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May 14, 2021 6:00 am
The entire Christian life is grace from front to back, from beginning to end.
It's all about grace. Here's my question. Are you experiencing that grace today.
Are you consumed with guilt and shame and failure. I'm here to tell you, on the basis of Scripture. You don't have to live that way anymore. You don't today. I'll share three specific ways that you can begin to soak in the love and restoration Salisbury steak. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with your finger Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry daily Bible teaching medical wrap up our surveys, leaving a legacy that the last hope is that these messages with existing godly wisdom into the lives of five practices ensuring are also a great refresher for those of us with a little more life experience to. As always, if you missed any of these messages are available on the chip and remap. Let me encourage you to download free MP3 LivingontheEdge.org and share them with a friend or loved one. Now here's chip with part two of this message. Teach them to live. Grace filled life. Jesus message was not everyone's all messed up, get with the program. His message was. I didn't come to condemn you, I came to help you own and come to grips with the failure and the sin and the using of people in the abuse and the lying and the deceit to let you know I will forgive you and cover you and I want you know you can have a relationship with my father. He loves you and can pay the highest price that could ever be paid to be separated in this moment of historic time from the father. The tri-unity of God. For the first time ever, he would bear the sins of the world. The father would turn his head because he can't look upon sin and Christ would bear your sin and my sin in that moment of time in that price tag to cover or atone for your sin. That is grace. That's what graces and when we tell God. I know you forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself. That is an insult as an insult and it is arrogant well intended, though it may be, it is arrogant. I had an abortion and I can't ever forgive myself. I been through divorce. I can't forgive myself. I lied to so and so I can't forgive myself.
I did this when I was young, and no one knows about it. I can't forgive myself. God has forgiven you. And he is atone for it for you to not receive it is to tell God what he has done for you doesn't measure up to your standard will. I didn't realize your standard with higher and better than his was in it pride that kept Peter from saying, Lord, not my feet and it wasn't the call to humility were Jesus was a Peter if I don't wash your feet. You don't have any part in wild and Lord wash all of me. What was he saying it takes huge humility to admit I have need, and allow another to wash our feet to cleanse us to meet our need to say that there's dirt here and it takes great humility to allow God to do that.
The number one reason people miss heaven is at the core of it. They're unwilling to humble themselves, admit their need and realize I can't do this on my own.
I love the passage in first Peter where he takes it not only from what's done in the past but he begins to help us focus toward the future in orientation and in verse 13 he says, therefore, prepare your minds for action B. Self-control then. I love this set your hope. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. You set your hope, grace, not if I do this and if I do that if I try really hard and I do this and if I do that I set my hope on God's grace I love a quote by toes or in I think is most classic book the knowledge of the holy and just just listen to this theological perspective. He says no one is ever been saved other than by grace. From April to the present moment, since mankind was banished from the eastward garden. None has ever returned to the divine favor, except to the sheer goodness of God and whatever grace is found in any man it's always been by Jesus Christ. Grace indeed came by Jesus Christ but did not wait into his birth in the manger or his death on the cross before became operative.
Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The first man in human history to be reinstated and fellowship with God came through faith in Christ. In olden times men look forward to Christ redeeming work in latter times. They gaze back upon it, but always they come and they come by grace through faith. Let me ask you how do we pass this radical radical concept on in a performance oriented world to those we care about most.
I think the first step is for you to write in your name in my notes, it says I Chip Ingram choose to believe that with God. My failure is never final. I choose to believe that's not emotion. I choose to believe that with God.
My failure as a parent is never final my failure as a pastor is never final my failure as a friend is never final my failure morally is never final my failure with regard to neglecting the past is never final powerful's grace. Now let's talk about how do you have the experience that we give you three specific ways. First, encourage them, whether it's a fellow you're discipling up a young woman when your grandkids encourage them to meditate on the lives of David and Peter murderer adulterer and betrayer who are among God's most beloved and widely used servants did you ever did you ever wonder. Some people wonder, is this really God's word can you really trust it.
Did God really write this and you know the many authors over 1600 years and all the alignment and all the archaeology and all those are great reasons but I got news for you.
No man would ever write such a self revealing book and allow the heroes of the story to be so messed up you don't have that any mythology I may think of this, the deliverer of Egypt, the one who brings us the 10 commands. Oh yeah, murderer act, messed up David, the greatest king.
The writer of the Psalms, all adultery murderer who boy the apostle Paul greatest mind of a century, wrote 13 books in the New Testament murderer fly Rahab prostitute, James, John, anger management issues.
The other Judas.
He was a terrorist. We read in the Bible like you know he was.
He was a terrorist. He was trying to overthrow the government get Amanda people to take it over physically can kill people take over Rome it was a terrorist Matthew Kruk is an embezzler there little Kruk widen people for the money. These this is the also this is God's drinking and we have the audacity is able God could never forgive me. I don't think you can ever use me.
Are you kidding I member I had not read the Bible. Growing up at all and I remember you know, probably after a year or so in dealing with all the stuff that you know I had to deal with and just sort of a naïve thought. I thought you know I'm not killed anybody. I think I could use me for so far the people there use the most of that. They've always killed someone thing in how much worse could be the and you know with your kids looking to fail in our unconscious works mentality that will pass on is the blackboard in the sky message now doesn't mean that there's not consequences percent absolutely not. Doesn't mean you don't discipline absolutely not. But I will tell you what we can pass on oh Jesus died for you he loves you he rose from the dead you put your faith in him because I want to feel really good about us being in heaven all that stuff and then raise them in your disciples in a way that basically your love is conditional. You they get good marks on one side of the board in bad marks on the other side and when I do good. Your affectionate and caring when they don't back away and part of that is weak, we had to tell stories we tell the stories of Peter more than walk on the water and saying you are the Christ, and talk about what goes in the human heart to betray the person who loves you the most. What what happens in people who really really are good people and love God that they start getting deceived and then they lie in the night they commit sexual acts and then they cover up and then they commit murder and then they go into denial and then they lie about it and in the web that occurs and how did God treat people who blew it that badly. He caused some loving consequences, and he restored and loved and used him. I meet some people to hope God could never use me. Now I'm thinking Peter did okay and I don't think there's a more greedy of sin to God betray.
We need to meditate need to think about. We need to tell, not just the Bible stories were there heroes. But let's peel back some of the layers in talk about where they blew it and and and make it into real life and and talk about that pastor that we all know who fell morally with a little bit different spirit and maybe assumed it was a good man, weak moment, and maybe talk about you know in a week moment that could be made here that could be you were you when you talk to someone that you're trying to help pass on the things that are most secondly help them remove the power of secret secret is the keyword and condemnation by practicing repentance James for 7 to 10 and confession.
James 516 with some mature believers that they can trust the way the enemy works is this. When you sin when you blow it big time when you make a mistake when you do something you're ashamed of what happens is we do exactly what David did we start covered up. We don't want anyone to know were embarrassed by that we don't want the consequences of it, and we covered up and and then a little secret about what I will tell you it's just what the enemy does is then all my lands. Some of you, you little stuff for years, some with decades and anytime you start to take a step your step. If you haven't got really going to do this in itself. You read on, but in that hotel room, I mean this is what happened.
If your mate ever found out that it was actually her best friend and what about when you worked in member that time in the service and you were overseas and you know what I mean, that starts playing the tape and discover that backup and then you push it down and if the truth were known, probably some depression and physical issues and unresolved conflict has been brewing for years and years and playing itself out.
God says I have a remedy when you take bacteria that is growing and you take it out of the darkness in your brain into sunlight.
You know what happens. Dies is bringing to light, and the process of bringing those things into the light, are given to us in James forces therefore submit to God, you, you realize. Okay, okay, I submit to you and then notice that there is an enemy.
Resist the devil and flee from you. You have to say how I'm in Christ that I blow it.
Yes, was it wrong. Yes my ashamed of it. Yes, but I'm going to now bring them to submit to God and resist the devil, I'm going to quote Romans 81. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. And I'm going to draw near to God. Instead of feeling like I don't deserve him I can't come close and he promises he's going to draw near to me. I'm gonna start this process and will start with the external things it says cleanse your hand, you sinners, purify your heart, you double minded and sunken. I'm good at look at the outward things I've done and you look at the motives of the heart. And then I'm going allowed to emotionally get down to my gotten to my soul lament and mourn and weep. I'm I'm gonna embrace the emotions and the pain and the grief of what I've done against God. It's a Psalm 51 vote against you and you only have a second give me kiss me. I'm sorry in the notice what happens during your morning and your joy to gloom. It's it's a process and this is describing humbling yourself on the side of God and what's the promise he will lift you up. But until you come clean until you get the secret out in the open back later in James five, until we confess our sins to one another.
You'll get healed had a man in our church and California and man. It was just like as a pastor you meet these guys and he's just a with a guy and he was committed and he was driving about 35 or 40 miles to church. I said Andy, can't you find something closer you look, I commute 55 minutes work, God is speaking to me he speak in my kids you like for five kids and he said we are all growing. It's worth the trip possible.
I mean okay but I mean I'm just thinking is gonna be a church closer for you and etc. does not know, and I mean you know it's one of those guys were you met him or his cronies in the Scriptures, and pretty soon he's involved in ministry and you know you just dream about.
This is a pastor.
These really solid people to make a huge difference in they do in ministries get built around him and you become friends with them and they said Haycock I get some time with US at your set. I need do some said fines we can my office and grab a cup of coffee and sat down and you know he's kinda shaken. I'm going and was from.
He said the last four months I've been traveling secretly to another city. I don't think I'll man you know I said so, what's going on. He said well it's been going on for over 30 years in his mid-40s. He said it started when I was seven years old and these magazines would come in.
I mean, of like the Sears catalog and now just a kid, but I found the laundry section is like a magnet and I was about 12 or 13, and auto accident or what my dad kept playboys in between the mattresses and I had a steady diet of those.
By the time I was in my late teens I kinda moved to progress to some hard core stuff. I've never told anyone this. He was in some other denominations had been an elder and a deacon. He'd been in leadership in the church. I was actually a good communicator of God's word he said I been living with this for 30 years. The Internet is been killing me the last decade their stuff and access. He said it's like a thirsty man that I just I can only go hours without going logging on the Internet and the guilt that I've lived with in the turmoil inside Kinnaman explained anyone in so I yeah I heard about you know one of these sexual addiction groups, celebrate recovery type thing in this church about 65 miles away because I want to do anything near us and once a week for the last four months I've been driving there and I got the secret out the open and something broke inside me and I wept with other men with the same problem and I have been clean now for not just this for months but you know a pretty good season of time. Afterwards, I I now I've shared all this with my wife. It was horrendous boy to have a godly woman and he said now after the season. I feel like you know I don't know about the statistics but probably 25 to 30% of the men in our church are dealing with this in some way you're doing series and I come to see where you're going and you're going to talk about sexual purity. With your permission, I like to tell my story and I've asked my wife to sit on the front row because I need to apologize to her publicly. Now don't get me wrong, I really knew this guy and not. We prayed about it and I will never forget. I got to certain point message and you know, rather than giving an illustration us and do not just want to stop for a moment. Andy, would you come up with super respected of the church head will think something he like to share and I just came over here and Andy told story and with such tears streaming down his face. He apologized his wife and his kids, and at the end of that.
I said you know we need to get secrets out. Whoever has an issue like this in your life and is going to be here tonight and want to start some shoot straight small group sexual addiction from it. We launch five groups at night. It multiplied after that. I told the story and had people calling me from all over the country and all I do is ask and you can have permission because he's he's gifted organizationally sick.
I permission to just give your name. He's launched now groups all over the country.
God has taken his greatest secret pain and sin.
And not only forgiven him but restored him and used the thing that was the worst in his life to become the conduit of grace for others. What's your secret what is it in your past. Is there something that you never want anyone else to know but needs to come to the surface that you need to bring to God first and foremost submit to him.
Resist the devil draw near to God, cleanse your hands, purify your hearts more and humble yourself and let him lift you up and then share that an appropriate place with a safe person who's very mature so God could bring healing to you and then use it as a redeeming powerful ministry to others never hear the apostle Paul when he gets real, personal, in the New Testament. I'm chief among sinners and God revealed himself to be apostles and also to me is one unworthy, it was his depth of understanding of owning his stuff of seeking Christ doesn't mean much if the little world is unsafe by grace. I believe in Jesus. I went to camp. I raise my hand. I got baptized to be duped now. I try to be a good moral person and in my functional Christianity I realize is a big buck for the Scott goodies. That is what I do do do do do I feel good good good but I bet that the better by that at the bed so I will try really really hard to get really exhausted. I have a high number of things and it doesn't feel really good items was the good guy about the that that that's American and much of Christianity around the world is not supernatural is not Christianity. It is performance oriented. It is not grace. Grace produces powerful life change from the inside out. Third, teach them to refuse to continue living with a performance orientation and their relationship with God. It is and always will be a grace orientation. Sometimes when we think about grace.
