Join Pastor Jack Hibbs in this transformative episode focusing on the importance of submitting to God’s will amidst personal and relational struggles. With topics ranging from overcoming past sins to navigating the complexities of marriage and divorce, Pastor Jack provides a biblical perspective on how to press forward in faith. This episode offers a chance to explore how prioritizing God’s guidance can lead to true freedom and fulfillment in life’s many facets.
Don’t settle for not only the condemnation that the enemy would heap upon you, but if you’ve sinned and erred from God, then repent of it and come back to God and start all over again. That’s the amazing thing about our God. No matter how messed up you’ve made your life, our God, when we repent, grants us a new start.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hey everybody, something that you should know, that in our church and in our media community, in the social media community, we have for decades, as a church, started every year off with the reading of the one-year Bible all the way through. So I’m encouraging you to join us and do the same. If you are not one of the tens of thousands of people that are actually on the same page with me, with my wife, Lisa, with the church and beyond, the entire Real Life audience and beyond, get a copy of the One Year Bible and get started with us on January 1st. You can get a copy for yourself at jackhibbs.com, but by all means, please do this. And listen, get one for your friends or maybe a son or a daughter or a mom or a dad who The one-year Bible, through the Bible, in one year together. Join us.
SPEAKER 01 :
That’s the one-year Bible, and 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 Life and Bible with a message titled, Being a Christian is Obedience to God. The Bible tells us that obedience to God is better than sacrifice. This means that we’ve really got to be willing to submit to the Lord and to put an end to our own agendas. You see, our selfish desires and sinful imaginations will destroy us. But we can live an obedient life by letting go of the past and by putting God first in every single area of our lives. So today, Pastor Jack teaches that obeying God, well, it’s just not an option. We’ve got to be willing to give him our all no matter what. Sounds radical, but we need to remember that God is for us and he’s not against us. It’s a love relationship, one that sets us free from the pain and sorrow of the past. Now, with his message called, Being a Christian is Obedience to God, here’s pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.
SPEAKER 02 :
We have been inundated with emails and questions. The pain and the heartfelt torture of divorce has been made so crystal clear with the responses from many of you. That your hearts are broken and that for you, now you’re single and you’re afraid to ever get married again and you’re… search the scriptures, and you are able to be married again, yet you don’t want to ever do that again, and you don’t want to ever love again. You don’t want to ever be near somebody, even possibly being that person again. These are real heartfelt issues. What does a Christian do about something like that? Then there are some of you who said, I got married, I thought I shouldn’t have, it didn’t work out, and come to find out I’ve wanted and I’ve enjoyed being single all my life. And that’s rare, but that happens. And we’ve heard about it in these last few weeks. Some of you have written me and you’ve said things that I have been set free by these teachings. I didn’t know this, I didn’t know that about the situation, and I’ve been set free. And then some of you have written me and said, now Pastor Jack, it seems to me that you’re telling me that I’m living in sin because I divorced my wife for this other woman and in fact that didn’t work out so I went and married this other girl and you make me feel that I’m not right with God. Listen, you’re not right with God. I didn’t make you feel anything. I read you the verses and you didn’t like them. Your beef is not with me. And I told you that when I was giving you the Bible study. Your beef’s not gonna be with me. It’s gonna be with God. Listen, tonight, if you have mustered up the strength to come back to this evening, understand something. If God is speaking to you, Christian, at this late hour of our Christian existence here on earth before the Lord comes back, if he’s speaking to you and you now find yourself or you have been aroused to the place of I’m in the wrong spot with God, then change it tonight. Please change it tonight. Listen, we want you in heaven with us. We want you growing with us. We want you being strong with us. We want you being used by God now. Don’t settle for not only the condemnation that the enemy would heap upon you, but if you’ve sinned and erred from God, then repent of it and come back to God and start all over again. That’s the amazing thing about our God. No matter how messed up you’ve made your life, our God, when we repent, grants us a new start. And you need to keep that in mind. I’m gonna run through some things that is a little bit of a throw together of these last few weeks. Being a Christian in obedience to God, that is the ultimate answer. Church, listen carefully as I run through these points. Being a Christian in obedience to God is not an option. It’s not an option. Yes, yes, you can be a Christian and walk in disobedience to God, but the Bible makes it very clear that when you get to heaven, you’re going to suffer loss. Did you know that? And not only heaven, that you’ll suffer loss based upon 1 Corinthians. Bible’s very clear about that. But if you’re a Christian tonight, you need to understand something that we don’t often think about. As believers, when do you stop and think that… When the rapture does happen, or when we do die and go be with Jesus, that we are coming back with him. You’ve all read Revelation chapter 19? The Bible says we’re coming back with him to earth. He’s going to set up his kingdom on earth for how long? Anybody remember? A thousand years. The Bible says that we will be the bride of Christ, but we will rule and reign with him. The Bible makes it very clear regarding our faithfulness to God now, it will matter in that thousand year reign of Christ, our responsibilities and our status, our place in the kingdom life. That is very clear in the Bible. So I want to ask you something right now. As a Christian, as we talk about obedience, I want you to be thinking tonight that from this moment on, You are going to vow to pour yourself into following the Lord Jesus Christ at all costs. The hour is late, the stakes are great, and the Lord is coming back, and you and I need to actually bless him or make him proud, if that’s okay with you. I wanna make him proud when he comes. And these are serious issues, and we’re talking about these things regarding marriage, regarding life, in relationships, and divorce. Being a Christian is obedience to God, and number one thing I want you to think about tonight is this. You have got to be willing to submit to the Lord. If you’re a Christian tonight, from this moment on, well, pastor, I’m married or I’m not married. I’m single, I’m divorced, I’m going through a divorce. I don’t care where you’re at tonight. This is true for every one of us. From the weakest, brand new, little baby, brand new Christian now to the most seasoned, experienced saint in here tonight. Right now, you and I need to determine to be submitted to the will of God in all things. God is our God, and we are to submit to him completely and fully. And that is all about a love relationship. It’s got to happen. Number one, this way. You and I have got to bury the past day by day. Bury the past. The Bible says in Philippians 3.13, Brethren, I do not count myself as to have apprehended… But one thing I do, I forget those things which are behind and I reach forward to those things that are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. That’s Paul the Apostle, Philippians 3, 13 and 14. Paul is saying, I have not yet been apprehended for that reason for which Christ has apprehended me. I love that statement. See, Jack, what does that mean? Paul said, I have not fulfilled everything that God has called me to do. The reason why Jesus captured me, that reason has not been yet fulfilled in my life. I don’t know about you personally, but I feel like that all the time. And I think that’s healthy. I’ve read enough books in the lives of other Christian workers to find out that that’s a healthy thing. Do you feel like God’s done with you in this life? Man, if you feel like God’s done with you in this life, then you better just make out a will now because you’re gonna be taken home soon. Now that could happen to anyone at any time, but I don’t know about you, but I know that what has happened yet in my life is not the full extent of God’s plan for my life. I don’t know what’s coming, but I know because it comes from him, it’s gonna be awesome. And so I wanna be submitted to God completely. Well, my husband and I are not getting along. Then both of you submit to God. Okay, by the way, if you’re a non-Christian tonight visiting, just enjoy tonight because I’m really gonna be beating up the Christian tonight. The non-Christian, you take a break. You can have a good, you can look at all these people and say, you know, you listen to him. But I’m telling you right now, well, you know what? She doesn’t give me enough sex. Well, you know what? He doesn’t open my door enough or he shuts the door halfway where I’m at. Hey. Hey. Because one thing I’ve learned these last four weeks and people writing me notes is he says, she says, and then there’s this rocket launch and this mortar round and then this bazooka and there’s a nuclear blast. Listen, stop right now. Whoever you are and wherever you’re at, stop. Are you a Christian? Yep, then submit to God. Just do it and it will translate into everything else in your life being effective. God is Lord, not you and I. We need to bury the past And I wanna cover a few things. Number one, if you have a great marriage, you know why you have a great marriage? Because you have a tendency to do what the Bible says, bury the past. You keep looking to the call of Christ. The past, let it go. The pain, let it go. Did she hurt you? Let it go. You say, Jack, that’s denial. That’s not denial. Denial says it never happened. The power of Christ in our lives to put things behind us in the past is to say, this thing affected me. I’m taking it and I’m putting it behind me. I’m looking to Christ and I’m not looking back at it. I am not going to let that thing, that event control my life anymore. And I’m not… I’m not talking about a person, I’m not saying I’m not gonna let him control or her control, I’m talking about that thing. That thing that they hurt you by. All of us have experienced hurt and pain. I did a wedding vow, yeah, an anniversary renewing of the wedding vows last Saturday, right here. A couple been married 30 years. And it was amazing because they have grown kids now. So I asked the kids before the service, I said, how are your parents really? And the son and the daughter, I don’t know, 25 and 27 years of age, something like that, I’m not sure. They just said, my parents, when we get married, we want to have a marriage just like our parents. You guys, that’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. And the awesome thing is that those parents, you could tell they loved the Lord Jesus more than they loved each other. That’s the key. That’s the key. Burying the past is something that every one of us have got to apply right now. And let me tell you something right now. If you are divorced and you’re living in that world and the past is eating you alive, you have got to, as a Christian, say, Lord, it’s killing me. Lord, I am taking those memories, those thoughts, those things, those dates, those calendar holidays, whatever it brings up the pain, Lord, I’m taking it to you and I’m leaving it with you and I’m gonna go ahead. I’m gonna follow you, Jesus. And notice the target. He moves, Paul says, I press towards. He presses into Christ. He presses into God. He presses into the word. He is eating up the things he ought to be eating up so he can have success over the past. Christians, you must decide to do the same thing. You cannot press into other things, no matter how wonderful they might be. You name it. If you’re pursuing, going after something other than Christ, you’ll not find victory in this area. You will not find it. Yeah, but I’m working out more. Not going to find it. Yeah, but I got a new red sports car. Now I’m unbuttoning my shirt down to my navel and I’ve got a gold chain around. That’s not gonna do it. You need Jesus. You say, well, I’m a Christian. You need to press into him. Remember John, John’s laying on Jesus’ chest at the upper room at the communion service of Passover. John’s leaning, John is leaning. Man, that’s amazing. John is leaning on Jesus’ chest, because you know, by the way, those tables, they’re about 17, 18 inches off the ground, and there’s no chairs. You lean down with pillows, and you lean like this, and you eat like this, okay? So somehow, and during worship time or what, John’s ear is somewhere near the heart of Christ. Wow. Can you imagine hearing the heartbeat of God in his chest? Amazing. That’s pressing in. Getting so close to Jesus to determine it. Now look, watch this. Let’s be honest. Can you guys be honest? I’m going to ask you again. That’s excellent. Can you guys be honest? Yes. Okay, how many of you have had or are having or expect to have troubles? Raise your hand. Okay, only a couple liars. Good. Okay, listen. There’s only one way to have victory over those troubles that you’re having now or that trouble you have in the past or that you’re going to have. And that’s drawing nearer to Christ and staying there. And you guys, what I’m saying right now sounds insane because we live in the 21st century. And if it’s not in neon, if it’s not in super duper pixel, if it’s not HD, if it’s not mega speaker box, ear busting, then it just doesn’t do anything for you. Well, you know what? You ought to pick up a book and read it. Well, man, how low tech is that? Try it sometime. I found out the younger generation can’t do it. Only us old people know how to do it. It’s the only thing we know how to do. My kids can fix my computer, but man, sit down and read a book. Read a book. How do you do that? You just sit there. You actually sit there. And you read, man, I can’t do that. Well, you need to do it. God will speak to you. It’s amazing. Bury the past.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
SPEAKER 02 :
Also this, you’ve got to resign to die to your demands. Whoever you are tonight, whatever the situation you’re in tonight, whatever the case might be, you’ve got to right now tonight resign to dying. I am going to die to my demands. A willingness to submit to the Lord means you’re gonna resign your life. You say, man, I don’t like the way that sounds. Well, it’s the only way you’re ever gonna live. And some of you are sitting here right now, you go, man, this is nuts. I can’t believe I came here. Listen, listen, listen. Let’s think in the reverse for a minute. Put yourself number one. Do everything, anything that comes to your mind, whatever pleases you and you only, you do it. You think about yourself and no one else. You get the bigger piece of the pie. You get to be the first one in line. You look out for good old number one. You know, there’s a whole bunch of loonies that are about 30, 40 miles from here that do that. It’s called Hollywood. And are they happy? How long do their marriages last? Okay, they got all the money in the world, and all the fame in the world, and they’re committing suicide. So don’t tell me that that’s the answer. I think Jesus knows the answer. Jesus said, if you seek to save your life, that is, live it for you, you’re gonna lose it. But if you give it up, then you’ll find it. I want you to think about that. For some of you who don’t know that that’s a verse of the Bible spoken by Jesus, I want you to think about that for a second. True happiness is found in forgetting and losing everything. the reality of who you are, and letting God take care of you. It’s amazing. It’s true freedom. It’s true freedom. You need to resign to your own demands. In Mark 9, 35, the Bible says that Jesus sat down, he called the 12 together, and he said to them, if anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and be servant of all. That’s true freedom. Mark 9, 35. Also this, this willingness to submit to the Lord means this, that you and I have got to elevate the Lord in every area of our lives. Are you going through a divorce tonight? Are you thinking about it? Stop. Stop. You have no authority to pursue that. Oh, Jackie Carter cheating. You still don’t have the authority to do that. I thought the Bible said I can divorce my wife for sexual immorality. It does say that, but that’s only second best. First best is reconciliation, is making up, getting it back together. That’s the first thing. Church, listen. This is not in my notes, so I don’t know how it’s gonna come out. So that’s my disclaimer right there. It’s easy for us to catch somebody in a situation because we can physically point to them. I caught you! And I understand that. And I’m not putting it down. There’s a lot of power in that. It’s evidence. It’s admissible in court. It all depends on what court you’re talking about, though. Cannot God… Look down into my heart or your heart and point the finger at us and say, wait a minute, Jack, as you point to that person right there, have you not in your own life thought these thoughts? But God, they were just thoughts. And he said, well, you know, with the court where I preside over, thoughts, we have those entered into our courtroom. Jesus said if a man or a woman, it goes either way, looks at a man or a woman and lusts after them in their heart for sexual dominance, fulfillment, pleasure. What did Jesus say? You’ve already committed adultery. That’s in the courtroom of God. So if you caught him or you caught her, are you willing tonight to say, you know what, the marriage is over, that’s it, it’s over. It’s just done. The reason why you’re saying that is because, honestly, I don’t mean to pour insult on injury here, but the reason why you’re saying that is because you have nothing else in your well to grab from. You are scraping the rocks, dude. I understand that, but there’s more. I’m leaving her. I caught her. Listen, stop for a moment. The reason why you feel that way is because you have got nothing to grab onto. You’re grabbing sand and you’re pulling it up in your hands and you are responding in the most basic response possible. I understand that. But what if God were to say to you, I want you to love her like I love you. I want you to forgive her like I have forgiven you. I want you to understand that the thoughts you’ve had, sir, in your life or that little peek you took on that website is equal to in my courtroom in relation to what she did. See, you don’t want to think that way. You want to think that God grades on a curve, and he doesn’t. He’s perfectly holy. Amen. And what you do in secret, the Bible says, in the day of judgment, that thing will be shouted from the housetops for the world to see. So I want to stress to you tonight, before you throw your marriage away, you need to stop and calm down and realize that God’s indictments, if you’ll listen, against you are far greater. Because my sin is my sin. And it looks horrible. And my sin put Jesus on the cross. So did yours. So now when I turn and I look at somebody who’s in error or in sin or got caught or the woman caught in the act of adultery as all of those Pharisees wanted to kill her, Jesus said, okay, you can kill her. You can let those rocks fly. Let’s just start with the person who’s without sin. So you guys get ready, start throwing your rocks. Just the first guy to throw rocks has got to be the guy that’s without sin. Go for it. Then they all left. Boy, you see that movie, Stoning of Sariam, did she not need Jesus at that moment, huh? If Jesus wouldn’t have been in that chapter of John’s gospel, that’s exactly what would have happened to her, what you saw in that movie. Every person, every one of us needs Jesus. And if you think that your husband’s a greater sinner than you are, or your wife is a greater sinner than you are, then you’ve missed a complete definition and understanding of atonement and the redemption that comes through Jesus Christ. I put Christ on the cross. And it’s a tremendous thing. You say, Jack, what do you mean so hard about that for? Because you know what? When I find out how much he has forgiven me, it’s easy to elevate him as my Lord. I don’t have to muster it up and conjure it up I don’t have to play games about it. He’s amazing. In 1 Corinthians 6, 20, it says, for you have been bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. We were bought at a price. See, it’s easy to elevate Jesus if we understand that the price that he paid for us was his own life and his own blood and the temptation for you and I tonight is to say, yeah, life, blood. I mean, we live in a A bloody culture. We live in a violent world. I mean, so what’s the big deal? And starting with me first, I have no concept or idea of the innocence of Christ. Can you imagine the innocence of Jesus? There’s something about him. When you saw him, you knew that you’re in the… It didn’t even Judas confess, I’ve betrayed innocent blood. Satan, having possessed him, confesses it. Amazing. It’s glorious to elevate him. My point is this. I want you to exercise a willing submission to the Lord Jesus Christ because he should be elevated in the everyday aspects of our lives. You guys, is Jesus here in this church right now? Is he gonna be going home with you in your car tonight? When you pull up and arrive at your house or your apartment, is he already there? He’s everywhere. He’s in every thought I think. He’s listening, he’s there, he’s seeing everything. And apply that power. and that reality to your marriage.
SPEAKER 01 :
Pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called Being a Christian is Obedience to God. Thanks for being with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called Life and Bible. It’s a series on how to apply God’s Word in the everyday challenges of the Christian life. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Hey, if you’re struggling in your marriage or maybe you’re getting ready to tie the knot and want some practical spiritual advice, check out Pastor Jack’s YouTube channel called Real Life with Jack Hibbs. Once you’re there, look for the interviews I did with Pastor Jack and his wife, Lisa. It’s called Real Marriage, Real Life. We talk about some pretty important subjects like dealing with our families in marriage and dealing with forgiveness in marriage. Jack and Lisa talk about the ways they put God first in every situation, especially in handling sensitive issues. Again, the series is called Real Marriage, Real Life, and it’s on Pastor Jack’s YouTube channel called Real Life with Jack Hibbs. You can access his channel on YouTube or at our website, jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. 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.
