Breakthrough - Courage - The Catalyst to Breakthrough, Part 1

What is it that gives you the will to stay in the fight when every fiber in your body wants to quit? What gives you the strength to keep on keeping on when you just want to lay it all down? What is it that gives you what you need when you're scared to death and yet you step out and do exactly what God wants you to do? Well, it's one word, courage. Courage is doing what needs to be done, even in the face of your fears.

How do you get it? That's today. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip's our Bible teacher on this international discipleship program, and I'm Dave Druey. Courage is a tough one, isn't it?

I mean, we hope we have it, but the fact is there's lots of things that get in the way. So in this message today, Chip takes a look at some of the things that block courage. He's going to use a lot of scripture, so if you have a Bible, get it handy. And just before we get started, let me encourage you to try using Chip's message notes while you listen. They'll give you his outline, scripture references, and lots of fill-ins that'll help you remember what you're learning. Chip's notes are a quick download at livingontheedge.org under the Broadcasts tab.

App listeners just tap fill-in notes. Okay, here's Chip now with his message, Courage, the Catalyst to Breakthrough. Mark chapter 6, 5,000 people were fed. Notice what Jesus does. He sends the disciples off. Immediately, Jesus had his disciples get into the boat to go ahead of him. Well, he dismissed the crowd, and after they left, he went up on the mountain to pray.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. And this, by the way, when you're ready to take some steps for God, I mean, notice the disciples get on the journey, and there is a stiff wind, and they're straining at the oars. That's what it's like when you start taking steps for God. And so about the fourth watch of the night, he went out to them, and this is trying to increase their faith, so he's walking on the water, and as he comes by and has decided to pass by, they see him and think he's a ghost, and they're terrified. Immediately, he spoke to them, and notice what he says to them. He says to them, he says to us, you're taking a step, you want to do what God wants you to do, and you're thinking, yes, okay, we're going to go to counseling, or okay, oh, my lands, you know, I'm going to really go public in this situation. I'm going to share my faith with this person, or you know what, I'm going to confront this issue with one of my kids, and I'm scared to death because maybe she's going to... And what's he say to him? Take courage. It is I.

Don't be afraid. Now, we're in Mark's gospel, and Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what's called the synoptics, and they're speaking to different audiences. And so Mark is written to the Roman audience, Luke to a Greek audience, and Matthew to the Jewish audience, and so they all tell the same story, but they add all correctly the full picture, but in ways that help their audience understand. And so Matthew, during this exact same time, he adds something. And he lets us know that right when Jesus is walking on the water and is going to pass by, Peter, you know, I love Peter.

He's like impulsive, let's give it a whirl, what the heck. You know, you only live once. Lord, if it's you, tell me to come. And so Jesus says come. And so Peter takes, you know, it's like, this is amazing. He walks on the water, I walk on the water, and then his courage evaporates, and he sees the wind and the waves, and there's fear. He starts to sink, and literally, quick prayer, save me. And Jesus reaches out, pulls him up.

They get into the boat. They worship him. And that metaphor, that picture of stepping out unto uncertainty, which if God doesn't show up, you're paralyzed by your fear, and you don't do it, is courage. And Jesus is gonna use this little picture, and then the author is gonna take us through a series of barriers to break through.

Because in your life, I can tell you this. God wants you to get out of the boat, and I don't know what the boat is for you, but he wants you to get out of the boat of your fear and take a step of courage, and that's the catalyst for the power of God. The issue is not does God have power. The issue is not is he willing to help you. He wants to, but the issue is do you have the courage rooted in faith to take the step that even when you can't see what's gonna happen, to obey and then watch him work.

What keeps us from taking that sort of dynamic step that causes the chain reaction of God's power to come into our life? Now, I want you to know that sometimes, you know, when we teach the Bible or when I read it, I'll get into one passage and just a paragraph, and I'll spend all of our time there, but what we miss often is that the author has put sometimes story after story and miracle, and he'll let you know it all fits together, and he wants you to see the structure of what's happening, so that's what I'm gonna do. My prayer is that you read chapter six through chapter nine a little bit later today and, you know, put your feet up and get a glass of iced tea. I'll give you the highlights and I'll narrate it because what I want you to catch is the big picture.

Barrier number one, courageous steps that overcome this barrier, our first barrier is our traditions. We open it up in Mark chapter seven. The context is they get out of the boat, and now you need to know that things are swarming. Look at the very end of chapter six. If you have your Bible or iPad, whatever you're using, look at the very end of chapter six.

