Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Step Up!

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Step Up! · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Do you remember that one really good coach you
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had growing up? I mean, who inspired you, challenged
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you, gave you confidence, helped you get really
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better at what you wanted to be? Can you imagine
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having that kind of coach spiritually? Someone
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who encourages you, helps you. I mean, to be
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the kind of Christian that you long to be? Well,
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stay with me. We're going to get that today.
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We all want life change, but wanting it and achieving
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it are two very different things. So what's getting
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in the way? And what would it look like if a
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real, permanent change actually took hold? Well,
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I'm Dave Drewy, and today on Living on the Edge,
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Chip Ingram begins a brand new series called
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You Can Make Disciples, Personal Coaching from
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the Apostle Paul. Chip opens 1 Timothy and asks,
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What does it take to step up and live boldly
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for Christ in a world that pushes back? Well,
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stay close. Now here's Chip with the start of
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a message titled, Step Up. My father was a great
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athlete. In fact, such a great athlete, when
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World War II broke out, he joined the Marines,
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Guam, Iwo Jima, Purple Heart, .50 caliber machine
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gunner. He only opened up twice that I can remember.
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He goes, I would set up the machine gun. It would
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be like mowing grass and killing people. And
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he said, in the midst of that, my buddy, his
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name was Ralph, but he went by Reb. My buddy
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said, Reb, you're hit. And they carried me out.
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And he said, I'm sure that was the good part,
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except no one of the guys with me made it out.
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So he lived with the guilt of a survivor. And
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you know, when you're 17, 18 years old, In fact,
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even if you get older, I do quite a bit of work
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with military people here. And looking back,
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now that I've been with men without arms or a
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leg or head trauma from Iraq and Afghanistan,
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I will apologize to my father. Because the level
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of father that he was after what he's been through
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was rarest among men. And we have no idea. He
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was a good provider. He was a functioning alcoholic.
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But I grew up in a home where I had a dad that
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couldn't communicate love. I never heard him
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say he loved me. I know he did. And so because
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my dad was a great athlete, when you're a kid,
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you want to be like your dad. And so unfortunately,
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I didn't have his size or his strength, but I
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was pretty quick and I was pretty passionate
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and pretty driven. And coaches filled that gap.
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And I'll never forget a coach named Neil Lance.
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Every, I mean, all through junior high, three
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years, at noontime, he would play one -on -one
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with me and taught me, I mean, jab step and look
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at your belly button and get your elbow in off
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your fingertips. And I was a gym rat junkie.
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And so it was the same when I played in college.
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It's the same when I played overseas. And it
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was that drive, those coaches that were there
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for me, my dad wasn't. Well, there was a young
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guy named Timothy who had a big assignment, and
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his life coach was the Apostle Paul. The Apostle
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Paul, in the words of Will Durant, he wrote a
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history of civilization, about 26 volumes, expert.
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He said the greatest intellect of the first century
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was the Apostle Paul. So what he says, whether
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you believe in God or not, is extraordinarily
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insightful. And what we're going to learn is...
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Timothy's life and his job and his role in his
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city is a lot like what's happening in the world
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today. And so what we're going to get is Paul
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coaching him. And I look back at that time when
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Coach Lance helped me, and then it was my high
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school coach, and then it was my college coach,
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and those coaches became people who I learned
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to become a man because of that coach. I learned
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how to treat women because of that coach. I learned
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what an arrogant jerk I was from that coach,
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and he made it very clear. And so what I want
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to do with you is to walk through life coaching,
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and the process will be we'll hear, what did
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the Apostle Paul say to this young pastor who
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was in over his head? And then we're going to
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flip it and say, what's in this for us? Here's
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tip number one. Write it. It's in your notes.
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Tip number one is everyone needs a coach. You
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need a coach in relationships. You need a coach
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in life. You need a coach in your finances. You
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need a coach for your marriage. You need a coach
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to be a dad. You need a coach to be a single
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man. I mean, everybody needs a coach. Coaches
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do two or three great things. Number one, they're
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older and have lived longer and they care about
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you. Secondly, they kind of know what's coming
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and they're an objective lens that... You're
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good at this, you're not so good at this, and
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good coaches do a couple things. They put their
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arm around you and encourage you, and you can
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do it, and they inspire you, and they do a little
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bit of this. They kick you right in the, you
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can figure out what that word would be, to help
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you get where you need to be. The hardest. things
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I've ever heard from any human beings on the
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planet had been through coaches speaking about
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one inch from my face, and they were as loud
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as they could possibly be, and I got the point.
