Stop Faking It! - How to Overcome Hypocrisy in Your Private Life, Part 1

What is in the God wants most from time, your money, talents I like to suggest the thing God wants most from you is you want a relationship with you.

He wants to spend time with you, wants to enjoy an unobstructed time of communion just with you. So how do you build a relationship with someone you can't see or hear. Stick around and find out. Thanks for joining us for this Wednesday. Addition of Living on the Edge with trip Living on the Edges and international discipleship ministry bring the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram victory today. Chip continues a series stop faking it with some simple ways to get practical in your daily spiritual after the teaching trip will be here to talk more about how these habits of difference in his own stay with us for that valid stewardship for his message how to overcome hypocrisy in your private life from Ephesians chapter 5. If you're really a brand-new person. Your life will be characterized will be perfect, but you walk in the light. You will be habitually characterized by a person who is increasingly more holy and increasingly more loving, but the dilemma is that no matter how holy you get the side of eternity. You're always going to struggle with sin. You're always get a blow at your motives are never any other percent pure, but God has a process he is a process whereby your transformed from the inside out, and that process is seeing him.

In fact, it will be epitomized at the moment we see Christ first John three told us that we don't know exactly what's can be like what we will be like.

Eventually one day, but this is what we know when we see him we will be like in the process of sanctification or becoming more like Christ are becoming more holy and loving is really about moment by moment seeing and beholding God for who he is and in that process.

The spirit of God takes that truth in that reality and it transforms us on a scale of 1 to 10 dual inventory here a one is I feel totally far away from God and I pray I don't think he's even listening. I am so far away and 10 is I can't imagine a deeper intimate connected relationship with God scale of 1 to 10 privately voting in your own heart. Tell no one else what are you how is it between you and God. Right now for 7.58.29. How is it between you.

Next question when you talk to him how you talked if you'd said okay, Chip, Helen, even a Christian.

What single thing.

What single thing has had more impact, more influence in transforming your life to go from who you were. This new babe in Christ what God is doing in your life you will continue what single thing is helped you to live a life over time were what you say and what you believe and how you live and how you think and where your real heart and motives are are in alignment living without hypocrisy. I'm gonna tell you, bar none. Learning to worship God personally on a regular basis has been the most powerful thing to transforming my life when I get close to people that walk with God and I see people's lives that are really different when I start poking and probing. I have never found ever, either in writing or in history or personal experience, I have never found a human being who walks closely with God that is not a person of personal worship because they see God daily, so let's take a look at personal worship. What is it wise it's so important, the priority and then maybe most of all, how do you do it. First let me give you definition personal worship is the regular and habitual, setting aside of all other activities and relationships to give God your undivided attention, focus, and affection. I try make these definitions very long very complicated so you said yourself good to go over that again. Yes, I will not listen carefully to the clauses personal worship is the regular and habitual setting aside of all other relationships and activities to give God your undivided attention, focus, and affection. Put another way is to personally and privately, beholding him, and to hear from him and to worship in his presence.

Just as we come together as a large group before God. It's when you privately come before God and worship him and hear from him when you talk to him. When you share your heart when you open his word and he speaks to you when you talk to him on behalf of other people. It's your personal private worship of the living God. We sing that song we brief his holy presence living in me. It's taking time to cultivate that relationship and you might save yourself, you know, maybe this is the last part of the series and maybe you're just a little over the top on how important this is, in economy. Could it be that important. The most significant thing is transforms your life. Let me ask you look at a couple passages in terms of the priority of worship, personal worship, the daily habitual, regular, systematic, setting aside of every other relationship, and every other activity to meet with God. Romans 12 one and two, says this.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies, how as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to him. This this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed change metamorphic size from the inside out is the word how by the renewing of your mind as you behold him as you see clearly who he is and then you see the world for what it is and then you see yourself for who and when your mind is renewed, something occurs. Then you will be able to test or taste or see or prove is the idea what the will of God is in your practical experience that is good and acceptable and perfect measure something very important Romans chapter 12 follows Romans chapters 1-234-567-8910 11 pretty cool. Do you want Romans one through 11 talks about Paul is giving a theological treatise the about the gospel. It's the clearest book in the New Testament of this is what God has done for you. 11 chapters of his mercy of all these none of the work of Christ and faith in the spirits work and transformation if it is game plan for Israel in his sovereignty. Chapter 12 looks back on all that God has done for you and chapter 12 opens up and ask and answer the question. So what does God want you to do for him and what God wants you to do for him is to be a private worship were on a regular, systematic basis, you come before him and you offer you he wants you want just your time is not just your money is in control of your dreams and your agenda. He wants you. He wants me as a living and holy sacrifice, and by the way the tents in this verb you might market in your Bible. If it's at a particular point in time. This is in some vague notion of offering God somehow someway someday your bodies a living sacrifice.

