Living on the Edge

Chip Ingram: Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, are you tired of making resolutions that you never keep and never amount to much? You know you have good intentions, but you just keep fizzling out and the change never really happens. What I want you to know, it doesn't have to be that way. God has a word for you and me today, and we're going to learn how to change, life change, deep change, supernatural change. Change that can happen to ordinary people just like you and just like me. Stay with me.

Host: What would it take for someone who knew you today to barely recognize you in 15 years? Not because of how you looked, but because of who you've become. According to the Apostle Paul, that's exactly what God has in mind. I'm Dave Drewy, and this is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Today, we're beginning a powerful series called Free at Last, How to Break out of a Destructive Lifestyle. And if you've ever wanted victory over the attitudes and behaviors that keep tripping you up, you're in exactly the right place.

Today, Chip asks the question the whole series is built on, is a changed life really possible? Well, let's find out.

Chip Ingram: If you could change just one thing about you, what would it be? Do you believe that life change, I mean real life change, not just exterior stuff, can really happen? See, the Bible teaches and God promises that when a person is born of the Spirit, and if that person born of the Spirit lives in vital union with Christ, that He will so radically change you from the inside out, that if someone knew you today and then met you 10 or 15 years later, there's parts that they would just say, it's hard to believe you're the same person.

It's not just some cleaning up on the outside, there's a fundamental change that happens when Christ enters your life and the Spirit of God is allowed to have control and as you connect with other people and His Word begins to birth the very life and personality of Jesus in you. That's what happens when the Spirit of God comes into the human heart of a person who has been forgiven of their sin, they're born again from above, and that's the journey or the process that occurs.

Now, there's a problem. And the problem is that we all long to change and improve and grow and be transformed, but we find it really difficult, right? It's not only hard, it doesn't work. Statistically, even people who lose a lot of weight, statistically, most all of them gain it back. Statistically, the people who do the fitness program and really get in shape, statistically, they actually get back out of shape very quickly. Statistically, those who go through recovery programs for alcohol or drugs, the great percentage of them have relapses.

And sadly, statistically, people who come to know Jesus Christ as their personal savior after some incremental beginning changes rarely live like Christians. According to Barna, according to Gallup and probably according to the anecdotal evidence we have in our own life. So we got a picture of what God wants to do, we've got a problem. And what I want to talk about is a process of spiritual metamorphosis. I mean, why is this? What what's the problem? Why don't we change? What is it that we don't understand or that we're not appropriating?

God has given us everything we need to be completely transformed. It is a process, it is a journey. But I'm going to suggest that most people don't understand the process, they don't understand the journey, and you don't have the tools. And that's why a lot of Christians don't live like Christians. I'm going to give you an overview and some of this is like core theology of the Bible, and I wish I could spend more time, but you need to know the process. Stage one in the Christian life in spiritual metamorphosis goes like this, there's a spiritual birth.

Jesus gives me a new life. The Bible calls this the moment that happens justification. It's a legal term. In John chapter 3, a religious leader came to Jesus and said, we know that you're from God by the works that you do. He was religious, he knew the Bible, but Jesus said unless you're born again, unless you're born of the Spirit, unless you're born from above. In other words, physical life requires a physical birth, spiritual life requires a spiritual birth.

It's not an intellectual thing of agreeing with God about certain doctrines or teachings. It requires a spiritual birth. At a certain day, at a certain time, you need to realize that Christ died upon the cross in your place. That he rose from the dead, that he's paid and covered your sin and the sins of all people and all time, and the Spirit of God will convict you that you are separated from God, and you will turn from your sin and in empty hands of faith, ask Christ to come into your life and forgive you.

And at that moment, God as legal judge justifies you. Some of you have heard the definition, it's just as if you didn't sin, and that's true, but it's only half the story. The moment you're justified legally, here's what happens. Imagine if you will, a little computer screen on this side and it has your name on it, and a little computer screen over here, it has Jesus' name on it.

And on your computer screen, the moment you're justified, you have your righteousness, which is filthy rags, and you have all your sins like I have all my sins. And justification, God does two things. One, He deletes the sin column and he takes it and he puts it over on Christ. So all your sins are paid for by what he does. And then he takes the righteousness of Christ and he pushes share and he brings it over here and he imputes it onto your column, so when the God of the universe looks at every child of God in terms of your position and your legal standing, he sees you with the very righteousness of his Son.

Not understanding that is why many Christians' lives never change. The second phase is spiritual growth. This is called sanctification. This is not just a moment in time. Notice this is Jesus changes me to be progressively more like him. You often hear this as progressive sanctification. The third phase is spiritual maturity, and the word here is glorification. That word maturity, it's it's everywhere in the scripture.

Jesus would say in Matthew chapter 5, in the Sermon on the Mount verse 48, he he summarizes the point and says, be ye perfect, that's this word, even as your Heavenly Father is perfect, which you're thinking, whoa. Or the Apostle Paul would say, the goal of all his life was we want to present every man, every woman complete or perfect in Christ. James 1 will open up and say, the whole goal of difficulty and pain is we endure and we go through it that we might be perfect or complete.

The word is telios. And I I say that just so you hear, do you hear sort of like telescope? Or for you apologists, it's the teleological argument. The word means is that something it's by design and the design has a fulfillment. And what God is saying is the fulfillment of your design when you come to be a Christian is he's going to make you like his Son. And First John 3:2 says, we do not know, little children, what we will be like, but this is what we know.

When we see him Jesus, we will be like him. And so all those verses about be mature, grow to maturity. It starts with justification at a point in time, a journey of sanctification, and then there's one day when you will achieve maturity, you will actually be like Christ and be transformed. That's the spiritual life.

The question then is this just for like superstars? I mean, is this people that just make it into kind of the Christian Hall of Fame or a handful of pastors or missionaries? And around here we talk about maturity being very clearly defined as becoming a Romans 12 Christian, right? And in verse 1 of Romans 12, we know it's being surrendered to God. And then verse 2 talks about being what? Separate from the world's values, and do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed, circle that word, by the renewing of your mind.

Didn't say by trying hard. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And then notice the result. Notice what God wants for you, what he wants for me, what he wants for every follower, that you might literally the word is that you might test or experience or know by way of real experience the will of God, that which is good, acceptable, and well-pleasing or perfect. You know that word transformed, it's are you ready? Metamorphosis.

Host: You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and we'll continue the lesson in a moment. But while you're with us, did you know that Chip's teaching is also available on YouTube? The Living on the Edge channel has full video series, short-form clips, and a growing library of content you can watch anytime. Check out Chip's other series like Sacred Strongholds, exploring the lies we believe that quietly destroy the lives we love. Just search Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram on YouTube, and hit subscribe so you never miss what's new. Well, now here's Chip.

Chip Ingram: Now, that's God's goal for all of us. And I think the issue is if that's God's goal, if that's God's agenda, I like to call it it's the miracle of life change. We're going to talk about how it really works and how you can experience it. Ephesians chapter 4, the entire chapter is about how this really works. He says as a prisoner of the Lord then, you know, in light of that, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling that you've received.

Well, how? Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. And then he says, well, why? Well, there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope when you were called. There's one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

And what he's going to do in these six short verses is explain to us, now that you are justified, I'm going to explain to you how that spiritual green caterpillar gets transformed into a butterfly. And I'm going to explain the part that God does, and I'm going to explain the part where he asks you to cooperate. And so notice, in verse 1, he's going to say the call is to let Jesus live his life through you.

Notice it says as a prisoner of the Lord then in in your notes, I urge you to, will you put a line under live a life? Live a life. We're to live a life, and above that, write the word walk. This is a very good translation, but it's a metaphor. And he's really saying, I want you to walk worthy of this calling that you received. Well, what calling? The calling of chapter 1, chapter 2, chapter 3, you've been chosen, you've been placed in the body of Christ, the Spirit dwells in you, you've been called into a group of people called the church, a supernatural body.

You've been called with a purpose, you're loved. Now, he says, what I want you to do is I want you to walk worthy. And what the Apostle Paul is saying for three chapters, you're loved, you're forgiven, you're cared for, you're a part of a body, you have a future. Those are all the things you now believe and you possess. Now, let your behavior reflect your beliefs. That's the call.

