WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.840 Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim 2 00:00:05.840 --> 00:00:09.440 truth, equip the saints, and impact our culture. 3 00:00:09.440 --> 00:00:16.680 Surrender. Give it up. Holy Spirit, do what you want to do in my life. I will read 4 00:00:16.680 --> 00:00:23.040 your word and I will step out and do your word, but I know I can't do your word in 5 00:00:23.040 --> 00:00:29.360 another of my own strength. It's impossible. So Lord, I'm going to step out. You do it 6 00:00:29.360 --> 00:00:32.320 through me. I will obey. 7 00:00:35.360 --> 00:00:41.920 You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. 8 00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:47.760 Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, 9 00:00:47.760 --> 00:00:53.520 then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying amen 10 00:00:53.520 --> 00:00:59.440 or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now, open your hearts to what God's 11 00:00:59.440 --> 00:01:07.920 word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. Matthew 9 verse 35, I love this. I just love this. This 12 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:15.040 to me is so precious. And to me, this just displays the nature of our God. Then Jesus, that's God 13 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:21.360 in skin visiting earth, went about all the cities and villages teaching in the synagogues, 14 00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:26.400 preaching the gospel of the kingdom, healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 15 00:01:27.440 --> 00:01:34.720 Verse 36, but when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion. The word moved with 16 00:01:34.720 --> 00:01:43.360 compassion. It means that he felt so deeply for them that it made him, the word means to become sick. 17 00:01:43.360 --> 00:01:50.320 Frankly, the word look it up. You won't believe me, but it means to have your bowels on edge. Your 18 00:01:50.320 --> 00:01:57.360 bowels is the deep-seated gut of feeling. Have you ever seen something where it affected you so 19 00:01:57.360 --> 00:02:01.760 much that you couldn't even eat? You didn't want to eat? Your heart was broken. When we say, 20 00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:06.960 oh my heart just broke over that situation. We know what you mean, but what really happened to you 21 00:02:07.040 --> 00:02:13.600 was you were moved with compassion. Jesus saw the people. And when he saw the multitude, 22 00:02:13.600 --> 00:02:20.800 he was sick, he was stomach. Wow, what would trouble God so much? Well, he tells us 23 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:25.840 because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. 24 00:02:27.600 --> 00:02:32.800 Then he said to his disciples, the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 25 00:02:32.800 --> 00:02:38.160 Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest and send out laborers into the harvest. Number two, 26 00:02:38.160 --> 00:02:44.000 in our point, is verses 16 to 18, and that is the good, good sovereignty of God. Is this? Is that, 27 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:52.880 is an anchor, a very anchor to his justice? God is just. And he operates his justice in his 28 00:02:52.880 --> 00:03:01.360 sovereignty. God alone is judge. Think about that. So the first thing we see in verse 16 is the 29 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:07.280 fact that God is just in his plans. I want to make sure you heard that right. He's just 30 00:03:08.640 --> 00:03:15.040 in his plans. He's not adjusting his plans. His plans don't change. He doesn't have a plan B. 31 00:03:16.880 --> 00:03:24.480 So then it is not of him who wills or him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. What does that mean? 32 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:32.480 Listen, it's not up to you and me to will what things will be and will not be. Boy, 33 00:03:32.480 --> 00:03:35.680 I'm going to step on some toes right now, but stick your feet out there because I'm going to be 34 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:39.520 happy to do it. You know, there's people running around in their theology because of their 35 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:44.000 denominational persuasion or emotion, and they believe that they can tell God what to do. 36 00:03:45.440 --> 00:03:50.640 This verse right here debunks that totally. It's not for you to will what will be and what will 37 00:03:50.640 --> 00:04:01.040 not be. I claim it. I'm just claiming it. What what do you claiming that God wants me rich? 38 00:04:02.720 --> 00:04:08.160 I don't think God wants I don't think you're claiming it to God's not claiming nothing. God's saying 39 00:04:08.640 --> 00:04:20.800 who is that? You do not say to the sovereign God because I will this. He must do this. He's not 40 00:04:20.800 --> 00:04:29.280 your servant. He's not your Santa. He's God. And he being God can never violate his will or his word. 41 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:39.120 And then the Bible tells us, nor of him who runs, that is I'm going to do this. I'm going to do 42 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:45.360 the other. Didn't James tell us don't talk like that? James says, use pray if the Lord wills. We will 43 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:53.920 go and do business and such and such and come back. It's not up to do. And all of a sudden this is 44 00:04:53.920 --> 00:05:02.640 an amazing stringent or acetone as it were that strips away the veneer and reveals it all. Are you 45 00:05:02.640 --> 00:05:08.560 living for your will? Are you a fair weather follower of God? Are you going to go with God as 46 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:14.000 long as God goes with you? What if the day is when God says I'm going this way and I'm inviting you 47 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:20.240 to come with me and you don't want to go that way? Because you didn't expect bumps or drought or 48 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:25.360 snow that deep or whatever it might be. God says we're at war. This is the end of the age. 49 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:31.040 Souls. The men of souls is at stake. Come with me. And we say no, that's a little bit too much. 50 00:05:31.040 --> 00:05:38.880 I'm going to do it my way. God has nothing of it. And we're going to do it this way. How much 51 00:05:38.880 --> 00:05:46.240 in ministry today in this world is being done in the name of Jesus and He is a thousand miles from it. 52 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:53.120 This won't be for long and it's probably a good thing but in America you can throw enough money 53 00:05:53.120 --> 00:06:04.640 at something and make it look anointed. Don't worry. When the money is gone the anointing will 54 00:06:04.640 --> 00:06:12.400 still be there. If this is exalted, Christ's name is praised and we look to Him to obey. 55 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:21.440 You won't have to worry. Our kingdom is in heaven and God has His plans and it's quite awesome. 56 00:06:21.440 --> 00:06:30.720 Now here's a stiff cup of coffee coming up here. Romans chapter 3, verse 10. As it is written there 57 00:06:30.720 --> 00:06:41.280 is none righteous. No, not one. Right? There is none who understands. There is none who seeks 58 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:47.600 after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable. There is none who does 59 00:06:47.600 --> 00:06:54.800 good. No, not one. Proverbs chapter 14 verse 12 says, there is a way that seems right. By the way, 60 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:01.120 the word seems right. The word means there is a way that seems smooth and easy to a man, 61 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:08.240 but that way ends in death. That's what it means. Doesn't that rhyme? Do you get that immediately 62 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:15.520 with what Jesus said broad as the way that leads to destruction and many people around that path? 63 00:07:15.520 --> 00:07:19.120 You think about a broad path and there's a lot of people on it. There's a lot. Think about it. 64 00:07:19.200 --> 00:07:25.440 You're on a broad path. Obviously, it must be pretty easy and there's a lot of people with you so 65 00:07:25.440 --> 00:07:31.040 we're social creatures, so we're with a bunch of people and we're all just tooling along, assuming 66 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:35.680 there were Christians, never digging in deep and going into the Romans chapter 9 to find out if 67 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:40.240 we really are or not, to see if the fruit of the spirits coming out of our life and the trail 68 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:46.560 left behind is righteousness. Is there mercy left behind? Wherever I go, is there compassion 69 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:52.480 left behind? We are like God's priests, believers, carrying the presence of God. 70 00:07:54.320 --> 00:07:59.280 And wherever mercy goes, you have to go. Or I should flip that around. Wherever you go, 71 00:07:59.280 --> 00:08:08.080 mercy will go. Is it true? If I go somewhere, would there be compassion? If I go somewhere, 72 00:08:08.080 --> 00:08:14.240 would there be generosity? Are you hearing me? This is strong stuff. You do understand that it's so 73 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:18.320 obvious that we live in a time and an age where we really get serious about the things we've got. 74 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:25.360 And God is asking you. He's asking me today. Wherever you go, is there evidence? Is there without a 75 00:08:25.360 --> 00:08:30.960 word? Can I look and see that there's compassion that's following your life? Are people blessed by 76 00:08:30.960 --> 00:08:39.760 your mercy, blessed by your right deeds, righteousness doing the right thing? Are you a shady Christian? 77 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:44.160 Or when somebody says, I don't know that guy was a Christian. Oh, that's the last thing 78 00:08:44.160 --> 00:08:48.960 everyone here. Can you imagine? Wait, you said that guy was a Christian. 79 00:08:50.800 --> 00:08:54.240 Okay. Oh my goodness. Could you imagine somebody saying that about you? 80 00:08:56.800 --> 00:09:04.240 Oh, no, listen. The Bible says in Lamentations chapter 3 verse 22, 81 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:11.200 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercy never comes to an end. 82 00:09:12.160 --> 00:09:17.440 And if that wasn't enough, they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. That's God. 83 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:26.000 precious. Secondly, under this second point, is God is just in His actions. And all of His actions. 84 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:33.040 God is just. Okay, you guys ready? Everything that we've come to has been set up for this moment. 85 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:40.960 You guys awake? Look at verse 17, for the scripture, that is the Old Testament, says, 86 00:09:41.760 --> 00:09:50.240 to the Pharaoh, quote, for this very purpose, I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you. 87 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:57.360 Don't answer. We're in a seminary class right now. There's a chalkboard, you're in class. Don't 88 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:04.480 answer. Look at the verse. The scripture says that God announced to Pharaoh, for this purpose, 89 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:11.680 I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you. Knowing the nature of God now, 90 00:10:13.040 --> 00:10:19.200 scratching the surface, don't answer. But what is God saying here? 91 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:26.560 See, you and I lived three thousand, three and a half thousand years later in this time's 92 00:10:26.560 --> 00:10:31.280 on. We know how this ends. What if you didn't know how this ends? What if you were back then with 93 00:10:31.280 --> 00:10:37.440 Pharaoh, right then? God speaks to Pharaoh and says to Pharaoh, hey, Pharaoh, for this reason, 94 00:10:37.440 --> 00:10:46.000 for this purpose, I have raised you up, that I may show my power in you. How is this going to go? 95 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:57.440 No. In Romans chapter 9. In Romans chapter 9, the communication regarding Pharaoh is this, 96 00:10:58.240 --> 00:11:06.960 Pharaoh had a choice on what he was going to do. Choose Pharaoh. Technically, I can look at this 97 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:12.960 verse and say thousands of years ago, for this very purpose, I have raised you up, that I may 98 00:11:13.040 --> 00:11:18.720 show my power in you. Pharaoh, I'm going to use you. You are going to be a great example of what I 99 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:22.960 want. I want my children of Israel out. It's time for them to come back home and you are going to 100 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:31.520 be a tremendous tool in accomplishing that very thing. Is that how it ended? No. Could it have 101 00:11:31.520 --> 00:11:37.680 ended that way? Could have, who would have known? Who did know? Who knew how it was going to go? 102 00:11:37.680 --> 00:11:42.240 The entire time before Pharaoh was ever born. God did, based on his foreign knowledge. 103 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:51.200 God knew how this was going to go. He didn't make it go. He knew how it was going to go. Verse 17 104 00:11:51.200 --> 00:12:01.280 continues and says that my name may be declared in all the earth. Therefore, he has mercy on whom he 105 00:12:01.280 --> 00:12:08.800 wills and whom he wills, he hardens. So, what do we know about this? The word hardens, listen to 106 00:12:08.800 --> 00:12:18.240 this. The word hardens is to set in place by one than the other to set in place. The word in 107 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:27.600 Greek means to be or to be coming hardened in case for encasement to become more and more 108 00:12:27.680 --> 00:12:34.240 hard or hardened. How many times did Moses say to Pharaoh that God told me to tell you, 109 00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:44.000 let my people go? How many times? Ten times. How many times did the Bible say that God hardened 110 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:51.280 Pharaoh's heart? Ten times. How many times does it say that Pharaoh hardened his own heart? 111 00:12:52.080 --> 00:13:00.720 Ten times. Watch this. We can't do them all right now. That would be a lot of verses. Oh, 112 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:06.800 give you enough. Exodus chapter 8 verse 15, check this out. Now remember, we're looking at the word 113 00:13:06.800 --> 00:13:13.920 hardened. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them 114 00:13:13.920 --> 00:13:18.320 as the Lord had said. So, everybody wrapping this up, watch, I want your attention. 115 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:25.040 Imagine what cement just came out of the cement truck right here right now up to my knees. It 116 00:13:25.040 --> 00:13:29.840 just got poured and I'm standing in it and I'm talking to you and I'm able to move in it because 117 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:36.640 it's wet. Exodus chapter 8 verse 32. But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also. Neither would 118 00:13:36.640 --> 00:13:46.960 he let the people go. Exodus 9 verse 12. But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh and he did not 119 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:52.160 heed them just as the Lord had spoken to Moses. You see that? You see what's going on here? 120 00:13:52.800 --> 00:13:59.200 Exodus 9 verse 34. And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, 121 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:05.600 he sinned yet more and he hardened his heart. He and his servants. Are you tracking with this 122 00:14:05.600 --> 00:14:12.880 everybody? We're almost done. I'm standing in cement right now and you tell me, get out of the 123 00:14:12.880 --> 00:14:22.720 cement and I say, well, don't tell me what to do. I'm in charge of my own ship. 124 00:14:27.280 --> 00:14:34.800 And somebody says, you better get out or let my people go and you just keep standing in the 125 00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:43.360 cement. Without you're so bent on resisting this command because of pride that you don't realize 126 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:54.960 how it's getting harder to move. Listen, when you were young, maybe, or at some certain 127 00:14:54.960 --> 00:15:02.880 time of life, and I remember it like it was yesterday on Friday, all my life, I thought 128 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:09.440 girls stunk. They had they had kudis and you stay away from them. And then Monday morning, 129 00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:15.760 what happened? They smell fantastic. There's skin. And how does that happen? It's just like, 130 00:15:17.040 --> 00:15:21.680 and I don't know what age that was. I tried to try to try to forget all that stuff, but it's like, 131 00:15:21.760 --> 00:15:32.320 oh, and then there goes Mary. And it's like, what happened? And then there's a situation that's 132 00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:37.760 forming and you can hear a voice in your head saying, don't do this. Now listen, don't do this. 133 00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:44.480 And you keep inching toward the don't do this. You guys look so pious right now at me. 134 00:15:45.440 --> 00:15:51.200 Every single one of you know exactly what I'm talking about. And you cross the line. 135 00:15:52.080 --> 00:15:57.040 You cross the line and the red lights are going off. Alarms are screaming and you can hear a 136 00:15:57.040 --> 00:16:05.040 horn. And your conscience is so convicted. Are you not? And you say, never do that again. 137 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:12.160 Until next Tuesday. The alarms went off. The lights were red. And you heard his voice. 138 00:16:12.880 --> 00:16:21.440 Shouldn't have done that. Nine times. On the 10th time, there's no more lights. Have you noticed? 139 00:16:22.400 --> 00:16:30.160 No more hesitation. In fact, now you're planning on meeting up again for the 11th. Are you 140 00:16:30.160 --> 00:16:36.240 or what I'm saying? You know what's happened? Hardened your heart. You stood in the cement. 141 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:44.800 And it got hard. Pharaoh said, nope, not gonna let him go. Nope. And God says, okay, then here's 142 00:16:44.800 --> 00:16:51.760 a little bit of hardening. Nope, not gonna let him go. Well, here's some more. He stood, 143 00:16:51.760 --> 00:16:59.520 Pharaoh stood until the cement was set. You and I may be guilty of the exact same thing. 144 00:17:02.160 --> 00:17:06.560 Is your heart soft and gentle? And are you calling out to God or make me like a child? 145 00:17:06.560 --> 00:17:13.440 Give me child like faith. In this world, make me strong against the evil, but make me soft toward 146 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:21.120 you, God. Or are you saying, I don't need God. I got this. Stand on my face. God is saying, 147 00:17:21.120 --> 00:17:24.960 you need to come to me. You need to come to me. My son died on the cross for you. Leave me alone. 148 00:17:27.280 --> 00:17:33.920 Until you hear this. God says, I'm trying to reach you. I'm trying to reach you with my son. 149 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.840 Your heart is so countless. You can't hear anywhere. 150 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:49.920 Everybody points at Pharaoh. From hell, Pharaoh's pointing at us. Don't do what I did. 151 00:17:51.440 --> 00:17:52.720 I'm sure would be his cry. 152 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:03.280 You see, friends, listen, this whole thing with God in his nature, it is a crime in my opinion. 153 00:18:03.920 --> 00:18:09.520 And I believe it's bivocally accurate to label God as some sort of capricious tyrant 154 00:18:11.760 --> 00:18:17.520 that condemns people to hell based on his own dislikes. 155 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:25.680 God in his foreign knowledge knew exactly what you would do when the gospel would be presented to you. 156 00:18:26.320 --> 00:18:32.880 And probably for most of us in the West, the gospel has been presented to us a thousand times. 157 00:18:34.880 --> 00:18:38.560 But have you ever said yes? You should say yes. 158 00:18:43.520 --> 00:18:49.440 This Jack Kibs podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported. 159 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:55.440 Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibs.com 160 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:58.720 to learn more and stay connected.