It's like going to the altar and making a specific decision and saying God I am yours lock stock and barrel and notice carefully this is not a salvation passage salvation Romans occurs in chapters 4 and five. This is people who know God who are in a part of this family who grasp all that God has done and they say what God wants most from me is at a point in time I dedicate all that I am in all that I have and I'm gonna live my life as an act of worship and I look at verse two verse two reminds us that is this not a one time deal and do not be conformed any longer. Literally. Don't allow yourself to be conformed any longer to this present world, but allow yourself in your mind to be transformed out by the renewing of your mind, so worship is not a later point in time where you drive a stake in the ground but then you renew that day after day after day. As you spend time and meet with him.

He renews your mind and little by little by little, your life takes more and more the characteristics of the intimacy of Christ you ever notice that whoever you hang out with you become like you can tell your kids or hang out with right you know that they go to school for three or four, five days they come home saying stuff like yo dude your thinking always with the server group you know, Eddie found that when you hang out with people that over time if they talk with their hands like this, you find yourself starting to talk with your hands like this. Who ever you get close to you begin to take on their characteristics. When you get close to Jesus. When you spend time with him. When you worship him when you do it not only once in the morning or in the afternoon or the evening when the best time is but as you carry on conversation when you learn to live in his presence. Little by little by little, you become like was interesting get to spend time with a new friend actually have known it for a couple years but he's English and I'm finding myself in my mind saying things with an English accent that hasn't come out my mouth… Would be disrespectful but I'm actually writing my journal the other day. This is classic. I literally write this down. Then at the line through insight into what you doing I really like this guy is having a very positive impact on my life and I and I'm I write this in my journal. The meeting went famously. The meeting went famously unsightly myself, what are you doing you know what I'm doing. I'm rubbing shoulders next to a man who walks with God and I'm not only picking up his heart for God, but I'm picking up some of his speech and his mannerisms, and you know that when you spend time regularly and behold him, you will begin to think like Jesus, you begin to respond to people's pain like Jesus, you will begin to emote like Jesus.

Your motives will be in more when more like Jesus, you will begin to be repelled by evil like Jesus and that's what personal worship is so powerful.

In fact, this is the great command in the book of the New Testament that teaches all that God has done linear one other factor.

John chapter 15 is the teaching of our Lord on the last night that is on the earth. He's got his closest followers with him. The Lord's supper has been initiated. He knows he's going to die. The next day, and these fellas he knows what's coming there to be persecuted and there to be afraid.

And whenever they had a question they could say Jesus to get a couple minutes with you is a just a second talk with John, but you just a second.

Pete Pete I said just a second okay you know it and you could talk with him and what he knew.

It seems to be gone. Many told him that the future was secure in John 14 and later in John 16. He describes the ministry of the Holy Spirit. But then on how it's gonna work.

It all sounds like mumbo-jumbo what you mean I can go to the father you go to the father, and if there were in place would say for you and it's better that I go and when he comes, he will reveal the truth in this 12 guys are like us. 11 then one left the room and they're going I will get and so on the way down from the Mount of olives.

I would assume he came by the vineyard and and they all knew about that was out of their world, not of their life, and he says I'm getting him a word picture I'm to give them a word picture that will help them understand how they can have intimacy with me how they can be private worshipers, not just in different periods of the day, but all the time and so in John 15, we read Jesus says to these disciples. He says I am the vine and you are the branches. The vine is the big source the branches go out from the vine.

If a man remains are abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. They're looking at that realizable of course that's how it works and then he says, apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain or abide in me and the word abide to remain here means to hear from God to receive his words with the purpose of putting it into practice. If anyone doesn't abide to remain in me, he is like a Branson thrown away and withers and such branches are picked up in their zone of the fire and the burn, and then he gives of his promise on the last night before is gonna die if you remain in me or abide in me and my words remain in abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and will be given to you.

This is my father's glory, that you bear much fruit.

When the spirit is raining in our hearts when he's controlling us. We will bear fruit in the fruit will be the character and quality of Christ, love and joy and peace and goodness and gentleness and self-control.

And he's telling them there's been to be an abiding relationship and he says the father is going to be glorified or honored glory just means you bragging rights reputation enhanced you guys and to live in such a way with me that when people look at your lives and how you love and how you are holy to step back and say wow they must been with Jesus and God gets the credit and then he goes on to tell him as the father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain, abide in my love. Do notice he's telling of this personal worship. It's relational is not mechanical is not read two chapters is not concentrate on God for three minutes is not chant for four hours.

He says as the father has long as we been abiding relationship father to son. Now I want you to love and less they think it's just some movie GUI feeling of having a Jesus moment he goes on to say verse 10 if you obey my commands, you will remain, or abide in my love, just as the day my father's commands and remain in his love loving Jesus is about having a movie GUI feeling worship bring spending time in the morning saying, oh God and having these good feelings. If what Jesus says about my mind and my motives in my behavior and my relationships doesn't get translated into my behavior. I can feel like I love him a lot but the Bible says I'm not loving the test of my love for Jesus is do I keep his word. Do I obey him, and he would say in the chapter before he that has my commands and keeps them, he it is that loves me and he that loves me will be loved of my father.

And then this classic picture and my father and I will come and we will disclose or reveal ourselves to him. So Jesus is teaching about private worship and this can be this abiding relationship and then he tells them why this great reason.

He says I told you these things so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be made full. This is this is about the overflow of a relationship. So here's what I want you to hear. According to the last teaching of Jesus on the earth and according to the most core theological teaching of the New Testament. Your abiding personal worship of Jesus is the most important appointment you have every day is the most important relationship to cultivate every day just as there is the most important corporate meeting.

We are now in what we're doing now is more important any business meeting coming up this week. It's even more important in a family meeting because what we do now. We will behold God and as we see him and worship him. We will be transformed in a different person will show up at the family meeting and the business meeting in the relationship outside here and now. What he saying is there is a private meeting.

There's a private appointment that he wants for you and for you and for you and for you and for me where you can behold him daily and as you do transformation will occur. The purpose of personal worship. Put very simply and you might even jot this down is to know God and to enjoy him to know him is to enjoy him is not to earn his favor. There's not a big refrigerator in heaven, and if you you know, meet with God for mornings in a row Goldstar for Ingraham. No, when you miss a morning when you miss the evening. You just miss out like everyone's going to Disneyland and you dismiss the bus to make a bad person but you miss out like I have a date with the person of your dreams, your car breaks down. You don't get to go on a date doesn't make you bad person doesn't make it loved any less but you miss out the purpose of personal devotion is to know and enjoy.

God is to cultivate an intimate friendship and trust results in obedience and affection to such a degree that his life is manifested in and through you, to the glory of God. That's the purpose certainly were the truth that God loves us unconditionally is a truth that sets us free, free from performance-based acceptance, free from guilt driven religious practices, and free from trying to measure up triple B] if you're just joining us, you're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram chips message how to overcome hypocrisy in your private life is from his four-part series stop faking it. It's true. No one likes a hypocrite of us aspires to become a hypocrite, but we all know there are certain levels of hypocrisy, we turn to allowing our lives so is it really possible to live without hypocrisy. Absolutely in this series stop faking it. You learn the biblical principles for building a life of integrity and how to overcome hypocrisy in both your personal and public life. Not only that, but you will be strengthened with some effective ways to keep from falling back into hypocritical patterns for limited time, the CDs of stop faking it are available at a significant on-air discount price and the MP3s can be ordered free of charge for complete ordering details call us here at 1-888-333-6003, or if you prefer to shop online.

Just visit our website LivingontheEdge.org and while you're there, check out the companion series were discounting transformed the miracle of life change to great series lots of discounts. Check it out today. Now here's trip with a quick reminder hey I'll be right back in just a minute with some final thoughts to really put some application in today's message but before I do I want to know where in our last two days of the series is called stop faking it. And let's face it, we all do right. I mean, we all think it to some degree, and this passage about being filled with the Holy Spirit. This whole series about our words and our life telling the same story I want that for me. I know you want that for you. Now here's a little warning. You may have a lot of people that have come to mind in your thinking I'm going to send this to them. Let me tell you that may not be the greatest idea. Maybe you need to get this for yourself and say you know something I listen to this series from Living on the Edge called stop faking it. Living without hypocrisy and it was really helpful to me in then you might want to share with them. Hey, I'm just teasing you. But let me tell you this.

If this series is speaking to you.

Listening to it a couple more times, or literally getting the series. We talked about transform so God can work in your life so that you can become more and more the man or the woman from the inside out. He wants you to be. Let me encourage you go to the website LivingontheEdge.org and check it out. Lots of resources lots of discounts or current series is called stop faking it and the other series trip just mentioned is transformed.

The miracle of life change because it's important to have a game plan to escape the grip of hypocrisy. We decided to discount all of the resources from transformed as well.

So check out both series and place your order today we'd love to talk with you at 1-888-333-6003, or simply order online that LivingontheEdge.org to great series.

Everything discounted order today. Now, with the final thought to wrap up today's broadcast hears Chip as you listen today and I talked about personal worship, often called devotional life or quiet time I like to ask you what new insight did you get when you unconsciously were thinking about your own devotional life.

Or maybe you're the lack of your devotional life. What was said today that the spirit of God was prompting you in the back of your mind. Was it begin to have a devotional life. Was it.

Maybe I've gotta see this is a relationship it's becoming thought.

It's become a duty in the next broadcast him to talk about some very, very specific ways to enrich your devotional life. But today I want to take just a moment and tell you that I believe this is the most important element missing among most Christians that I meet. I know were busy. I know were pressed. I know we have a lot of things going, but we don't take time for the most important relationship in the world.

There is no way that we will ever eliminate hypocrisy in our private world unless we allow the truth of God's word to get inside our private world and the only way that happens is when in an unhurried, leisurely manner, on a very regular basis. We meet with God. He's for you.

He loves you. The goal is not for you to meet with him and his get a pound you over the head with all the things that are wrong with you. He wants to help you, even when he convicts of sin, it's to restore its to recalibrate your soul it so you don't have to live with the pressure of a double life.

Now let me give you two or three quick tips because some of your thinking. I can't listen to tomorrow's broadcast.

I need some help today. Here's a couple quick tips on enriching your devotional life. Number one. Adjust your expectations. God is not going to just boom do some big miraculous speaking to your heart every day is a lot like any human relationship. There's great, exciting days and then there's Canada. The normal days.

Second is realize it is a discipline you're not always going to feel like doing it, but put it first. Make it a habit.

Consistency is far more important than length, set your clock 15 or 20 minutes earlier and meet with God for two or three weeks whether you feel like it or not, and you will see a change begin to occur.

And finally just simply do it. Just choose to do it and ask God for help. He longs to love you. He wants to meet with you on our next broadcast. I'll tell you exactly how I do it and maybe give you some help to enrich your time with God as we wrap up today's broadcast just a quick but important thought Living on the Edge depends on friends like you to provide the necessary funding we need to continue to broadcast right here in your area so we can't do that without your support.

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us financially. So people in your area can continue to benefit from the ministry of Chip and Living on the Edge to send a gift call us at 1-888-333-6003, or if you prefer to give online you can donate securely@livingontheedge.org. Thank you in advance for doing whatever God leads you to do well tomorrow Chip wraps up his series stop faking it. So be sure to make plans to join us that courtship of the entire team.

This is Dave saying thanks for listening. this Edition of Living on the Edge