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May 30, 2019 6:00 am
Let me ask you today, are you a glass half empty person for glass half-full. You know, we kinda joke about that but when you look at life in circumstances, you tend to look at the positive upside potential of the negative side, you may not think it makes much difference but after today's broadcast. You might learn all different. Welcome to this Thursday edition of Living on the Edge Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry the Bible teaching of Chip Ingram the brewery for today.
Chip begins a new series called I choose joy in this first message he asks a foundational question. How can we develop the kind perspective that allows us to transcend our circumstances and choose joy no matter what you have a Bible open it dealt with Philippians chapter 1. Let's join Chip for his message. Understanding the power of focus, you know, it's pretty easy to choose joy when things are going well, but it is pretty tough to choose joy when circumstances are very, very difficult to learn. This series is that it really is a choice that God will give us everything that we need, regardless of how devastating the circumstances I want when it's really really hard. It's just easy to look inward to fall into self-pity and is what your life spiraled down, when learning doesn't have to be that way but we'll talk about the power of focus. I brought little pitcher of water and we took a little contest. If I said is the picture half-full or is the picture half-empty. The answers yes right.
Some people will spend their entire life.
No matter what's happening focused on what they don't have what's wrong what they wish were better on and on and on with what they don't have what God hasn't provided and what they think would bring joy and happiness.
Other people have learned to focus on what they do have and they recognize that everybody's life has some emptiness. Everybody has struggles. Everyone's going to suffer.
Everyone has some problem relationships everyone eventually will have some health issues.
Everyone has struggles at work.
They either define you or you learn how to focus and to think and to trust God in such a way in order to choose joy.
Pull out your notes if you will.
And I gotta tell you a true story that at times I can hardly believe it's true. He was a neighbor. He was a friend. We got pretty close. Got to talk about a lot of things in in private conversation at this point he wouldn't care that I share this.
He was a backslidden Christian. I mean, he knew God, he used to go to church regularly used to serve in the church and he kinda had slid away from all of that and poor guy got you know his new neighbor was a pastor me and so we get to know one another and he's a great guy, very gregarious and just live right across the street from Teresa myself. And so he's out in the yard. We got to know each other well and I'll never forget the day that he got a phone call walked out in the yard and he had found out that someone had.
He was a cabinetmaker and I mean top-of-the-line cabinetmaker and put in these mean super expensive captains into the super luxury homes and he had hundreds of thousands of dollars of his cabinets. They'd already made there was going to be putting in these homes, along with his material and someone arson his warehouse. He lost everything. It had no shirt and II saw them out in his front yard and he looked like someone literally had had just died and he went into clinical depression.
He ended up having to go to the doctor. I remember I would take walks around the block and he had a big bay window.
If you've ever seen someone like sit in a chair like this, I mean life was over he had. I mean, it was everything he had was gone. Fast forward three and half years is a pretty resilient guy. Quite the entrepreneur and so he built his business up again and got another big contract made a bunch of money again and you know there's people to come to have this gift and so he's got Unitech 12 or 14 master craftsman's and he's got another big set of super luxury homes and he is a big warehouse again.
Are you ready you got anybody feeling what's coming here so one of its employees because you know they really love them is great get longer so he goes in to help out, and so he sweeps up all the sawdust and then there was one of those things you torchwood you know you call in, and when you weld things and he was cleaning some stuff out any sweet EP lit that to empty something and it's part if hit the sawdust and within minutes everything he had again his wife.
I still remember the morning on I think was a Sunday because was pulling out. She comes out there you know into this is what happened in he had a tiny bit of insurance you can get clinically depressed. This time he said I heard the news I been through this before my whole life was about things before and I realize they couldn't satisfy, and he says everything in me just wanted to break down when I decide I told my wife stay right here I'm gonna walk around the block. He said I started to walk around the block and I don't know why but this came into my mind naked. I come into the world and make it I will return.
The Lord gives the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord, and he said for 30 minutes. I kept walking I started. Thank you. I have a wife that's loyal that cares with me. Thank you for my son. Thanks my grandson he said I just started choosing and all I did was for 30 or 40 minutes. I just focused on what I actually did have before his other workers were, everyone would discourage everyone was out of work within 48 hours.
He'd found jobs with his competitors for all 12 of us craftsman never forget out the front yard. Less than a week later when before he was in a catatonic state of just depression and he was out in front yard playing with his little grandson was about three or four at the time and said Kerry how are you doing good you know it's hard and any looked at me and he looked down at that little boy and he said, but I got a lot I got a lot. What's the difference fire number one. His focus is inward fire number two it's upward and then it's outward question. Where is your focus. How do you deal with the tough circumstances in your life.
Notice on the front. There's a little divine equation the divine equation is C plus P equals EI mean I want you to get that some of you might, you know right that somewhere put on the card putting lipstick on a mere C plus P equals E circumstance plus perspective equals your experience living above my circumstances occurs when my perspective interprets my circumstances rather than my circumstances determining my perspective it's true isn't he there and I look at life through the lens of this is my circumstances when their kinda good. I'm kinda happy when the kinda bad I'm kinda sad or I look at my circumstances to the perspective of the lens of God's promises God's power. The lens of a sovereign God and good God is going to take even the worst and most difficult things and he's going to use them for my good. The fundamental question is how can we develop the kind of perspective that transcends our circumstances. How you do that I'm going to suggest it's going to be see plus P equals E and were gonna learn from a man who models this for us like nobody's business.
Key number one job the word in focus.
The question is where is your focus not want you on the left side of your notes want to put a little box and want you to imagine that's a whiteboard in your mind, and I want you to write one or two words. And if you're next to someone that happens to be the problem that goes into that box, I would maybe not do that right now, but what I want to do is actually think of. What's the most difficult, challenging circumstance or relation ship that you have right now what is it that gets you down but if you could say God either fix it or take it away. What would be in that box if you got it now, will you look at Philippians chapter 1, but before we read it. I want you to get the circumstances of the author. It's A.D. 6263. He's in a Roman prison.
He's a little past midlife. He has already been beaten three times he's been overnight in the sea.
He's been stoned and left for dead. Once he got some Revelation in Arabia. He is taking the gospel in his mission. His plan is circumstances are. God has called me to take this message to the whole Gentile world and instead of going to the whole Gentile world. He stuck in a cell which what we know is he ends up writing a lot of letters that reach the whole world, but that all he knows is God told me to do this. I wanted to do that every time I try do people beat me up for they stick me in prison and you would think Paul would be discouraged and he would be the look through the lens of circumstance, but his perspective is not that follow along. Paul circumstance: Timothy, bond servants of Christ Jesus to all the saints in Christ Jesus are in Philippi, including the overseers and the deacons grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is a church that he is our rural heart connection with, and they've heard you're in prison and are concerned about and so they sent a financial gifts are one of the members of Hanford -itis and this is really a thank you letter and I want to know how are you doing and so Paul is going to explain the circumstances here. He says in verse three I thank my God in all my remembrance of you always offering prayer with joy, my every prayer for you all will lie in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now, for I'm confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus like you to circle the word. Thank like you to circle the word remembrance like you to circle the word prayer with joy. I guess that's a phrase circle the phrase prayer for you all and then circle the word confident this is Paul's upward focus. He's in jail is circumstances wears his heart wears his mind, he says, I pray, did you notice how I pray with joy.
I'm remembering what it was like with Lydia. I remember when the little church was birthed that night when the jailer was ready to kill himself stop don't doing stop were all here and we went to his house and he cleaned me up in his whole house was baptizing.
We don't know all the story that it's a church work. I did a great thing and since I pray with joy in all my remembrance of you, and it wasn't just what he did, he says, in view of your participation in the gospel. We were in it together. We solve God work in that Roman colony in Philippi and is just focuses thank you for them and then his focus is still about them.
I'm confident of this. You know God's in control, wears his concern.
His concern is that wealth really talk. There's a lot of rats.
I'm chained to the sky.
It wasn't really fair. I'm completely innocent. There's no blaming doesn't blame God's sibling people's concerns.
I'm confident of this very thing, that he, Jesus, who began a good work in you. He's kind of perfect until he comes back, wears his focus its upward in its outward notices focus continues Paul's outward focus pieces for it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, why because I have you in my heart since in both my imprisonment and the defense and confirmation of the gospel. You all are partakers of grace with me, for God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus and asking to Bible study one more time here circle the word feel then circle the word heart circle. The word partakers. It's a Greek word that means people are connected to one another. Circle the word along and then circle the word affection.
What I want you to get his can you can you imagine someone may be in our day in bondage in a hellacious prison. Maybe in another country whose discovered they have cancer and you write to ask how they're doing and you can't letter back haul every time I think of you. I'm praying for you. I remember when we spent this time together and then to say I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. I memorize this passage many, many, many years ago and I remember praying Lord.
I don't know that I could ever say that to anyone, but I would love to be able to say that somehow, someday, to love someone a long and care for someone in the same way that Christ cares for me. This guy is filled up with his love for other people, so much so he just seems to be almost unaware of the difficulty of his own circumstance. Finally out of his outward focus in love notice he prays for them. So he takes his concern he goes and this I pray that you are love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment and in theirs with a results so that little box around the so that it's very important so he says here's what I'm praying, I'm in prison.
My focus is on me its own God. But it's on you and when I'm praying for you. I want you know this is what I'm praying I'm praying that your love and in your relationship would grow deeper and deeper in the it's a really powerful word in the epi-good notes go in upwards in the experiential knowledge of God and that you have all discernment, in other words, that you would get so close to God in the midst of this corrupt Roman empire and all the junk coming at you, so that why you could approve the things that are excellent never took when the world is coming at you, you would know this is right. This is wrong.
This is true this isn't true. So you have discernment to know how to live your life. And then there's a purpose clause in order that you can be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ underline sincere and underline blameless will come back to this just a little bit later having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. So all I want you to see Paul's circumstances, I'm guessing are as bad as anybody's in this room of any kind. In fact, what we can learn little bit later is he he sort of right on the crossroads of MI can be executed or not executed.
He doesn't know. And in the midst of imprisonment, facing execution, upward focus, God, I thank you outward focus. I'm confident of this.
I remember you gods for you. I'm praying for you that you become the kind of followers of Christ that understand what's wise what's unwise and that your lives would be so transformed outward focus know what I want to do is, roll up our sleeves and ask ourselves two or three questions to help us get a Paul I'm glad you can look at it that way. It's pretty tough for me right. How do you develop upward focus and I'm going to suggest right from this passage. Number one, it's a choice. It's a choice and the choice is gratitude in the way you do it is you choose to remember and you thank God for significant relationships in the mornings.
Our whole staff comes down here we have a prayer time and different pastors actually different people on the staff lead it and we all set. Here he goes. Here's what we can do for the first 20 minutes.
I want you to write on these 3 x 5 cards.
Everything that you could possibly thank God for 20 minutes. Just don't stop writing. I filled up five God, thank you that you forgive me God, thank you for your word. Thank you that your spirit lives within me.
Thank you for Teresa, thank you for Eric, thank you for Jason, thank you for Ryan, thank right cut. Thank you for this church think the people I get to work with God, thank you that you are in the midst of a crazy world.
This is where we live. I mean, it was easy. I had five of these filled front and back, and I have this weird experience. Afterwards had a great attitude that just where you experience it doesn't like you know why.
Here's why. I spent 20 minutes, focusing on what God has provided.
Instead of my human weakness like yours is to always focus on what is missing back in some additional thoughts about today's teaching but if you're just joining us, you're listening to living on the judge with Chip Ingram chips message today.
Understanding the power of focus is from his series, I choose joy in this four-part series chip reveals what sets a believer apart from the crowd in the midst of mounting pressure in difficult circumstances.
What causes people to notice that there's something supernatural at work in the heart of a Christian teaching from the book of Philippians chapter 1 chip tells us it's joy illustrates how understanding the power of focus the power of purpose the power of hope in the power of expectations enables an ordinary believer to weather the worst storms and experience true joy to help you take advantage of the resources for I choose joy we've discounted the audio series and the MP3s are absolutely free, but only for a limited time whether there for you or a friend ordering is easy when you go to LivingontheEdge.org again. Our web addresses LivingontheEdge.org and remember were always happy to talk with you when you call 1-888-333-6003. That's 1-888-333-6003 what chip were just getting started in this series I choose joy, and it occurs to me that you know living a life of joy isn't the way I described very many people, even Christians. Why think it's even more exaggerated. Today Dave because were living in a time of literally Teresa and I were talking last night and we watched portions in the news and she just looked at me because there's so much hatred right now there's just so much violence and hatred and name-calling, labeling, and I go back to the very words of Jesus to those early disciples when he assigned them the task to take the gospel around the world and he said in the world you will have tribulation and but be of good cheer. I've overcome the world.
But on the same night. He said these things I've written unto you, that my joy might be in you and that your joy might be made full. The reality is is that when we have joy in the midst of difficulty in circumstances and in relational fallout and when everything is like chaos all around us. It is this amazing joy that Christ gives us that makes all the difference in the world and working to study how actually joy isn't just happy emotion. It's a choice that we make and it's how God can create something inside of us that nothing on the outside can change so Dave, I am thrilled to teach his series tour Living on the Edge family. I think it's safe to say we all want to get beyond happy emotion to true joy that actually sustains us through the hard knocks of life.
Jews enjoy isn't for the faint of heart.
It'll take clear thinking, perseverance, and solid Bible teaching to keep you grounded, so let me encourage you go to our website LivingontheEdge.org we'll find this series I choose joy along with all the other series from Living on the Edge, each one designed to help you become the Christian you want to be find one that will meet your current need and keep growing. Remember, if you have any questions about any of our resources. You can always give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 will now here's chip with a final thought as we wrap up today's program. Let me just ask you where is your focus today. Right now, I mean just in general life right now. We talked about, see plus P equals E circumstances plus your perspective equal your experience and we talked about our focus can be one of three places.
It's either in word right, I mean you know things are happening so you get mad or you complain or just sink you get discouraged you get depressed or it's either upward and outward and will talk about how to actually go into training to help our minds and our attitudes even when things are difficult even when people around us are being less than kind less than fair that our focus can be upward and outward in a way that we actually choose joy. I will go through that journey and talk about how circumstances will change over and over and over.
But what God can give us is the ability to look upward to be grateful to thank him to see what we are you ready the part of the glass that's half-full what we do have. Instead of focusing on what we don't have hate it will take some practice but let me encourage you stay with this for this whole series you actually can learn to experience joy regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in.
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Until then, this is Dave really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge