Living on the Edge

Chip Ingram: Before I trusted Christ, I wondered if God existed, and if he did, what does he want from me and why? Today, I’m going to answer that question. Stay with me.

Dave Druey: What does complete surrender to God actually look like? It’s not an emotional moment that fades by Tuesday. Today on Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram gets intensely practical about total commitment. Using the picture of a blank check made out to Jesus Christ, he shows exactly what you’re saying yes to and why it’s not the sacrifice you think it is.

This teaching will challenge your assumptions about control, safety, and what makes life truly exciting. You’ll discover why settling for plastic pearls keeps you from experiencing the treasure God wants to give you. Well, here’s Chip Ingram continuing his message, "How to Give God What He Wants the Most."

Chip Ingram: When Jesus is teaching this, it’s out of Matthew chapter 13, verses 44 and 45. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, then he hid again, and from joy over it, he goes and sells all that he has and he buys that field.

Look at verse 45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, of exquisite value, of over-the-top, priceless value is the idea, he went and sold all the pearls that he had and he bought it.

If you have a pen, pull it out. Let’s go up to verse 44. I want you to see something. Jesus isn’t talking about money and treasure. He’s making a very profound spiritual point and principle about decision making.

What he’s saying is this: Jesus is saying when you understand who he is and you get the treasure of what it is to have relationship with him and the plan that he has for you on this earth, you would with reckless abandon and joy forsake all else to get that.

Put another way, his thesis is total commitment is the channel through which God’s biggest and best blessings flow. Did you realize that? Total commitment. He sold all that he had. Motive: joy.

Above the word in your notes where it says "total commitment," would you write the word "surrender" and put a box around it? Surrender is the conduit. It’s the channel through which God’s best and biggest blessings flow.

So what I want to do in the remainder of our time, I want to define very specifically what total commitment looks like. We are not leading up to some emotional moment. We’re leading up to a wise decision where you’re going to weigh the risk and the logic of saying to God in a few minutes, "I surrender all to you."

I would sign a blank check made out to you. I would say to you, from this day forward, I’m all in. I may be a little fearful, but I’m all in. But in order to do that, you know what that looks like?

The answer is in Romans chapter 12, verse 1. After 11 chapters of treasure, of what God has done, of how much he loves you, of his sovereignty, his goodness, his forgiveness, his power, his spirit living within you, his gifts, all the plans that he has for you, in chapter 12, your response to that is, "Therefore, I urge you brothers, sisters, fellow family members," the Apostle Paul writes, "in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship."

Notice the structure. There’s a command, there’s a motivation, and there’s a reason. I'd like you, if you will, put a box around the word "offer," put a box around "living sacrifice," and then put a little box around the word "holy."

The command is to offer your body to God. This isn't metaphorical. This is like your physical body: your eyes, your head, your hands, all that you are. The word "offer" here is in a tense in the Greek language that’s punctiliar. What that means is on a certain day at a certain time.

This passage is not explaining how to have your sins forgiven. This passage is not explaining what it means to be in God’s family. Salvation occurs at the end of chapter 3, 4, and right in chapter 5, the work of Christ by grace. You receive the free gift by faith.

Chapter 12 is saying, how do normal Christians follow Jesus out of gratitude? God says, are you ready? This is what I want. I want you, on a certain day at a certain time, to say to me, "All I am, all I have is yours." That’s what it means to offer.

I will tell you that tens of thousands of people in America and around the world do not understand the channel through which God’s best and biggest blessings flow. The power for the Christian life comes in this moment of offering.

Now, it requires faith. It requires believing in an invisible treasure that you can’t see, but it’s a historical living God who’s walked upon the earth and died in your place and rose and sits at the right hand of God and says to you, there’s an unspeakable treasure, who for joy says to you, let me give you the best.

Then notice, it’s not just one big emotional experience. What’s the next box? It’s "living sacrifice," right? Many of you in this room will make that step today. Many in this room have already taken that step. But it’s you offer your body how, as a living sacrifice.

So the living sacrifice is a lot like marriage. In 1978, I said to Theresa, "I surrender to you. Nobody else but you," and she said, "I surrender to you," and we said, "Let’s do this together forever no matter what."

But I’ve had to renew that commitment almost every day. There are times we needed marriage counseling, we’ve had hard times with some of our kids, we’ve had health issues, we’ve had cancer, we’ve had all kind of problems. But no matter what, because we said, boom, we commit to one another no matter what, it’s been that commitment that’s kept us together.

It’s been the channel of God’s biggest and best blessings. I’ve got a great wife. I’ve got a loyal wife. I’ve got the best friend I’ve ever had. I’ve got a relationship I never saw in my family growing up. I never dreamed. Has it been easy? No. It’s been great.

See, the issue is not he wants to take something good away. The issue is any good thing that stands between you and him that’s an idol will destroy your relationship with him and, by the way, it’ll destroy your relationship with the idol.

So it’s a living sacrifice. You make the commitment, but then it’s daily renewing and living. And it’s holy. That’s the last word. It’s holy. You can’t come and not deal with your stuff.

There’s some of you, you’re sitting here at this moment, you’re thinking, if I surrender, this relationship with this rotten guy or this girl that I know isn’t God’s will, but I sure love her. God would say, you know it’s not right.

For some of you, you’re realizing, we probably living together is not an option if I surrender. For others of you, you’re going, "Oh my gosh, my priorities are so out of whack. I’m a workaholic or my finances are a mess."

See, it’s holy. No blemish sheep. He’s just saying, you come as you are, but there’s this commitment to say, "God, I’m not playing games. I’m going to do life your way, and then I’m going to bring all of me."

That’s not only the good stuff, but you’re going to come and say, "I’m bringing my fears of rejection, I’m bringing my fears of the future, I’m bringing my fears what you might do. I trust you’re a good God."

In fact, notice the motivation. The motivation is not get with the program. It’s the mercy of God. The mercy of God. He’s looking back on the last 11 chapters, but he’s saying, God’s asking for all of you, but what’s he done?

He’s loved you, he’s forgiven you, he’s paid for your sin, he’s caused the spirit to come into your body, he’s taken you from the kingdom of darkness and put you in the kingdom of light, he’s adopted you as a daughter or as a son, he has a purpose for your life, he’s creating a place at this very moment in heaven for you.

He’s laid down his life. He says, can’t you trust me? This is like someone who you’ve given a million dollars and they come to you and they say, "Hey, you think I could borrow $20?" He goes, "I don’t know. I don’t know if you'll pay it back."

And you go, "What do you mean, you don't know if I'll pay it back? I gave you a million dollars." "Yeah, well, I don’t know." See, that’s where you start to get the kingdom logic. How could you not to a God who has demonstrated while you were his enemy and I was his enemy, laid down his life?

How can we not believe that he’s good, that he’s compassionate, that he’s kind? See, this is not a get with the program, be a superstar or a Christian Marine. This is a let your father love you. Let’s remove the barriers.

The final reason is your spiritual act of worship. In other words, what God really wants. We started out with a question that leads to a decision. The question is how do you give God what he wants the most? Are you ready for this? It gets real simple. God wants you. All of you. Every aspect of you.

See, you can read the Bible, you can pray, you can come to church, you can give some money, you can go on a mission trip, you can try and be a good moral person, you can do all kind of things. There was a group in the New Testament that did all that and more, and Jesus said the harshest things that ever came out of his mouth about those religious people because their hearts weren’t his.

They were in control and they used their religion and they thought they were better than other people. They weren’t tender, they weren’t broken, they weren’t loving. Left to ourselves, we are a people who will create some little grid or model about how we’re okay with God because we’re doing this, this, this, this, and this as we gain and keep control.

Your control always is shown by where your money goes, where your time goes, where your energy goes, and what you dream about. And when he has your heart in those areas, I’ll tell you what, those things get transformed.

And then, are you ready? You discover why you’re here. You discover what your purpose is. You discover there really is more to life than setting goals and accomplishing them. You experience the treasure both now and the promise forever. He wants you.

Dave Druey: You’re listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We’re halfway through today’s message, so don’t go anywhere just yet. Today’s insightful lesson comes from our series called "God’s Dream for Your Life."

Want to dig deeper into these truths? Well, the full series is ready for you online at livingontheedge.org. You’ll discover extra teaching content, downloadable materials, and discussion guides to take you further. Find it all at livingontheedge.org. Now let’s rejoin Chip with today’s message.

Chip Ingram: As you turn to the back page, I wanted to just give you two pictures that have been very helpful to me. One is a blank check. I want to tell you, please do not hear everything will be easy and wonderful and great. In fact, many of you will be tested. It may get worse before it gets better. The Holy Spirit would say, "Well, how’s it working for you your way?"

Today, pay to the order of Jesus Christ and there’s a date and you’ll write today’s date, and then you'll sign your name. There’ll be a sense of fear in your heart, but it’ll be a step of faith and you’ll say, "I’m all in, God. You can cash this. You can cash this with my future, you can cash this with my relationships, you can cash this with my finances, you can cash with my career, you can cash it with my geography. I will do whatever you want me to do. I believe you’re that good and that kind. And I actually believe that you could pick out what’s better for me than I could pick out for me."

Do you see how arrogant it is when we say to God, "Oh, I want your forgiveness and your salvation, but I’ll run my life because I’m way smarter than you. You created the universe, but look at me"? So I really want you to think: risk, reason, the decision making process.

What it means to fill out the check, I came across a small excerpt of a prayer by a lady named Ruth Myers. Just lean back, you can even shut your eyes. When you think about what it means for you to sign this check in just a moment, think of a prayer that might go something like this.

Lord, I’m yours. Whatever the cost may be, your will be done in my life. I realize that I’m not on earth to do my own thing or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I’m not here to indulge my desires or increase my possessions or to impress people, to be popular or to prove I’m somebody important or to promote myself. I’m not even here to be relevant and successful by human standards.

I’m here on this earth to please you. And so now I offer myself to you for you are worthy. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to you. I am yours by creation and I’m yours by the purchase price of your son on the cross that paid for my sin.

And so right now I give you my body and each of its members, my entire inner being. I give you my mind, my emotional life, my will, my loved ones, my marriage or my hope for marriage. I give you right now my abilities and my gifts, my strengths and my weaknesses, my health and my status, whether it be high or low.

I give you my possessions, my past, my present, and my future. And I even give you when you want to bring me home to be with you. I’m here to love you and to obey you and to glorify you.

Are you ready to take that step? It'll be the greatest decision you ever, ever make. And for some of you that are a little bored, if you play lots of video games, watch a lot of TV, have to go to a lot of movies, find yourself shopping or eating a lot, you know what those are? That’s symptoms of a life of boredom. That’s a symptom of nothing of genuine purpose and focus. That’s a symptom of medicating yourself with plastic pearl beads.

I had a little struggle growing up long before I was a Christian. I like adventure, I like excitement, I like risk. And so someone early introduced me to cards, so I played cards Friday night, gambled. And then I was fascinated with horse racing. So by my senior year, Tuesday and Friday nights, I played the horses.

I just can’t tell you the thrill that it is to put down $2, your very first bet, and win a $103 Quinella. Woo! I thought, what an easy way to make money. And so that sent me on a journey where I found myself about a year and a half later literally in the boy’s bathroom. I put my feet up on the commode so they couldn’t see me, and when the three linemen on the football team that I owed a few hundred dollars to were coming to collect in a very inappropriate way to my body, I decided to quit gambling.

I wasn't a Christian, wasn't anything spiritual to it. It was like, this is nuts, and I got a problem. But I have to tell you, when I turn on the old TV and the World Poker Texas Hold’em is on, I just have to check it out.

And here’s what I love because there’s a great principle. You know, it’s the final table. They got all these stacks, millions of dollars. The pot’s worth $14.7 million. Two low-hole cards, risk, mm, these are good cards. Reason, evaluating everything I’ve seen this guy do in response. Action, faith. You could probably finish it with me, right? I’m all in.

And then what happens? Electricity happens. The game completely changes. Then he steps up, he starts walking around. Why? Here’s why. Because something’s going to happen. There’s no reward until you get to the point where you say, "I’m all in."

He’s either going to get a bracelet and multiple millions of dollars or he’s going to lose. And I want to tell you that the God of the universe brought you in this room on this day for you to say to him, "I’m all in." And when you do, you will begin to experience power and excitement and challenge and purpose like you’ve never known because, just like in Texas Hold’em, the game never really gets interesting until you’re all in.

And my sad observation is the great majority of Christians I know are just trying to be nice people, trying to get a little bit better mobility for their family, trying to figure out how to balance all the demands, be a little bit more polite than most people, read their Bible now and then and come to church and put a little salve on the guilt of your soul.

And your heavenly father, I think with tears in his eyes, say, "Why won’t you taste the treasure?" Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. But those that come must believe that he is and that he’s a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

Father, as we bow our heads and you are working deeply and powerfully inside the hearts and minds of the people in this room, I pray that you would grant faith and courage to sign the check. Not just the perfunctory action of doing it in just a moment, but the signing of the check from their heart even with the fear and concern and say, "God, I’m yours. All I am, all I have, all I hope to be. You deal."

Lord, I pray for those that know that there’s real hard decisions that need to be made. That you’d give them the courage to mentally make that, to tell you in their heart right now what they’re going to do and find a trusted friend that they can share that with.

Lord, for those that this is the first time, God, I pray for supernatural grace. For those that have made this commitment before as they sign it, could you help them reaffirm and be reminded: this is what the Christian life’s all about.

And then finally, Lord, for those that in their heart of hearts just say in integrity, "I couldn’t sign that. I’ve got to deal with something. I’ve got to resolve a couple things." Lord, would you help them to be honest with themselves and honest with you and get help? We love you. Help us to want more of you. Help us to turn in our plastic pearls for the real thing. Amen.

Dave Druey: You’re listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and some challenging teaching about what it means to go all in with God. Chip will return shortly with closing thoughts. Want to hear this message again or share it? Well, find it online at livingontheedge.org.

For more than 30 years, Living on the Edge has helped believers move from casual Christianity to genuine discipleship. That’s our mission: equipping followers of Jesus to actually live like followers of Jesus. Not through guilt or religious obligation, but through clear biblical teaching that makes scripture practical for everyday life.

Right now, listeners across the nation are growing spiritually because of this ministry. Believers stuck in mediocrity are discovering what wholehearted faith looks like. People bored with plastic pearl religion are finding the real treasure. This impact multiplies because faithful partners make it possible.

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After three decades of ministry, we’ve learned this: biblical discipleship changes everything. When people really understand God’s word and how to live it out, their marriages transform, their parenting improves, their workplaces become mission fields, their whole lives align with God’s purposes. That’s the legacy you invest in when you give to Living on the Edge. Will you join our team today? Visit livingontheedge.org to give, or write to Living on the Edge, PO Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 303024. You can also call us at 888-333-6003. Now, here’s Chip.

Chip Ingram: Before we say another word today, I want to ask you a very important and life-changing question. Are you ready to take that step? Are you ready to say in your heart of hearts, "Lord, yes, I am afraid, but I want you to know that by faith, I’m all in"?

I’m signing the bottom of the check, I’m taking all the chips of my life and I’m pushing them to the center of the table and I want to say today all that I am, all that I have, all that I’ll ever be, they’re yours. Now lead me, guide me. I’ll address whatever you show me, but I can’t do it on my own. Lord, I’m telling you today, I want you to be the Lord of my life. I want you to have the same place at this very moment in my heart and my will that you have in the universe.

And God, I pray that you’ll be gentle. I pray that you’ll give me grace. And Lord, I choose today to say, "I’m all in." If you do that, would you email me here right here at Living on the Edge and then tell the greatest Christian you know what you’ve done? Because your life is about to experience a radical change and it’s probably going to get really good and really hard, maybe all at the same time.

Some of you have some really big decisions you need to make, some hard conversations, some steps to take. And what I want you to know: you are going to experience God’s power. He loves you, he’s for you. But brace yourself because you have now entered a world where power and life occur and where the enemy doesn’t want you to go. You’re all in. You’re a child of God.

Dave Druey: What does it mean to get God’s best for your life? I’m Dave Druey, inviting you to find out next time on Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.