Well, how do you do that? How does it work? Notice what he says. He says there's a process. He says the process isn't about duty and activity, it's about relationships. He says the process is to practice sacrificial other-centered relationships. He says, be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort not to gain, but to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

He says, remember, I just told you in chapter 3, Jew, Gentile, brand new church, you're connected. You all actually are an organic, revolutionary group that God in His sovereignty has produced. I want you to make every effort so that your relationships and how you love one another demonstrate what's already true. Now, with your pen, pull it out if you will. I want you to put a line under the word humble and write number one above it.

Put a line under the word gentle and write number two above it. Put a line under the word patient and put number three above it. And then put a line under bearing with one another, because that's all one word, actually. Put a four above it. And then put a box around make every effort and write the number five below it. And so he calls you and he calls me into these attitudes, four specific attitudes, 1, 2, 3, 4, humility, gentleness, patience, and this bearing with one another, and one action, number five, make every effort.

One action. Listen very carefully, you might even write this down. Green caterpillars are transformed in cocoons or pupa. Christians are transformed in community. The reason many Christians who genuinely have come to Christ, who honestly love God, who have some initial outward changes and a few inward ones and then plateau and never deal with the deep deep issues of the heart, dysfunction, family of origin, fears, rejection, workaholism, all the things they pass on to friends and kids.

The reason those deep issues never change is they are not in community where the real them shows up, meeting real needs for the right reason and the right way and where they're vulnerable and someone loves the broken parts of you and loves you enough to encourage you and accept you and at the same time hold you accountable and not let you keep being the same person.

See, it's the Jesus inside of their body extending the love of Christ. And Jesus' love is always soft and tender and sometimes very hard and tough depending on what we need. Because his goal is the outcome, not just that you feel good. And so he says, this is how transformation works. Justification, this is what God has done. Sanctification, you start on a journey. The journey is first my beliefs and behaviors.

It is an oxymoron for a person to come to Christ and their life not change. I mean, it's just unheard of in scripture. Only in America and around the world now could we ever create this world where a Christian is someone who comes to meetings, intellectually acknowledges that Jesus is the savior that died and rose from the dead, and we tip him with a few hours of our day and our week, and we live our life completely differently and say, this is working.

So he calls us, let his life live in and through you. Isn't that different from trying really hard to act like Jesus? Isn't that different from I'm going to try and quit cussing and and then I'm going to try and be more generous and and then I'm going to quit trying to be so so so so selfish and and then pretty soon because we know how a Christian is supposed to act. I think a lot of us, and let me start with me.

In seasons of my life, I've spent more energy appearing loving and appearing Christianly than I really was. Just so that the other people would think I'm making progress. This is getting way too convicting. Let me get back to my notes. There's a reason, however, and the reason is really critical. He says there's one body, one spirit, just as you were called in one hope that you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father.

Every time the word one is used here, could you underline that? There're seven of them, so let me give you a minute. One, one, one, one, one, one, one. Uh, where it says there is, will you put a box around there is? Because and again, our English Bibles are absolutely fantastic, but just now and then the Greek text is there in a way that's a little bit more in living color. The the there is isn't in the original text, but it makes the sentence make sense.

Because what Paul has done is used a very unusual grammatical device. And basically what he's saying is, three chapters of all that God has done for you. Therefore, walk in a manner worthy. Let your life and lips tell the same story. Here's how to do it. Get together in deep authentic community and treat each other with humility and gentleness and patience and put up with stuff and and the only way you'll do that is draw on his resources.

And then literally he goes off. There's seven staccato words, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. It's like you've got to understand how important this is. And this is so important, it's not about your happiness, it's not it doesn't work for you, it's not that it improves your life. He's going to do seven staccato 1, 1, 1, 1, and then you'll notice there's four alls. All, all, all, all. There's a focus of unity, there's a focus of consistency, and then he does something where it's in triads.

There's three ones followed by three ones followed by another three ones. And and the Trinity is in this. And usually we think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but he doesn't go that direction. It's very unusual. He's talking about the church. He's talking about what Christ has done. He's talking to them and to us about this transformation. And so he starts with, well, how does it work? The Spirit of God is what convicts us.

The Spirit of God is what gives us spiritual birth, we're born of the Spirit. The Spirit of God is our pledge, our down payment for heaven and our hope. And so notice what he does. They these are, I mean, when they're reading this, I I can imagine them opening the scroll and they're going, bam, bam, bam, bam, seven times. And basically what he goes, there's one body, the church, one spirit who creates it, and one hope.

You're the new church. The Spirit does it. He's taking you to heaven. And then for what? Who's the focus? One Lord Jesus, one faith, one baptism. Jesus is the focus of it all. Each one of you have taken the step of faith, and each one of you have graphically, publicly told the world and said your past is behind you and what you did is you said, my old life died and I've been resurrected with him.

And all the privileges and all the persecution, think about when this was written. I'm going to walk with him. There's one Lord. This was written when there was a God on every corner. There's one Lord, one faith, one baptism. And then it goes to the Father. There's one God. But he's different than this God that makes everyone afraid. Notice, there's one God, he's the Father.

He's kind. He's a dad. He's an Abba. He's the Father of all. And then notice he's sovereign. He's the creator. He's what? Who is over all and through all and in all. And so he gives them this extraordinary, high, lofty view of who God is. And in essence, listen carefully, here's what he's saying. This is what God's done for you, chapters 1-3.

Here's the command. Let him live his life through you so that your behavior and your lifestyle match what's true. The way to do that isn't about activity or do's and don'ts or external rules. It happens in community in deep authentic relationships where you give to people what you really don't have to give, and so you draw on dependency as you abide in Christ and you love others.

Host: You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram and a message titled, Is a Changed Life Really Possible? The first message in our next series, Free at Last, How to Break out of a Destructive Lifestyle. We'll hear more from Chip in just a moment, so stay with us. And if you want to share today's teaching or pick up anything you missed, these daily messages are also available on the Living on the Edge podcast. Find it wherever you get your podcasts and subscribe for free.

And for the complete unedited sermon, check out the Chip Ingram Sermon podcast. Chip walked us through something important today, that gap between knowing what God promises and actually experiencing it, the try-hard fail cycle that so many Christians live in. His book, Yes, You Really Can Change, is written specifically to close that gap. It's a clear, biblically grounded look at what spiritual transformation actually requires, where the power to change really comes from, and what it looks like when it finally takes hold.

And right now, we're including a second copy with every order, so you can work through it alongside someone in your life who's ready for a breakthrough. Pick up your copies online at livingontheedge.org/offers. And if today's teaching is exactly what you needed to hear, we invite you to stand with us financially so more people can hear it too. Your gift of any amount keeps this teaching on the air and reaches listeners every single day.

Give online at livingontheedge.org or give us a call at 888-333-6003. You can also send a check by writing to Living on the Edge, PO Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 30024. Well, now here's Chip with a final word.

Chip Ingram: You know, I wonder how many of you would say to yourself, you know, Chip, I've heard this before, I don't buy it. I hear this that I have every spiritual blessing, that God's given me everything that I need to change. My life isn't changing. And I'm frustrated. And as I heard your voice today, something inside said, I want to believe this, I want to change, but I've got so much history and so much baggage, I down deep don't think it's possible.

What I want to tell you is give God one more chance. What I want to tell you is, you probably, like me, don't understand what God has already done and how holy transformation occurs. And in the next few weeks, we're going to walk right through a passage of scripture that's not just going to say what you ought to do, you're going to learn how to do it. And I want to ask you to just let me sign up as your spiritual coach here for about three or four weeks.

And I'm going to walk through this passage. I'm going to share my own struggle, but I want you to know change is possible. God's Word, his Spirit, in community, with his power, can bring about change in you. So you don't want to miss this series, and I don't want you to miss it. My passion. You know, if you listen to this program very often, you're going to hear my passion is that Christians live like Christians. And not just for their own benefit and joy and what it does for their marriage and for their kids and all the rest, that's wonderful.

But also what it does for God and how important it is that we reflect him. So I want you to just kind of mentally decide, I'm going to be on board for this series. And you know, if you're in the car or you're doing something different, then you can pick this up on the internet, lote.org. That's lote.org. And you can stream it and get it the days that you miss, but I want you to sign up, change is possible. Step out, let's do it together.

Host: Join us next time for the conclusion of Chip's message titled, Is a Changed Life Really Possible? Right here on Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.