Living on the Edge

Chip Ingram: Do you realize that God has made you like no other person in the entire world? That he has gifted you and prepared you to do a good work, a specific purpose that no one can fulfill just like you? Today, you'll learn how to discover that. Stay with me.

Dave Druey: I'm Dave Druey, and today on Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram continues our series called "The New You: Claiming Your Birthright as a Child of God." And he's addressing something that quietly poisons more lives than almost anything else: guilt.

Chip will draw a critical distinction between condemnation and conviction, explain why God obliterated your guilt at the cross, and show you what it means to be God's workmanship, his poem, his masterpiece. If you have your Bible, open now to Ephesians chapter 2, starting at verse 8. Here's Chip with today's message titled, "You are Beautiful."

Chip Ingram: So much of what you deal with, we deal with, so many of the relational issues, the struggles and the challenges, their root cause is guilt. There's true guilt, false guilt, there are guilt feelings, there's theological guilt, what's true of all of us. So in the front of your notes, let's define guilt before we get to the solution.

The literal meaning is it's a state of having committed an offense. Guilt in and of itself is you actually did something wrong. You violated a standard. In more common usage today, the psychological definition of guilt is an emotional response to the perception that we've broken a prohibition or fallen short of a standard.

By contrast, the opposite is true. Theologically, guilt is the moral and legal condition of all people prior to salvation. It's our personal accountability and the just condemnation for sin and transgressions against God's law. Prior to receiving Christ and him taking on our sin and us receiving his forgiveness, all mankind is guilty. After we've received Christ, God took our guilt, placed it on Christ, and he obliterated guilt.

God does not want you living with guilt. God has taken care of our guilt, and he has an antidote to guilt. He wants you to know that guilt is a formidable and complex foe. He wants you to understand the danger that sometimes you feel guilty when you shouldn't, and the even greater danger: sometimes you don't feel guilty and you really should. And so here is examining the universal problem. God wants to eradicate and obliterate guilt and guilty feelings so that you can live a free life.

Notice how he did it. This is his provision, this is his solution. Verse 8: "For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is a gift from God. It is not of works, so that no one can boast." Grace, the free, unmerited love of God that put Christ upon the cross after living a perfect life to be your substitute to pay for your sin, to atone. That's what the word means; he covered it.

All that you deserved and I deserved was placed upon Christ. The just condemnation and anger of God was placed on Christ so it shouldn't be on me. And just as I was imputed or given hereditarily the sin of Adam, now I get the imputed righteousness of Christ. That's who you really are. Our restoration can only begin, however, when we recognize the full extent of our need.

I think so many Christians, even people, come here to church, I think it's a lot of, "Hey, I want to be a better person, I want my kids to turn out right, I want a good life," and the music's good and you take good care of our kids, and the messages are kind of helpful for me to adjust around life, and some of them are even inspirational and motivational. But you've never crossed the line. You're still in control.

This is like, "Jesus help me so I can have my life the way I want it to figure out what I want to do because I know what's best about being happy." You haven't received the gift. You don't believe God is who he really is. You still subtly believe down deep in your heart that if you surrender all, if you say, "I'm going to follow him, I'm going to live out this life," that your income will probably go down, he'll probably ask you to do some hard and difficult thing. Is that what you would do with your kids?

His plans are best for you. But you have to reach the sense of your need. It's a gift. Some of you are just kind of outside of Christ and this is all kind of new and it sounds too good to be true. Remember our series on generosity? I wrote something down and I'm trying to live it out. I'm making progress inch by inch. And in that, I told you that I long to become known in heaven and on earth as an extraordinarily generous person, not that anyone would see it, but that was my prayer before God.

And so this was several weeks ago at Costco, and I was checking out. I was by myself, picking up some stuff, and it was very obvious the couple and small kid behind me were struggling financially. And they were trying to figure out, "Can we put this in or that in?" and they had a number of things. And so I pay my thing, and I said to the cashier, "Put theirs on mine. Just let me take care of that." And the guy heard me. "What? What?"

I said, "No, man. I've just been really, really blessed. I would be so honored if you would let me pay for yours. Just would love to bless you today." He said, "No, no, man. No, no." He wouldn't let me. Wouldn't let me. Why would anyone turn down $125 to $150 worth of groceries? He needed it. I knew he needed it. I heard him talking with his wife. Why? "I can do this myself. I don't need your help. I don't need charity." Pride, pride, pride.

How in the world could people turn down the gift of salvation? "I want the benefits, I want a little help, but I'm going to be in control." Guess what? That guy got to stay in control. Bless you, buddy. And not only that, he hurt my feelings. He did. Listen to your laughter as you hurt God's feelings. Are you willing to receive God's best, or are you so smart and so wise in yourself that you're going to stay in control? It is by grace that you're saved, yes, but notice: through faith. The source is 100% grace.

But the reception is through faith. All of your salvation is a gift, and it is apprehended or received by your action of faith. You trust, you believe, you transfer. Can I ask you, have you ever trusted Christ? Not just believed it's true, but have you received Jesus as your Savior? And if you haven't, today's the day. Don't walk out of this room until you just bow your head and say, "Am I going to be like the guy at Costco, or am I going to receive this free gift?"

The result: no condemnation. Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There's no guilt. All your guilt has been paid for. Now, here's the key. Here's what you're asking. If there's no condemnation and I don't have any theological guilt, why do I still have guilt feelings? Write two words in your notes. Write the word "condemnation" and write the word "conviction." We could call it instead of condemnation, you could actually call it guilt if we were thinking theologically. Let's just go with condemnation.

Dave Druey: You're listening to Living on the Edge, and there's more in just a moment. Did you know you can access every message in this series and hundreds of others completely free, anytime at livingontheedge.org? Whether you want to listen again, share a lesson with a friend, or explore additional resources on topics like identity, relationships, or spiritual growth, it's all right there. You'll also find small group materials and practical tools to help you live out what you're learning. It's all waiting for you at livingontheedge.org. Now, let's get back to Chip.

Chip Ingram: Does it make sense? Condemnation, conviction. Now, here's what many of us do. The goal of condemnation: you do something wrong, condemnation says, "I am a bad person." The author of condemnation is the enemy. He's the accuser of the brethren. Revelation 12:10. The goal of condemnation is to make you feel unworthy, a terrible person that makes you not want to get around God, not want to pray, and not make things right. That's condemnation. That's not from God. This is usually broad and generic: "You're a terrible father, you're a terrible pastor, you're a louse."

Conviction, the author is the Holy Spirit. Conviction is not "I'm a bad person" because you're a son or a daughter of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Conviction is "I had a bad behavior or a bad thought. I've sinned against God or someone." And the Holy Spirit is pointing this very specifically out. Over here, God is saying, "Your attitude toward one of your kids of unforgiveness is wrong, and that will produce poison in you and destruction in your relationship. Confess it to me, make it right with him."

"That television show, that site that you logged on, that third glass of wine, that eating that you had, I've already spoken to you about your attitude toward..." It will be very specific. The author's the Holy Spirit. The goal is that you specifically know what happens, and the response: if you confess your sins, it just means agree with God. You don't hide, you don't excuse, you don't complain, you don't blame. It's not my fault.

"You're right. I have a terrible attitude toward my son. You're right. I was harsh with my husband or my wife. You're right. Actually, I would call it a white lie, but it's a lie. You're right. I didn't do this at work when I said I did. I lied in the meeting. Will you forgive me?" And the Holy Spirit will draw you close to the Father because the goal is to reconnect your fellowship with God. When we mess up in God's family, he doesn't kick us out of the family. He brings it to our attention so he can draw us back close to him so that we can get the very best and become the most Christ-like son or daughter.

He shows us something, we bury it. We just bury it. We feel guilty and our warped view of God, you think God's down on you, so you don't pray, and you don't apologize to your wife or your son, and you don't deal with the issue. And you push it down. And then you push it down. And then because when you have guilt, real guilt, it does something in your soul.

But three or four beers or a couple shots or a joint or some shopping or, in my case, work sort of covers it over for just a little while. But you always have to come back and face you. And pretty soon, you can live a life where your conscience, that little antenna God has given you to say right or wrong, yes or no, becomes seared and bent. And that's why many Christians can literally feel no guilt and yet their finances demonstrate they're in complete disobedience to God. They can feel no guilt and yet be sexually active or logging onto pornography in direct disobedience to God.

Here's the problem. That will bring about destruction in your life and your relationships, and it will break God's heart. In the whole story of the prodigal son, was he's just looking for sons and daughters just to come back. Are you ready for this? It's amazing the weight that comes off. "I blew it." But it can't be a secret. You've got to confess it to God and to someone safe where healing occurs.

And then the exciting part is embracing the beauty of God's recreation. Notice there's another reason. For we've been saved by grace, well, the reason for, you are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do. Circle the word "workmanship." We get our word "poem," it's the picture of a tapestry, it's the picture of an artist or a potter, and he's made something magnificent.

You now in Christ are not only wanted and secure and valuable and competent, you're beautiful. And God says from the foundations of the earth I created you. And then yes, there was disobedience and you were separated from me. Now I've rescued you. And so on two counts: one, I made you. Your eye color, your height, your personality, all of that I actually dig it, I love it, like I'm the author. And now your inner qualities, I see you through my son Jesus. You're beautiful.

You're this tapestry that's being woven. And the back side has a lot of knots and there's a lot of problems and there's a lot of struggles, but I just want the front side, it's getting more and more and more beautiful and that's what I see. Jot down if you will, you are his masterpiece. And then notice, you're uniquely gifted and beautiful in your inward character and your outward appearance in God's eyes.

As you go to the back page, there's a very specific way for you and me to see ourselves. The top two lies that we believe in this area is that "I'm a bad person. My past mistakes and guilty feelings confirm that I'm dirty, ugly, and unlovable." You would be shocked how many people in this room feel that way. "I'm a bad person. Not I'm a good person in God's eyes who does some occasional bad things, I'm a bad person. I feel ugly, I feel unlovable." Guess what? When that's the view of you, you talk about problems in every relationship.

And people that have been abused, emotionally or especially sexually, this is how they see themselves. It's a lie. The second lie is, "If only I could be as beautiful and talented and morally pure as [you fill in the person], then I would be happy." But here's the truth you review: "My soul, the real me, my physical appearance, my natural talents, and my personality, in their unchanging aspects are beautiful in God's sight. He is my designer and maker." Why? Listen carefully. You are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works.

As we close, I was trying to figure out how to communicate and process this and I jotted something in my journal that at least maybe will give some of you some hope. And here's after this passage and studying it I wrote: "I confess Jesus that so very often I think and emote and ponder all of this like some theoretical truth or mathematical equation: that you died for my sin and in my place. You rose from the grave, you conquered death, sin, and Satan. And now what's true of you is true of me. And by faith, I've put my trust in your work on the cross and resurrection."

"And indeed all that is 100% true, but the reality that correct doctrine doesn't reach into my heart and the depth of my heart in being and emotions until I grasp afresh you, the fully human man with human pain and grief, exhaustion and anguish. It's not God the force, it's God the person. You voluntarily suffered this pain: emotional nearly a breakdown, relational betrayal, desertion by your closest friends, and the worst of all, the rejection by your Father."

"And in that moment, you allowed all my sin and the sins of everyone else to be placed on you, and the anger of the Father was justly toward evil. Not just the principle or the philosophy, but real evil in each one of us. And you did all that to bring Chip Ingram, one human being made in your image, fallen, insecure, fearful, guilty, and completely unworthy into a safe, secure, eternal relationship of incomprehensible love and acceptance. Filled now with purpose and power and gifts."

"And to think that my older brother, the Lord Jesus says without any shame, he's my friend. I confess so often I fail to remotely grasp this new life and the reality of this process. But even when I faintly begin to even get a glimpse, it births some overwhelming gratitude and I have this compelling desire to obey you and to honor you because of your love, not because of my guilt. And I want to love others more and more and treat them the way you do, regardless of how they look or what they've done or what they believe."

"Please enlighten me further that the eyes of my heart might know you, Jesus, better and better and better as you are, and as a result, I might see myself more and more as you see me." It's a journey, folks. You don't have to live a guilt-ridden life. Holy, holy Father, I'd ask you in this moment for those who have not received Christ and accepted your gift, that in their seat or on their screen or as they're listening, driving somewhere at some time, that in this very moment they would turn to you with all their heart and in desperation admit their need, confess their sin, and ask you to come into their life right now and forgive them and purpose by your power and your grace to walk with you.

And Lord, I pray that you would allow the fact that there is no more guilt for those that are in Christ Jesus to sink in like never before. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Dave Druey: This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram and a powerful message simply titled "You are Beautiful." Chip has a special follow-up to this message coming up in just a moment, so stay with us. For over 30 years, Living on the Edge has existed to bring this kind of teaching to people who need it: in their cars, in their homes, in the quiet moments when they know something has to change.

That happens because partners like you believe this mission matters, and every program that lands at just the right time in someone's life exists because you said yes. If this ministry has been part of your walk with God, join us as a monthly partner or give your first gift today and we'll send you Chip's brand-new devotional, "Growing Deeper in Christ," as our thanks.

Just a few minutes in Scripture each day, one step at a time, letting God's truth move from your head all the way down to your heart. Sign up or give your first gift online at livingontheedge.org or call us at 888-333-6003. You can also mail your gift to Living on the Edge, PO Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 30302. Well, Chip's Bible teaching is available Monday through Friday as well as the weekend. But if you ever miss a message or if you want to listen on your own schedule, just subscribe to the Living on the Edge podcast, where you can check out full-length messages from Chip and take them with you wherever you go. Subscribe today. Now, for those of you who shared that prayer with Chip at the end of the message, he has a special word for you.

Chip Ingram: For those of you who just prayed with me, all of heaven is rejoicing right now because you have passed from the kingdom of darkness into God's kingdom of light. Your eternity with God and everyone in heaven is a done deal. Your eternal life begins right now. Yes, you have a lot to learn and maturity is a journey, but I want you to know that right now because of the blood of Jesus Christ and you placing your faith in what he has done, that you are now his child.

It's the reason Jesus came. It's the reason he lived his life before us and showed us what the Father was like and died in your place and my place to pay for our sin and rose from the dead to prove that it's true. And for others, this is not the first time the Lord has really spoken to you. But you keep resisting. You keep getting up to that line and you know deep in your heart, "This is what I need to do," and then you think of all the implications of what people would think and what might have to change and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And internally you say something like, "Well, maybe I'll do it later," or "I'm sure I'll do it later." And inaction is saying to God, "No, thank you."

Let me read a passage from the book of Acts. It says, "God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man that he has appointed," speaking of Jesus. So let me encourage you on this day to seriously ponder your life. And here's a prayer. Just say to God, "God, I want to believe. Reveal yourself to me in a way that I can understand." And then have your eyes open. Pursue him, be open. God will answer that prayer. He's always looking for people that are honest and sincere. He promises, "Seek me and you'll find me if you search for me with all your heart."

Dave Druey: I'm Dave Druey, and that's all our time for today. We'll see you again next time for more clear, insightful Bible teaching here on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.