cycle of 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:18.670 hypocrisy. Join us during this mid -year match. 00:21:18.950 --> 00:21:22.289 Give as God leads you, and let's be those kind 00:21:22.289 --> 00:21:24.930 of Christians, and let's help others do the same. 00:21:25.069 --> 00:21:27.650 Good word, Chip. If you want to be part of our 00:21:27.650 --> 00:21:29.950 mission to authentically disciple God's people 00:21:29.950 --> 00:21:32.869 worldwide, partner with us during our mid -year 00:21:32.869 --> 00:21:36.130 match. From now until June 30th, every gift we 00:21:36.130 --> 00:21:39.150 receive will be doubled dollar for dollar. To 00:21:39.150 --> 00:21:41.670 learn how you can support us, go to livingontheedge 00:21:41.670 --> 00:22:02.170 .org or call 888 - As we wrap up today's program, 00:22:02.390 --> 00:22:05.930 what I know for sure is many, many of you are 00:22:05.930 --> 00:22:08.769 some of your closest friends or family members 00:22:08.769 --> 00:22:13.099 need hope. I mean, they really need hope. I mean, 00:22:13.099 --> 00:22:15.420 whether it's economic issues, marriage issues, 00:22:15.660 --> 00:22:19.460 divorce, separation, drug addictions, loss of 00:22:19.460 --> 00:22:22.920 a job. I mean, there's times in our life that 00:22:22.920 --> 00:22:25.880 is so devastating and we can get discouraged 00:22:25.880 --> 00:22:29.920 and we lose perspective. And the Lord Jesus wants 00:22:29.920 --> 00:22:32.180 you to know and the people that you love, he 00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:36.490 wants to give you hope. In fact, our hope quotient 00:22:36.490 --> 00:22:39.089 might be the most important thing because if 00:22:39.089 --> 00:22:41.349 you're discouraged, we don't trust. If you're 00:22:41.349 --> 00:22:44.230 discouraged, you're not motivated. I love what 00:22:44.230 --> 00:22:47.130 my friend Ray Johnson says in his book, The Hope 00:22:47.130 --> 00:22:49.730 Quotient. He says, people, this is research, 00:22:49.950 --> 00:22:53.210 people that have a high hope quotient, people 00:22:53.210 --> 00:22:55.970 that have a sense that the future is bright, 00:22:56.089 --> 00:22:58.450 that God is in control, that regardless of what 00:22:58.450 --> 00:23:01.299 I go through, he's going to help me. They have 00:23:01.299 --> 00:23:04.059 more satisfying relationships. They're more productive. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:06.420 They're less affected by stress. They're more 00:23:06.420 --> 00:23:08.880 successful. They're more satisfied. They're more 00:23:08.880 --> 00:23:11.339 compassionate. They're more willing to help people. 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:14.220 They have higher ethical standards. And they're 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:18.039 more likely to see God as a loving, caring, and 00:23:18.039 --> 00:23:20.839 forgiving God. And so what I want you to know 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:23.759 as we launch into this series and as we begin 00:23:23.759 --> 00:23:27.829 to learn about hope. God wants to give it to 00:23:27.829 --> 00:23:30.230 you. In fact, are you ready for this? He's already 00:23:30.230 --> 00:23:33.369 given it to you. And so it's a matter of perspective. 00:23:33.470 --> 00:23:37.250 It's a matter of beginning to lean into, and 00:23:37.250 --> 00:23:40.269 it grows out of not circumstances being wonderful 00:23:40.269 --> 00:23:44.029 and right and everything going your way. As we 00:23:44.029 --> 00:23:46.890 learn from the Apostle Paul, it happens when 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:50.839 We're rooted deeply and intimately with the anchor 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:53.759 of our hope, the Lord Jesus Himself. That's my 00:23:53.759 --> 00:23:56.680 prayer for you today. Lean in to the Lord Jesus. 00:23:57.079 --> 00:24:00.420 Draw near to Him in the midst of your pain, your 00:24:00.420 --> 00:24:03.160 suffering, and your discouragement. And here's 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:06.940 the promise, and He will draw near to you. Good 00:24:06.940 --> 00:24:09.759 reminder, Chip. And as we close, I want you to 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:12.640 know that as a staff, we ask the Lord to help 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:15.700 you take whatever your next faith step is. Now, 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:17.660 if there's a way we can help, we'd love to do 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:22.859 that. Give us a call at 888 -333 -6003 or connect 00:24:22.859 --> 00:24:26.779 with us at livingontheedge .org. And while you're 00:24:26.779 --> 00:24:28.680 there, take a moment and look through our resources 00:24:28.680 --> 00:24:31.539 on various topics, many of them absolutely free. 00:24:32.009 --> 00:24:34.309 You've been listening to a selected program that 00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:36.950 we wanted to share from this past week. To hear 00:24:36.950 --> 00:24:39.710 more from Chip's series, I Choose Hope, go to 00:24:39.710 --> 00:24:42.789 livingontheedge .org or the Chip Ingram app. 00:24:43.069 --> 00:24:45.789 Until next time, I'm Dave Drewy saying thanks 00:24:45.789 --> 00:24:48.430 for listening to this weekend edition of Living 00:24:48.430 --> 00:24:49.230 on the Edge.