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And I needed to hear it. We all need people that
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will tell us the truth. We all need people that'll
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love us when we don't deserve it. And we need
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people to give us skills and help us to understand
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where we're at in our season to take the next
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steps. So here's the context, the historical
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perspective. It's from the Apostle Paul. He's
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going to tell this young pastor that he's left
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in Ephesus that there's some false teaching going
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on and you need to address this false teaching.
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And it's in about 62 to 64 AD. The situation,
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there's an emperor named Nero. And Nero is a
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very perverted man. He likes to wrap Christians
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in wild animal skins and then turn wild dogs
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loose on them in the Colosseum and laugh and
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watch them die and get shredded apart. On other
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times, he likes to impale them and put tar around
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them. And for his cocktail parties, they would
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be burning and be burning to death. He's an evil,
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evil man. I want you to keep in mind. So Ephesus
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is this super metropolitan city known for. sects
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of every kind, Temple of Diana, very secular,
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very powerful. It's a port where people are coming
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in from all over the world. Christianity is just
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getting birthed. And Paul has left Timothy there.
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And there's some people with some false teaching.
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And here is what he's going to say too. And notice
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the tender spirit. Good coaches understand. You
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got to win their heart first. Paul, an apostle
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of Christ Jesus, according to the commandment
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of God, our Savior. And of Christ Jesus, and
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you might underline this in your Bible, who is
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our hope. Timothy was living in a world like
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some of you are. It doesn't feel like there's
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much hope. So he reminds of first and foremost,
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Jesus, what he's done and who he is, is our hope.
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To Timothy, and notice the heart, my true son
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in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God
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the Father. in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now
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he's going to turn his tender tone to a little
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bit of a strong reminder. Like we talked about
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this before, and I'm going to remind you. Just
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as I urged you upon my departure from Macedonia,
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which is Philippi area, I urge you, when I left
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you in Ephesus, so that you would instruct certain
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people not to teach strange doctrines, nor pay
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attention to myths and endless genealogies, which
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give rise to useless speculation, rather than
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advance the plan of God, which is, and you might
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put a box around this little phrase, it's going
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to come out all throughout the book, which is
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by faith. So I urge you now. So basically what
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he says is, Timothy, you know how much I care
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about you. Remember when I left, I said, remember
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to do this. I'm now urging you, you have to address
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this. In a word, you got to step up. And we know
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from his background, he's a little timid. We
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know his mother and grandmother were believers
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and didn't seem like his father was. So kind
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of grew up in sort of a womanly household. And
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Paul's inspiring him to say, hey, you're the
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pastor now. You've been with me. You need to
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address these issues. And then notice the contrast.
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He says, you know, they've got all this stuff
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going on, this false teaching, but the goal of
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our instruction is threefold. Love from a pure
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heart. That means you care about people and you
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extend compassion and you love them for where
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they're at, for the right motive. And then secondly,
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from a good conscience. In other words, your
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internal meter that tells you what's right and
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wrong, how you're living and what's going on
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inside are telling the same story. You're not
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faking it. And finally, he says from a sincere
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faith. And the word sincere means it's tested
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by sunlight. And so what he's saying is there's
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a bunch of junk going on, but the goal of our
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teaching about Christ is that men and women's
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lives will be changed, and they would love even
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their enemies from a pure heart, a good conscience,
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and a sincere faith. And now he addresses. He's
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going to do a little teaching. He's going to
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say, let's do a little brief teaching about what's
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going on, where you're at. Look at verse 6. Some
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people have strayed from these things. I mean,
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at one point in time, they were on track with
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this. Notice they turned aside to fruitless discussion.
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They just got talking about all kind of stuff.
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And then he begins to develop, well, what were
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they talking about? Wanting to be teachers of
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the law, ego, pride, even though they do not
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understand either what they are saying or the
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matters about which they make such confident
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assertions. But we know that the law is good
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if it's used lawfully. Realizing the fact that
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the law was not made for a righteous person.
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but for those who are lawless and rebellious.
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And then he kind of gives this sort of laundry
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list of various examples of unrighteousness.
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He says, for the ungodly and for sinners, for
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the unholy, for the worldly, for those who kill
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their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for
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the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave
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traders, liars, perjurers, whatever else is contrary
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to sound teaching, according to the glorious
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gospel of our blessed God, which I have been
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trusted. And so basically, as you study the scriptures,
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and this happens in other books, there was a
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group of people that would kind of follow the
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Apostle Paul. And for the first, gosh, 15, 20
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years, it wasn't like Judaism and Christianity.
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It was Jews who believed the Messiah actually
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came. So they were just good Jews following the
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Messiah, Jesus. Well, they get alienated from
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that. And so some... They were called Judaizers.
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These Jews would come along and say, you know,
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Jesus is okay, right? I believe that's true.
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But you also have to keep the law. And they started
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trying to pull people back away from salvation
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that is by the grace of God and the work of Christ
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to you need to be circumcised and don't eat this
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and don't eat that. And they also had some, they
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mixed it with other stuff like you shouldn't
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marry and you shouldn't eat this and you can't
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do that and you can't drink this. And all these
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kind of roles. and rules that gave a lot of control.
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The Apostle Paul basically saying is, Timothy,
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you've got to address this. And you've got to
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think about what it's like. I mean, imagine you've
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been an assistant coach maybe at a good program,
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and then you get a job at a pretty significant
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school, and you're young. And you realize, man,
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you've got issues on this team. And you got issues
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with the boosters and you got issues over here.
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And guess what? You got to step up and make some
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really hard decisions. That's the environment.
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That's what he's dealing with. So notice next,
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he's going to give a little personal testimony.
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Don't coaches do that a lot? But the apostle
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Paul is going to remind Timothy that, you know,
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I've been there. I have not always been this
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confident, driven apostle. you know, who gets
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beaten up and gets back up and God does miracles
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through me. Verse 12, he says, I thank Christ
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Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me because
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he considered me faithful, putting me into his
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service, even though previously a blasphemer
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and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. How's
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that for, I got some issues of my own, Timothy.
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Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly
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in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was more
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than abundant with the, put a little box around
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it again, the faith and the love which are found
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in Christ Jesus. Basically saying, Timothy, don't
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look at me and think that I've always had it
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all together. I want to remind you where I came
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from. And God was gracious to me. In fact, notice
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he now is going to, sort of squeaking a little
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theology. He says it is a trustworthy statement.
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This happens three different times throughout
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the book. And basically by this time, you know,
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the church is about 30 years old. Now they have
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codified some of the doctrines, some of the most
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clarion things that everyone needs to know. This
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is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.
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And you might underline this in your Bible, that
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Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
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I grew up in a church where everyone pretended
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to have it together. I grew up where they said
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one thing and lived another way. I grew up thinking,
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boy, by the time I was 14 or 15, it was like,
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this bunch of hypocrites, I don't need this at
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all. I don't need religion. I don't need God.
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I don't need Jesus. He didn't come to make nice
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people a little bit better. This is a trustworthy
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statement. Christ Jesus came into the world.
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To save sinners. People who've blown it. People
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that have addictions. People that log on to porn.
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People that lie. People that have stolen. People
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that have murdered. Notice he goes, among whom
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I am foremost. Did you get the tense of the verb?
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Did you hear what the apostle Paul said? He didn't
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say, among whom I was. He said, man, you don't
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understand. I killed a lot of people. This was
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what gave my dad hope. I still remember, I came
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home, I trusted Christ at that Fellowship of
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Christian Athletes camp, and I didn't know anything.
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But I will tell you what, I had never opened
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this book in my life. I had rejected Christianity
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and never opened this book in my life. And they
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gave me a pretty easy to read, I think it was
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Good News for Modern Man or Living Bible. And
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I turned from my sin and I prayed to receive
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Christ. Now, I don't... I think I really even
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knew exactly what it was all about. All I knew
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was, in the morning and night, I hid that under
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my pillow. I didn't want my parents to think,
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you know, I'd freaked out. But I couldn't put
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it down. I read it, I read it, I read it, and
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I'd be like, I thought someone had a tape recorder
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under my bed. How could anyone know these things
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that go on inside of me? How lustful I was and
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what an actor I was and how I posed so much and
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how I was this guy, you know, and the all -American
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boy over here and sweet -talking the girls over
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here. And it was just like, it wasn't being a
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follower of Jesus. It wasn't trying to be this
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good person. It was actually receiving forgiveness.
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That's why he came for me. And then notice the
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reason. Yet for this reason I found mercy, purpose
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clause, so that in me as the foremost, sinner,
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Christ Jesus might demonstrate his perfect patience
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as an example for those who would believe in
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him for eternal life. He just said, you know
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what? Timothy, I know it's hard. I know there's
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a lot of pressure. I know I'm asking you to step
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up. I know you're a little timid. I know you're
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struggling, but here's what you got to understand.
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Here's what's at risk. You can't let that stuff
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go on because this is why Jesus came. And these
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guys are trying to feed this garbage religion.
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Do this. Don't do that. I actually grew up where
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the theology that I got out of my very social
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non -biblical church was, if it was any fun,
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God was against it. You know, my image of God
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was like, he had like this gigantic ruler. And
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if a thought came to your mind that might be
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halfway fun, he was just ready to blap you. And
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you were always just guilt. You're always messed
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up. You never measured up. It's like, I don't
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need that. Because the people that were telling
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me they were doing the things they said I wasn't
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supposed to do. And he's straightening him out.
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He says, Jesus was a God of love and a God of
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grace. He didn't minimize things, but he came
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to rescue us. And then, you know, Paul does this.
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I think he just went off. I think there's times
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where he remembers, this is where I was. And
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as he was rehearsing it for Timothy, he just
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paused. And notice what he says. Now to the king
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eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, the
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honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. I think
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when he realized afresh, this is what happened
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to me. And he understood who God really is. He
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just broke out into praise. I don't think this
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was in Paul's notes. I think the spirit just.
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And then notice he ends with a charge. Okay,
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Timothy, I remind you what you need to do. We
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address what the problem is. I've told you I
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love you and I'm for you. I've talked about where
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I've messed up in the past and what God's done
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for me. Now get this. This is the fourth quarter
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timeout speech when you're down two. And all
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the guys are looking at you like, Coach, I'm
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really tired. This command I entrust to you,
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Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies
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previously made concerning you, that by them
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you fight the good fight. Well, how? Keeping,
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you might put a box around this again, faith
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and a good conscience. Now notice the bookends,
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which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck
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in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus
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and Alexander, whom I've handed over to Satan,
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so they'll be taught not to blaspheme. You know,
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I was with a, he's a good buddy now. I didn't
19:47
know him all that well, and he was having some
19:48
marriage problems, and he and I were out playing
19:51
golf, and he played in the Arena League, played
19:54
as a tight end, and just wasn't quite good enough
19:58
for the NFL. He's playing in the Arena League
20:02
and came to Christ and was growing. And so we're
20:05
playing golf, and now he's got a couple kids.
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And, you know, one's like 11 or 12 at the time
20:10
and a little daughter like 7, 8, or 9. And he
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ends up, like, marrying this beautiful cheerleader
20:15
for the 49ers. And he's got a great job. He's
20:18
making a lot of money. And we happen to be playing
20:20
at his country club, so he must be doing okay.
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And, you know, he's like 35, 34 at the time.
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And we're walking along and he just says, well,
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I just, well, Chip, you know, I just, it's so
20:32
hard. I mean, gosh, I mean, just when I start
20:34
working on my marriage and then that's really
20:36
hard and then being a dad is really hard and
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the mornings I work out, I don't read my Bible.
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When I read my Bible, then I don't work out and
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it's just so hard. It's just so hard. I just
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don't think I can do it. And being the soft,
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tender, loving pastor that I am, I said, Do you
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remember two -a -days? Yeah. You remember, you
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know, those quick slant routes? Yeah. And the
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safety knew it was coming. Yeah. And you catch
21:09
the ball right here and you bring it in. Yeah.
