WEBVTT - Chip Ingram - Oct 13 - 9:30 am 0:00:11.750 --> 0:00:14.310 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 0:00:14.610 --> 0:00:16.810 What is it that God wants most from you? 0:00:17.310 --> 0:00:17.750 Your time? 0:00:18.410 --> 0:00:21.570 Your money? Your talents? I'd like to suggest the thing 0:00:21.610 --> 0:00:25.110 God wants most from you is you. He wants a 0:00:25.150 --> 0:00:28.010 relationship with you. He wants to spend time with you. 0:00:28.570 --> 0:00:30.450 So how do you build a relationship with someone you 0:00:30.490 --> 0:00:34.330 can't see or hear or touch? Stick around and find out. 0:00:36.350 --> 0:00:39.610 Welcome to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Over 0:00:39.630 --> 0:00:42.550 the past few lessons, Chip has been explaining that living 0:00:42.610 --> 0:00:48.540 without hypocrisy isn't about willpower. It's about encounter. Corporate worship 0:00:48.780 --> 0:00:53.440 recalibrates your soul. Private worship transforms your heart. Today, Chip 0:00:53.500 --> 0:00:57.020 turns to the most intimate mode of all, personal worship. 0:00:57.780 --> 0:01:01.480 One-on-one time with God, set aside every day, that Chip 0:01:01.520 --> 0:01:04.250 says has been the single most powerful thing in his 0:01:04.310 --> 0:01:06.709 own life for keeping what he says and how he 0:01:06.770 --> 0:01:10.350 lives in alignment. Well, here's Chip with today's message titled, 0:01:10.770 --> 0:01:13.550 How to Overcome Hypocrisy in Your Private Life. 0:01:14.630 --> 0:01:17.170 If you're really a brand new person, your life will 0:01:17.209 --> 0:01:19.470 be characterized. You won't be perfect, but you'll walk in 0:01:19.490 --> 0:01:22.530 the light. You will be habitually characterized by a person 0:01:22.930 --> 0:01:27.110 who is increasingly more holy and increasingly more loving. But 0:01:27.150 --> 0:01:29.490 the dilemma is that no matter how holy you get 0:01:29.510 --> 0:01:32.149 this side of eternity, you're always going to struggle with sin. 0:01:32.510 --> 0:01:34.250 You're always going to blow it. Your motives are never 0:01:34.270 --> 0:01:37.610 going to be 100% pure. But God has a process. 0:01:38.670 --> 0:01:41.789 He has a process whereby you're transformed from the inside 0:01:41.930 --> 0:01:45.140 out and that process is seeing him. In fact, it 0:01:45.170 --> 0:01:49.740 will be epitomized at the moment we see Christ. First 0:01:49.780 --> 0:01:52.620 John 3 told us that we don't know exactly what 0:01:52.640 --> 0:01:54.660 it's going to be like, what we will be like 0:01:54.740 --> 0:01:57.840 eventually one day. But this is what we know. When 0:01:57.920 --> 0:02:02.920 we see him, we will be like him. And the 0:02:03.000 --> 0:02:06.600 process of sanctification or becoming more like Christ or becoming 0:02:06.640 --> 0:02:11.850 more holy and loving is really about moment by moment 0:02:12.650 --> 0:02:16.530 seeing and beholding God for who He is. And in 0:02:16.570 --> 0:02:19.750 that process, the Spirit of God takes that truth and 0:02:19.790 --> 0:02:24.389 that reality and it transforms us. On a scale of 0:02:24.389 --> 0:02:27.010 1 to 10, do a little inventory here. A 1 is, 0:02:27.169 --> 0:02:30.049 I feel totally far away from God. When I pray, 0:02:30.110 --> 0:02:32.970 I don't think He's even listening. I'm so far away. 0:02:33.030 --> 0:02:37.130 And a 10 is, I can't imagine a deeper, more intimate, 0:02:37.230 --> 0:02:40.930 connected relationship with God. Scale of 1 to 10, what 0:02:40.950 --> 0:02:45.910 are you? How is it between you and God right now? 0:02:46.740 --> 0:02:50.480 Next question, when do you talk to Him? How do 0:02:50.500 --> 0:02:52.750 you talk to Him? If you said, okay, Chip, how 0:02:52.770 --> 0:02:57.109 long have you been a Christian? What single thing, what 0:02:57.310 --> 0:03:02.520 single thing has had more impact, more influence in transforming 0:03:02.560 --> 0:03:05.359 your life to go from who you were, this new 0:03:05.419 --> 0:03:07.679 babe in Christ, to what God is doing in your 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:10.459 life and will continue to do? What single thing has 0:03:10.500 --> 0:03:14.700 helped you to live a life over time where what 0:03:14.780 --> 0:03:18.080 you say and what you believe and how you live 0:03:18.360 --> 0:03:20.840 and how you think and where your real heart and 0:03:20.900 --> 0:03:24.590 motives are, are in alignment, living without hypocrisy. And I'm 0:03:24.610 --> 0:03:31.210 going to tell you, bar none, learning to worship God 0:03:31.650 --> 0:03:35.410 personally on a regular basis has been the most powerful 0:03:35.450 --> 0:03:38.950 thing to transforming my life. So let's take a look 0:03:38.990 --> 0:03:41.930 at personal worship. What is it? Why is it so important? 0:03:42.250 --> 0:03:44.850 The priority? And then maybe most of all, how do 0:03:44.900 --> 0:03:47.200 you do it? First, let me give you a definition. 0:03:48.280 --> 0:03:52.660 Personal worship is the regular and habitual setting aside of 0:03:52.940 --> 0:03:58.810 all other activities and relationships to give God your undivided attention, focus, 0:03:59.070 --> 0:04:02.510 and affection. Just as we come together as a large 0:04:02.550 --> 0:04:06.990 group before God, it's when you privately come before God 0:04:07.410 --> 0:04:10.880 and worship him and hear from him. When you talk 0:04:10.940 --> 0:04:13.680 to him, when you share your heart, when you open 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:16.980 his word and he speaks to you. And you might 0:04:17.040 --> 0:04:19.400 say to yourself, you know, maybe this is the last 0:04:19.460 --> 0:04:22.400 part of the series and maybe you're just a little 0:04:22.520 --> 0:04:25.440 over the top on how important this is. You know, 0:04:25.480 --> 0:04:28.880 I mean, could it be that important, the most significant 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:32.480 thing that's transformed your life? Let me ask you to 0:04:32.500 --> 0:04:34.940 look at a couple passages in terms of the priority 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:39.370 of worship, personal worship. Romans 12, 1 and 2 says this, 0:04:39.730 --> 0:04:42.390 Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, 0:04:42.690 --> 0:04:46.650 to offer your bodies, how? As a living sacrifice, holy 0:04:46.690 --> 0:04:52.590 and pleasing to Him. This, this is your spiritual act 0:04:52.690 --> 0:04:56.419 of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the 0:04:56.460 --> 0:05:01.000 pattern of this world, but be transformed, changed, metamorphosized from 0:05:01.020 --> 0:05:04.640 the inside out is the word. How? By the renewing 0:05:04.839 --> 0:05:08.490 of your mind as you behold him, as you see 0:05:08.900 --> 0:05:11.190 clearly who he is, and then you see the world 0:05:11.270 --> 0:05:13.870 for what it is, and then you see yourself for 0:05:13.930 --> 0:05:18.270 who you are. And when your mind is renewed, something occurs. 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:22.159 Then you will be able to test or taste or 0:05:22.260 --> 0:05:24.830 see or approve is the idea what the will of 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:28.170 God is in your practical experience that is good and 0:05:28.190 --> 0:05:33.150 acceptable and perfect. Now here's something very important. Romans chapter 0:05:33.150 --> 0:05:36.080 12 follows Romans chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 0:05:36.060 --> 0:05:42.820 and 11. Pretty cool, huh? Do you know what Romans 0:05:42.820 --> 0:05:46.230 1 through 11 talks about? Paul is giving a theological 0:05:46.310 --> 0:05:49.330 treatise about the gospel. It's the clearest book in the 0:05:49.370 --> 0:05:54.170 New Testament of this is what God has done for you. 0:05:54.870 --> 0:05:57.850 Chapter 12 looks back on all that God has done 0:05:57.950 --> 0:06:01.510 for you. And chapter 12 opens up and ask and 0:06:01.589 --> 0:06:05.170 answers the question. So what does God want you to 0:06:05.230 --> 0:06:09.260 do for him? And what God wants you to do 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:13.800 for Him is to be a private worshiper where on 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:18.040 a regular, systematic basis, you come before Him and you 0:06:18.260 --> 0:06:21.110 offer you. He wants you. He doesn't want just your time. 0:06:21.500 --> 0:06:23.410 He doesn't want just your money. He just doesn't want 0:06:23.450 --> 0:06:26.270 control of your dreams and your agenda. He wants you. 0:06:26.350 --> 0:06:29.190 He wants me as a living and holy sacrifice. And 0:06:29.230 --> 0:06:32.450 by the way, the tense in this verb, you might 0:06:32.510 --> 0:06:36.500 mark it in your Bible. It's at a particular point 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:41.469 in time. This isn't some vague notion of offering God somehow, someway, someday. 0:06:41.810 --> 0:06:44.770 Your body is a living sacrifice. It's like going to 0:06:44.810 --> 0:06:48.289 the altar and making a specific decision and saying, God, 0:06:48.450 --> 0:06:52.480 I am yours, lock, stock, and barrel. And notice carefully, 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:55.839 this is not a salvation passage. Salvation in Romans occurs 0:06:55.880 --> 0:06:59.960 in chapters 4 and 5. This is people who know God, 0:07:00.440 --> 0:07:02.900 who are in a part of his family, who grasp 0:07:03.060 --> 0:07:06.120 all that God has done, and they say, what God 0:07:06.180 --> 0:07:08.860 wants most from me is at a point in time, 0:07:09.180 --> 0:07:11.640 I dedicate all that I am and all that I have, 0:07:11.960 --> 0:07:13.600 and I'm going to live my life as an act 0:07:13.640 --> 0:07:17.740 of worship. And then look at verse 2. Verse 2 0:07:17.740 --> 0:07:20.880 reminds us that it's not a one-time deal. And do 0:07:20.940 --> 0:07:24.750 not be conformed any longer. Literally, don't allow yourself to 0:07:24.790 --> 0:07:28.720 be conformed any longer to this present world, But allow 0:07:28.800 --> 0:07:32.160 yourself and your mind to be transformed. How? By the 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.740 renewing of your mind. So worship is not only at 0:07:34.780 --> 0:07:36.660 a point in time where you drive a stake in 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:39.480 the ground, but then you renew that day after day 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:43.360 after day. As you spend time and meet with him, 0:07:44.360 --> 0:07:47.860 he renews your mind. And little by little by little, 0:07:47.940 --> 0:07:50.560 your life takes more and more the characteristics of the 0:07:50.660 --> 0:07:53.320 intimacy of Christ. Have you ever noticed that whoever you 0:07:53.360 --> 0:07:57.300 hang out with, you become like? You can tell who 0:07:57.340 --> 0:07:59.780 your kids are hanging out with, right? You know, they 0:07:59.800 --> 0:08:01.180 go to school for three or four or five days 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:04.990 and they come home saying stuff like, yo, dude. And 0:08:05.030 --> 0:08:06.790 you're thinking, oh, he's with the surfer group, you know. 0:08:08.490 --> 0:08:11.650 Whoever you get close to, you begin to take on 0:08:11.670 --> 0:08:14.880 their characteristics. When you get close to Jesus, when you 0:08:14.890 --> 0:08:17.720 spend time with him, when you worship him, when you 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:19.880 do it not only once in the morning or in 0:08:19.900 --> 0:08:22.040 the afternoon or the evening when the best time is, 0:08:22.520 --> 0:08:25.410 but as you carry on conversation, when you learn to 0:08:25.450 --> 0:08:28.770 live in his presence, little by little by little, you 0:08:28.810 --> 0:08:33.130 become like him. And that's why personal worship is so powerful. 0:08:33.170 --> 0:08:36.570 In fact, this is the great command in the book 0:08:36.590 --> 0:08:38.810 of the New Testament that teaches all that God has done. 0:08:39.429 --> 0:08:43.120 Let me give you one other factor. John chapter 15 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:45.680 is the teaching of our Lord on the last night 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:48.660 that he's on the earth. He's got his closest followers 0:08:48.720 --> 0:08:52.599 with him. The Lord's Supper has been initiated. He knows 0:08:52.640 --> 0:08:55.040 he's going to die the next day. And he says, 0:08:55.059 --> 0:08:57.260 I'm going to give him a word picture. I'm going 0:08:57.280 --> 0:08:59.130 