Explore the timeless truths as Pastor Jack Hibbs delves into the teachings of James regarding the last days and the temptation of wealth. Drawing insights from the Bible, he provides guidance on being patient and steadfast in faith amidst worldly distractions. This episode also recalls the story of Moses, highlighting the importance of removing idols from our hearts and reiterating the eternal promise of abundance and joy found in a life committed to God’s will.
We’re living in serious days. They’re here now if you haven’t caught on. Look past your nose and listen to what’s happening in the world. James tells the Christian, cheer up, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
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This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I’m David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God’s Word, the Bible. The cross. For a lot of us, it’s just a symbol that we wear around our necks, right? Display in our homes or maybe hang from the rearview mirror. But what if instead of being a decoration or accessory, the cross motivated and shaped the way we live every single day of our lives? What if it wasn’t about hiding or minimizing our sin, but actually crucifying it in order to move forward in the freedom that Christ offers? Born Crucified, it’s a book by Ellie Maxwell. In this book, you’ll discover what it truly means to live in a cross-centered life. This short but very powerful book is a classic for every Christian’s library. It reminds us that the cross isn’t just a symbol. It’s the key to victory over sin and the power to serve God effectively. Now, if you’re ready to experience the freedom and purpose found in a life centered on the cross, this book is one that you should get. Born Crucified. It’s available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com slash real radio. That’s jackhibbs.com slash real radio. On today’s edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series now called The Book of James with a message titled, Patiently Enduring in the Last Days, Part 1. You know, before it became one of the books of the New Testament, James was a letter sent to the Jews who chose to follow Christ. And as new believers, James encourages them to wait patiently until the Lord comes. You see, James is telling us to endure and to be patient in all things through Christ. So we need to ask ourselves, who are we really living for and are we doing those things that the Lord has called us to do? So today, Pastor Jack teaches that riches create a false security. But if money is viewed correctly, you’ll want to be generous. When we promote the kingdom of God with what we have, everyone benefits. Now, with his message called Patiently Enduring in the Last Days, Part 1, here’s pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.
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He says that the rich who do not know God and to keep their money to themselves and hoard it up for themselves in the last days. He says one of the things that they’re going to do in the last days, prophetically, he’s uttering, that they’re going to weep and howl. They’re going to cry. They are going to weep. The word means to sigh with deep, deep pain. Weeping. Someone’s going to walk up and say, what’s the matter? I’ve lost my money. It’s really going to affect them. Now, we may be rich enough, all of us in this room today, to eat, but I don’t know if any of us are rich enough that if we lost our money, it would bring us to the point of suicide. We’re Christians. We’re trusting in him. This man that James is speaking about, his focus is on money. How much money can we get out of this deal? That’s the issue. How much money am I going to make? Listen to me carefully. It’s not in their thinking to think like this. How much money can I get out of this job? Because the internal motive is this. The reason why they’re asking, what profit can I make off this job? Because what I want to do is take and invest in this mission thing that’s coming up. Or the homeless thing. It’s a motive to put it upon themselves. How much money can I make so I can get that new Jaguar? You see? And none of us want to hear this. It’s convicting. God is not saying you can’t have anything. God is saying, what you do have, can you have it back? God is saying, can I use it? Have you ever seen kids playing, especially a selfish kid, Nothing worse than a selfish kid. Oh, kids are playing. Can I play with your truck? No. Just for a moment? No. And they start to go like this, like a chicken sitting on a bunch of eggs. No, you can’t touch it. Well, then why don’t you just go play with your toys by yourself kind of a thing. It’s that kind of a motive. They’re going to weep and they’re going to howl. Because as Joel put it, Joel 1, 5, it says, awake, snap out of it, says the prophet Joel. He says, snap out of it, wake, you drunks, and weep and wail. All of you who drink strong drink and alcohol because the new wine that is coming has been cut off from your lips. Oh, there’s a new wine coming. There are riches coming. Isn’t that great, Christian? We’re going to get rich someday. It may not be through this world, but it may be through inheriting the kingdom as we are going to be co-heirs with Jesus Christ for all eternity. What are you laying your treasures up for? Using them for the glory of God? Again, it’s not wrong to have money. But if you have some money, you ought to step back and say, my God, how should I be using this to your awesome glory? Mr. Colgate did that. I’ve told you this before. That man dedicated so much to God’s work, God had to bless him. The poor guy would have starved to death. He says, God, if you bless this company, I’ll give you 90% of everything I make.
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90%?
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Said God. Oh, my goodness. I’ve got to bless this guy’s business. He won’t be able to eat anything if he gives me 90%. I think you know who Colgate is. You probably put some of his product in your mouth this morning before you came here, didn’t you? Great Christian man. James goes on to tell us that they’re going to weep and they’re going to howl. for the miseries that are coming upon them. James is speaking to an audience that first of all had not yet seen the temple destroyed. This is very important historically. James, his letter, the news is going out and there are people saying, yeah, yeah, what is this bozo talking about? This guy James, he’s a follower of Christ. And look what happened to Jesus. Supposedly he rose again from the dead, but look at this motley crew of people they call Christians. This is just several years on. The temple had not yet been destroyed. All of their identity was wrapped up in the temple and its great wealth and its great glory. The time hadn’t come yet. Roman legions hadn’t invaded. It was not yet 70 AD. But the mysteries that were coming upon them both spoke of what was coming to Israel and to Jerusalem. But the word used in the Greek means what’s coming for eternal punishment as well. That’s a serious thing. Look with me in verse 3. Your gold and your silver are corroded. Wait, gold and silver corrode? Well, since when? And their corrosion will be a witness against you. It will eat your flesh like fire. And you have heaped up treasures in the last days. It’s an amazing word that James uses here. Gold and silver? We use gold and silver because it doesn’t so easily corrode. In fact, some will make an argument it doesn’t corrode at all. You know what the word that James uses here is so divinely put, of course, because the Holy Spirit wrote the Bible. He’s going to tell us here that this corrosion that’s coming to these precious materials will be a corrosion that causes it to flake away. This is amazing. Have you ever seen like a brand new, let’s say it’s a brand new piece of silver, and it’s beautiful, maybe it’s so old you see the snapshot of it, but now after many years of being used, have you seen how the silver’s been worn off? It’s not corroded like it turns black and rots and smells and you have to throw it away. The word corrosion here means to flake away. It flakes. Well, I have gold. I have been listening to all the programs and I’m changing all of my money into gold. And the Bible says, you just keep laying up gold and silver for the last days. What are you laying it up for? He goes on to say, and we have to hurry very quickly, verse 3, your gold and silver are corroded and their corrosion will be a witness against you and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasures in the last days, contrasting to the nature of the Christian, which is the exact opposite as we’ve been going through this book. In verses 2 and 3, we see that Being alerted to the dangers is that there’s a false security to riches. He says, your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. This cracks me up. Your garments. It suggests precious garments. Precious stuff. What’s precious? I’ve got this at Nordstrom’s. Is Nordstrom’s any big anymore? Is that a hot store? I’ve got this at Nordstrom’s. I’ve got this at Neiman Marcus. Or whatever the big store is. Big deal. You realize there could be a moth in your house. That’s so funny. Well, I just got this from Neiman Marcus. Had to make an appointment to buy it. And some moth hanging out in your house. Oh, man. I love this. It is so funny. We are such a funny people. Where’d you get that? Now look, I am being very convicted right now as I speak to you. I am. I’ll tell you why in a minute. He says, “…your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten, your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you. It will eat your flesh like fire, and you have heaped up for yourself treasures in the last days.” Yes. Corrupted, moth-eaten, corroded. By the way, in verse 3, the word corroded means venom from a snake. Isn’t that weird? It will be venomous like a snake. Things that we can possess if we let them possess us instead of us possessing them and using them to God’s glory. It can be like venom. And you know it’s true. This is so stupid. I was in England. I’m almost starting to talk like him. I was in England, and they have a Doc Martin. That’s where Doc Martin’s from. You know the shoe, Doc Martin. I said, my gosh, you’ve got to go check it out, you know. And you look at all the Doc Martins. And I’m figuring out, well, you know, it’s not all that good of a deal, really. I mean, we can find them here on sale, but you don’t have the selection. And I’m going back and forth. Lord, is this the right thing to do? If I do this, I won’t be able to eat today. And you know how important that is to me. And What should I do? And this and that and things. So what do you think I did? I got him on here right now, man. Now, here’s my point. This guy tells me, let’s choose the last year lifetime. Those are Doc Martens. Those souls are acid tested. You can pour acid on them. Won’t even bother. It’ll last you a lifetime. So I get him the bag and I’m walking away and I’m thinking, I just got done telling people from the street, yelling my mouth out there to everybody passing by, Jesus is coming soon, but I got Doc Martens! They’ll last forever! What am I gonna need Doc Martens for if the Lord’s coming back soon, you know? These things will last forever. Will they go through the tribulation period? So silly. People are going to be thinking, well, it may not be Doc Martens, but I’ve got a couple of things put away. For what? Just for some security. That’s okay, says the scripture. But are you doing anything to promote the kingdom of God? Is the issue. Don’t be like those who go and weep in hell when everything crashes. Stand up and put your shoes on, if they’re Doc Martens or not, and say, hey, everyone in my neighborhood, I told you. Come on over here and eat beans and drink water at my house, and we’ll go through the Bible together. That’s what we’re going to need to do if that time comes.
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You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. And for now, let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
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There’s this thing about possessions, and we must wrap this up very quickly. Possessions. Moses. Moses is called by God to lead the people out of a very possessions-focused world, out of Egypt. And God calls Moses out, and out they go, and they’re going through the wilderness. And Moses is up on the mountaintop, and he’s there with God. And all of a sudden, across the headline news, the rumor around the camp, over 2.5 million people there in the desert, they began to say, Moses is missing. Have you seen Moses? I haven’t seen him. Joshua, he’s sitting over there at the base of the hill. He hasn’t seen him either. God gives Moses the rule, the law, the Ten Commandments. They’re up there talking together in the mountain top. And before Moses could get down the hill, what’s going on? The people are getting all up in a huffy. We’ve got to have a guide today. Isn’t that a weird thing to think? That’s a weird thing. They said we need to have a God. You might be thinking, well, I’d never say that. It’s in the human heart to say that. I remember hearing a rock and roll band once say that the people, the crowds, the stadiums filled, they don’t worship us. That band member said, we worship them. If they weren’t there, we would have no life. Moses is on the mountain. And the people say, we need a God. So Aaron says, well, give me, ladies, all your earrings. Give me earrings. Give me your mirrors. Very costly items. Mirrors, earrings. Let’s have them. He molds them in little calf. Of course, that’s not how the story comes about. Moses shows up. Moses comes down from the mountaintop and says, what in the world is going on here? And Aaron goes, I don’t know. I mean, they brought me their gold and silver. I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf. It’s exactly what we see, a popping fresh calf. It came out, and they’ve bowed down and paid homage to it. And I loved what Moses said. Moses says, oh, really? Okay, they want to worship false gods and false things, false things of wealth. And here’s the word corroded. Grind it down. Give me some sandpaper. Moses starts sanding this calf of gold down in the dust that came off of the calf. Moses mixed with water and made the people drink it. I don’t want to be graphic, but use your imagination. This is a point Moses is making. You fools. You’ve made something out of the bare nakedness of your hands. You’ve worshipped it. You’ve eaten it. You’ve drank it. It’s gone through your system, and now it’s in a pile. And you call that your God. And everything in this life that robs our worship and praise from God winds up in a pile, doesn’t it? in some way, shape, form, or another. And James is telling us to be very, very careful. We’ll end here with this. He says to the Christian, Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Oh, that sounds like a fresh, beautiful water. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain? You also, Christian, be patient. Establish your hearts. Stop building on trash. Stop being able to quote the Simpsons more than you’re able to quote 1 Thessalonians. Know what the book of Acts talks about more than what the soap opera is all about. Establish God in your heart. We’re living in serious days. They’re here now if you haven’t caught on. Look past your nose and listen to what’s happening in the world. James tells the Christian, cheer up. For the coming of the Lord is at hand. And that word right there, by the way, in verse 8, means eminency. Anytime now. What is your life built on? Riches? Wood? Hay? Stubble? What’s our motive for owning what we own? We’re Christians. Our citizenship is in heaven. Do we really believe Jesus could come back today? And we should not only live like it and talk like it, we should spend like it, investing in what will last forever. Father, we thank you for your word. Lord, we ask in Jesus’ name that this wonderful, precious man, James, probably if he were to show up here, a few of us would have a tummy to handle the things he says and how he says them. And truth sometimes shocks. We ask you, Father, in Jesus’ name, to bless the going forth of your word, encouraging in our hearts, knowing that when your Bible says when the world goes crazy and things are going goofy and all that kind of stuff, that we are to look up for our redemption draws near. We thank you for that truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called, Patiently Enduring in the Last Days, Part One. We’re glad you’re here today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called The Book of James. It’s a series on true Christianity and how it creates a new way of living. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
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So as you heard from our broadcast, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you’d like to know what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life personally, we would love to help you out with that. Go to jackhibbs.com slash know God. That’s K-N-O-W God. And there you’ll be guided through what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life and the freedom that you’ll find in knowing God. Don’t miss out. That’s the know God tab at jackhibbs.com.
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Hey everybody, according to Psalm 65, verse 11, the psalmist wrote that may the Lord bless your year with abundance. May your path drip with increase. It’s a blessing. Psalm 65, 11. And I just want to talk to you briefly about that. We are still so fresh into a new year that we can almost have forgotten that. Look, from January 1st to today, the news has been so profound and so actually threatening. And I’m coming to you from Southern California, where we are basically burning down, right? So what’s the thing? What’s the deal? How do I go into this new year? Understand this, my friends, as we go into this new year, more than ever before in life, number one, we’ve never been this late in the hour of church history. Friends, listen. Don’t take things in a nonchalant way. Don’t take things common. You have never lived this long before. The calendar has never been down the corridors of time as late as it is today. And the fact of the matter is time is running out. So the issue is this. You want to commit this year to the Lord in a very, very deliberate way. You do not want to be apathetic about that. Having said that, number two, you’re going to want to make sure that you give yourself to Bible reading and make it a strong discipline. How about this? What if you were to say to yourself, I am not going to eat food until I read my Bible. I promise you, you will read your Bible because you’re gonna wanna eat food. And that’s what I’m asking you to do, to join me in doing that very thing, to read Bible first before I get to the food, to put God first in the day before I put myself or the calendar before the day. And then the third thing is this, worship. Boy, this is a big one, worship. Because first of all, worship, according to Romans 12, verses one and two, worship is our very existence. that’s who we are what we say what we do listen technically what i’m doing with you right now this is an offering of worship to the lord because the hope is to draw you closer to jesus but how you live your life what you ingest what these eyes are allowed to see is either pagan worship or or it’s holy in worship and to the believer God wants it to be holy worship and in that I want you to consider this as I wrap this up your life is to be a life that is expecting God to move and to provide for you this year and You are now committing yourself to put the Word of God first, and then you’re going to be a worshiper of God, and you’re going to start today. And to do that, I would love to invite you to a little aspect of it, because most of this, friends, listen, it’s between you and God alone. In fact, the true, real you, if you’re a believer or not, is proven by your private time with God. Do you have a private time with God? Believers do. People who are going to heaven have got to be taking frequent dosages of heaven before we get there because we’re hooked. on heaven. And so friends, listen, I’m going to invite you to join me at 5 a.m. Pacific time, 5 a.m. Pacific time every day in the year 2025. We’ve been meeting All these days thus far since January 1st, 5 a.m. Pacific time for five minutes. I’ll lead you in a prayer and you’re going to be nice to me because I roll out of bed, so to speak, and just come to you live. But we’ll pray together. And here’s what’s fun about it. You can go to hashtag lift daily prayer, hashtag lift daily. daily prayer and you can join us and you can listen and you can post your own prayer in that grand community that has been forming. And together we can hold each other accountable and we can move forward praying for one another and praying with each other. So stand strong 2025 in the word and make it your worship. God bless you in Jesus name. Amen.
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This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
