Discover Your True Self - You are Secure, Part 1

Fear is a paralyzing emotion. So let me ask you find yourself feeling afraid of overnight civil unrest, losing your job having enough money to live on how we find security in fearful times. Let's today stay with welcome to this addition of being on the shipping trips are vital to international discipleship program friendship series discover your true self. This program ship explains that it's possible in a moment of time to be 100% secure rest sound too good to be true. Well I'm glad you're with us because it is true you are about to find out how. If you have a Bible open another chapter 1 and just before we get started, let me remind you that if you don't get to hear the entire broadcast find this message and the rest of the programs in this series on the Chip Ingram now this message, you are secure peers. Chip, when we look at our life under pressure, and we think about what what makes us feel secure.

What makes us feel safe. What's makes us feel like we're in control.

How do we learn that and the more I thought about. I was praying through my office this morning thinking it's actually in the storms of life that God allows you to get a glimpse of how you take things from your head into your heart. I was probably Christian over 20 years when my mother died.

It was really close to her and it happened very suddenly and it was so painful and I I came to learn how much I actually believe that there's a real heaven and there's a real God and that you will see people that you love. I remember the biggest failure I ever experienced in ministry and of resigning from a job in recognizing that I didn't have the power of the witness or the ability to turn something around and and and and just feeling so distraught and have an experience where the Holy Spirit literally whispered.

I just love you for you and it was in that moment I realized how much of my security or my worth was in what I do my job or how I perform in the member. Years later, sitting on the couch with Teresa and we had learned that afternoon that she had cancer and I don't about you, but of all the fears that humanly at least I've struggled with his unit of the loose loss of a child or the loss of your wife for a family member and we just we just cried and then we prayed and then we went through Munson treatments and radiation and we came through all that, but the moment that I can tell you that Jesus promises he'll be enough, with or without your wife or one of your kids. But when you live with it every day and it's just so vulnerable and he shows up in those moments that's when you know by way of deep personal experience arena talk today but I think somethings at the root of our being is God is going to tell you and me that your secure on the front of your notes. Pull it out if you will want you to get a deeper understanding of even the word security, it means you're safe. There's a firm foundation means are not liable to fail means there's a place that's safe. That set apart. The verb means that something you are certain of that you obtain that it's it's a sure deal. It means that there's no outside force that can come in and remove you in this case from God. And yet we all struggled only we all mean I don't I don't need a psychologist to tell me that I'm insecure it it just takes a few circumstances and in the just pops up, but we we tend to have very genuine fears about different things that I I've put four categories in your notes because the fees are human. If you're human, you're going to struggle with some of these and and and until it goes from your head to your heart.

You may live with lots of fear and insecurity and doubts and and then and then we learn we have lots of unhealthy ways we deal with the first one is the fear of physical harm or death, or the fear of being alone being rejected thinking I'll never get married or this marriage is never to get better or that or the sense that some things happen. For those of us that have kids that the fear of punishment.

I was the got a email just this week from a young gal that we were interviewing for a job and she just talked about. She got some very bad theology and read a few verses in Scripture and was living with this idea that someday some way she might do something or or make a mistake God would cast her off and she wouldn't spend eternity with him and that every single day that like she was being like held over are you if you mess up.

Today this is the worst day of your life to the point that in despair, she said God kill me. I know I'm walking with you today just kill me so I don't get discarded later.

Until she got some good teaching and she got some truth from here down to hear and then to our basic insecurities can produce guilt and condemnation and struggles. So here's the question I have for you is what this is can be a bit of a heady message. I'm going to give you some real truth that I'm going to get here and then will spend the rest of our time working hard to get it down here. Where do you tend to feel insecure or afraid.

Over 80 times.

The Bible says fear not over 30 times is don't be afraid Jesus last words to the disciples I am with you always. I will never ever leave you or forsake you, the writer of Hebrews says from God's voice. And yet we struggle so the bottom your notes.

There's a question I like you do some real pondering and the pondering I like you to do is and what or whom do you seek to find security apart from Christ. We all do this right, but identify because I'm going to tell you in a fallen world. God is going to allow some storms to come into your life. But the goal of the storms will be like Joseph, I think Joseph when he was betrayed Joseph in prison, Joseph, loss of reputation, Joseph.

When people forgot them each and every time.

If you read that carefully says and the Lord was with him and the Lord was with him and the Lord was with him if you can identify where you can put security because a test is coming and God want you to pass the test. He want to know how be with you.

I'll never leave you all never let you down. I am for you and down deep in your psyche. A lot of us don't believe so let me just ask you, is it is your security in yourself. I've certainly had that one your brains, your ability, you figured out you can make it happen is in money, I mean you become fixated with man as soon as I get so many zeros and there's my portfolio and will be secure, is it family know what really makes everything okay is your family, your wife, your kid, your husband, all that stuff and when that's okay you're okay but boy that gets is it you were coming. How many of us here's a test I ready for this. What ever would get taken away or challenged to the level it devastates you that will tell you where you security us your securities like a rug and I think it's pulled out from under you. It might hurt a little bit if it devastates you. You know my securities in that job, my securities and me. My security is not in Christ. So I want you to identify that and now turn your notes with me if you will and I will talk about God's plan to give you a security that can change by circumstances or terrorism or death or abandonment or cancer or rejection or any fear of punishment. God's answer is in first Peter 318. It's a summary of the work of Jesus. For Christ also died for sins put a circle around the word for I'll tell you why once for all, who is the just of the righteous for the unrighteous for the unjust, what was his purpose so that he, Jesus might bring us to God will how did you do it.

Having been put to death in the flesh on the cross but made alive in the spirit, the resurrection God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son, God the son, that whoever would believe in him shouldn't perish but have everlasting life. God's solution to your security. Is that your valuable he wants to choose you.

He cares about you. He's redeemed you and he wants to reconnect you close to him so that no one at any time ever.

Now or in eternity can separate you from him.

So then the question is, what must I do to experience that security in the gospel writer John would say as many as received him, Jesus, to them he gave the right or the authority to become children of God, even to those who believe in his name. That little word for means in the place of Jesus came and he died in the place of you all that you deserve and I deserve because of my sin and rebellion or passive indifference. God took all of that any place that on Christ and now he says you are forgiven, but you must respond as many as not just intellectually believe as many as received him personally to them. He gives the right not to be religious but to become an actual child of the living God. Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door knock of your heart. My heart this is the verse I heard when I trusted Christ 1972.

If any man if any woman hears my voice and will open the door of your heart. The promise I will come in to him in the old translation. I will sup with him, or eat within the he with me, and it is Jesus saying I want a relationship. The cross has paid for your sin. It is a free gift. Now, turn from your sin in the empty hands of faith, say Lord Jesus, forgive me come into my life be my Lord be my Savior and the spirit of God enters your human body, and you start a new life in the old days people call that that's what it's called, to be saved or receiving Christ or trusting Christ know what I want to talk to you about is I'm guessing a great majority of you sort of have down what I just talked about. I'm guessing that those that are watching and those of us that have been around for a while. It's like okay to banks is very helpful. Like I've known this since fourth grade, or for some of us when I was 18, but in 1972.

Knowing very little.

Having no idea that there was a a personal relationship with God and I invited Christ in my life. I want you to go back when you did that.

I don't think the average Christian has any idea what actually happened.

It wasn't just a little experience.

It wasn't just now. Your heaven down.

It's not just the you know Christ. What actually happened. That actually is at the source of all the security and every challenge that you'll face of all the fears we talked about solar walk through these all do them quickly, but I want you to get some quote theology member last last time I said your theology informs your thinking your thinking informs your emotions, your emotions inform your actions, your action actions have consequences negatively and positively bad theology always produces bad actions and what we do. I look for security and sex and looks for custodians addictions. I look for security and money. I look for security and jobs. I look for security in all kind of places to take me bad roads and multiply the pain in my life and God says no, no, start thinking rightly the moment you receive Christ, if indeed you have this happen, you were justified. The word means it's a legal declaration that all my sins are forgiven, past, present, future. This is God is the judge legally. The gavel comes down your before him. Christ righteousness your sin he looks at the work of Christ.

He says all of your sins are forgiven and the righteousness of Christ is placed in your account you were granted the righteousness of Jesus. You have a new position as is dearly love child.

Romans 51 says.

Therefore, having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ in this this piece this not just an emotional piece. It means we were hostile to God. The word as we have the shalom of God we have the wholeness of God have to favor of God.

We are now in God's family in the space below and to write this down ready God is my father.

I'm getting give you some theological words but what I realizes most Christians don't know the words anymore, but worse, those who do know them. Sometimes we don't get what they really mean are you ready for this the one who spoke billions of galaxies into existence. He is you are you might write down. I am his child.

What what what if you started to believe that you know what what what do good fathers do. What do good parents to protect and they provide.

The second thing that happened to you the moment you receive Christ is regeneration.

That means that I'm a new creation in Christ. I been given a new nature, fully pleasing to God. It's different from religion is different from morality. It's you become an actual new person that Nicodemus was a very religious rabbi, squeaky clean, morally, and he came at night because he solve it. Jesus was from God. The miracles attested to it. And in this night meeting Jesus says to him in John chapter 3, he answered him and said, truly, truly, I say to you know this is a very religious moral man, unless one is born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

How can a man be born again when he is old taken pretty literally here, he cannot enter again into his mother's womb a second time candy. Jesus answered, truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water, physical birth, and spirit spiritual birth, he can't enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh physical is flesh that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Jesus taught the most religious, moral, man, we have cited in Scripture that when you prayed to receive Jesus and he enters your life. It's a spiritual birth you're regenerated you receive a new nature jotting your note. Second Corinthians 517 says if any man any woman is in Christ, your new creation the old things notices pass away behold all things. Listen to the tense of the verb are becoming new ninth grade biology right little green caterpillar creates a cocoon and out comes a butterfly. We call it meta-I love being with such intelligent people. That's what it's called right then DNA in that green caterpillar and the DNA and that butterfly are exactly the same but a metamorphosis occurs where that butterfly is no longer ugly and green and crawls it is beautiful. It gets a new nature gets a new capacity. That's the physical picture in nature of what happens when you prayed to receive Christ. Are you ready for this.

Write this down. God gave me a new nature God made me a new person. You don't have to live with your past anymore. God made you a new person. Do you believe that only Christians are living with. While this is how I grew up in. My dad was an alcoholic and I been through this and then this happened. Now I'm not saying there are consequences.

I'm saying what if you believed in the tune of metamorphosis in life change. That is the word of God and time in community and time in his word and your openness and steps of faith, you have a brand-new nature. You can fly stop crawling with Christians everywhere that are still crawling in your butterflies because you don't believe you have a new nature you've been regenerated not to journey in a process God is my father number one number two God made me a new person and as a result, guess what you might jot down Jesus lives in me something that's what it says Jesus actually lives inside of you in the person of the Holy Spirit. The third thing that happens is reconciliation. That means that although I was once hostile to God and alienated from him.

I am now his friend Paul would right inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Colossians chapter 1 verse 21, 22, although you speaking to these new Christians were formally alienated and hostile in mind engage in evil deeds.

Yet he Jesus has reconciled you in his fleshly body through his death. You see how all these keep coming back to what happened at the cross and when what happens at the cross gets received by faith. And then this journey from your head to your heart. You actually not just know about, but you know it.just you absorb it you believe it becomes a part of your life, focusing how you see God see the world and see yourself in order to present you this is how he presented holy and blameless be on reproach message, you are secure series discover your true self, how to silence the lives of your past and actually experience who God says you are triple. Be right back with this application but before you is I hope you'll take a second to go online or tap share and encourage others to join us for this series to know we all struggled with doubts about self worth and value, but the facts about who we are change when we put our faith in Jesus chips teaching from the book of Ephesians to help us understand who we are as believers in Christ explains the nature of the new creation. We become and how to leave old things and doubts in the past for limited time resources for discover your true self are discounted and the MP3s are always free to order your copy or to send it to a friend visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org for additional information. Just give us a call at 188833360030 now here's Chip, I want to take just a moment to talk about something today.

It's very important you might engage with Living on the Edge and obviously you are you know you may be listening to me on it on an app or radio one Place.com or maybe you were in a small group study or you took a course online or maybe even read a book that I had the privilege of writing God and to my amazement, and it humbles me is using Living on the Edge in incredible ways and I just have to say we get testimonies from people about restoration and healing and God using them to help other people and then I want to tell you very very candidly that we are very serious about using the money and the resources that God gives very carefully and very wisely, but I also want to bring to your intention that it actually takes money for airtime in these teams that create these resources and all the things that happen behind Living on the Edge. There's a group of people with costs involved that allow you to hear me or be in a small group or get teaching and and here's who I'm talking to. If you have been helped encouraged. I mean literally blessed by Living on the Edge and you happen to be one of those people that has never given financially to the ministry. I just want to just pause and say would you consider partnering with us to help us help other people and maybe it's a one-time gift.

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Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Without your strip with a final thought as we wrap up today's program I have to tell you I love the conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus. Jesus didn't shame him for not asking his questions in public you had a quiet personal profound conversation and he loved Nicodemus and what I also like about this is Nicodemus new I mean he was a theologian.

He had major portions of the Old Testament memorize. I mean, he knew his theology and yet he didn't get how that theology connected to real life and real relationship with God and I find that really encouraging because that's often the case with me and I think with many Christians you know as I taught today I taught about justification and some of the words I used in some of you might be going wow man this is cut heavy justification, regeneration, propitiation, man, this guy is using a lot of theological words. But here's what I want to tell you is the meaning of those words that if you are a follower of Christ and you prayed to receive him. These things are true of you and here's what I want you to get justification. I walk through what that means.

That's a legal term where God the father has declared you righteous in his sight forever. Not because of anything you've done or I've done but because of Christ's work in your place applied to you and you know what that means. It means God is your father God is your father. You don't have to earn it. Your part of the family and I talked about regeneration. As I talked about Nicodemus and you have to be born again, and that's a big word but here's all of that means.

It means that you are a new creation the old you the person you were before you trusted Christ died and Christ now lives in you.

Your personalities the same. Your body looks the same but you're completely new creation it. It's like the the same DNA. You know that the story of the little caterpillar of the chrysalis and then it turns into a butterfly. That's what happened to you in May when we trusted Christ, our DNA doesn't change, there's completely new life, new potential new future.

Do you believe that. Are you experiencing that in our next program. I'm going to walk through five very specific things that happen to you when you trusted Christ and I will tell you when you begin to believe these you talk about security you talk about feeling safe. You talk about being the kind of person that can walk into a room and walk through life without fear. It's because you know you're a son you're a daughter of the Lord of lords and King of Kings, who has promised to protect you and love you and keep you for himself no matter what. I hope you join me in Living on the Edge or happy to let you know about a easy way to listen to or extended teaching podcast.

Here Chip anytime on Amazon's Alexa echo and echo.just say Alexa open Living on the Edge you'll hear that days extended teaching program anytime you want well for Chip and everyone here, this is Dave really saying thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge