Momentum - What is True Spirituality?, Part 2

You ever feel like you just going to the motion spiritually you wish.

Down deep, you could have a fresh real experience with God will let me tell you today on Living on the Edge working to discover what the Bible says about authentic spirituality how you cannot just know about it but experience starting today.

If that interest you stick around.

Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge shipping Living on the Edge features the Bible to on the steely discipleship program. This program ship continues a series momentum to ignite your friend by reviewing the keys to living a life of true spirituality. Seven. Teaching you sure some additional ways to stay with us for that. Let's join them know for part two of his message from Romans chapter 12. Your father knows what you need before you ask him. This then is how you should pray our father foreign concept Judaism. The day had the sense of God's majesty and his glory and his transcendence but they had missed the truth of Scripture of his fatherhood of his intimacy of his approachability, and since God is your father.

He has a dream he's got a plan for your life. How many people by the widest are our parents in here kid while awful lot of us. If you don't know this yet it's only because the real small your kids have a powerful powerful role to play in your life they will be the source of greatest joy you ever experience on this planet and they will be the source of the greatest heartache you will ever have far more than any conflict with your mate this person. That's a part of each of you can break your heart can can break down communication can say things and do things and live in ways that will bring you the deepest, deepest sorrow you ever experience. And, by contrast, and when your kids want to be around you that. I mean, is there anyone there little and they make daddy can I crawl up in your lap. You daddy what I love you right and I will tell you that even as they grow up and get older and have kids of their own.

There's few things sweeter and all life and you have a dream for your kids and I have a dream for my kids and when you're young like there like one or two years old, and your young parents like I wanted to be a astronaut, a nuclear physicist, I want my son to know cure cancer or not wanting to be the CEO of you have all these lofty what they do and then they get to be like little kids and 89 10 years old you thinking you know I like him to be a nice boy. Nice girl. Then I get to be teenagers. I don't care what they know when I can deliver trash. But if they love God.

If they were a person of integrity. If they had character. If we had a great relationship. I could care less where they work. Will God give him a good location to put food on the table put them in their guest about God. What I really want see what you're really concerned about the older you get, is not what they do with who they become God's dream for you is about who you become when you understand that he's father God's dream for his children is to make you like his son.

He's not a force seat week we got this idea that there's like these invisible rules or principles or duties, and when I violate those old sorry I messed up in the know you broke your father's heart you stepped away from relationship you pulled away from his hog.

He loves you. He cares for you. For reasons I don't understand the one that created all that there is has given you the opportunity to either bring him joy or bring him sorrow.

You can grieve the Holy Spirit.

That's a personal word when I live in ways that are not good for me. It hurts God's heart because he's my father you miss that false religious activity. External rules so first and foremost to get an accurate picture of God. But second true spirituality is built on the principle of relationship. It's not the external keeping of religious duties that you may end up doing some of those things out of love for a whole different set of reasons.

It's not about keeping of external rules and seed these five things are those seven things is not that there aren't any things to do, but it's the difference between a child that you say to them, okay. Don't go outside the yard. It's a four-year-old or five-year-old because the cars are very dangerous, and you put a little picket fence but they can get over it and they now for all their life. I don't outside the art that's out there and I better never dancing with some other kids. They got the yard at about that yard. I think that the art are not a good person.

I'm a really wonderful person glided outside the arts.

I have both of your and to keep the external rules, they never go talk to the parents sitting outside the yard and I totally forgot that the whole reason for not going outside the yard was. I love you and I care for you and like I don't want to get hit by car that's a lot different than someone says you know I could go outside the yard if I wanted to and I could look both ways and you know what my father wants me to stay in here because he cares for me. My parents want me to be in this place and so it may look a little bit the same, but the motors are completely different. When Jesus was asked you so different. Your radical teacher you're not religious so what's it all about their 613 or 14 commands in the Old Testament coming down for us. What's it all about Jesus would say, here's what it's all about love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul your mind and your strength and love your neighbor as yourself that the most vivid example, if you have a a Bible with you open if you will store the back Philippians. This is the most religious man that ever became Christian, the most moral man. He was far from God. He was so religious.

He thought he was doing God's will. When he was killing Christians and someone challenged him and basically said you know what you don't measure up religiously like we do listen to the priorities of the apostle Paul beginning about verse four says if someone thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh.

I far more.

And then he gives us his pedigree circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews in regard to the law, a Pharisee, as per seal persecuting the church. As for legalistic righteousness, faultless net worth, I'm squeaky clean. I follow all the rules all the time in the right way. I had it down but whatever was to my profit. I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to listen to his focus. The surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. And I consider them rubbish literally the word is done or another good translation would be pooh-poohed.

I mean that's what he saying it's in the text.

He says all of that former religious activity impressing people keeping the rules compared that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes to the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God. That is by faith, no notice is focus.

I want to know Christ not earn God's favor not avoid some fearful wrathful God not discover a formula in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings to become like him in his death.

If somehow to obtain to the resurrection from the dead and the notice it's a process, not that I've already obtained it. I've already been made perfect or mature but I press on. Notice the focus. I take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me brothers.

I don't consider myself yet to have them take hold of it.

But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward or pressing forward what lies ahead. I reach to lay hold of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

And whatever call is no God's relationship we've missed this week taking Christianity and medicine little moral code of good Christian of people that don't cost and don't do certain other things in a little bit nicer work on. Sorry it was broken thing to do.

Sorry the Jesus of the New Testament was a strong, passionate, righteous, and when he confronted thanks he actually got very angry about some things to change the world. He calls us to follow him true spirituality begins with a accurate picture of God.

True spirituality is built on the principle of relationship is the core. If you want to good definition of, and it literally is loving God and loving people 24 seven from the heart. That's what it means to be spiritual when you are loving God and loving people from the heart with the right motive.

That's when the father looks down goes all will climb up in my lap. That's when the father is most pleased with you. Now the problem is it raises issues you know we get fired up SoCal will of God and love people. 24 seven from the heart. How what to look like how you do it, how to get a handle on it. What specifically what's the pathway I mean show me your Jesus. You said on the way that the word is Hadassah word is a means of a street or road or path on the way the truth and the life. So would you show me what is the way the apostle Paul would penned the way for us.

Romans 12 provides us with a relational grace paste pathway of true spirituality in Romans 11:12 chapters of grace. He's gonna tell us what God did for us where we fall and how he's taking care of us how it's forgiven us all the power that's available and then in chapter 12. He's gonna say. Let me give you the pathway. The profile of what it means to be an authentic follower of Christ.

Notice first that it's about relationships first one is about your relationship with God verse to your relationship with the world or the world system the cosmos that's not the physical world. That's the worldview energized by the evil one Satan who wants to seduce your soul from God. And then there's a relationship. Notice verse three through eight, with yourself, in verses nine through 13 you have a relationship with believers. Those that are in Christ and in verses 14 to 21 you have a relationship with unbelievers. If you would with your pin. I want you to circle just those those relationships go back through and works as wrote God world yourself. Believers. Unbelievers circlet in your notes because I want to get this and left to ourselves. We always drift into religiosity into keeping rules and how my doing. We actually want a scorecard we want to cosmic scorekeeper and we wanted to grade on the curve.

But he doesn't.

And so there's a response to each one of these want to learn what God wants the most from you and what we can learn what he wants is for you to offer your body, your physical body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to him.

That is your spiritual service of worship, or if that's what he really wants what is really what you not your money not your religious activity.

He wants you to look at the life of Abraham because he places the trail I'm working a learned surrender to God is the channel through which God's biggest and best blessings flow.

It's super counterintuitive, but were to learn by coming to God and surrendering all that I am in all that I have God because he's a good God is a father. He pours blessing into her life with him. Relationships in every area and learn from Abraham what it looks like and how to do it in a learned that there is this world system. We need to stop allowing ourselves to be conformed to the world, but we need to be transformed not by trying hard but by the renewing of our mind by thinking differently. And when we think differently in our mind is renewed with truth, then we will understand what the will of God is that will taste it will prove it and will actually get good acceptable and perfect. Good things God has for us to look at the life of Daniel who lived in an amazing pagan pagan world and for as a young teenager all the way through his 80s.

He figured out how to not allow the world to press him into its mold, but he lived this amazing life and what he learned was how to get God's best.

And that's what you'll learn will talk but having a sober self-assessment universe three says don't think too highly of yourself but think as you are with a sober judgment.

God made you with strengths with weaknesses. He's deposited spiritual gifts you have a DNA that no other person in all the world has you'll never discover your calling the what he wants you to do into you quit denying who you are in trying to be someone else and trying to impress other people. We all do it and were to look at the life of Moses. Moses, at one point thought it was bigger than he was and failed, and later he didn't think he was good enough and he almost failed to learn from his life how to get an accurate sober assessment were you can look not just in the physical mirror but into the mirror of your soul and say God thanks for making it way I'm glad on the stall with this color lies with the strengths with this personality came out of this background and I know there's a whole big you know painting and all the commercials and say I need to look like that act like that you know what, no one can be me. And when you discover that and lean into it. You will find a joy and acceptance about how to come to grips with the real you that you've never had in your life next to look at our relationship with fellow believers, learn that far from Christianity or being a Christian coming in sitting in a room and hearing some person talking playing a little music and sing well I got that done today.

Let's see CI 88 that's important what the work church okay got that one done. I was a little more interesting though I one bed unit relies on an oath about doing life. Let love be without hypocrisy literally take off your mask poor, what is evil.

Come clean. You have to protect and hide in fake it be devoted to one another in brotherly love and you learn to serve and love will look at the life of Jonathan and David in a relationship with a peel back the layers and their heart-to-heart face-to-face and devoted at deep levels and they experienced this connection, and you'll learn how to experience authentic community and then finally will look at that most supernatural of all and by the way this can happen until the others do is in a fallen world.

You get knocked out.

You have mates that walk out on you have bosses that betray you. You have quote what you thought were Christian friends are Christians businesspeople who you're left with the debt and they left with the money were all going to get a raw deal to fallen world really bad things happen to good people and what bothers me almost as much or more is really good things happen some bad people for season and you have to discover what are you going to do about the evil that's aimed at you and you can whine and complain and not forgiven be better you become a little prisoner of your own little world. We can bless those who persecute you. You can bless and curse not. It cannot be overcome with evil but you learn how to overcome evil with good. And you just choose to do it, you won't feel like doing it you be with a group of people now by now you get to know really one another and some stuff you held onto from years of get on the table and God will break the prison that some of you are in and you will do good for some people have done you wrong and you forgive from the heart and you will be free. And people will wonder what in the world happened to you is what you're happening is you're just an authentic regular ordinary normal Christian urine are 12 Christian surrender to God separate from the world's values sober and self-assessment serving in love, and supernaturally responding to evil with good. That's the journey were on that's true spirituality that here's the deal. Everything I just shared this can be an exciting journey, but right now if I could have liked red lights flashing in the backbeat beat and maybe some unit like with a big truck like when you go backwards.

There's a warning turn the page. Here's the warning very very important because were human because we like to control because we want to know where were at. The danger is, we will make the R12 profile.

Our pathway will just make a new set of rules and become our new set of externals and will try to do it in our own energy. R12 is not trying. I try hard moral code to live up to, but a faith response to what God is already done. Listen to that list. Let that wash over you, a faith response to what God has already done. If this was like if you can imagine this is a number line in the book of Romans was actually an open book. I could stand right here and goblets. It never open the book of Romans that's a come on you guys.

We walked to chapter 1, two and three and I would say if I would summarize all of that.

This is the problem of all people of all time, we missed the mark. We know what's right and we don't do it. We know what's wrong do it anyway. We try hard. We fail in God is absolutely holy God and says for all of sin and fall short of the glory of God the glory. God says anyone to have a relationship with a holy God. Your moral character motives needs that be a perfect score of 100 all the time I got says no one does it. How do you solve that problem. Being religious doesn't do it and so chapters 4 and five if we moved to the book is God's solution to the problem of sin is salvation word salvation means deliverance in chapter 4 and five are about God the son Jesus coming to the earth, living in absolutely perfect life being convicted of nothing being the central person of all time in history and he would die upon a cross being fully God and fully man when he died upon the cross. He took on your sin and my sin once and for all, and he paid for the tone for it means he covered it as we took the first three chapters, and he covers it and the only way you can receive that forgiveness.

That's an absolute free gift is by faith God forgive me.

I repent of my way of thinking. I admit that I've sent I ask you right now to give me the gift of the life of Christ to forgive my sin and he says he will.

When that happens, the spirit of God enters your life. As we move into chapter 67 and eight in the theologians call this sanctification or how do you live this new life and freedom, and empower the chapter 6 is whatever happened to Jesus actually happened to you. You died with him. You been raised with him.

Chapter 7 says as long as you're in this physical body you have a battle between the flesh and the spirit. This can be three steps forward progress and then you can really blow it doesn't mean you're not a Christian's major human and you stay on the path in chapter. It was like, thanks be to God. But there's no condemnation.

Therefore, for those that are in Christ and the Christian life is a hard it's absolutely impossible. In chapter 8 will teach you and me that the only one that can live is Christ, but now that his spirit lives inside of you. Your only goal you abide. As you abide in surrender to the spirit of God and are in the word of God in the community of God's people.

The life of Christ will be produced in and through you. He lives his life through you. That's true spirituality.

I look back out of that book. And God says now here's how the pathway for followers I want you to surrender all that you are all you have to me. See you can get my best wishes turn from the world. Have your mind renewed in such a way that I will show you my will for you and give it to you. I want you to discover how I made you I want you to get connected with people to get loved and give love and then in a world that is absolutely evil.

Until I come back I want you to stand with me and say to them from the heart without being a passive doormat. God forgive them. They know not what they do but in strength and empower the word is meekness or gentleness blaze a trail where we don't get evil for evil, but return good and in that power and be seen historically brings about transformation people and groups and cultures powerful testimony we can have when we live in love like Jesus did.

What you will be back with a final thought. But before is just a quick word about this series in momentum.

Chip develops his outline for Romans chapter 12 and shows you how to live a life of real faith no matter what's going on. Learning how to overcome the evil aim to do in understanding how to give God what he wants the most is guaranteed to make a difference in your life, starting today, access chips entire series momentum how to ignite your faith, the Chip Ingram up or download the free MP3s from our website.

LivingontheEdge.org chips so much as changed over the last year and 1/2 or so, and dismissed with people in a lot of different ways. Some of the total fallout is that many are struggling with issues of faith summer stuck summer doubting what are we doing to help people who need to reignite their faith walk with Jesus all day. You know, we create resources that are specially designed to help people in different seasons in Windows and their life in a very close friend that I've learned so much from his name is Lance Witt and he developed a resource. It's called leaving ordinary behind 25 days to an extraordinary fate. It's a devotional. What I find when people need to get back on board they need to cultivate the habit again and sometime something big is overwhelming.

This is a devotional, you read little bit you interact little bit 25 days that will reignite your spiritual life that will help you get unstuck. That will take you from where you're at, to begin to get a fresh wind of God's Spirit in your soul and in your heart. This is a great resource for people that are struggling right now. This brand-new devotional written by chips friend and fellow pastor Lance Witt is called leaving ordinary behind 25 days to an extraordinary faith to check out the discounts while they last go to LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at triple late. 333-6003 app listeners tapped special offers. Again, the resorts were talking about is our brand-new devotional called leaving ordinary behind 25 days to an extraordinary faith without your strip with his application. As we close today's program and we finish this first message of what is true spirituality. Here's my challenge. I really want to invite you to stay with me on this whole series I had to tell you quick little story.

I was actually in Nigeria and I was teaching. Probably the largest crowd ever taught was about 60,000 people with a big celebration and they gave me this assignment. What is a disciple and I found myself teaching through Romans 12 were much of what you heard was birthed and then God used it in an amazing way. But then what I learned was, you know, as I gave you the overview in the teaching today.

You know I talked about being surrender to God separate from the world's values. Having a sober self-assessment serving in love and then supernaturally responding to evil with good.

I mean, it was amazing as I taught that they are what I saw God do and it burst the series called true spirituality and then as that has gone literally around the world and we done some exciting things here in America in a number of churches we realize that people needed close audit. You know what I mean is one thing to say.

All I want to be surrendered to God. But when you see the life of Abraham. You see what it looks like or want to be separate from the world. But when you see a teenager like Daniel actually live it out.

I mean, it really is amazing when you talk about having a sober self-assessment and someone like Moses steps up and he didn't see himself accurately and then he does. Here's what I want you to know if you'll stay with me were gonna walk through Old Testament characters working to put clothes on these concepts in a way where God will show you how to experience true spirituality. You know we all have situations in our life where we wish we were more consistent a vibrant, dynamic walk with God. Momentum is a series were based on what God has done and people in the past we can take those things, and by his grace imitate their life in these areas and God will show you how to live it out every day right where you live. This is a great series to get momentum in your life at Living on the Edge we want you to know about an easy way to listen to our extended teaching podcast your trip any time on Amazon's Alexa echo and echo.just say Alexa open Living on the Edge and you'll hear that days extended teaching anytime you want well for Chip and everyone here. This is the same. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge