Purpose FULL - Difficult Good, Part 2

Pain, hurt, hardship, disappointed with God. There is one thing you need to sustain you through it all. We'll cover it today on Living on the Edge.

Stay with me. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Druey and Chip's our Bible teacher for this international discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. In this program, we're wrapping up our new series led by Chip's son, Ryan Ingram, called Purposeful, Discovering God's Calling on Your Life. Before we begin, if you've been encouraged or inspired by this series, would you take a moment after this message and share it with a friend? You help us grow the impact of Living on the Edge when you tell others what you're learning.

You can share this message through the Chip Ingram app or by sending them the free MP3s at livingontheedge.org. Well, let's get to the second part of Ryan's message titled Difficult Good based in the book of Acts. I like how Gail Hyatt said it, said, people lose their way when they lose their why. Like, have you lost your why over the last year? Have you lost your why over your marriage? Have you lost your why with your work or why God's placed you there or with that friendship? Have you lost your why? He says people lose their way when they lose their why.

Get clear on your purpose. You know, a few years ago, it was a really dark season for me. I actually went through 18 month just depression. And yes, even pastors get depressed. And it just was a season that was so hard.

And honestly, my wife is the most amazing woman on the planet and she just put up with a lot with me and she really carried a lot of the weight. It wasn't like I was ever going like, you know, I just want life to be done. I just didn't care about life.

I didn't really see like if I died tomorrow, who cares? It's just a really dark place that endured is only through our counselor that even began to identify it. I didn't really know what was going on.

And it's interesting that I can be preaching and getting into God's word and still lose your why. There was a little, not little, but there was a crisis in our family in summer of 2019, some things that were coming up. And there's just some stuff with one of our kids that just required like me to engage as a dad in a way that I never engaged and even really never knew how to engage.

So like fight for our family. And what was so powerful about that moment is literally one of those things that shook my soul out of this like dark depression, because in that moment I saw the power of a father's voice in kids' lives. Dads, don't forget this. Sometimes we think as our kids grow older, they don't need to hear from us. No, they need us more. They need to know their love. They need to hear that you are so for them.

Your voice is powerful. Have you lost your why? Have you lost your purpose? See, when you're traveling through the difficulties of life, get clear on your purpose.

Get back to your why. The second thing the apostle Paul is going to say is recognize suffering has a purpose. It's not pointless. When life's difficult, recognize that suffering has a purpose. God is actually at work in the difficult seasons of life.

He's not the cause of the pain or the difficulty, but he will not waste your pain. Listen to what he says to the church in Rome. He says, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God, period.

And I wish he just stopped there, by the way, because isn't that great? Like, yes and amen. We boast in the hope of the glory of God. Awesome.

Thank you very much. But he goes on to something that is so foreign for us as the Western church, as Americans. Not only so, but we also glory in our, help me out, sufferings. We glory in our sufferings.

Why? Because we know that suffering produces something, produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope. And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

That there are some things in your life, listen, there are some things in your life that can only be reshaped through the crucible of pain. There's some of the character things that God wants to help form the life of Christ, of who you are called to be, and suffering plays a part in that. Suffering produces perseverance. That's the word hupomino, remaining under.

Picture, you know, almost of like a weight lifter that just remains under that weight, and through remaining under is strengthened. And as you endure, as you endure, then it produces the character, the Christ likeness, the godly life. That suffering has a purpose in your life. It's not pointless.

And Jesus is going, no, if you will surrender it to me, I want to produce something in you through this. I remember when we lived in Atlanta, and it was an incredibly hard time for us as a family. My job wasn't going well. It just was a rough season there. And then, and then we just had our desire, like Georgia was great, Atlanta's great, but we love California, love here, we grew up here. We wanted to be back.

We want to be by the ocean. And then my son, he was born, and from the get-go the doctors told us he's failing to thrive. A couple months after his birth, he was actually under his birth weight, still. And I mean, we're pumping him on like protein shakes and everything, and praying. And you ever have one of those? I mean, I'm in my mid-20s at this point, just crying out to God.

Never really gone through this much pain at this point in my life, so didn't really know what to do or how to do it. It's just hard. I'm going, man, my job sucks. We don't like where we live. My son, I can't even do anything about it. I can't change anything. I just get to hold this little bean and pray.

We were driving as a family downtown in the Buckhead area next to the mall. It's one of those days, it was just pouring down the rain. It basically looked how I felt. It's just dreary. It's just gloomy.

It's awful. And then I see on the scrolling marquee, and literally, I don't know if I just saw this, if God put that up there for me, or if this was really on a scrolling marquee in downtown Buckhead. But on the scrolling marquee at this mall, here's what it said.

It said, God does not bring a man into deep waters to drown him, but to purify him. And I just was like, oh my gosh. Because there's a purpose, and you're going to work, and this sucks.

Let's just call it what it is. But you've not left me. And he's not left you.

And he's in the middle of the difficulty with you. When life's difficult, we've got to get clear on our purpose. Recognize that suffering has a purpose. Next, the apostle Paul is going to say, your God-given calling is not limited by your circumstances. Your God-given calling, your purpose on this planet is not limited, is not hindered by your circumstances, by the problems, by the obstacles, by a pandemic.

It is not limited. Notice what he says to the church in Philippi. Now, remember the church in Philippi? The church in Philippi is where he was flogged and imprisoned. And then now he's actually in Rome, and he's in prison again. And he's writing back to the church.

And notice what he says. Now, I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me, house arrest, imprisoned, has actually served, not hinder, served to advance the gospel. As a result, it's become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I'm in chains for Christ. It served to advance the gospel.

Paul got to preach to the most elite soldiers of his day, the Praetorian Guard, who had incredible influence in Rome. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord. Because of my circumstances and my boldness, God is using this to embolden other people and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear. Your God-given calling is not limited by your circumstances. Difficult circumstances can actually serve to advance God's calling in your life. The unexpected problems, the detours, the stuff that you never wish to go through when you say, okay, God, I don't get it.

I don't understand it. But instead of throwing a pity party, which is our natural, let's just be honest, woe is me. See, I like how, I think how Ortberg said it. There's an important line and distinction between grief and self-pity. When you're going through those painful circumstances to grieve, that's absolutely.

But then when we cross that line to self-pity and woe is me and we get stuck. He says, no, no, no. Those circumstances will not hinder your calling or your purpose. It makes me think of someone that maybe some of you don't know. I'd encourage you to look this person up, do a little bit of research. Some of you know a gal named Joni Erikson Todd.

I was first introduced to her at college in Chicago where she came and spoke. Her story is an incredible story of circumstance that none of us would choose. That for most people you'd say, well, that's it. Quit.

Give up. Eek through life. Joni, when she was a young woman was having some fun with some friends and dove into a lake head first and broke her neck. From that day forward, she was a quadriplegic, only able to move her head and her mouth. She didn't say, well, that's the end.

Certainly struggled, certainly had challenging days. She decided to use her gift of art and painting and started to paint using her mouth. She would hold a brush in her mouth and begin to paint these paintings and realize that even though she doesn't have use of her limbs, she still has use by God.

It's amazing. In 1974, she actually wrote the story of her life and it released and became an international number one bestseller. Later, a movie of her life was made. She started a ministry, Joni and Friends, for the ministry to the disabled. It's been an incredible ministry that served thousands upon thousands of families all across the globe. She started a radio ministry called Joni and Friends Radio. President Reagan appointed her to the National Council of Disability in 1988.

She spoke at the Billy Graham Crusade, over 100,000, and has continued to this day. See, friends, if we would just expand our eyes and our scope, your God given calling is not limited by your circumstances. In fact, this is how Paul saw suffering. This is not how I see it. So let's be clear.

I want to see it this way. Paul saw suffering and difficulty not as a problem to be solved, but an opportunity to be stewarded. Let me say it again. He saw suffering and difficulty not as a problem to be solved.

And here's what I'm not saying. Don't pray that God would you heal this. God, would you take this away?

Absolutely. He had a thorn in his flesh. He prayed three times. God, take it away.

But he said it's an opportunity to be stewarded. You, Heavenly Father, are going to use this. I don't know how, but when it's surrendered to you, you will work through me even in this. When life's difficult, get clear on your purpose. Recognize suffering has a purpose.

Your calling is not limited by your circumstances. And finally, what's awaiting you? What's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through. When he writes back to the church in Corinth, if you have your Bible open, flip back a couple pages to 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 7. He says, but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not us. That we're just on display. Like that our lives get to display not anything about us, but the glory and the brilliance and the beauty of our Savior. And so he goes on, he says, we're hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.

We're perplexed, but not in despair. We're persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be also revealed in our body. Therefore, later on, he says, do not lose hearts. Though outwardly we're wasting away, inwardly we're being renewed day by day for our light and momentary troubles. Like when we understand what's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through. Like we get an internal perspective that life is way more than just about now. The troubles, they're light. Like no, it's been heavy, Ryan.

They're momentary. Now it feels like it's forever. Our achieving for us an internal glory that far outweighs them all. See, I think moms understand this better than most of us. You moms, you understand that what's awaiting you through the process of child birth is worth whatever you're going through. I remember when our first was born and you know, Jenny's giving birth and I thought that was a good time to make jokes.

The worst time, the worst time. I remember she's like, you know, in terrible, terrible pain. I'm like, yeah, you know, my back's really hurting too. I about lost my head and rightfully so.

See, there's something about that though. The pain of childbirth and how hard and how difficult and yet it's eclipsed in a moment when you see a mom hold their child for the very first time. That's the picture here that Paul's painting for us, that what's awaiting you in Jesus Christ, what's ahead of you is worth whatever you're going through. And so this is what he says, fix our eyes, not on what's seen, but what is unseen since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Fix your eyes on what's ahead so that you can endure what's now. Fight for an internal perspective in the midst of trials and hardships.

What's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through. That line I wrote down in 2019 through a season where I just felt like that was God's word to me. So I had that 18 month depression. I had, actually many of you remember, I had three concussions, broken nose, broken toe, and then the family stuff. I was tired. And honestly, anybody remember being excited for 2020?

Yeah, that was sweet. And yet the word of God remains the same. What's awaiting you, friends?

It's not in this moment. In Christ Jesus, you are an eternal being with a grand destiny in God's great universe. As we close today's program, I want to talk to two different people. The first is you're listening, you're in Christ and you're tired and you're weary and you're on the edge of giving up or giving in. I just want to encourage you, difficulty and suffering is not the end of the story. Don't give up and don't lose heart. You may be knocked down, but by God's grace, get back up.

You may have had the wind knocked out of you and I get it this year and maybe the last few years have knocked the wind out of you, but God will blow wind back into your life. In fact, I want you just to have this anthem or this refrain. Whatever you're walking through, whatever's too overwhelming. I want you to just bring this. This is your prayer.

Make it today and make it tomorrow and the next day. It's too big for me. Whatever you're going through, whatever you're experiencing, the hard that you're walking through, it is too big for me, but it is not too big for you. Would you just begin to say that? And so God, my marriage, the problem with my kids, you know, that internal thing that has just been overwhelming me, my anxiety and my depression, it's too big for me, but it's not too big for you.

And so I'm going to bring it to you today. Would you not give up? Don't lose heart. Fix your eyes on Jesus. The other are those who are listening and you've never stepped into a relationship with Jesus. And as I was talking and saying, what's awaiting you in Jesus is worth whatever you're going through. You're like, I'm not in Jesus. I want to be in Jesus. I want to know that I can have this confidence that whatever I'm going through is worth it. There's something awaiting me that God has good ahead of me.

And I think if you're in that place, you might be feeling this way. God could never love me. Man, if you really knew what I've done, what I've said, where I've been, God would never want me. I don't think he even likes me. Romans chapter five says, you see at just the right time while we're still powerless, why we could do nothing to change our own circumstances.

There's nothing we could do to fix it. Says that Christ died for us. Christ came for you.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his love for you, friend, that Christ died for you while we were still sinners. When we were at our worst, God gave his best. And in this moment, right where you're at, if you want to step into life in Christ, would you pray after me? Heavenly Father, I confess, I need you. I long for you to come into my life and make me new. I believe that at my very worst in all of me, you still love me and you gave your very best today. I put my trust and faith in you.

Would you come into my life and make me brand new today? I choose to follow you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus' name. Amen. Express this resource by calling 888-333-6003 or visiting LivingOnTheEdge.org and then clicking on the New Believers button.

That's LivingOnTheEdge.org or call 888-333-6003. Chip, in the last year to 18 months, we've all been through a lot. Some have made it through way better than others. Now, as you think about it, is there a common thread that sustained believers? I mean, something that's allowed them to not only survive, but actually thrive through this difficult time?

Dave, it's actually very simple. There's many, many, many Christians that are very sincere and they're in. I mean, they're in. They love God. They pray to receive Christ. They're in the Bible now and then. They're trying to be a good person.

They're kinder than the average person. But here's the deal. They're not all in. They haven't made that big shift from, Lord, I love you, and sort of on my terms, to that Romans 12 one moment of full surrender. And what I can tell you is it is a scary moment, but it is that moment of surrender, of going all in, that allows the power of God to give perseverance and perspective and answers to prayer. Well, Chip, that sounds like something we know could be, but unless we know how, it's hard to take that step. What are we doing to help people who are ready to say, okay, Lord, I'm ready to follow you.

No matter what, I'm all in. Dave, we've actually developed something that has been one of the most exciting things I've ever done in my life. It's called Daily Discipleship with Chip. And right now we're going through True Spirituality, Romans 12. And it's not a Bible study. It's not me teaching at people. It's me meeting one-on-one individually and mentoring people. It's walking through the barriers to surrender and how to study the Bible. And I speak never more than 10 minutes. And then I give them 10 minutes with a very clear outline to do some digging on their own.

And it's just for 17 days. At the end of it, what I see is people develop a habit. People walk with God on their own. And what I have seen is people learn to go from in to all in because their view of God gets bigger.

They can trust Him more. Life changed. Things that were barriers for years, whether addictions or struggles or relationship issues, over and over and over, I watch God melt those away.

Dave, maybe you could take a minute and why don't you tell them how they can get connected? Thanks, Chip. Well, we're so excited to share with you this new daily discipleship with Chip, True Spirituality, based in Romans chapter 12. Our heart behind this video series is to really help you dive into God's Word and discover how to more intentionally live out your faith. For 17 days, you and Chip will walk through what True Spirituality looks like and how you can put these truths into practice. If you're looking for the next step along your faith journey, let me encourage you to be a part of Daily Discipleship with Chip, True Spirituality. Pre-register for this study today and we'll send you our friend Lance Witt's devotional based on Romans 12 called, Leave Ordinary Behind at No Cost. Sign up now while this offer lasts by going to LivingOnTheEdge.org or by calling 888-333-6003 or go to LivingOnTheEdge.org.

App listeners, just tap discipleship. As we wrap up, I want to say thanks to those who make this program possible through your generous financial support. Your gifts help us create programs, purchase airtime and develop additional resources to help Christians live like Christians. Now, if you've been blessed by the Ministry of Living on the Edge, would you consider sending a gift today? You can call us at 888-333-6003, tap the donate button or donate online at LivingOnTheEdge.org. Your support is greatly appreciated. Well until next time, this is Dave Drewy saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.