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And you see his helmet coming for your helmet
21:14
right here. That was in the old days when you
21:16
could do that. He said, yeah. I said, did it
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hurt? He said, dude, are you kidding me? I said,
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well, why'd you do it? I said, you're telling
21:27
me that you would go to two a days, you'd lift
21:29
weights three days a week, minimum. You would
21:32
eat a special diet, put up with unbelievable
21:34
pain to catch a football and be a little bit
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famous. But it's really too hard to be a man
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of God. Oh gosh, I feel so sorry. And you know
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what happened? He kind of went like, ooh. Dude,
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you're kind of challenging my manhood here a
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little bit. Well, you know what? Some of us,
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One of the reasons I rejected following Christ
21:58
was everybody in the church I was with were women.
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I thought following Jesus was for women and children.
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And it was going to a fellowship of Christian
22:10
athletes camp, it was the first time I saw grown
22:13
men who were masculine, who could love one another
22:18
in masculine, non -sexual ways that drew me to
22:22
explore this book. And so what Paul is actually
22:25
coaching Timothy to do is the very thing that
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God wants to coach us to do. And so I hope you
22:32
have a general understanding of the chapter.
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And then you'll notice each time I'm going to
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give you what I call coaching nuggets. So what
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I want to do is I want to pull out what I think
22:42
is the most important truth and then our response.
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The most important truth, i .e., if you don't
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remember anything else, but the goal of our instruction.
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The reason you read the scriptures, the reason
22:55
you go to a Bible study, the reason you have
22:58
fellowship, the reason you go to a men's retreat,
23:00
a women's retreat, the reason that you have a
23:02
mentor, the goal of our instruction is love from
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a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere
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faith. It's not that you're religious. It's not
23:12
that you're a little bit nicer than most people.
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It's not so people think you're a nice person.
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The goal is that you love God and you love people,
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and that's not a feeling. It's sacrificial, other
23:24
-centered relationships where the life of Christ
23:27
in you gets poured out to demonstrate his love
23:31
for other people. Let me give you my definition
23:35
for love. I'm sure I've stole it from multiple
23:37
different places, but I'm claiming it as my own
23:39
now. Love is giving another person what they
23:44
need the most when they deserve it the least
23:47
at great personal cost. Roll that out and see
23:52
if it works for the cross. Love, a choice, not
23:56
a feeling, is giving another person what they
23:59
need the most. Your wife might need acceptance.
24:04
Your son might need forgiven. Your boss might
24:08
need understanding when they deserve it the least.
24:12
After the way she's treating me, after what he
24:16
went and did, after I told him this is like the
24:18
third time, after my boss has ripped me off,
24:21
love is giving another person what they need
24:24
the most when they deserve it the least at great
24:27
personal cost. And if you follow up, what you
24:30
realize is you can't do that and I can't do that,
24:34
but God, by his spirit, working in you through
24:38
his word and the community of God's people can
24:40
supernaturally do that through you. That's what
24:44
the Christian life's all about. The second truth
24:47
is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save
24:51
sinners. We can disagree with people. We can
24:55
even be passionate in how we see things, but
24:58
we're called to love everyone. Our response is
25:02
to fight the good fight. Can we just start off
25:06
saying it's really, really hard to be a follower
25:10
of Jesus. It takes a real man. Fight the good
25:13
fight. Keep the faith in a good conscience. And
25:16
then notice some have suffered shipwreck regards
25:21
to their what? Their faith. Faith comes by hearing.
25:27
Hearing by the word of God. You need to understand
25:31
that you've got to be really careful who you
25:32
listen to, what you allow into your mind. Some
25:37
of the words we're going to find is that they
25:39
get shipwrecked, they drifted, they turned away.
25:42
A lot of these aren't like someone woke up and
25:44
said, you know, I've been really following Christ
25:45
for the last seven years, the last 30 years.
25:48
I think today I'll just blow it all off. It doesn't
25:50
happen like that. It's incremental. Most of the
25:56
men that I've sat in tears as they have lost
25:58
their families, often lost their job, lost their
26:01
reputation after a sexual addiction or an affair,
26:04
some that I've worked with recently, then you
26:07
get up one day and go, I think I just messed
26:09
my whole life up. It's a harmless flirting. Just
26:14
a casual wonder what she's doing after 20 years
26:17
in high school. It's just a little pop -up thing.
26:22
Do you guys get these all the time? You know,
26:24
even from foreign countries, you know, click
26:26
on this text or something like that. If you don't
26:29
know who it is, delete. At every level, we're
26:33
bombarded. So what I tried to do is basically
26:38
say, okay, I did my best to study this passage
26:41
and say, in the first century, this person called
26:45
the Apostle Paul, with his dramatic conversion
26:48
and his writing of 13 books of the New Testament,
26:51
had a personal relationship with one guy named
26:54
Timothy that he loved deeply, who he left in
26:56
a very volatile situation in a metropolitan area
26:59
in Ephesus. And he said, this is what you need
27:03
to do. And then what I tried to do is say, okay,
27:06
there's a map there. That what was true in the
27:12
first century, what are the takeaways for us?
27:14
Where's the application? So Paul's coaching for
27:18
us. First of all, the subject is false teachers
27:22
and teaching. Is that fair enough in this chapter?
27:24
The underlying issue is truth. I mean, the underlying
27:29
issue is they've drifted, they're confident,
27:31
they say this, they're saying that. The issue
27:34
is truth according to the glorious gospel of
27:37
our blessed God. That's the underlying issue.
27:40
Here's the underlying question. Am I willing
27:44
to defend the truth of God's word in a hostile
27:47
environment? But that's what I'm asking me. I
27:52
put it in first person. Are you? Are you willing
27:57
to defend the truth of God's word in a hostile
28:00
environment? Truth about what's right and what's
28:03
wrong. Truth about marriage. Truth about the
28:07
value of life. Truth about false teaching. Truth
28:11
inside and outside the church. Now, by the way,
28:13
what we're going to learn is the Apostle Paul
28:15
is going to say, you really have to stand for
28:17
truth. But don't jump to maybe how you think
28:22
you do it. He's going to say, if the vice of
28:27
truth doesn't have velvet bumpers around it,
28:31
then you don't understand what you're doing.
28:34
But, you know, it kind of presumes that in order
28:36
to stand for truth, you'd know the truth and
28:40
you'd believe the truth. In a cancel culture
28:44
world, when you say one thing, like I, it's not,
28:49
you don't even have to be mad. I just don't agree
28:52
with you and you can get canceled. What I'm watching
28:56
a lot of Christians do is, here's how not to
28:59
get canceled. You're in conversations at work.
29:02
You're in conversations here in our day. You're
29:04
in conversations in church and it kind of comes
29:07
up. You're in conversations around the table.
29:11
We're going to learn how to point things out.
29:15
I don't want to be disagreeable. I certainly
29:18
understand where you're coming from. And you
29:20
have every right to hold that position. Could
29:23
I ask you a few questions about why you believe
29:25
that? Because I'd love to share, if you give
29:29
me the opportunity, with your permission, why
29:32
I don't think that's correct. And instead, what
29:37
we're having is people just, you know what, I
29:39
don't want one more argument. I don't want people
29:42
to cancel me. I don't want to be viewed as. Are
29:47
you willing? And by the way, I'm not talking
29:49
about out there. I'm talking about in your churches.
29:52
There is a drift in the churches today like never
29:55
before. There is a drift in some, I mean, bellwether
29:59
institutions and universities that have drifted
30:05
from what's very, very obvious and very, very
30:08
true. Not on minor things, on big things. And
30:13
I wonder, am I willing to take a stand for the
30:16
truth? Here's the action. Step up. I mean, we
30:21
all hear that, right? Every NFL season. Well,
30:25
coach, what are you going to do? You know, you
30:26
lost your quarterback last week. And, well, we're
30:29
just going to have someone step up. Just got
30:33
to step up. I mean. We so understand that in
30:38
sports. You understand, basically, if there were
30:40
two words, you know what Paul was saying to Timothy?
30:44
Step up, man. Yeah, I love you. I'm for you.
30:48
I've been there. But at the end of the day, I
30:50
command you in the presence of the living God
30:54
who lives in unapproachable light, invisible,
30:58
immortal. Fight the good fight. Keep the faith.
31:03
Step up. That's a word for me. If I had a really
31:09
good day, I think I could get us in a frenzy.
31:12
Who's going to step up? We will. We will. Who's
31:14
going to step up? We will. I get you. Okay. Everybody
31:17
go stand up. Stand up. Stand up. You all right?
31:19
I could get you all pumped up and you'd leave
31:20
out of here. You know what? That doesn't mean
31:22
you step up. It means we had a rally. Anybody
31:26
can have a rally. There's a world of difference
31:30
between believing something, even believing something
31:33
sincerely in convictions. You believe something
31:39
until it's tested. And by the way, can I tell
31:42
you, for all of us, you don't know what you believe.
31:47
I mean, I know you think you know what you believe,
31:50
but you don't know what you believe until it
31:53
costs you something big and precious. And are
31:59
you willing to stand on that belief if it means
32:01
rejection or loss or alienation or even a job
32:08
or money? The unspoken need is to develop, write
32:15
the word convictions. I can't tell you over the
32:20
years, I pastored for, gosh, almost 40 years.
32:28
I've had all kind of families. Do you believe
32:31
in life at conception? Absolutely. And it's interesting
32:37
how people's theology changes when their daughter
32:40
who has a full ride gets pregnant and they urge
32:45
their daughter to have an abortion so she doesn't
32:48
lose her scholarship. And I could give you a
32:52
dozen examples. If all of us were honest, beginning
32:59
with me, I really thought I believed certain
33:03
things, and I found myself in sort of a situation
33:07
where, wow, if I step up and out on this one,
33:11
I think I'm going to be the only one in the room.
33:15
I just kept my mouth shut. See, it's one thing
33:19
to, okay, how many of us believe we should be
33:22
generous? There's a good one. Right? Jesus is
33:25
generous, right? Although he was rich, he became
33:28
poor that we, by his poverty, might become rich.
33:32
Right? It's better to, more blessed even, God's
33:36
favor rests upon you. Better to give than to
33:38
receive. So how many believe that? Some of you
33:43
are so smart. I ain't putting up my hand because
33:44
I know where that next question's coming. So
33:48
then my next question will be, well, how many
33:50
of you, off the top, Give the first portion of
33:55
your income to God's work. And are looking for
34:00
graduated ways to keep increasing that percentage,
34:03
realizing it's all God's, and you long to help
34:06
other people. I was doing a series on generosity,
34:09
so I took a clipboard, and I just hoped no one
34:13
would ever recognize me from our church, and
34:15
I just said, I have a survey, excuse me. You
34:17
know, people are walking away like this. But
34:18
I had a clipboard. I said, please, it's just
34:20
one question, just yes or no. Would you consider
34:22
yourself a generous person? I just ran to people.
34:27
90 % of everyone I surveyed said yes. And so
34:32
I asked all the people of our church. But what
34:36
they didn't know is I knew over half of them
34:37
don't give anything. Zero. Nada. What they didn't
34:42
know that only 2 .7 % of Bible -believing Christians
34:46
even tithe. There's not a conviction. But what
34:51
the people that do have experienced this, how
34:54
does it work that I give? And by the way, don't
34:57
just think, if you think generosity is just about
34:59
money, money is the training wheels of generosity.
35:02
You start with your money, then your time, then
35:05
your reputation. And then the more generous you
35:07
become, give and it'll be given to you. Good
35:11
measure, pressed down, shaken together, running
35:12
over back into your lap. God does amazing things.
35:16
But just my point is convictions. So let me give
35:20
you a head, heart, and hands to develop convictions.
35:23
Number one, know the truth. John 17, 17, Jesus'
35:27
last prayer. Here's what he prayed. Father, set
35:31
them apart or sanctify them by your truth. Your
35:34
word is truth. So first of all, you've got to
35:37
know the truth. The second Timothy passage talks
35:41
about study to show yourself approved to handle
35:44
God's word. Learning the scriptures. Secondly,
35:48
living the truth. He would say to a group who
35:52
had believed on him, living the truth, John 8,
35:56
31 and 32, to those Jews who had believed on
35:59
him, he says, if you continue in my word, in
36:01
other words, put into practice or abide in it,
36:03
you'll know the truth. And the truth will set
36:06
you free. Hebrews 3 .13, this is why we're here.
36:12
But encourage one another day after day, lest
36:15
any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness
36:18
of sin. Left to myself, lest I hang out with
36:21
other guys and have times to be honest and share,
36:24
I just get thinking I'm doing way better than
36:27
I am. And then I find myself in the ditch. So
36:32
you know the truth, you live the truth. And notice
36:36
the first has to do with God's word. And the
36:40
second, I think you've got to have a coach or
36:41
a mentor. I think you need someone, who am I
36:45
doing life with? Who can I be honest with? And
36:51
then finally, the hands is share the truth. Jesus
36:55
didn't tell his group, well, you've been to this
36:59
three -year seminar. I'm checking out. I'll see
37:01
you later. Make sure you have all your green,
37:04
yellow, and purple notebooks in order when I
37:06
get back. He said, I want you to go and make
37:11
disciples of every people group, every ethnos.
37:15
And as you go, and it's not like you don't need
37:17
to go to China, you don't need to go to LA, you
37:20
don't need to go to West Virginia, you don't
37:21
need to go to Afghanistan. Verbally, grammatically,
37:26
it's as you go, verb, make followers. And the
37:32
way you make them is you... baptize them. You
37:34
help them come to the point of this used to be
37:37
identity as a sinner and now Christ has come
37:40
into my life and now I have a new identity as
37:42
a saint and I'm going to just physically be baptized
37:44
to die to my old way of life because I've been
37:47
resurrected with Christ and it's his power I
37:49
live. And then it's not just this big event,
37:52
but then I want you to teach them to actually
37:54
live out and obey everything I taught you. And
37:58
when that happens, man, it just gets so rich.
38:00
And is it easy? Absolutely not. Is it awesome?
38:04
Absolutely yes. This is Living on the Edge with
38:10
Chip Ingram. And the end of a lesson titled Step
38:13
Up. It comes from our current series called You
38:16
Can Make Disciples, personal coaching from the
38:18
Apostle Paul. To revisit any part of today's
38:21
lesson, just go to livingontheedge .org. You
38:25
can also hear every message in this study on
38:27
the Living on the Edge podcast. Subscribe and
38:30
take it with you all week. or check out the full
38:33
-length, unedited sermons available over on the
38:35
Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. Both are great listening
38:39
options and available wherever you get your podcasts.
38:42
Well, Paul called himself the foremost of sinners,
38:45
present tense, not past, and yet he received
38:48
mercy. The point isn't guilt, it's amazement.
38:51
That unceasing wonder at grace is what kept him
38:55
going when the cost was high. Chip made clear
38:58
the difference between a preference and a conviction.
39:00
A preference costs you nothing. A conviction
39:03
is what you'd still hold if it cost you everything.
39:06
If you've been sensing some drift in that direction,
39:09
Chip's book, Yes, You Really Can Change, addresses
39:12
exactly that. God's approval, not our performance,
39:16
is what actually fuels lasting transformation.
39:19
Right now, you can buy one and gift one to someone
39:22
you know by going online to livingontheedge .org
39:26
slash offers. Programs like this one reach people
39:30
because listeners like you invest in the work.
39:32
If this teaching has made a difference in your
39:34
life, consider supporting Living on the Edge
39:37
with a donation. by going online to livingontheedge
39:40
.org or by calling us at 888 -333 -6003. If you're
39:46
giving through the mail, write to us at Living
39:48
on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia,
39:52
30024. Now, let me hand things back over to Chip.
39:57
Thanks so much, Dave. You know, today is a sobering
40:01
message in many ways. It's, uh... A couple thousand
40:04
years ago, but the real issue is, am I willing
40:08
to defend the truth of God's Word in a hostile
40:12
environment? I mean, the truth of God's Word
40:14
right now in areas of morality is very unpopular.
40:18
The truth of God's Word about Jesus saying, I
40:21
am the way, the truth, and the life, like it's
40:25
unique, very unpopular. The truth of God's Word
40:28
in terms of the value of life or family is very
40:32
unpopular. And you know what? It was just as
40:35
unpopular then, in fact, more so, because there
40:37
was persecution where their lives were being
40:40
taken to stand for Jesus. Can I just speak to
40:44
you very directly and say, I know it's hard.
40:47
Don't buy the lie. Don't shrink back. Paul is
40:51
saying to his son in the faith, step up. And
40:54
what I want to tell you right now, step up. If
40:58
it gets hard, step up. If you get some pushback,
41:01
step up. But step up with grace. Be winsome.
41:05
Be loving. Be kind. But don't back down. I'm
41:11
Dave Drewy. In our next message, Chip Ingram
41:13
challenges us to do something harder than it
41:15
sounds. Pray for everyone. That's next time on
41:20
Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced
41:25
and sponsored by Living on the Edge.