It's still hard to come to get your arms around a lot of Bible words like that you know and sometimes a word picture gets it so. Here's a word picture. Here's what grace is. If, in your flesh and frailty as a human being.
You make a mistake and you fall into a 10 foot hole and you're looking up and it's a 10 foot hole and there's no way to get out of this thing.
Grace is God will extend an 11 foot rope with knots on it and you sit on the little chair at the end in a pulley about it. But if you happen to be one of those people that makes even a huge mistake and you drop into a 99 foot hole and you can barely see the light, and there is no I mean there was no way out of fence at all but this is there's not even any hope God will drop a 100 foot rope with knots in it with a little wooden thing that you can sit on and he will pull you up. That's what grace is. It is all that you need call my grace is sufficient for you, grace extends afoot beyond what ever you need us totally apart from your performance totally apart from what you could earn try hard to get back together. If I'm really good may be, then all that thinking and I will just tell you I think it's a very long journey, especially if your goal oriented, fairly strategic And be driven little OCD came from a legalistic background.
Can I continue or I got the idea to give you a couple tools that might be helpful one for me as I realized it's so deeply embedded in me my performance orientation. I feel close to God when I'm doing good my emotions. I tend not to feel close to God but I'm doing bad left to myself I will think we'll all read. I used to be one. As a young Christian like if I miss today I have to read that many more chapters to come to get back level again you, but that mentality. I mean it's it's so deep in me and I realize what needed to change was not my behavior but my thinking and so I began to take.
These are called desire cards and I just thought unlocking try and memorize him. I need to learn to think in a new way. And so I begin to to begin to think of ways that I could begin to think and reorient my mind around what is true in relationships and with me and with God.
And so I desire to communicate unconditional love and acceptance toward my children regardless of their performance. I thought Unifi can learn how to do with my kids. Maybe I get myself and I said I desire to please God and find my worth and security in him, rather than seeking to please people to get their affirmation administered to see what I realized was Unifi had a good sermon and people settled. It was really good, all good good good that when a very good sermon really bad at that and I would live like this or anybody to that. That's a lack of understanding of grace.
My point is you can write down what's really these are ones I've been and I just read them over on the bedstand to stream over. No pressure. When I first wrote. I wrote them as goals right. My goal is to be more grace were in and wait a minute Ingram goal is something you can. It's a desire my desires to focus on my faithfulness to God rather than my success in ministry is read that over my desire is to enjoy my relationship with Jesus Christ each and every day I realized I was getting a Lord you know what, aren't you glad on your team. I get a lot done. I get a lot done. I mean to give me the ball on it. I get a lot done. It was like to lighten up.
I want you to enjoy me and I I jotted Psalm 1611. You've made known to me the path of life in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forever to enjoy God cannot get anything done when you're in his presence always. My desire is to allow my children the freedom to fail to make our home a pressure free environment and they will tell you that you really need little bit more work on that.
You're not like he used to be my desires to have some good fun once or twice a week limiting my work hours to 55 or 60 hours to part part of the performance orientation creates a workaholic a workaholic works not because he needs to work, he works because is filling up the holes in his heart to say, I'm really okay and that's a lack of understanding of grace and my identity in Christ. So I have to write down have fun ship.
Don't feel guilty when you play nine holes.
Don't feel guilty when you sit back and you know get a Diet Coke and and get some that sharp cheese and so Triscuit you like and put your feet up and watch the Dallas Cowboys and enjoy it. Of course I need to limit the media, but my list like there's greatness, movies, and there's times that sit back, relax and enjoy brings us balance check tracking with me. The final one here is Mike Mike my desires to worship God for who he is in praise and adoration at least once every day. I got to the point where when I met with God. It was okay, let's get something done here who you want to pray for another tool along with the cards. I didn't used to do this, but what I found as I lied to myself and I needed to be reminded of God's grace and this is a superduper like 599 just little notebook whereas II just try and be more honest and I find when I write it out. It's harder to lie to myself and I just got in the habit of writing out what I really think what I really feel and when I'm really mad and when I'm really afraid, and wherein I'm really hurting in mice often start out yesterday started poorly and did well seem like all of life is pressing against me yesterday. I was angry and disturbed and very frustrated.
You know I'm meant for a guy like me that's like you. You don't measure up. Mean you need community control may need to have it together him and you can get with the program and this this tool has help me just come before God.
See grace always flows downhill. Grace always flows toward humility, performance, control is always rooted in pride now is responsibility. This healthy, but some of us feel like we get to be in control and manage everything and manage outcomes.
You can't and so God's love and grace for some of us will just keep overloading you until you can't handle it so that you come to this amazing discovery. I can't handle it and I think God smiles goes well. What took a while but you know, I've known that from day one I want to help you really you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
So the life message here is you were created to receive grace and grace living on the trip will be right back with his application for this message. Teach them to live a spilled live from a series leaving a legacy that lasts forever. The concept of passing on your face that were talking about in this series isn't new parents from the very beginning were instructed to teach their children about God and his faithfulness and were expected to build that same godly legacy from generation to generation five biblical habits chips been teaching are key to living a more Christ centered joy filled life. So whether you're a parent or grandparent or a mentor. This series will help you connect in meaningful ways with the young people you love to check out the resource options for leaving a legacy that lasts forever. Go to LivingontheEdge.org call AAA 83336003 or click on special offers on the chipping remap.
I'll be right back in just a minute with some final thoughts about today's message but you know, in light of the things we talked about today. I just want to acknowledge that some of the most painful conflicts and difficult relationship experiences we have is with our adult children got no matter how much you love God, no matter how good your family is when our children become adults. Things change yes there to honor us, but they don't obey us anymore and we go from, you know, when they're small to tell you what to do to negotiating when their teens, and then we launch them and then a lot of things change. Of all the things we've heard it Living on the Edge in terms of where are the needs we've heard over and over.
Will you help us with our adult children. Such conflicts with such changes in values such problems that people don't have answers to. That's why I teamed up with parenting expert Jim Burns to create a resource called how to navigate life with your adult children. Jim and I discussed principles that were empower and equip you as a parent when you struggle with those delicate relationships when your kids are now adults really talk about control issues will talk about when to speak and when to keep your mouth shut. This is a resource I think that's really good help you like strip one of the most fulfilling gifts we can enjoy as parents is a great relationship with our adult children were we respect and enjoy each other so much that we actually look forward to spending time together.
So the whole aim of this online video course called how to navigate life with your adult children is to give you the practical tools you need to successfully build those kinds of relationships with your kids. It's absolutely free its six sessions with Chip and Jim Burns and you can do them at your own pace, whatever you want.
So I hope you'll tap special offers on the app or go to LivingontheEdge.org and take advantage of this great resource to be glad you did.
Now here's Chip with some final thoughts from today's message we have come to the end of a very exciting series together and I think we've covered maybe one of the most important messages in this series it's teaching people to live grace filled lives you know you talk with people on the street or if you have real obit history. People often say you know religion actually has been the cause of terrible things in the world and what I would say is you can't get around that one. It's really true, but what I will tell you is the opposite of religion is grace and the grace of God, the life of Christ. Understanding what forgiveness is not only receiving it but passing it on becomes a trite word and so often we have it intellectually, but we really don't get it is free. It is really free it. What's not cheap but it's free. And God wants to forgive and to heal and restore and you know he is really not up in heaven with this giant refrigerator wanting to give you little gold stars for okay you read the Bible today or you need to pray little bit longer, or you thought about the hot, naughty, naughty, naughty, until we got these bizarre ideas.
He is your heavenly father who gave his son to die in your place because he loves you and he want you to experience grace and the prerequisite to experiencing grace is brokenness and honesty and what I want to tell you is, often, we believe the lies that keep us from grace. We believe our sin is too great. We think God loves other people but not me. We think will I haven't done enough good deeds will guess what the truth is you never do enough good deeds that type of performance orientation living up to things is so deeply rooted in you and me that we have to root it out with repetition and renewing our minds of all the messages I would just tell you just keep listening to this one about God's grace God's grace God's grace until you start feeling and believing that you're a cherished child of God.
Your past is been put behind you and then the grace of God doesn't teach us to live any way we want the grace of God teaches us to live in the holiness and purity to say thank you to the God who loves us and cares for us. Be a grace filled Christian receive it and then give it away like strip. Let me take just a second and think the generous people make monthly donations to support the ministry of Living on the Edge your faithful gifts help us inspire Christians to live like Christians. Every gift makes a huge difference. If you haven't partnered with us yet you prayerfully consider joining the Living on the Edge team make a one-time gift or set up a recurring donation by going to LivingontheEdge.org calling us at AAA 83336003 and know that were blessed by whatever the Lord leads you to do well. Until next time this jury saying thanks for this Edition of Living on the Edge