to give them a word picture that will help them 0:08:59.170 --> 0:09:02.810 understand how they can have intimacy with me, how they 0:09:02.830 --> 0:09:07.030 can be private worshipers, not just at different periods of 0:09:07.070 --> 0:09:10.280 the day, but all the time. And so in John 15, 0:09:10.280 --> 0:09:15.059 we read, Jesus says to these disciples, he says, I'm 0:09:15.100 --> 0:09:18.040 the vine and you are the branches. The vine is 0:09:18.080 --> 0:09:21.140 the big source. The branches go out from the vine. 0:09:22.300 --> 0:09:24.550 If a man remains or abides in me and I 0:09:24.570 --> 0:09:27.360 in him, he will bear much fruit. And they're looking 0:09:27.400 --> 0:09:29.380 at that and realize, well, of course, that's how it works. 0:09:30.720 --> 0:09:34.089 And then he says, apart from me, you can do nothing. 0:09:35.490 --> 0:09:38.630 If anyone does not remain or abide in me, and 0:09:38.670 --> 0:09:42.210 the word abide or remain here means to hear from God, 0:09:43.070 --> 0:09:46.050 to receive his words with the purpose of putting it 0:09:46.110 --> 0:09:50.580 into practice. If anyone doesn't abide or remain in me, 0:09:51.140 --> 0:09:53.240 he is like a branch that's thrown away and withers 0:09:53.300 --> 0:09:55.060 and such branches are picked up and they're thrown into 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:57.680 the fire and they're burned. And then he gives them 0:09:57.700 --> 0:09:59.719 this promise on the last night before he's going to 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.880 die if you remain in me or abide in me 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:07.060 and my words remain and abide in you ask whatever 0:10:07.100 --> 0:10:10.090 you wish and it will be given to you This 0:10:10.750 --> 0:10:14.670 is my Father's glory that you bear much fruit. When 0:10:14.690 --> 0:10:18.100 the Spirit is reigning in our hearts, when He's controlling us, 0:10:18.420 --> 0:10:22.130 we will bear fruit. And the fruit will be? the 0:10:22.190 --> 0:10:24.589 character and the quality of Christ, love and joy and 0:10:24.650 --> 0:10:28.780 peace and goodness and gentleness and self-control. And he's telling 0:10:28.820 --> 0:10:32.119 them there's going to be an abiding relationship. And he 0:10:32.160 --> 0:10:35.120 says the Father is going to be glorified or honored. 0:10:35.420 --> 0:10:39.679 Glory just means bragging rights, reputation enhanced. You guys are 0:10:39.710 --> 0:10:41.650 going to live in such a way with me that 0:10:41.690 --> 0:10:44.410 when people look at your lives and how you love 0:10:44.450 --> 0:10:46.290 and how you are holy, they're going to step back 0:10:46.350 --> 0:10:48.809 and say, wow, they must have been with Jesus and 0:10:49.230 --> 0:10:52.710 God gets the credit. And then he goes on to 0:10:52.750 --> 0:10:58.060 tell him, as the Father has loved me, so I 0:10:59.280 --> 0:11:02.580 have loved you. Now remain or abide in my love. 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:06.800 Do you notice he's telling him this personal worship? It's relational. 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:10.050 It's not mechanical. It's not read two chapters. It's not 0:11:10.110 --> 0:11:12.550 concentrate on God for three minutes. It's not chant for 0:11:12.590 --> 0:11:15.830 four hours. He says, as the Father has loved me, 0:11:15.870 --> 0:11:19.390 as we have been abiding relationship father to son, now 0:11:19.610 --> 0:11:24.140 I want love. you to love. Unless they think it's 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.860 just some ooey gooey feeling of having a Jesus moment, 0:11:26.880 --> 0:11:29.000 he goes on to say, verse 10, if you obey 0:11:29.059 --> 0:11:31.860 my commands, you will remain or abide in my love 0:11:31.900 --> 0:11:34.530 just as I've obeyed my father's commands and remain in 0:11:34.590 --> 0:11:35.089 his love. 0:11:36.929 --> 0:11:39.809 You're listening to Living on the Edge. We'll hear more 0:11:39.830 --> 0:11:42.309 from Chip in just a moment. If you'd like to 0:11:42.350 --> 0:11:46.680 go deeper in today's study, visit us online at livingontheedge.org. 0:11:47.670 --> 0:11:51.329 There you'll find Chip's full teaching library, small group resources, 0:11:51.710 --> 0:11:54.890 and the free daily discipleship tool to help you grow 0:11:55.030 --> 0:11:58.150 all week long. You can also download the Chip Ingram 0:11:58.200 --> 0:12:03.060 app free on iOS or Android. Now back to today's teaching. 0:12:03.700 --> 0:12:06.660 Loving Jesus isn't about having a ooey-gooey feeling in worship 0:12:06.700 --> 0:12:08.800 or even spending time in the morning and saying, oh God, 0:12:08.820 --> 0:12:13.130 and having these good feelings. If what Jesus says about 0:12:13.170 --> 0:12:16.210 my mind and my motives and my behavior and my 0:12:16.270 --> 0:12:20.010 relationships doesn't get translated into my behavior, I can feel 0:12:20.070 --> 0:12:21.830 like I love him a lot. But the Bible says 0:12:21.850 --> 0:12:24.230 I'm not loving him. The test of my love for 0:12:24.290 --> 0:12:28.130 Jesus is do I keep his word? Do I obey him? 0:12:29.340 --> 0:12:31.480 And he would say in the chapter before, he that 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:34.080 has my commands and keeps them, he it is that 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:36.100 loves me. And he that loves me will be loved 0:12:36.140 --> 0:12:39.199 of my father. And then this classic picture. And my 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:42.060 father and I will come and we will disclose or 0:12:42.140 --> 0:12:46.220 reveal ourselves to him. And so Jesus is teaching about 0:12:46.300 --> 0:12:49.160 private worship. And there's going to be this abiding relationship. 0:12:49.179 --> 0:12:51.800 And then he tells him why. This great reason. He says, 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.120 I've told you these things so that my joy may 0:12:54.160 --> 0:12:57.660 be in you and that your joy may be made full. 0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:03.760 This is about the overflow of a relationship. So here's 0:13:03.780 --> 0:13:07.920 what I want you to hear. According to the last 0:13:07.980 --> 0:13:11.020 teaching of Jesus on the earth and according to the 0:13:11.080 --> 0:13:17.900 most core theological teaching of the New Testament, your abiding 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:23.760 personal worship of Jesus is the most important appointment you 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:27.840 have every day. It's the most important relationship to cultivate 0:13:27.980 --> 0:13:32.030 every day. The purpose of personal worship, put very simply, 0:13:32.870 --> 0:13:35.250 and you might even jot this down, is to know 0:13:35.309 --> 0:13:39.880 God and to enjoy Him. It's to know Him. It's 0:13:39.900 --> 0:13:42.380 to enjoy Him. It's not to earn His favor. There's 0:13:42.420 --> 0:13:44.880 not a big refrigerator in heaven, and if you, you know, 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:48.140 meet with God four mornings in a row, gold star 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:53.340 for Ingram. No. When you miss a morning, when you 0:13:53.380 --> 0:13:59.260 miss an evening, you just miss out. It's like everyone's 0:13:59.280 --> 0:14:01.219 going to Disneyland and you just missed the bus. Doesn't 0:14:01.240 --> 0:14:04.140 make you a bad person, but you miss out. It's 0:14:04.179 --> 0:14:06.080 like having a date with the person of your dreams. 0:14:06.720 --> 0:14:09.599 Your car breaks down. You don't get to go on 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.220 the date. Doesn't make you a bad person. Doesn't make 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:16.440 you loved any less, but you miss out. The purpose 0:14:16.480 --> 0:14:19.600 of personal devotion is to know and enjoy God. It's 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:23.570 to cultivate an intimate friendship and trust that results in 0:14:23.620 --> 0:14:28.560 obedience and affection and to such a degree that his 0:14:28.660 --> 0:14:32.000 life is manifested in and through you to the glory 0:14:32.020 --> 0:14:37.480 of God. That's the purpose. Now, in practice, you need 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:39.110 to figure out how to pull this off. And so 0:14:39.140 --> 0:14:40.850 what I'd like you to do, I'm going to ask 0:14:40.890 --> 0:14:43.810 you to pull out a pen. In practice, you need 0:14:43.830 --> 0:14:49.430 to have a specific time, a specific place, and a 0:14:49.470 --> 0:14:53.120 specific plan. It's just like with relationships. How many times 0:14:53.140 --> 0:14:55.180 do we see someone at the grocery store, in the mall, 0:14:55.230 --> 0:14:56.850 and they're a pretty close friend. Hey, we ought to 0:14:56.870 --> 0:14:58.610 get together. Hey, we ought to get together. Yeah, let's 0:14:58.650 --> 0:15:00.910 get together. Then three months later, you see them at 0:15:00.950 --> 0:15:03.290 the grocery store. Hey, we ought to get together. When 0:15:03.310 --> 0:15:06.910 do you get together? You get together when someone says, 0:15:07.190 --> 0:15:10.130 let's do it next Thursday at three. When that happens, 0:15:10.170 --> 0:15:13.340 you get together. When it doesn't happen, you don't. You 0:15:13.390 --> 0:15:18.980 must decide. In fact, you must pre-decide. When daily are 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:20.920 you going to meet with the most important appointment of 0:15:20.940 --> 0:15:26.080 your life? Where daily are you going to make the 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:28.640 most important appointment of your life? And then when you 0:15:28.660 --> 0:15:31.330 meet with him, do you have a plan? Because what 0:15:31.390 --> 0:15:33.530 happens is if you set aside that time and you 0:15:33.550 --> 0:15:36.630 don't know exactly what to do, it's not very fulfilling. 0:15:36.650 --> 0:15:38.270 You don't make a lot of progress and chances are 0:15:38.290 --> 0:15:41.730 you won't do it very long. I'm going to give 0:15:41.770 --> 0:15:45.330 a whirl at something that I hope works, may not. 0:15:46.850 --> 0:15:50.250 But I would like to walk over here and I 0:15:50.290 --> 0:15:53.310 would like to have a quiet time. Some people call 0:15:53.330 --> 0:15:56.130 it the devotional life. And I'd like to literally, I mean, 0:15:56.410 --> 0:15:59.240 no joke, just have one. Even got a little coffee here. 0:15:59.260 --> 0:16:01.440 You ought to make this kind of fun. And I 0:16:01.460 --> 0:16:05.520 want to sit down and just show you how I 0:16:05.560 --> 0:16:08.020 have done it for years. This isn't the only way 0:16:08.060 --> 0:16:10.410 to do it. And so with that then, I'll just 0:16:10.450 --> 0:16:12.630 kind of give you a little preview. The two pro-apt, 0:16:12.830 --> 0:16:15.690 each letter stands for something. The first P in two 0:16:15.750 --> 0:16:18.710 pro-apt is pray. Ask God to speak to you. So, 0:16:18.850 --> 0:16:20.470 I mean, I'm going to do this as authentic as 0:16:20.530 --> 0:16:23.310 I can, authentically, but It's kind of hard to do 0:16:23.350 --> 0:16:26.410 in a crowd, but... Father, I want to thank you 0:16:26.510 --> 0:16:31.820 for the privilege to hear from you. And I know 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:36.500 that my mind often isn't real awake. And I ask 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:38.300 that you'd first clear it up. And then I ask 0:16:38.320 --> 0:16:42.060 that the Spirit of God would open your word. Help 0:16:42.100 --> 0:16:45.560 me to hear from you today. In Christ's name, amen. 0:16:46.940 --> 0:16:49.420 The second thing is then to preview. 0:16:50.330 --> 0:16:50.570 Often. 0:16:51.220 --> 0:16:52.740 You know, we try and get way too much out 0:16:52.760 --> 0:16:55.940 of something early and just preview, read through real quickly. 0:16:55.980 --> 0:16:59.330 So open to Ephesians chapter 5. I'll take the first six, 0:16:59.350 --> 0:17:02.750 seven verses and we'll start in verse 21. Submit to 0:17:02.830 --> 0:17:05.750 one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit to 0:17:05.770 --> 0:17:07.770 your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is 0:17:07.790 --> 0:17:09.250 the head of the wife, as Christ is the head 0:17:09.270 --> 0:17:11.869 of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 0:17:12.330 --> 0:17:14.639 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives 0:17:14.660 --> 0:17:17.659 should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your 0:17:17.700 --> 0:17:20.000 wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself 0:17:20.080 --> 0:17:23.320 up for her, to make her holy, cleansing her by 0:17:23.359 --> 0:17:26.100 the washing of the water with the word, and to 0:17:26.180 --> 0:17:28.800 present herself to him as a radiant church without sin 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:32.760 or wrinkle or stain or any blemish, but holy and blameless. 0:17:33.340 --> 0:17:35.859 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives 0:17:36.320 --> 0:17:40.060 as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 0:17:40.180 --> 0:17:42.500 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but 0:17:42.540 --> 0:17:45.260 he feeds and cares for it just as Christ does 0:17:45.340 --> 0:17:47.540 the church. And so I just read through it real 0:17:47.560 --> 0:17:49.220 quickly just to figure out, I wonder what the basic 0:17:49.240 --> 0:17:52.310 gist is going on. Then the next R is for read. 0:17:53.070 --> 0:17:57.210 And you read the passage a second time slowly and contemplatively. 0:17:57.869 --> 0:17:59.929 And so I would kind of start off with, okay, 0:18:00.630 --> 0:18:05.490 submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Okay, 0:18:05.540 --> 0:18:12.480 key verb idea here is submit. Has to do with relationships. Wives, okay, 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:15.780 first relationship, submit to your husbands. How? As in to 0:18:15.800 --> 0:18:19.550 the Lord. Why? For the husband is the head of 0:18:19.570 --> 0:18:21.389 the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, 0:18:21.840 --> 0:18:25.980 his body, of which he is the Savior. Now, as 0:18:26.040 --> 0:18:29.980 the church submits to Christ, so also the wives should 0:18:30.020 --> 0:18:35.560 submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, okay, shifting it around. Idea, 0:18:35.619 --> 0:18:42.510 submitting here, talking to wives first. Another group here, new paragraph. Husbands, 0:18:42.590 --> 0:18:46.050 love your wives. Well, how? Just as Christ loved the 0:18:46.090 --> 0:18:49.550 church and gave himself up for her. Well, why did 0:18:49.590 --> 0:18:54.129 he do that? To make her holy, cleansing her by 0:18:54.150 --> 0:18:56.390 the washing with the water through the word. I wonder 0:18:56.450 --> 0:18:59.600 what that means. I'm dead serious. That's what I do. 0:18:59.650 --> 0:19:01.629 I hit passages. I go, man, washing the water of 0:19:01.650 --> 0:19:04.710 the word. Man, what's that got to do with anything? 0:19:06.230 --> 0:19:08.850 And to present herself as a radiant church without stain 0:19:08.910 --> 0:19:11.930 or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 0:19:12.920 --> 0:19:15.459 In the same way, something about what Christ did for 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:17.800 the church has got to go with husbands. Husbands ought 0:19:17.820 --> 0:19:20.399 to love their wives as their own bodies. He who 0:19:20.460 --> 0:19:24.990 loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever 0:19:25.070 --> 0:19:27.210 hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for 0:19:27.250 --> 0:19:31.810 it just as Christ does the church. Then I go 0:19:31.850 --> 0:19:33.629 back through and I think, just kind of think on 0:19:33.650 --> 0:19:35.330 that for a while. What would God want to say 0:19:35.369 --> 0:19:38.330 to me? I'm not trying to be a Bible scholar. 0:19:38.350 --> 0:19:43.489 I'm not trying to diagram anything. Just I just want 0:19:43.510 --> 0:19:46.010 to meet with God. And there's something about in the 0:19:46.070 --> 0:19:48.869 body of Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence 0:19:48.910 --> 0:19:52.080 for Christ. and example one is how wives are to 0:19:52.140 --> 0:19:55.179 do it example two are how husbands well I'm going 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:57.780 to make some observations then and go back and underline 0:19:57.840 --> 0:20:00.840 key words and circle words and phrases that are repeated 0:20:00.900 --> 0:20:03.280 and highlight the most meaningful verse to me and so 0:20:04.100 --> 0:20:06.280 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. I'm 0:20:06.300 --> 0:20:09.100 going to circle submit, just because it seems like somewhere 0:20:09.119 --> 0:20:10.980 from reading it a couple times it pops up a lot. 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:13.830 Submit to your husbands. I'm going to circle submit. Found 0:20:13.869 --> 0:20:16.409 it again. As unto the Lord. For the husband is 0:20:16.430 --> 0:20:18.109 the head of the wife, as Christ is the head 0:20:18.130 --> 0:20:23.129 of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Okay, 0:20:23.190 --> 0:20:30.030 so wives submit, Christ submitted, wives Now, as the church submits, 0:20:30.130 --> 0:20:33.210 circle that again, so also wives should submit to their 0:20:33.230 --> 0:20:37.120 husbands and everything. Wow, submit, submit, submit, submit. I think 0:20:37.140 --> 0:20:38.740 this is for Teresa. This is really going to be good. 0:20:43.200 --> 0:20:46.020 You've been listening to Living on the Edge with Chip 0:20:46.100 --> 0:20:49.840 Ingram and his message titled, How to Overcome Hypocrisy in 0:20:49.880 --> 0:20:53.100 Your Private Life. Remember, you can find this lesson and 0:20:53.220 --> 0:20:59.150 every message in this series at livingontheedge.org. Today, Chip taught 0:20:59.250 --> 0:21:01.790 us that loving Jesus is not the same as having 0:21:01.830 --> 0:21:05.230 good feelings about Jesus. The test of love, according to 0:21:05.300 --> 0:21:09.399 John 15, is obedience. Day after day, showing up to 0:21:09.440 --> 0:21:12.200 hear from God, bringing His Word to bear on your 0:21:12.359 --> 0:21:16.280 actual life, your marriage, your money, your motives, and doing 0:21:16.340 --> 0:21:20.180 what He says. Chip was transparent today about his own 0:21:20.260 --> 0:21:24.680 quiet time, his own drift, and his conclusion was unambiguous— 0:21:25.070 --> 0:21:27.970 If personal worship is not the most important appointment in 0:21:27.990 --> 0:21:31.119 your day, you are, as he put it, destined to 0:21:31.160 --> 0:21:34.520 a life of hypocrisy. Not because you're a bad person, 0:21:34.800 --> 0:21:37.960 but because we all become like whoever we spend time with. 0:21:38.859 --> 0:21:41.220 And if you want to build that appointment into every 0:21:41.300 --> 0:21:44.840 day of your year, Chip's brand new devotional, Growing Deeper 0:21:44.880 --> 0:21:48.320 in Christ, gives you a thoughtful, structured path to do 0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:52.899 exactly that. Grounded in a decade of Chip's most impactful teachings, 0:21:53.630 --> 0:21:55.990 When you make your first ever gift to this ministry 0:21:56.250 --> 0:21:58.669 or sign up as a monthly partner, we'll send you 0:21:58.730 --> 0:22:02.169 a copy as our thank you. For over 30 years, 0:22:02.290 --> 0:22:05.480 Living on the Edge has brought clear, practical Bible teaching 0:22:05.500 --> 0:22:08.500 to people who need it most. And every program that 0:22:08.600 --> 0:22:11.899 lands at the right moment in someone's life happens because 0:22:11.940 --> 0:22:15.359 of partners who believe this work matters. Give your first 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:20.199 gift or become a monthly partner today at livingontheedge.org or 0:22:20.240 --> 0:22:26.390 call us at 888- 333-6003. Well, now, here's Chip. 0:22:26.850 --> 0:22:30.010 As you listen today, and I talked about personal worship, 0:22:30.130 --> 0:22:33.570 often called a devotional life or a quiet time, I'd 0:22:33.590 --> 0:22:36.770 like to ask you, what new insight did you get? 0:22:37.850 --> 0:22:41.010 In the next broadcast, I'm going to talk about some very, 0:22:41.310 --> 0:22:45.950 very specific ways to enrich your devotional life. But today, 0:22:46.050 --> 0:22:48.230 I want to take just a moment and tell you 0:22:48.270 --> 0:22:51.510 that I believe this is the most important element missing. 0:22:52.100 --> 0:22:55.139 among most Christians that I meet. I know we're busy. 0:22:55.359 --> 0:22:57.100 I know we're pressed. I know we have a lot 0:22:57.119 --> 0:23:00.790 of things going. But we don't take time for the 0:23:00.810 --> 0:23:04.830