WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.840 Real life presents the Jack Hibb's podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim 2 00:00:05.840 --> 00:00:10.760 truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. You will never have to fear 3 00:00:10.760 --> 00:00:16.560 if God changing his mind on saving you because he knew what he was doing before 4 00:00:16.560 --> 00:00:21.920 time ever began when he invited you to come into his kingdom. 5 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:29.920 You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. 6 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.920 Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled 7 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:39.920 life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, 8 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:45.920 that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. 9 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:51.920 Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibb's. 10 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:20.920 The Christian is to be the brightest of lights and the in the darkest of places. 11 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:25.920 The Christian is to be the saltiest of salts where decay and death is. 12 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:29.920 The Christian is to be the most loving and attractive in the culture. 13 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:34.920 The Christian is to be much hated and rejected among all who disagree. 14 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:39.920 When people say I disagree, that God exists, if you hold your ground Christian, 15 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:42.920 you're going to be hated. We talked about this on Wednesday night. 16 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:47.920 But to be a Christ follower, these five things God will do. 17 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:52.920 We are to be courageous. God does that. We are to be informed. 18 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:59.920 We are to be vigilant. We are to be win some and we are to be blameless. 19 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:03.920 You are going to be accused because you know Jesus. 20 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:07.920 People are going to call you and label you all kinds of evil against your life. 21 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:10.920 They're going to tell you this in your family. They're going to say you're the, 22 00:02:10.920 --> 00:02:15.920 you know, she's the weird ant or he's the weird, that's the, that doesn't matter. 23 00:02:15.920 --> 00:02:19.920 They're just going to let you have it because the bottom line is Jesus. 24 00:02:19.920 --> 00:02:24.920 Just don't let there be any truth to it. 25 00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:27.920 Because if you don't heed what I'm encouraging to embrace right now, 26 00:02:27.920 --> 00:02:31.920 that is you embrace the Lord Jesus Christ and you will never, I promise you, 27 00:02:31.920 --> 00:02:36.920 you will never win public opinion. You don't have to. 28 00:02:36.920 --> 00:02:40.920 By the way, public opinion cannot be won because it's jellyfish. 29 00:02:40.920 --> 00:02:43.920 It's jello on the wall. 30 00:02:43.920 --> 00:02:46.920 You ever, ever been in the ocean and you grab a jellyfish? 31 00:02:46.920 --> 00:02:51.920 It's like grabbing snot. It's just what is that? 32 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:57.920 Exactly what is that? Everybody votes for you on Monday and they'll kill you on Tuesday. 33 00:02:57.920 --> 00:03:01.920 That's the way of the world. God's not like that. 34 00:03:01.920 --> 00:03:08.920 Follow Jesus and these things will be ours to both enjoy and to suffer, 35 00:03:08.920 --> 00:03:13.920 but the end is glorious. 36 00:03:13.920 --> 00:03:17.920 But it's a time church. It will always be a time and this time will increase for us 37 00:03:17.920 --> 00:03:21.920 that you and I exercise godly obedience. 38 00:03:21.920 --> 00:03:25.920 We must determine, don't raise your hand, but if you're a Christian today, 39 00:03:25.920 --> 00:03:32.920 the time is now upon us. I have no doubt that we must choose to obey God rather 40 00:03:32.920 --> 00:03:36.920 than man when man creates laws that are anti-god. 41 00:03:36.920 --> 00:03:41.920 And just don't write me and tell me that you disagree. It's ridiculous. 42 00:03:41.920 --> 00:03:46.920 You'll just expose yourself. 43 00:03:46.920 --> 00:03:51.920 This has always been the case. 44 00:03:51.920 --> 00:03:57.920 By the way, how do you ever plan on becoming a persecuted believer, a martyr for Christ, 45 00:03:57.920 --> 00:04:06.920 which is a badge of honor, if you're going to be like the jello on the wall? 46 00:04:06.920 --> 00:04:11.920 No wonder white churches don't mention the word martyr or persecution. 47 00:04:11.920 --> 00:04:15.920 Who don't say that? Isn't it the 21st century? 48 00:04:15.920 --> 00:04:22.920 No, it means in the 21st century, persecution has been perfected. 49 00:04:22.920 --> 00:04:29.920 And many of you have suffered what I call white collar persecution. 50 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:36.920 We obey government, but when government goes rogue and it crosses the line of Scripture, 51 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:42.920 then we stand with God. Acts chapter 5, verse 17, then the high priest rose up 52 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:47.920 and all those who were with them, which is the sect of the Sadducees, 53 00:04:47.920 --> 00:04:49.920 and they were filled with indignation. 54 00:04:49.920 --> 00:04:52.920 And they lay their hands on the apostles and put them in a common prison. 55 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:56.920 But at night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors. That's awesome. 56 00:04:56.920 --> 00:05:03.920 And brought them out and said, go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. 57 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:10.920 That is the Christian life, the gospel. And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. 58 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:16.920 The high priest and those who came and called the council together with all the elders of the children of Israel 59 00:05:16.920 --> 00:05:21.920 and sent to the prison to have them brought. Watch this. 60 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:27.920 But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, 61 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:33.920 they returned and reported saying, indeed, we found the prison shut securely, 62 00:05:33.920 --> 00:05:39.920 and the guard standing outside before the doors. But when we opened them, we found no one inside. 63 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:45.920 Is that awesome? I mean, that's like a movie thing. But this is real. 64 00:05:45.920 --> 00:05:51.920 Now, when the high priest, verse 24, and the captain of the temple and the chief priest heard these things, 65 00:05:51.920 --> 00:05:55.920 they wondered what the outcome would be. Boy, are we in trouble? 66 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:02.920 So one came and told them, say, look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. 67 00:06:02.920 --> 00:06:08.920 Then the captain went with the officers and brought them without violence for they feared the people, 68 00:06:08.920 --> 00:06:13.920 unless they should be stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. 69 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:21.920 And the high priest asked them, saying, did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? What's the name? 70 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:27.920 What's the name? Jesus. And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. 71 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:36.920 What city do you live in? Whatever city you live in, wouldn't it be great if this same indictment was placed upon us? 72 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:41.920 If I got called in before the authorities, wouldn't it be awesome if they said, look at you. 73 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:49.920 You have filled the whole city with this doctrine. Oh, wow. May that be true of Anaheim and Irvine and Pasadena, right? 74 00:06:50.920 --> 00:06:56.920 Would that be great? Wow. And then tend to bring this man's blood on us. 75 00:06:56.920 --> 00:07:02.920 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, we ought to obey God rather than men. 76 00:07:02.920 --> 00:07:08.920 Verse 40. And they agreed with them. And when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, 77 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:12.920 they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. 78 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:19.920 So they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. 79 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:27.920 And daily in the temple and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. 80 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:31.920 Woo. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. 81 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:37.920 The preaching of the gospel, the proclamation of the gospel, it cannot be outlawed. 82 00:07:37.920 --> 00:07:44.920 It cannot. You said, wait a minute, in some countries it is. Yes, in some countries it is a law to not preach Christ. 83 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:53.920 But you can't outlaw it. You said, what are you saying? You can make laws against it, but no one's going to obey that. 84 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:58.920 Think of it. Do you think the believers in North Korea are being silent? No. 85 00:07:58.920 --> 00:08:04.920 Just like the believers in Iran are not being silent. How do we know? Because the church is growing there. 86 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:12.920 What about the believers in Saudi Arabia that it's illegal to preach? They're whispering to others. 87 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:22.920 Hey, you know, at least then I just had a really, this last week, two times, we were somewhere, one, okay. 88 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:32.920 The other day I was speaking at Biola the other day and someone came up and said, hi, and as young person and as they were leaving, they said, 89 00:08:32.920 --> 00:08:37.920 they just, it just rolled off their tongue so you know it's normal to them. They just said, hey, see you later. 90 00:08:38.920 --> 00:08:46.920 Blessed be the Lord, I think it was. This young man, see it Jack and Lisa, blessed be the name of the Lord and he walked away. 91 00:08:46.920 --> 00:08:52.920 Earlier that week, Lisa and I were in a place and total strangers, there were five young men. 92 00:08:52.920 --> 00:09:02.920 I'm, I'm meant there to be in their late teens or early 20s. And the one guy said, hey, what are you doing here to his buddy? 93 00:09:02.920 --> 00:09:09.920 Hey, I didn't know you were going to be, what are you doing here? And they greeted each other. Listen, he's risen. 94 00:09:09.920 --> 00:09:18.920 Lisa and I were like this because this is a secular setting. We were, did you hear that? It was their greeting, it was kind of apostolic. 95 00:09:18.920 --> 00:09:28.920 It was like, wow. A friend of mine said, even in Vegas, they'll say the luck of the Lord be with you. 96 00:09:32.920 --> 00:09:44.920 And then finally, we end right here. Number two is that the government of God reveals the Lordship of God. 97 00:09:44.920 --> 00:09:55.920 From sovereignty of God to the Lordship of God, all learned by the government of God and we see this in verse five, his divine government over his people, Lordship. 98 00:09:55.920 --> 00:10:06.920 Therefore, you must be subject not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake. Listen, you don't have to worry about wrath if your conscience is clear before the Lord. 99 00:10:06.920 --> 00:10:21.920 How do you have a clear conscience? Obey the Lord. Why should I obey the Lord? Don't you want to live? Don't you? Yes, I do. I want to live. Then listen, receive his divine government over your life. 100 00:10:21.920 --> 00:10:31.920 It's called him being Lord, friends, and I know there's a great debate about this. It ought not to be, but there is. Can you have Jesus Christ as Savior, not have them as Lord? 101 00:10:31.920 --> 00:10:44.920 And some will say you have to have them as Lord, to have them as Savior, and the argument goes back and forth. Hey, listen, I don't know about that stuff. I just know this. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. 102 00:10:44.920 --> 00:10:53.920 And the last time I checked on the most, the most minuscule definition of the word Lord, it means master. Did you know that? 103 00:10:53.920 --> 00:11:04.920 Did you know that in the original Greek language, the New Testament, the word servant never shows up regarding our lives. It's always the word slave. I'm not going to apologize for that. 104 00:11:04.920 --> 00:11:19.920 The Bible says, God is our master, and we are his slave. Slaves can be defined by their master. And I'm happy to tell you that I have a very good master, that I love being his slave. 105 00:11:19.920 --> 00:11:33.920 We've all learned this to not be the slave of man. That's for sure. But even if you find this message landing in the country where you're at in slavery rules the land. 106 00:11:33.920 --> 00:11:48.920 The Bible addresses that. The New Testament addresses it and says to the slave in a foreign land, be obedient to your master, be a witness for Jesus. You might win your master to Christ. 107 00:11:48.920 --> 00:12:04.920 And if you are a slave owner, somewhere in the world, and you're a believer, Jesus is your Lord, and you're a slave to him. And so you should turn around and treat those who are under you with respect and dignity. 108 00:12:04.920 --> 00:12:16.920 Because in some countries, folks, we don't know this, but in some countries, if a slave owner became a Christian and then turned his slaves loose, they would be killed. 109 00:12:16.920 --> 00:12:27.920 Yes, think of that. So what do you do in such a difficult situation? I think God that my Bible is so perfect that it even handles the most difficult and ugly situations. 110 00:12:27.920 --> 00:12:38.920 What is the absolute shift in the entire equation become in a believer? Who's your Lord? The people would be asked, well, it's obvious. 111 00:12:38.920 --> 00:12:44.920 Stayed in the obvious, this is in a public setting, in a civic sense. Yes, I get it. 112 00:12:44.920 --> 00:12:53.920 But after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was called Lord and Christ, and it shifted, it changed, and let's give him some credit. 113 00:12:53.920 --> 00:13:07.920 This whole thing changed because, yes, prior to the resurrection, people did call Jesus Lord, but they called him Lord like you would a landowner, or Lord like somebody who's over you because of education, or whatever it might be. 114 00:13:07.920 --> 00:13:14.920 After the resurrection had all changed, and one guy who doesn't get any credit is the guy that changed, and of course the Holy Spirit did it through him. 115 00:13:14.920 --> 00:13:23.920 Do you know what his name was? Who set that? How did you know that? Oh, did you have, oh, you read my notes? 116 00:13:23.920 --> 00:13:33.920 I was going to say, you get on up here and you teach the closing of this message. You see why you should have the notes? 117 00:13:33.920 --> 00:13:39.920 Thomas, Thomas doubting Thomas. 118 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:46.920 Jesus is risen from the dead. Thomas, what are the apostles? We just saw Jesus. 119 00:13:46.920 --> 00:13:56.920 I don't think so. It's Thomas. He says, I am not going to believe. They all believed. He's risen from the dead. Thomas says, not me. I'm not going to do it. 120 00:13:56.920 --> 00:14:00.920 I'm not going to do it until I can touch him. 121 00:14:00.920 --> 00:14:05.920 Jesus shows up, the doors are locked, the windows are shut, and the Bible tells us Jesus suddenly appeared. 122 00:14:05.920 --> 00:14:14.920 And then, to prove to him that he's not a ghost, he says to Thomas, Thomas, can you imagine? He's Thomas. Can you imagine? 123 00:14:18.920 --> 00:14:22.920 Yes, Lord. 124 00:14:22.920 --> 00:14:32.920 Come on now. Come on. Put your fingers in the holes of my hand. Can you imagine? 125 00:14:32.920 --> 00:14:44.920 And Thomas says, my Lord, curious, my master. And my slave, is it just warm your heart, man? 126 00:14:44.920 --> 00:14:54.920 Are you a doubter? Jesus is saying, look at the holes in my hands. Well, yeah, that's what love says to you. 127 00:14:54.920 --> 00:15:01.920 Yeah, Jesus is King of kings and Lord's folks, and that truth right there will spare you from deception. 128 00:15:01.920 --> 00:15:08.920 Verse 6 tells us that the divine government of God and His Lordship is to be in your family. 129 00:15:09.920 --> 00:15:15.920 Because of this, you also pay taxes. For they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 130 00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:20.920 You say, how does that equate the family? Well, first of all, state the obvious, pay your taxes. 131 00:15:20.920 --> 00:15:26.920 I don't agree with the, pay your taxes. 132 00:15:26.920 --> 00:15:32.920 By the way, if you pay your taxes to really dumb stuff, which we will do, you will do it one way or another. 133 00:15:32.920 --> 00:15:38.920 You say, I'm not going to do it. You're going to do it through jail time. They will get it out of you. 134 00:15:38.920 --> 00:15:50.920 You don't have to worry about that. If they want you to pay taxes, because your tax dollars are going to go fund the gay activity of Peruvian frogs during the rainy season. 135 00:15:50.920 --> 00:15:54.920 If you say I disagree with that, I'm not going to pay taxes. No, no, here's what you're going to do. 136 00:15:54.920 --> 00:16:01.920 You're going to pay taxes, because you will not have to answer for what the authorities do with your tax money. 137 00:16:01.920 --> 00:16:10.920 They will. So by us paying taxes for them to do dumb things, we're heaping as it were judgment upon them by our obedience. 138 00:16:10.920 --> 00:16:13.920 Does that make sense? 139 00:16:13.920 --> 00:16:19.920 But what is it? That's the obvious, civically. 140 00:16:19.920 --> 00:16:26.920 But you know, you have civics in your home. Your family is like a little town. 141 00:16:26.920 --> 00:16:39.920 You have little citizens in your house. It's true. You've got various rooms. Some of them can be jails at certain times. 142 00:16:39.920 --> 00:16:51.920 There's a king, and a queen, and there's subjects, and there's a whole realm. 143 00:16:51.920 --> 00:17:02.920 Right? Is a little civil body politic, and God establishes this because listen. 144 00:17:02.920 --> 00:17:12.920 Dad, mom, God is teaching your children how to be citizens in a world through you, and your leadership. 145 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:20.920 Can I put it to you this way? Your kids should see you, in a sense, like the Lord Jesus Christ. 146 00:17:20.920 --> 00:17:28.920 Should you be loving to your kids? Absolutely. But should you condone evil? No, God would never do that. God would say that was evil. 147 00:17:28.920 --> 00:17:45.920 Did you see that? So right now I'm going to be the arresting officer. I'm going to bring you over here, and we're going to hold court, and everybody agrees, including your sisters, that you're guilty of this crime. 148 00:17:45.920 --> 00:17:57.920 And so mom's going to plead your case. I'm going to listen to it. Then we're going to go into consultation. Then we're going to come back out, and we're going to declare what your penalty is going to be. 149 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:06.920 Did you know that family works just like this if you realize it or not? It's the government of God. 150 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:24.920 And finally, it's right here in closing, verse 7, rendered therefore to all who are due, tax system, taxes are due, customs that's fees to whom fees are due, and fear to whom fear that's reverential awe. 151 00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:30.920 And honor to whom honor? What a beautiful place to end on this one, honor. 152 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:42.920 Do we honor our elected officials? Yes, yes, we do. I mean, we get to, you know, we get to around this area because most of them go to this church. We know them. We've known them for years. 153 00:18:42.920 --> 00:18:58.920 The mayor of this city, I've known for decades. Awesome people. There's also people that are elected to our offices, local and county and state that are actually anti-Christ people. They're anti. 154 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:16.920 How should we treat them with honor? With honor? Yes, it's hard. It's part of being a disciple. And honor them. 155 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:28.920 Friends, listen, you can rejoice in this fact. Jesus Christ will never lose his lordship because he will never act unbecoming of the Lord that he is. 156 00:19:28.920 --> 00:19:41.920 You will never have to fear God changing his mind on saving you because he knew what he was doing before time ever began when he invited you to come into his kingdom. 157 00:19:41.920 --> 00:20:01.920 This Jack Hibbs podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported. Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected.