I Choose Hope - Experiencing Hope, Part 2

You know were so used to popping a pill for the aches and pains of life with completely lost sight of the fact that sometimes it takes real pain in real suffering to get the things that matter most. What if God wants to leverage the most difficult thing to give you something you can't get any other way that welcome to this Wednesday.

Addition of living on the truth to bring Living on the Edges of international discipleship featuring the Bible to the picture continues a series I choose hope by asking how do we exactly experience intimate relationship with Jesus teaching triple studio to share some thoughts to be sure to stay with us for that now. Let's join in for part two of his message from Philippians chapter 3 experiencing hope. The way the apostle Paul is going to teach us that we experience the resurrected power is out of our weakness. Romans eight verse 11 says, but if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in another words the same power that raised Christ from the dead. When you turn from your sin asked Christ to forgive you come into your life. The same power the same spirit lives inside so you should expect supernatural things to happen and then what is going to say is, but the way the supernatural things happen is a recognition that what you need is his strength. We need his power in the midst of your weakness.

Most of us start our mental human fleshly bent is that I'm going to make it by what I do and this is what I can accomplish he's going to say the foot with God is it's when you come in humility and that you can't the 12 steppers have a lot to teach us on the Wilson. By the way, with the believer. Anybody know what the first step is. I'm absolutely powerless. I can't do this I can overcome this addiction will guess what you can overcome forgiving someone either you can overcome your fear failure, you can overcome your family. Family of origin you can overcome your fear about the economy you can overcome what can happen your kids.

You can write can you really do look apostle Paul, as he has this difficult situation. Three times he prays God says no no no and then in second printing chapter 12. Notice what he says God you have said no to me when I've asked you to remove this difficulty, this tribulation some physical issue. Therefore, I'm well content with weakness with insults with distresses with persecutions, with difficulty, did you notice they're all plural, for Christ's sake, why for when I am weak, then I am strong. So Paul Paul says while in the suffering fallen world.

I want to experience your power, I'd ask you to deliver me out of it make everything great. Make everything right and God said no. In this case definitely say no. Sometimes it is a very very miraculous. So Paul says okay. Therefore, I'm going to be well content.

I mean, it's not just to get through it on to have a sense of settled peace.

The difficulties persecutions distresses because when I'm weak that I'm strong he explains. And God said to him, my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore will rather boast about my weakness. So the power of Christ may dwell in me, power is perfected in weakness.

God's power shows up in supernatural ways when his children say I can't do this. I can't make this relationship work. I can't change my supervisor. I can't get inside my kids had. My parents had and get them to see things the way they ought to, I can't break this habit. I've unresolved anger issues, and then power is perfected in weakness. The first step to experience God's power is Lord help me member, Peter. What's what happens very short prayer. Peter is thinking what's he cry out, help me, David, who really messed up. The Lord is near to the broken hearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit.

This this is this is an unfortunate truth. You will probably never experience the love of God and the power of God more than at a time when you come not too hard situation, but when he gets impossible and is like hands up. I can do this. I can't do this. A single more moment.

I can't do this and then you cry out, oh God deliver me, and he may deliver you out of it. He may deliver you through it may change you in radical ways. When my closest friends went through.

I think in this is Chip Ingram's opinion, there could be worse things I just can't think of any. His grown son prime of life, committed suicide, and in a moment had some bipolar stuff going on just and I've watched that man's life change more in the last two years out of his pain out of his suffering I seen God's power because in his deep, deep distress he was reading the Bible before, but he was listening a lot better now. He was praying before, but now once a week. He drives out near where he and his son would spend some time special time and he looks out over this and he just pours his heart out to God and guess what he's met Jesus. He's met the power of God in the comfort of God and the grace of God and the patience of God into an independent, deep, deep down, valleys, and is not reason former athlete in and you know not known for tiers not known for being overly sensitive is probably what we get along. No comment place and I've watched I've watched a sensitivity in a in a crying and in the motion. The transformed but but if if it's trying hard in Jesus we you give me little help.

You'll never experience his power.

How could you take where you're feeling hopeless and admit today. I can't do this. Second, not just his power in our weakness, but his presence in our pain.

We are a society in the Western world, especially in America that any type of suffering or pain is to be avoided at all costs. If I could make one television rule, you could never advertise drugs ever again. It makes me nuts makes me nuts. There's no matter what and to you. There's a new drug and then coursing of 67 seconds of all the byproducts it'll no constipation. Many people die from this liver probably be you may find have suicidal thoughts or dinner there and I want to be role right to be role his they're having fun but but the point here is the points out the drugs if the point is this message.

If you ever have suffering physically, mentally, another way, there's a pill there's a sweet quick solution you have been called for this purpose since first Peter even called for this purpose, to suffer with him in the end of chapter 1 he said it is been granted to you. The word is grace.

God is giving you this grace not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake experiencing the same conflict which you heard and now seem to be in me now.

This is not a masochistic. There's plenty of suffering.

That's got to come your way. But if unconsciously, your worldview is all suffering all difficulty all pain is I've got avoided all cost. I've got to just get through to get a zoom through it you will miss God you will miss God.

Some of the suffering that your and someone else did it to you. Some of it you brought on yourself like me, some of it.

It's just a fallen world. You have you can't the economy the politics the racism the tension the work situations you have control of all that is how you and you guys know this is just turn on those really smart brains of yours. Everybody in this room is going to go through life that's really really hard and you're going to suffer. True or false.

If you haven't had some major health issues. Just hang on. If not, if someone hasn't betrayed you, that you really trusted yet. Just hold your breath. If you don't get like a raw deal of injustice somewhere somewhere for 20 your kids don't really disappoint you, or God doesn't come through and bring Mr. writer Miss right into your life if you don't experience it in church will your your anomaly. Some of the worst things I've ever seen happen among church people.

But here's my point were all going to suffer. You know Paul says in a fallen world where suffering is going to come at the hands of others. Persecution at times for doing exactly what God wants me to do.

He says I don't waste I was with Jesus. And when I was with Jesus.

There's there's something that happens when someone goes through it with you notices experience. His experiences second Corinthians chapter 4 verses seven through 12. He says that we have this treasure this the spirit living within us the gospel. This new life in earthen vessels speaking, this human body so that the surpassing greatness of what we back to the power will be of God, not from ourselves. Not now listen to this list. This is his life experience. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed.

We are perplexed, but not despairing. Persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, notices purpose clause so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. What he saying is I've just been doing exactly what God wants me to do and you name it we've been there. It's bad bad bad bad bad and little worse but in the midst of it. God's pay not struck down not giving in not giving up.

And as we die to ourselves and we ask God what do you want us to look like limits my suffering the manifestation of the life of Christ says I'm experiencing that notice he says Jesus also being manifested in our body for we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus sake. Why so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our mortal bodies, so that death works in us, but life in you. My friend was telling about death is working at him and now I've watched life and family members. I watch he's the he's he has a heart for evangelism and he's he's a bold human being and so he came to my office a little bit before all the things with the sun and he said he calls me bro hey bro I need some good stuff. I meet all these people. I got all these needs and went through okay give me those three CDs on that in a couple books on that any three CDs on that. So he got a cleaned out part of a closet and put them in the back of his truck. I can't tell you I bet. I bet there's been 50, 60, maybe 100 people in two years that have seen the baptism of his son coming to Christ heard his story him listen to them and their clients and he's handed either a CD or book they says I only give to the ones that I know are serious death in him life to others and then you don't then they told me this gives man neatly played major colleges quarterback a big school. He said not. I've experience implies. It couldn't get any better than this doesn't mean it's like when Jesus is like going right through your veins and and you realize is not you. This is what Paul is talking about what you suffering the theology of it. He says he I thanks be to God. Romans five were justified by faith and we exult or boast in this brand-new relationship. It's our introduction and grace, but only this.

I also exalt you understand the mindset that so different than us.

I exult in the tribulation that I'm going through. Why, because tribulation produces endurance.

What's endurance. I just keep getting up and doing the same thing when it's hard and I don't feel like it, and what endurance do overtime. It produces proven character, what's that means your attitudes change as you hold up under that by the grace of God, and proven character, disappoint, disappoint, because what it produces hope, and hope doesn't disappoint, because the love of God is been poured out into our hearts and what he's giving us is a theology of suffering and difficulty in a fallen world that as you trust in him and as you persevere and you say Lord I can't do this but will you be near me.

Oh God, one more day of work and I hate this job. Oh God, I know this marriage counseling is a worse idea in the whole world. I can't stand facing all this stuff, but I'm not given up on not given out and I'm not dropping out. And as you do that change happens in the change happens and you and the change produces this this unswerving hope in your life that you realize what God is real and he's with me. My wife got cancer very seriously, did major operations, and you know than they did radiation all this high-powered stuff. And thank God for Kaiser Stanford. Everybody did an amazing amazing job. But here's what I can tell you about suffering. If you go through something deep and scary with someone you really love however much you thought you love them. It goes to a whole new level. I will never forget driving her after all that each radiation treatment and needed some new high-powered thing that just an every single time we would leave and we pulled into the coffee shop and she would sit in the car like this and I would go in and get 2 cups of dark roast. Of course, and then they get.

They had little oatmeal cookies and they said would you like it heated I said please and I would take my little oatmeal cookie and I give her coffee and we would break in half and I did know if I have a few more weeks a few more months or a few more years but I can tell you this.

That moment those journeys together. There was a love and in the sea that I share with my wife that God is allowed to continue. Never happened.

Now my hand goes up Lord I would like to be on the list of no more cancer ever. And then my hand goes up and say Lord it's horrendous but I wouldn't want to miss that what I share with her and what Paul saying is this is what I want to share with Jesus. But you see behind all of this there's this mission.

There's this focus, there's this sense that you know Paul has been there and done that. If getting famous or being smart or getting in the right score or wealth or how your kids turn out all the ship all that could be a hope that would satisfy he been there and done all that stuff he saying this is what matters. Finally says that the life the life we can experience in our death. He's really talking here about coming to that point where I'm going to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus death and here's his theology and that you can read all of Romans six, but verse forces. Therefore, we been buried with him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the father so to we might walk in newness of life, and here's his theology. For if we become united with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. No way is a fact that our old self, the old Paul, the old ship the old you was crucified with him. Why, in order that the body of sin or sin's power over us might be done away so that we are no longer slaves to sin for Hughes died is freed from sin. There's a lot there.

Here's all I want you to get there is a mystical union that when you turn from your sin and recognize I fall short of the glory of God and you repent and you turn toward God and say I can never be made righteous. But I accept the gift of Christ on the cross and his resurrection to pay for my sin come into my life. Now I want to walk with you. There's a mystical union. The moment you do that I don't understand it. If anyone can explain that the polyline I don't think they can either go like what he says is that were united were actually in Christ in his death, so that when he died.

Your sins, your past Bam sin death.

Satan broken power you're resurrected with him. So you're in this real spiritual union with the living God. That's the theology and so notice what he hears his practice is practices. Galatians 220. He says see I have to say anymore.

I still do, but I don't have to because I've been set free. Here's Galatians 220, here's here's how he lives each and every day to experience. I am crucified with Christ. I have been crucified with Christ. Notice it happened and it's no longer I who live in other words, I have for me the old chip. The old you the old Paul Saul died, but Christ now lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh it in your body, I live by. There's a word by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself up for me.

Paul's living every day with the reality that what is really true of me is this. When I trusted in Christ. The old me died.

I was raised with him.

His spirit actually raised Christ from the dead dwells inside of me. I now have complete access to God. God the father sees me like he sees God the son fully righteous in my position and now I'm on this journey of experiencing his power in my weakness experiencing his pain. His presence in my pain and I'm being change so that I can come to that thing that you identified and said I feel hopeless about my marriage. I feel hopeless about my future finances. I feel hopeless about.

Will we ever have children. I feel hopeless about and I can invite Jesus in and say I can't solve this. I can't manipulate it.

I can't get people to do what I want in my weakness.

Will you give me help I don't even know what that looks like an in till or through in the presence of the difficulty of pain that I feel I want to experience you know I will tell you is that as you read the Psalms and read the Gospels. That's where I would go if you're suffering as you look at the life of Jesus music we you help me know you that way you will experience hope not. Just know about you pray with me Lord I thank you so much.

I confess I want to be the first to get in line. The run to the front line and confess to you that I know a lot more than experience that I can explain this better than I can live it.

But Lord, I also I kneel here before you and my brothers and sisters and I would tell you I have experienced you in ways I never dreamed I've seen supernatural things in my life around my life in this church and through people but there's no explanation but you got. I thank you for your comfort in your love and your transformation. That's what I long for. That's what you long for. For every man, every woman, every student right now.

Can I ask you, just in a moment of silence as we close, just to say Lord what, what's the next step for me and just listen quietly, Lord.

What's a step toward me remind you that you will be back in just a minute with some very specific follow-up. What he just taught so I hope you'll stay with us for that.

If you long to choose.

Hope this is a series you may want to listen to from time to time because none of us Masters this kind of maturity after just one hearing it's a lifelong pursuit in order to make it easier for you to get this series for yourself or someone you love. We've temporarily discounted the CDs and right now the MP3s are absolutely free to order just give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 or visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org will chip it was just about a year ago that God led you and Teresa to take a big step of faith and to focus on hundred percent of your time on Living on the Edge when the season of our midyear match. When we specifically ask listeners to partner with us. Could you give us your thoughts about how it's going all day. I'd be glad to God has led Teresa and me at this season of our life when it's a little scary.

Honestly, to give our time more of our money and all of her energy to the calling of Living on the Edge to help Christians live like Christians here in America and in China and in the Middle East and as we have taken that step. All I can tell you is a passage from Jeremiah 3227 has been my experience, he says, behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh is anything too difficult for me and what I can tell you is, the answer is no. There are dark clouds hovering over America and China in the Middle East and I believe the God of all flesh can cause light to shine, but is when Christians live like Christians ordinary people that he does extraordinary things. First, in them and then threw them and that's people like you and me.

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Thank you for your generosity will now with a final thought Pierce just as we wrap up today's program. I confess to you that this is a really heavy message.

I mean there is so much pain and suffering and sometimes it feels overwhelming. And you know just can seem like right now the world is spinning out of control and it's so difficult and so hard and I want you to know that there's hope in the midst of that pain.

That's what the apostle Paul was talking about when he said I want to know him the power of his resurrection and the Queen in the or the fellowship of his suffering. In Romans five he says not only that, but exalted in my tribulation and then he says, because why he says there is this process God uses in a fallen world tribulation brings about perseverance.

You just hang in there and then as you hang in there and you persevere, proven character, God actually changes you and proven character leads to hope. Because what you realizes that even though the external world may not change God actually changes you and hope doesn't disappoint, because in the midst of your dependency and your pain in your suffering. He pours out the Holy Spirit in your heart. I think so many people were deeply deeply disappointed with God because they're expecting God to do things he never promised the apostle Paul told us in the end of chapter 1. It is been granted to us as a gift not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake of the theology of suffering, especially here in the West when I when I go to the Middle East. Believe me, they get it when I go to China. Believe me, they get it, but the theology of suffering somehow was almost completely missing from our prosperity oriented mindset about God and and I know I'm speaking to some people right now that you're angry God, or disappointed with God in your arms are crossed. Are you even turned away from God because you know you went to church and you prayed, and maybe even gave a tie then and you know what your marriage didn't work out your kids made some bad decisions, and your blaming God. I want you to know that he never promised all that would happen. What he promised is that he would love you and never leave you and be with you in it and threw it and he wouldn't always deliver you out of things but he would deliver you through everything. As you trust him and that's what the apostle Paul is teaching us it's in trusting and loving God in the midst of it all, that our lives are transformed and changed. Honestly, the greatest testimony to the outside world is not that you drive a nice car had a big house. Have a great job and it looks like you have it all together. The greatest testimony is the reality of Christ in the midst of the most difficult issues of life. The cancer the divorce. The unexpected car wreck when there's no explanation other than a supernatural hope in your heart and your life. I want you to know that God will be there for you will run to him.

The Scripture says you have need of endurance, so that once you've done the will of God, you might receive what is promised in Lord. It is so hard to endure for some right now. I pray in the name of your son and by the power of your Holy Spirit, that each person listening to my voice at this very moment, might be given the grace to just endure to hang on and then Lord I pray that you reveal yourself in power and comfort and fortitude. In Jesus name, amen.

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