Peter's walked on the water, he's now fallen in, they're in the boat, they get to shore, and when they get to shore, notice this very carefully. People are running to villages and places all over and every single person who brings them to the marketplaces, anyone who touches Jesus that says all of them are healed. Jesus is communicating, I am the good shepherd. He's doing these miracles to let people know I want to help you. And physical healing is a way, you know, he lets them know I'm here, I'm the healer, I love you, I'm for people.

And so his popularity is mushrooming. And now the religious leaders are threatened and so we pick up that story in chapter seven. The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who'd come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and they saw that some of his disciples were eating with hands that were not washed. The Pharisees and the Jews always washed their hands ceremonially when they came back from the market before they ate in a special time.

So this is not like wash your hands for germs. This was a spiritual issue. There was a tradition that, you know, when you went out into the market and you were around those Gentiles and all the evil in the world, you should clean yourself.

Now you can scan the passage, but I'm gonna tell you what's in it. Seven times the word tradition is there. The tradition of the elders, the tradition of the elders, the tradition of men. Tradition, tradition, tradition, tradition. And basically what they say is, you know, you're not playing by the rules and for years and years and years we've been told we have these rules made by men and Jesus says your traditions nullify the truth of the word of God and Isaiah was right.

Look in the text. What's he say? Isaiah was right.

Your lips say one thing, but your hearts are far from me. And he said you have your traditions and then he points out that you actually, the barrier of your tradition keeps you from obeying what God actually says. And so by that time the Pharisees who were very greedy, by the way, and very religious, so a lot of things haven't changed, people were to support their parents in their old age like we're supposed to.

And what the Pharisees did is they came up with a new tradition as just say the money is korban or dedicated to God and so you would keep the money and you wouldn't have to support your parents and Jesus just rips them. And he says your traditions made by men, your rules made by men nullify the word of God. And then he says you know anything, no food is unclean.

If you're thankful for it, it goes in you because everything you put in your mouth, it comes out of you eventually. He's pretty graphic here. He says if you wanna know what makes you unclean, it's what comes out of your mouth because that's what fills your heart. Greed, malice, envy, sexual immorality.

Using people, corruption. He said it's the things in your heart, that's what separates you from God. And what all of us have is we have some baggage and traditions and rules that we have equated with scripture over time and it's a barrier. It keeps you and keeps me from stepping out and being courageous.

The fear of man because people tell us well you have to do it this way all the time. I was getting interested in Teresa. Many of you know she was not a Christian and was married before. She would find out later that her husband was having an affair with another woman for about a year that she was unaware of.

She got pregnant with twin boys and when he found out that, he left with another state with another woman. She was absolutely just devastated and her boss a few weeks later led her to Christ and after multiple attempts to contact him and bring restoration a couple years later there was nothing. And so she got a divorce and had two little boys and I met her when the boys were just, she came in a Bible study.

Two and a half, three years later. And so I certainly was attracted to her but a young woman with two kids was not on my radar so I began to pray that God would give her a husband. I prayed for two years. I just didn't have any idea that I would be like the answer and it was really hard because at that point in time I was a basketball coach and I was a teacher and we were doing this college ministry and then I got this like oh my gosh, God you gotta be kidding.

You want me to be like a pastor or a missionary or something and little by little Teresa became one of the most godly women I'd ever met and I got to know those kids and God said, okay I want you to, this is my plan. Well you know I checked with my parents and had their support but in that day as is important, divorce is not like for any reason, any time, any way. God hates divorce.

He wants us to be together. But when you're abandoned by an unbeliever or on grounds of infidelity God provides measures for people who are the victim. But I had a spiritual leader that we have now reconciled all this but he told me I don't believe in divorce. He said if my wife died I would still not remarry. You get one shot, one person and I'd been around my spiritual leader in this group for about seven years and I mean the tradition of this group was that's the way it is.

And I remember agonizing. We fasted and prayed and prayed and fasted and oh God I read every book on the subject. I looked at every verse and it was real clear what the Bible said is you know she's an unbeliever. She's abandoned by an unbeliever. It was immorality.

Here's what the Bible says but this group's tradition. And so this man's wife went out for coffee with my wife and said if you marry Chip you'll destroy his life. God has his hand on Chip's life and he'll never use Chip's life if you all get married.

It's a lot of pressure. And I agonized and I just realized one day you know I'm gonna give an account for my life before the judgment seat of Christ and it was a real breakthrough for me because that was the beginning of a series of decisions that said what other people think can't dictate what I do. The fear of man is a snare but blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

It's Proverbs 29, 25. And you know there's some of you that you know exactly what you ought to do and you don't do it because of your tradition. You have a history as I've talked with one guy recently. You have a history that you know your great great grandfather, grandfather, grandfather they're Buddhist or they're Hindu or they're moderate Muslims. Or you know God has been speaking to you and you know that you're walking with him now and you need to go public with your faith and you really haven't but it's you know I don't wanna do that because you know my family or my parents you know they think that you know I got baptized as a kid even though I wasn't a Christian and God's speaking to me but I just don't want the hassle.

My mom, my dad, it'll offend them. You know for others it's just you know the tradition. You know my faith is really private and you know I don't wanna go too public with that. I don't wanna be fanatical and that's sort of part of the tradition in our family. We really love God but we're not real public about it and God says go into all the world and share the gospel.

I love people and you're my agent and that tradition holds you back. Jesus said you want courage? You wanna believe?

Then look at some of the man-made rules. The second one he says there's a barrier of our unworthiness. Right after this, it's interesting, the issue is whether you're unclean and right after this Jesus is trying to get a little R&R if you will. I mean he's been bombarded by all these people, all the, they want his time, they want his energy and so he gets away, verse 24, Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and didn't want anyone to know it.

Yet, he could not keep his present secret. In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little girl was possessed by an evil spirit came, fell on her face and she begged him to heal his little girl. And so this is a woman the author wants to know, she's a Gentile, Greek origin, she's a woman, she breaks in, she's uninvited, she does everything wrong, but she's passionate.

And the conversation goes, as you read a little bit later, and he says, look, I came for the house of Israel, the Jewish nation, and the Gentiles were called dogs in that day in a slang term. And Jesus I think testing her says, you know, I came for the children and not for the dogs and her answer of faith was, even the dogs after the children eat get to come in and get the crumbles under the table. And basically what she's saying is, you know what, I believe in you, and I don't have any hope, but I don't care what anyone says, I don't care, I'm coming and I need your hand. And then the text says, daughter, go home.

You've answered well, your faith, your daughter's well. But you know, if I was one of those disciples, I would say that woman is unworthy. I mean, number one, I mean culturally, and she's not a Jew, and I mean, she rolls herself on the floor and she begs and, and you know there's, for some of us, you have this little lie.

Yeah, I think this is probably true. Not for Chip, or maybe a pastor or missionary, or you know, you know some Christian you think's really hot stuff and really lives a life. Yeah, I bet God does that, but not for me. And so you know what, you don't take any step out.

You know what, your fear of disappointment. I'm afraid if I take a step out and, I'm unworthy, God, he wouldn't do for me what he does for some other people. And so Jesus very clearly says, you know something, I love impartially.

I'm for you, do you believe? The third barrier is the barrier of our deafness. Right after this, we read that a group of people come and they have a friend who's deaf and mute and they bring him to Jesus.

Look at your text, they beg him, notice the pattern. The people at the end of chapter six, they brought their friends and they begged Jesus to heal. The woman comes and she begs for her daughter and now they come and they beg for their friend. He can't hear and he's a mute. And so Jesus takes him aside out from the crowd, he heals him. Some of us, you can't hear from God. You think, you know, I would take a step of faith or I would have a breakthrough, but you know what, I'm afraid because God doesn't speak to me the way he speaks to other people.

I don't wanna go public with what I really believe and why because people will ask me questions and I don't know how to answer them. You think you're deaf, you think there's some special thing that other people know about this book and every single day, this book that God speaks to ordinary people is available and the great majority of Christians never open it. They depend on people like me to, you know, give you 30 or 40 or 50 minutes of a little bit of truth and then you're on this journey of trying hard to be a good person.

Totally missed the point. The living God who created the world says, this word is alive and I'll speak to you about you and about me and I will give you promises and I'll give you direction and I'll show you what to do with one of those kids and work and what to do when you're single and what to do when you're depressed and what you do when you're struggling and what to do at work and when and how to do what but you've got to listen to me because see faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God and he's saying to his disciples because the goal of all these things as the author writes this, the real goal is not just to help these people. These disciples are gonna get the ball and the mission to take it to the world and they did or we wouldn't be here. He wants them to learn. He wants them to learn. You know what?

No one is unworthy no matter what you think. He wants them to learn. I'll speak. I'll speak and I'll open people so they can then after hearing they can speak and then we get the fourth barrier.

It's not just our deafness but it's our lack of resources. How many of us said you know I would really do that? You know I'd like to go on a missions trip but you know if I take the time off I don't have the money or you know I see that that's a really big need and I would love to help people but you know I don't have that kind of money and so we saw the feeding of the 5,000 in the Jewish arena. Now we have the feeding of the 4,000 but it's a Gentile audience. It opens up in chapter eight. During those days another large crowd gathered and since they had nothing to eat Jesus called his disciples to him and said I have, are you getting this? I have compassion.

The word is splachna. It comes from down deep in your gut. It's visceral. Jesus sees the needs of people.

Gentile, Jew, hurting, moral, immoral. Jesus sees the needs in something deep inside of him because of who he is as God. He just cares. And compassion is not sympathy. It's not like I feel for them.

Compassion in scripture 100% of the time leads to action that actually helps people. And so he says I have compassion for them. They've been with me three days. It's like a rock concert except different. It's like three full days and they're hearing him teach. But there's no porta potties. There's no food. And he says the three day seminar is over and I'm gonna send them home and many of them haven't eaten.

They're gonna faint along the way. Notice he doesn't say to the disciples, he doesn't say you feed them. He just presents the issue. He just presents, you know, here's people that have a need. We ought to do something. And you know I can just hear Peter to John. You know he did it once.

You think he can do it again? What are we gonna do? And they go back to the same old thing and they don't know what are they gonna do and of course they bring what they do have because that's what God wants.

The breakthrough comes not when you have it all figured out, not when if I do this, this, and this, not when everything gets lined out, then I'm gonna do it. You bring what you do have to the supernatural power of the living God who lives inside of you as a follower of Christ and you say I'm gonna courageously step out because I believe you'll provide. And so 4,000 people get fed and then the disciples get cleaned up duty again and guess what happens? There's seven baskets this time because for the Gentile or the Greek world the word seven is a perfect number and they pick it up and it's not lost on the disciples and they're realizing he's not just the Messiah for the nation of Israel.

He's a light to the Gentiles. Jesus came to save and forgive all people and he'll provide. And I wonder how many times those of us, God shows us a need, need at a local school, a need with an unwed mother, a need with sex trafficking, a need with some people that can't make their house payment, a need with some people and we say you know God I would really help out but I don't have the resources. What's God saying? Courage is the catalyst to breakthrough. Take what you do have, take a step and start meeting some need and then what you see, God will show up.

He'll draw other people. I mean all those great stories we have of miraculous things that happen, they don't happen to people that are waiting for God to line everything up. They happen to people who step out and often don't know how it's gonna work. In fact that's part of making room.

I meet with old and young people and get talking and after a while for whatever reason people sort of get honest with me which I really like. And I've met a lot of older people who are living together, who are not married and basically tell me things like you know we know this really isn't right and we can't believe that you know this is how we're living but if we get married we only get one social security check. And so you know it's just a sheet of paper you know and God understands really.

You know what they're really saying? The God who created the universe and has the power to raise the dead and take care of everything for them, he just isn't having the power to provide for what they need each month. Talked to another guy recently who was telling me about he works in a tough area and the only way that from his mind you can make it in this tough area in this tough economy is that he pays some people checks and some people cash so he doesn't have to report.

And he casually turns to me and we're good buddies and I like him a lot and I think he was sort of maybe looking for a pass. You know in this day and age the only way you can do it you know the government's ripping us off for all this and I'd have to pay this this this and this and you know so I gotta pay him cash because the workers comp alone would be XX dollars. Now do I agree with necessarily how much you have to pay as a business owner and all the rest? That's not the point. But you can trust God you're telling me I can trust God to forgive my sins, rise from the dead, create a heaven and create the world but if I'm honest about my taxes there's no way he could give me more business and take care of that. Do you understand God is on the edge of his throne and he wants a breakthrough to happen for you and you're basically saying I'm not taking a step because I don't think he'll provide and your financial worldview has you living in a situation where you don't experience God's power. You don't experience answers to, you know what God doesn't play games. He doesn't provide breakthroughs over here when he says now this is true and right and this is what I want you to do and you say well thanks I take that as a really good opinion and I'll consider doing that.

That's not how it works. Obedience is a channel through which blessing flows. You've been listening to part one of Chip's message, Courage the Catalyst to Breakthrough from his series Breakthrough Unleashing God's Power into Impossible Situations. When you need a supernatural intervention this series is a powerful resource that will help you find the direction you're looking for. From the first step to a new normal Breakthrough is a life-changing series not to be missed.

Now to get all the messages and really dig in there are both audio and video options for you including online streaming with a study guide. For previews and ordering details check out Breakthrough at LivingOnTheEdge.org special offers on the Chip Ingram app or give us a call at 888-333-6003. Well Chip we've been talking a lot for the last several days about monthly partners and you know I think a lot of people probably feel like you guys are doing great things and I'd love to help but I can't afford much and I don't see how my little bit would make much difference. I mean what would ten or twenty dollars really do? Dave you know a lot of people think that but the fact of the matter it's not just a person giving say ten dollars or twenty-five or thirty or fifty or whatever they think seems to be insignificant with the huge needs that there are to help people here and around the world it's the combined efforts. I mean think right at this moment I mean over a million people are going to list on a radio broadcast a podcast or on the app I mean a million people if just a few thousand say if ten thousand gave ten dollars a month can you imagine what we could do here and around the world? So I just want to encourage some of you who just don't feel like you have enough to give or it wouldn't make much of a difference would you pray and say Lord I will just give whatever you would lead me to give and could you know when you do that it's a lot like the widow's mite God will honor it and we'd be very grateful.

So true Chip thank you. Well if partnering with Living on the Edge is an idea that makes sense to you whether it's a little bit or a lot we'd love to have you join us. Helping Christians live like Christians will change the world we live in and whatever we do together will be way more than we could ever do on our own. Now to become a monthly partner call us at 888-333-6003 that's 888-333-6003 tap the donate button on the app or donate online at livingontheedge.org and let me thank you in advance for whatever the Lord leads you to do. As we wrap up today I think to boil it all down maybe the easiest way to say it is this a lot of things get in the way of breakthrough. So it's understanding those barriers it's realizing that we have to overcome them breakthroughs mean that you have to get out of you have to get through certain things and of course that's where it requires courage. And you know we talk spiritually often about you know coming to the end of yourself I do want you to know that is where it's at I mean when Jesus said take up your cross and follow me I mean we sort of spiritualize that now those words were like you mean die you mean let go you mean no matter what and that was exactly what he was saying and let me give you a picture of how breakthrough works it was in my lowest moment of the COVID virus all of us have had probably a couple days or a lot more where I thought boy my mental health is bad I'm thinking not good thoughts I'm discouraged I'm pessimistic I'm negative I'm angry inside I'm resentful and in the midst of all that it was okay God I just can't do this anymore and the Lord said well why don't you think of some people that have a more difficult situation get your focus off yourself and help them and you know I was praying for a breakthrough I was praying for oh God help me and so to make a very long story short I knew that things were really challenging in the Middle East I scheduled a zoom call with the head of all the churches in Egypt who has become a friend I asked him how he's doing and he just said Chip it's we feel like the government is doing a great job but the pastors are barely surviving and in the course of the conversation I said you know I've actually been sort of pondering a little series on the art of survival and he goes oh send it to me I said no no I'm just pondering it I haven't even written it yet I haven't filmed it yet and he goes well when can you get it done and I out of sheer obedience when I didn't feel like it I call someone to encourage him and as he said that it was like a light went on inside of me I got in an empty room I looked into a camera and I did all three messages we put a webinar together with all those people from all those churches it got translated then we put it in print and gave it to them and I thought oh my lands what a breakthrough and then the head of international said no Chip you don't get that's the beginning and then it was 300 cities in India then it was across Africa then it was Latin America not because I was smart not because I had a great vision it's because I got to the very end of myself and in my desperation God took my weakness and he displayed his power and that's what he wants to do in you it may not be quite that dramatic but it might be more dramatic could I encourage you just right now unless you're driving shut your eyes and open your hands with empty palms and say God I'm at the end of me I can't make this marriage work I can't straighten these kids out I can't find a job I can't get this church back on its feet God I'm desperate desperate desperate I can't pay my bills God I can't break this addiction and you in open palms cry out to God and with the positioning that I will do whatever you say and you sit quietly and as you listen to the Spirit of God just obey that's where you'll find breakthrough and power now by his grace go do it You know a great way to stay engaged and connected to Chip and Living on the Edge is with the Chip Ingram app you'll get free access to all of Chip's recent messages his message notes and much more and not only that but it couldn't be easier to call or email directly from the app we'll be with us again next time when Chip continues his series Breakthrough until then this is Dave Druey saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge