I Choose Joy - Understanding the Power of Hope, Part 1

I think it goes without saying that the world is turning into a pretty crazy place. Here's my question wears your hope wears your hope that regardless of what happens in the world you can't be shaken about a story this year today about a friend in His four small children has lymphoma and medically doesn't look good and I learned a ton from him and I want to share with welcome to this Wednesday. Addition of living will be good to serves as our Bible teacher is daily international discipleship program on debris chips in the middle of the series I choose joy help you have your Bible open it to Philippians chapter 1, and let's join Chip for his message. Understanding the power of hope. Kevin shared what it's like to be a young dad with four kids stage for lymphoma and battling wondering the real challenges of my going live. Or am I gonna die and how my going to go through this.

I read every time on caring bridge has Kevin journaled through this process and I kind of followed him with the ups and the downs and you know this prognosis and then that one and then how he's feeling in and I wanted to share with you before things that I learned from going through this journey with Kevin that I hope will be helpful for you. The first thing I learned was it facing more. Our mortality is both scary and clarifying as I would read his journal. It just reminded me that I'm going to die. It reminded me of just like this really short. It reminded me of the battle in the victory that we went through the cancer with my wife just reminded me cash.

The second thing was that very few things in life matter very much just as I would read these journal entries and get he wasn't worried about remodeling the kitchen or whether it's going to get a raise unit wasn't concerned about is to get 49er tickets at his fantasy football team wasn't really a big issue for him right in the same thing. It just brought back all those memories that when we went through cancer.

How projects demands what people think what they don't think nothing really matters. Life is very very simple. When you get really, really close to death. The third thing is that as I've listened to Kevin and watched is that C+ P really does equally our circumstances. Plus our perspective determines our experience and and as you listen if you read the journals. If you went through it in real time with him. There were ups and downs and he was brutally honest, brutally honest about fears brutally honest about unit doubts and struggles, but also it was an unwavering. I'm going to trust God I'm going. I believe there's a heaven. I believe the Bible is true. I believe there's God's character, his spirit lives within me. There's a certainty. There's a hope. And I'm good have an upward focus in an outward focus and I'm going to use this for God's purposes.

Those nurses are going to hear and see Christ, other patients are going to hear and see Christ, not because I've got an inmate that Christ in me. I watched his life prove that and finally I think the thing I learned from Kevin. Is it only an eternal P perspective can produce peace and joy when facing death. I mean, when you look at life through just the lens of now is all there is today. What you cannot sustain it.

In fact this wall for me is a lot like life in these and the circumstances and you know sometimes they're great, but sometimes it's a brick wall and you get a marriage problem here in the singleness, and you want to be married here in cancer biopsy here and you lose your job over here and you're clinically depressed over here and you just keep button against this wall and you're looking for hope when you're looking for hope and you lose it and you lose it and you lose it and you lose it, and after a while you just give up and you start doing stuff that you didn't think you would ever do because hope is the oxygen of the soul. If you don't have.

Hope you die, you can go without food for seven days and water for about three you can't go without any hope for probably more than three or four minutes will do so.

What you do. Here's what Kevin did.

Kevin said I can't take it. I don't know what's going to happen. So I'm going to rise above my circumstances and I'm going to look at eternity that we just seen temporal circumstances. I can't change, and it's not a picture half-full. It's completely full. It's heaven waiting.

It's Christ it's all of its promises. It's a sovereign God. It's this life is not all there is and I can look at that and I cling to that end of the anchor of my soul and it gives me the grace and the perspective and the perseverance to keep going. It takes an eternal perspective.

Here's the question how when life is crashing in. Do you develop that eternal perspective that gives you the kind of hope that allows you to go through anything that allows you not to give up not to give in and not to get Emily focus not become a victim, not blame everybody else not blame God be the kind of person in the midst of you don't know if you get a live or die. And there's pain and there's children and and there's a wife and there's a concern where nurses want to come in and go. I don't know what's going on in this room. It hung out here. That's the presence of God. That's the power of God.

That's a joy, not a happiness. That's a reality experienced in the midst of crushing circumstances with you open your notes for you to learn the answer to finding that kind of hope and the answer is in a very simple yet profound word and it's the key to eternal perspective, and the keyword of the land.

You need to look at is the lens of hope in the question to ask yourself when you're really struggling is not just where is my focus, and not just what's my purpose but where is my hope what's my hope rooted in and by the way you would when we use the word hope English word, hope has one meaning the biblical word hope is little bit different when we use the word hope we often you know.

I hope it doesn't rain out the 49ers when I hope I get a good job.

I hope someday I get married. We use the word hope in a good way. But it's almost wishful thinking. We hope for something positive in the future. It's a good definition. There's nothing wrong with that, hope that's not the word but in the Bible the word in the Bible for hope is an absolute certainty that you can bank on that will never change Christ return is the hope heaven is our whole God's promises that are hope.

Jesus said I will give you all the grace you need to get through any situation, it's hope in other words, it's the anchor of your soul biblical hope is that a possibility. It's a guarantee of something unseen.

The apostle Paul will later say, that which is seen is temporal, that which is unseen is eternal and it is both a skill and an act of faith to learn how to look at the unseen hope that sustains you.

We pick up the story of the apostle Paul and it is now his third lesson, the context for those that might be just joining us. He's in Rome he's chained to a praetorian guard that changes every six hours. It is not a good situation. He's on trial and at the end of the trial he's either going to be released and found innocent or is going to be found guilty and be executed and when we pick up the story.

He's in the situation where I don't know what's can happen. Imagine more than a little anxiety for most of us, so what's his perspective and facing death's crazy. It's joy. It's joy. He actually has a joyful attitude facing that he has an eternal perspective. Notice in verse 18 it says yes and I will continue to rejoice. The question is, why and how could any individual unless the plaintiff mind games. How could you have joy in it. Terrible situation you been betrayed by your friends.

There's political issues happening in the church you humanly thinking God you sent me to go to all the world. Instead, here I am in this prison. Little did he know that all these letters that he would write would change the course of history didn't know that what what was it that allowed him to have this amazing attitude and circumstances that would absolutely crush 99.9% of the people he gives us two reasons. In Philippians chapter 1 verses 19 to 25. Reason number one is that his deliverance is certain his deliverance is certain underlying the word deliverance.

Follow along as I read for I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance will how through your prayers, and the provision of the spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything but that with all boldness, Christ even now is always will be exalted in my body will how, whether by life or by death. Paul is completely convinced that he's going to be delivered now I want to do something with you. It's kinda fun. The apostle Paul. I really like him because he has run-on sentences because I have run-on sentences and the favorite grammatical punctuation in all the English language for me is a; that's how you put multiple sentences together and not have the teacher take off and and and so I've written the notes in a way so you can see the structure of them, but let me give you just his sentence and and so what I want you to do is for. I know that this will turn out mud for my deliverance put a line underneath that okay got it, and then I want you to skip down where it says according to Myers expectation, just underline the word just that and then I want you to skip down a little bit farther and underline Christ will even now is always be exalted in my body.

His simple sentence is. I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance, but Christ who even now, as always, be exalted in my body and everything else is the wise, the wherefores the house and that all those clauses to explain it, but there really important. First of all, put a box around the first recess for I know there's two Greek words for no one as you know by way of experience, powerful word, but that's not this word. The other word is like you know like physics. You know that water boils at such at such degrees or 2+2 is four. That's this word. In other words, there is empirical facts. Paul says I have an empirical fact. That doesn't change that.

I will be delivered and put a box around the word deliverance we get our word salvation means to be delivered out of in the Old Testament you know when the Red Sea parted, they were delivered. So he says I know for certain I'm going to be delivered that Christ is going to be exalted.

I want you to know his perspective on this. He says there's two reasons why I know I'm going to be delivered. One is the responsibility of man and the other the sovereignty of God, did you pick it up.

He says I know I'm going to delivered through a your prayers and be the provision of the spirit of God. Despite anybody's theology anywhere. The apostle Paul actually believed when men and women ordinary people like us would come to God, earnestly in faith and claim his promises and in our heart, at least, and get down on our knees and intercede for the life of another person actually makes a difference.

He certain of his deliverance and for the provision put a circle around the road. Provision.

It's it's an interesting word, we get our word. Are you ready it's weird we get our word course you like a singing group and historically this is kind of fun to give you a little background on this because in the ancient world.

If you are very very wealthy person and in a smaller town.

Then there was entertainment and so of the theater was very big to have these outdoor amphitheaters and if you were very wealthy, was expected that you would bring a theater group that you would pay the theater group that you would rent the amphitheater and everything that had to happen for their costumes. The group the entrance everything so that you can entertain the city and it's this word course. Over time it came to mean what ever it takes to pull this thing off all the provision the money the time the energy the leadership everything it takes to pull something off.

That's what this word became and Paul says, unconvinced of my deliverance because you all are praying and that what ever it takes that the spirit of God is going to bring into my life. But notice he doesn't think his deliverance is necessarily out of the circumstances, he doesn't say that I'm getting be delivered and I'll be released but I'm going to be executed for God's going to just deliver me out of it. He says, unconvinced of my deliverance that Christ will be exalted in my body whether I live or whether I die, and the notice he says according to my earnest expectation. It's another very interesting word that has a it's a picture of someone who blocks everything out and brings a level of focus. Imagine if you will.

The runner and you know what he's like to 3 yards and everyone's leaning in on the hundred meter dash and he leans forward.

The crowd is gone.

The noise is gone and it's a word that says Paul saying Mike eager expectation.

My absolute focus.

In other words I believe in this deliverance. I believe because of your prayers. I believe God's going to come through and I have a laser like focus in the promises and the character of God, and I have a Jesus promised, I have a hope heavens real. I have a hope. God's in control.

I have a whole God's goodness as to whether I live or whether I die is highest and best purposes. His hope is in the character the promises and the reality of God's goodness and that the worst that can happen is he goes to heaven and so he says earnest expectation. Hope his biggest concern is that he would be put to shame, but he says with all boldness that Christ even now will be exalted in my body whether by life or by death notice. He prayed that what he would be delivered from his failure to represent Christ. Well, in the midst of crushing circumstances.

His biggest concern was whether he lived or died. His biggest concern was Christ's reputation will there's three ways in Scripture that God delivers us and we tend to only think of one. So get your pencil out this will be helpful. One day in your life. I'm going to give it God's plan. A God's plan B. God's plan, see or actually it's more probably accurate to say our plan a our plan B and R plan C, plan A, when God uses the word deliverance he delivers you out of something.

He does a miracle.

I mean I've had times where we had no money.

We couldn't pay the rent. There's no way I have no resources and I get a check in the mail from someone that I met once years ago for $1000 not pay the rent on the go. That's a miracle. God delivered me out of it.

It happened again a missionary from India actually sent me money during seminary to pay my bills. Go figure. He delivered me out of I've had times where we have anointed people with oil prayed for them and seen a brain tumor miraculously go, delivered them out of it. Praise God, he still does miracles, but we pray for people in three weeks later they die. God's in control.

He has purposes, some of which we understand a lot and that we know deliverance.

Number one he delivers us about of the diversity for the difficulty back in some additional thoughts about today's teaching but if you're just joining us, you're listening to living on the judge with Chip Ingram chips message today. Understanding the power of hope is from his series, I choose joy to help you take advantage of the resources for I choose joy we've discounted the audio series and the MP3s are absolutely free, but only for a limited time whether there for you or a friend ordering is easy when you go to LivingontheEdge.org and remember were always happy to talk with you when you call 1-888-333-6003 will chip you know a lot of people probably think of Living on the Edge is just a broadcast ministry radio online or Orap but there's so much more.

Could you give us a picture of what God is doing through Living on the Edge beyond our teaching and where were out today.

Yes. Thanks, Dave. I'd love to.

In fact, I would've never in my wildest dreams and we started on radio have imagine what God is done over the last 20 years. In fact, what he's done and probably the last 6 to 8 years is something that I mean if you would've given me a million years to dream that we would begin to develop small-group material and have 25 different small-group resources to launch 400,000 small groups in the US that we would help pastors across America and then God opened the door in the last few years to go to China been there five times in the last 22 months into CS legally teach God's word and see a response in a country where the doors are closing so rapidly to be in the Middle East in and take the real God. In Romans 12 true spirituality and take these core discipleship materials and have it broadcast nine times a over satellites and books translated Dave in my wildest dreams I could never imagine that but what I know is, God cares and the people in the partners at Living on the Edge you've given over the years and is not just the givers we have people that really pray we get letters and emails of people that they literally call me there sort of online pastor and they pray and Karen what I can tell you is, is that God is choosing to use us beyond what we ever thought, and much of that is been because I believe we are committed to the Scriptures, regardless what happens in the culture. We believe in the Bible. We believe in the God of the Bible. We believe that the great commission is the mandate from the living God. That is an all-knowing, all-powerful, loving God that wants his truth and his salvation and discipleship to go across the world and we have literally just followed the breadcrumbs of his Holy Spirit's leading. I mean literally one step too little step two little step and one by one God has brought partners who have come along and given so generously and so thank you for those of you that have partnered with us in prayer and finances.

We're stepping out like never before. Here in America. In our broadcast in China and the Middle East. And right now there's never a better time to give because every dollar that you give during this season up to July 7 will be doubled. So Dave yeah it's been an amazing amazing journey. We give God 100% of the credit and we are committed to stepping forward like never before. Thanks to all of you that join us at this time could be a better time to give. So thank you for whatever God leads you to do. Thanks Chip if partnering with Living on the Edge is an idea that makes sense to you. We'd love to have you join us to give a gift today and have it doubled during this time of our midyear match. Just give us a call at 1-888-333-6003.

That's 1-888-333-6003, or if you prefer to give online you can donate securely by going to LivingontheEdge.org. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated without her strip with a final thought about today's message as we wrap up today's program. I think we learn something that is so valuable and so neglected by us who are followers of Christ, you know, Paul says my earnest expectation and hope and ET's talk about that.

He's going to be delivered but but the deliverance isn't that everything's going to go great. You know I talked about the one kind of deliverance were God delivers us out of things and it's a miracle in an annex broadcast. I can't wait to share with you how he delivers us through things were unto himself, but it's so interesting that heaven was so real eternal life wasn't like some formula or some vague distant things that happen someday, some way and I think that's why I wanted to share Kevin's story with you. You know, I walked very closely through that with him and I like to ask you when you think about problems and struggles and what you're facing in it so often day today. Have you faced your mortality recently. If you ever really thought about dying how clarifying scary yes, but how clarifying ID realized the you know when those huge things happen. How few things really matter when things that you're so uptight about that seem so urgent. I will never forget.

When my wife had cancer and I mean I remember the day before. I have a book manuscript do and I've got a travel here and I've got to do that and I'm overwhelmed and I have all these commitments and we prayed and cried, sitting on our couch after we heard that the biopsy was positive and she had cancer and I remember 24 hours later, nothing really mattered. I canceled things. It didn't matter what people thought it really didn't matter. I'm just going to ask you to do something to juice step back today and think about if you're a follower of Christ. Heaven is sure he's preparing a place for you.

It's a real place.

Jesus loves you. He's for you and he wants you to know that the circumstances that you're facing their gonna come and they're going to go and next year this time if were all here building new ones, and you can either live on the on the ups and downs of the waves of circumstances and people's responses. Or you can have an anchor, you can have anchor in your soul. There is a hope that no one can take away and that you don't have to be afraid. I learned that from Paul. I learned that from Kevin and I learned that in my journey with Teresa God wants you to learn it and believe it today.

Heavens real, it's your ultimate hope. Trust in Living on the Edge were happy to let you know about a new way to listen to our extended teaching broadcast.

Here Chip anytime on Amazon's Alexa echo and echo.simply say Alexa enabled the Chip Ingram podcast was Alexis enabled with that skill. All you need to say is Alexa played the Chip Ingram podcast you'll hear that days extended teaching any time you want will be sure to join us again tomorrow as Chip continues his series I choose joy filled with this group. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge