As believers navigate through the complexities of modern life, Pastor Jack Hibbs tackles pertinent issues that Christians face today in this episode of Real Life Radio. He starts with an introspective look into what it truly means to live a life motivated by the cross. Pastor Jack shares insights from the Book of James, exhorting believers to live with an awareness of spiritual truths and the imminent return of Christ. Through vivid stories and scriptural exegesis, the conversation turns to the topic of wealth and the dangers of materialism. Our true calling is scrutinized through the lens of biblical
And Jesus many times visited homes of rich people that loved him, that were interested in his message, wanting to know more about the kingdom of God. And you all know, and you know what I’m about to say, it’s not the riches that keep you out of heaven, it’s the love of them. James is warning us about the motive for why we are living.
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. 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 the world’s situation is a spiritual one, and we need to be alert to the real dangers of life. Do we really love money and riches more than we love Christ? Now, with his message called, Patiently Enduring in the Last Days, Part 1, here’s pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.
SPEAKER 02 :
Listen, our God is in absolute control, as it was sung this morning, that He’s here, there, He’s everywhere. And that’s the truth of the matter. Our God is in great control. And James is talking to us about us who are Christians patiently enduring in these last days. Someone walked up to me the other day in London. We were there in Leicester Square, and it’s one of the great squares of that great city. And someone came up to me and they said, you know, you mentioned a moment ago from the microphone that it’s the last days. Do you really believe that? I said, yes, I do. And he said, well, what are you doing here? And I said, that’s exactly why we’re here. Jesus said to go in all of the world and preach the gospel. And I said, we need to hurry up and we need to tell everybody that Christ is coming and that we need to be ready. That the Bible says it’s appointed unto every man once to die and then comes the judgment. James wants us to be people, Christians, who are really galvanized to endure these last days. Now, what’s going on in your mind? Whoever you are right now, where you’re sitting right now, what are you thinking? What’s troubling you? Granted, something is. I’m sure it is. Maybe it’s the fact that tomorrow is a day that you’ve been dreading. It’s been marked on the calendar. Or maybe you’ve got to make some decisions. Or maybe something has just gone on so long, you don’t think you can take it anymore. Let me ask you something right now. Have you introduced Jesus into the factor? Have you introduced Christ into what you’re thinking about and what you’re enduring? Oh yes, I’ve called out upon the name of the Lord. And what has He said back? Has Jesus said, stay on the course and maintain and hang on no matter how rough it gets? No matter what’s being said or no matter what’s being done, is Christ saying, you just be still and know that I’m God and I will be exalted in all of the earth. I tell you, I am so glad to be around you this morning. Now, I’ve been back from a lot of mission trips and I was looking through my passport on the way home. This trip, coming back home, made my 17th trip to Europe. It’s about my, well, I’ve gone to Russia about 11 or 10 times. And every time I’ve come home with mixed emotions, but I tell you what, a few hours after being in London, England on this last trip, I couldn’t wait to get home to you. You want to know why? Because I wanted to hear the name of Jesus spoken with love and appreciation today. passion oh don’t get me wrong we heard the name of Jesus all right but I have never in my life heard cursing and cussing and swearing like I’ve heard when we mentioned the name Jesus oh boy did we have a great band Timothy mean he got up and Eckhart and Alexander joined us from Ziegen Germany and we had a great band and Rod Dingman was there and he was playing the guitar we had great music and And I mean to tell you the people had gathered around in wonderful crowds. And it was really happening. And the Bobbies, you know who the Bobbies are? It’s not a band, it’s the police department there in England. The Bobbies, they came and they were helping us out even. They said, you need to call the crowd in a little closer. They’re blocking the walkway so nobody can go through these businesses. Bring them in a little tighter, this great crowd. And we’re going along and Excellent music, and you stop and you mention the name Jesus. And brother, let me tell you, it was unbelievable things that we heard. I thought before I was a Christian I could cuss. I really did. I was in construction. I knew how to cuss. I could cuss. I wasn’t in the Navy, but I could cuss like somebody who was in the Navy. And I heard words that I’d never heard before in my life. And I got to tell you, the hatred, the hatred that Jesus, the name Jesus. Now, you sit here this morning, you’re thinking, what’s he all excited about? I would have given anything to put you in my pocket, let you just take a little peek out there and listen what was going on. Hi, everybody. I hope you’re enjoying the music. Oh, yeah, I’m enjoying the music. We’re Christians. And that got a little bit quiet. And we love Jesus. And kaboom, you thought somebody would have exploded a bomb off. Jesus, they said, you can blank, blank, blank, superlative, superlative, blank, blank, blank, superlative. Amazing. But the Bible says it’s at the name of Jesus that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess and it will not be cursing in that day. It’s going to be in glorious praise and adoration of who he is. James is talking about enduring in the last days. We are in the last days. Jesus said, James said, Paul said, Jude said it, that we’re living in the last days. These are difficult days. We’re going to see how difficult as we go through here. James chapter 5, beginning at verse 1. James says, Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you. 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, and it will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out. And the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” You have lived on the earth in pleasure and in luxury, and you have fattened your hearts as it is in the day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just, and he does not resist you. Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. 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 be patient. establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. First thing we want you to see this morning as we look through this together, there’s just going to be simply really two main points to our study. And I’m going to ask you to jot them down and keep them in mind. The first thing that we see concerning patiently enduring the last days is that we need to be alert to the real dangers of life. James is warning us to be alert to the real dangers of life. Now listen, those of you who have been blessed by God with money, don’t leave the church saying, well, I guess I’m going to go to hell because I have money. That’s not what James is talking about. He’s going to be talking about those of you who have nice clothes. Don’t assume for a moment, well, I guess because I have nice clothes, I’m going to be going to hell. No, that’s not what he’s talking about. Listen carefully to this. As Christians, and that’s who James is speaking to as the Christian, that we need to be patiently enduring these last days for the very first reason found in verses 1 through 6, because we are to be alert to life’s dangers, and they’re all around us. Man, are they around us. And the first thing we want you to notice about this is that God has made a prediction concerning the rich. God has made a prediction concerning the rich. He says in verse 1, Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Is it a sin to be rich? No. Joseph of Arimathea is a very rich man, a great friend of Jesus. Remember little, what’s his name? Oh, what’s his name? Zacchaeus. He was a rich man. And he wound up loving the Lord. And Jesus many times visited homes of rich people that loved him, that were interested in his message, wanting to know more about the kingdom of God. And you all know, and you know what I’m about to say, it’s not the riches that keep you out of heaven, it’s the love of them. James is warning us about the motive for why we are living. Are you ready for this? Boy, does this hit us where we live. Why do we work so hard? Why are we working several jobs? Why do we have the wife working several jobs? Why do we have the dog working several jobs? Why are we working the children? Get a job, get a job. What are we pushing for? It’s just not enough anymore for the Christian to exist. And come on, fess up. None of us just want to exist, do we? We just don’t want to. Our culture says, no way. One of the days that we were setting up in one of the squares there in England, a country very successful, very expensive, and everybody’s gathered around. And the very next day I was talking to this man, and this man said, well, if I had the money like Jim Carrey had, everything would be fine in my life. Is that true? Do you think that’s real? Do you really think that’s real? That’s not real at all. Ask Jim Carrey. And I told that man, I said, why do you think Jim Carrey would be happy? Well, can you imagine how much money that man might have? He has a lot of money. I said, but I’m not going to get into the details, but the fact of the matter is Jim Carrey is searching for Jesus Christ. Now, how do you explain that? You who sit here this morning and you sit here, you’re comfortable. I know it’s cold outside this morning, but you’re sitting here and you’re warm. Bank accounts looking kind of nice, especially after where the market ended the other day. And you made a little bit of a profit, feeling okay. And you think you don’t need to hear this stuff about eternity. People walked past the crowds that we were preaching Christ to, and they just gave us the one-way sign, and it wasn’t with your index finger, it was with another finger. And who were they really giving it to? the face of God himself. You may sit here this morning and God has so blessed your life and you have just so sumptuously fed upon the earth and off the earth and all that God has given you and you say, I’m a self-made man. I’m a self-made woman. I’ve done it all myself. I have need of nothing. And God says, be careful all that you have I’ve given you. James is saying, be careful of these dangers that are all around us as Christians. Promises, trinkets that the enemy dangles in front of our lives to take the bait like…
SPEAKER 01 :
hook being dangled in front of us he says be careful there’s spiritual situations going on 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 jack hibbs.com that’s jack hibbs.com and for now let’s get back to our teaching once again here’s pastor jack
SPEAKER 02 :
And he says, come now, you who are rich. Now, I’ve got to tell you, the scholars are divided about what this means. And I’m going to give you the two opinions, and then I’m going to tell you what the real answer is to it all. Some people say James is talking to the Christian, that the Christian can become rich and in fact lose his salvation because of his love of his money. Well, certainly a Christian can be rich and love his money and suffer for it, but nowhere does it teach in my Bible that a Christian can be rich, fall in love with his money, and lose his salvation. He could be penalized for his silliness regarding his idolatry. and his money, but he doesn’t lose his salvation. And if you’re wondering, I believe once born again, did you hear what I said? I didn’t say, if you believe in Jesus, you’re going to go to heaven. Nowhere does the Bible say, if you just believe in Jesus, you’re going to go to heaven. I’m telling you, if you’re born again, you were born again forever, and there’s nothing that’s going to happen to unborn again you. There are no abortions in the kingdom of heaven. The question is, are you born again? Are you born again? That’s the question. My uncle Ben, he believed. He wound up turning his back on Christ. Listen, you can believe all you want. Has your belief led you to faith in Christ? And have you put your life in Christ’s hands? And are you born again by the Spirit of God? Some people say, no, James is talking about those who in fact lose their salvation. And in this particular case, the danger was they became rich and they lost it. I don’t believe that. Here’s the correct interpretation and understanding. You ready? Jot it down. James isn’t talking to Christians whatsoever. James is stating the fact like he has been since the moment he started James 1. There are those who say they believe, and there are those who say they believe, and there are those who say they believe and live like it, and there are those who say they believe and they don’t live like it. There are those who say they have faith. Oh, I have faith. And they see their brother and sister in need, and they say, be warm and be filled, brother. Oh, sorry, have a nice day. And they turn and walk away. And then there are those who say they have faith, and maybe they don’t say anything at all, and they wind up buying their brother and sister a Happy Meal down at McDonald’s and sustaining their life. There’s a big difference in regards to what you say and how you live. James is saying, God here makes a prediction about the rich. Come now, you rich. Weep and howl for the miseries, here it is prophetically, that are coming upon you. They are coming. Bill Gates. Bill Gates built his wife a house in Seattle. Well, actually, it’s not in Seattle. It’s just outside Seattle. $55 million home. And by the way, it’s the most electronically advanced house or structure on the face of the earth. Do you know that? Check this out. If he has friends coming over, and he knows about his friends, let’s say, I don’t know, make up a friend. Let’s say Joe’s coming over. And Joe is Bill Gates’ friend, and he’s coming over, and Joe likes Monet’s. He likes Monet’s paintings. Bill Gates has a program. His house is programmed. He presses a button, and these screens go down, and screens come up with Monet’s. Well, what if Kathy’s coming over? Oh, he just presses a button, and down goes the Monet’s, and up comes the Picasso’s. Can you believe that? All of this wealth. So much money. What in the world are you doing with it? I read a thing in the newspaper that Bill Gates has enough money to buy every American citizen. Every one of them. From infant to old age. Every one of them. A BMW. I forget the number. It’s the little one. 315, whatever they are. Everyone can. And you might say, well, that’s wild. What could I do? The motive is what is the rich doing with their money? And you might say, well, yeah, they could get in a lot of trouble. James is saying, what are you doing with your money? What am I doing with mine? He’s going to tell us how dangerous money can become. It’s not evil. That’s how we use it. He says, come now, many of you personally, you who are rich, And this word rich means those that have enough to sustain them for life. To live. Not life. Not lifetimes. Life today. Now, come on. There is not one person in this room that does not have enough to sustain them for this life today. Every one of us, don’t we? You might say, well, it’s getting pretty low in my house. If you have a can of spam, you know, forget spam. If you have a can of tuna, it can sustain you today for life. Anything more than that, we’re rich. So now all of us are rich. James is speaking to every one of us.
SPEAKER 01 :
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.
SPEAKER 02 :
Hey, everybody. You know, everybody here on the team thought it’d be kind of fun if you actually kind of saw or heard what goes on behind the scenes. After all, it’s called real life and this is what we do. Take a listen.
SPEAKER 01 :
Vicki and I were driving down the street the other day, right? And I couldn’t remember the name of my doctor. I remembered his name, but I couldn’t remember how to spell it.
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right? So I went to chat GPT and she said, why are you going to Satan for the answers? She thinks, but here’s the thing, right? And she’s like, this is from Satan. This is the devil. You know, she’s being a little dramatic about it. But I was just looking stuff up, stupid stuff. And I could talk. I could talk to my phone. But here’s the thing. I can see myself getting way hooked on that, you know? Like when Instagram first came out, right? I thought, oh, what’s this stupid program that I’m never going to use? And now I’m like, I’m praying that I can, you know, get away from the addiction of it, you know?
SPEAKER 02 :
Yeah. Well, I’m happy to report that I’m a dinosaur. So I’m really at peace with a lot of things. You know, when it comes to this AI stuff is, I believe like everything in life, including, for example, food itself, it needs to be managed. I think everything in life has to be stewarded And we can do that in wisdom because we’re believers. So is it good to eat? Yes, you have to eat. But is it good to eat three pizzas in one sitting? That’s not a good thing to do. AI, I think AI is great if you’re trying to reroute for trafficking, if you’re trying to find out what the price of that item is. Can I get it cheaper anywhere else? I think that’s great. But the moment you say, hey, AI, can you tell me about God? Hey, AI, you know, What do you think about the Bible? Here’s the danger. When you get so confident that it’s telling you to turn left and turn right and to do this, that, and the other, and then you cross the line where some form of Some form of trust has been established. Isn’t that weird that I just said that? It’s not real. It’s fake. But I just said the word trust, which is between humans and God. But when you have some trust factor in this device, in this AI, and it tells you something to the effect, you know, Jesus was one of many enlightened ones, right? Well, there you go. That’s a doctrine of Satan. But people who just heard me say that said, oh, of course, I’ve heard that all my life. Well, there’s an agenda to this. So I believe the only way to use AI rightly is to make sure that you know the word of God so I can judge everything that AI tries to teach me about God. And I’m not kidding. There was recently and for four years, a vice president here in the United States. I asked it who she was. And it said that she was a doctor. And I said, are you sure? And I asked it again, and it repeated it, that this particular person is a doctor of something. And it actually was not true. Why did that happen? I’m still scratching my head today. Why that kind of stuff? We must be educated to test AI.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah. So let me throw this at you. I found myself actually educating AI the other day. I’d like to hear this. Well, here’s the thing is, I guess you can tell, like, chat GPT, for instance. You can educate it. Like, I was asking directions, and it gave me the direction. Here in Southern California, we call our freeways the 10, the 60, the 210. Correct. And nowhere else in the country do you use the word the. Yeah, you’re right. Okay, so… It said back to me, it said, okay, you will take route 210.
SPEAKER 02 :
Oh, we don’t even know what that means.
SPEAKER 01 :
No, we have no idea. So, but then I, after it was done, I said, oh, by the way, we in Southern California don’t call it route 210. We call it the 210. And here I am teaching AI, right? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, David. I thought, but I’m getting sucked in, right? I’m talking to something that’s fake. You know, Davey, you should do something about your loneliness. I really should. I’m talking with AI.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, yeah, sounds like you’re head over heels. Yeah, no, that’s, I mean, it’s amazing.
SPEAKER 01 :
Did it actually receive your input? It said to me, thank you very much. I appreciate the help.
SPEAKER 02 :
So here, okay, this is a good place to go with. That thing who other people will talk to got information from you and it’s going to repeat it.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right.
SPEAKER 02 :
What if it wasn’t you? What if it was some philosophical professor of craziness who sought to reeducate AI on this particular matter? Wow. I didn’t know you could do that. Uh, it’s a little, uh, little bit, uh, cause I could see it. You know, you start off with a little tiny bit like, Oh, just, Oh, Satan. Listen, Satan is a friend of mine told me years ago, Satan is a gradualist. He doesn’t pound your door down. He just sticks a straw or a piece of fabric in the doorway until he works it up to the lock and it no longer works. And then he walks in, you know, isn’t that true?
SPEAKER 01 :
It’s very true about everything he does. I mean, every day that you wake up, we’re becoming closer and closer to Jesus coming back.
SPEAKER 02 :
I can’t wait. I wish today. I mean, there’s so much evidence. Wouldn’t it be awesome if by the time this broadcast drops on the radio, we’re not even here.
SPEAKER 01 :
We’d be done. Right?
SPEAKER 02 :
See ya.
SPEAKER 01 :
Bye-bye. 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.
