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 --> 00:00:10.720 truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. Read the word, pray the word, 3 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.680 out loud prayer, read the word and then pray it out loud even though you're all 4 00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:18.960 alone. Watch what happens. Rehearse the presence of God in your life. Are you doing 5 00:00:18.960 --> 00:00:23.960 that? Watch this, don't say anything. Are you doing that in your life? Today as a 6 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:29.400 believer, did you do it yesterday the day before? The true believer is someone who 7 00:00:29.400 --> 00:00:35.240 we're going to meet up with in a moment that that's their life's events. It is a 8 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:42.800 struggle to meet with God, but they meet with God. They might hit miss, but they've 9 00:00:42.800 --> 00:00:45.320 got to be with God. 10 00:00:47.080 --> 00:00:53.600 You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. 11 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:58.880 Today if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled 12 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:03.760 life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, 13 00:01:03.760 --> 00:01:09.280 that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. 14 00:01:09.280 --> 00:01:14.800 Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. 15 00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:20.840 The just shall live by faith. When your faith is in God, God declares you just and the 16 00:01:20.840 --> 00:01:25.560 reality is you're a changed person. Your lifestyle is different. You live for the 17 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:32.000 things of God. Nobody has to tell you. You should be a Christian now. Nobody has to tell 18 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:36.320 you that. You know, you should be a Christian right now. You went forward last week. You should 19 00:01:36.320 --> 00:01:40.560 be a Christian right now. No one has to tell you that. The Holy Spirit on the inside is saying, 20 00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:51.480 hey, you're my child now. I'm in you. Let's do this. It's amazing. And so in verse nine, 21 00:01:51.480 --> 00:01:58.120 we also learned this that the security of his sovereign acts. His action is sovereign. God's 22 00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:03.160 actions are sovereign. Verse nine says, for this is the word of promise, you should circle the word 23 00:02:03.160 --> 00:02:10.280 promise. At this time, I will come and Sarah shall have a son. It's all about promise. And here's 24 00:02:10.280 --> 00:02:17.080 where in my opinion, the study gets fun to me. The promise, a very promise is something that is 25 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:22.840 given by someone and listen, the promise is given to be believed. But you agree with that? You 26 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:28.600 give a promise. It is to be accepted is to believe is to be believed. In fact, your heart gets 27 00:02:28.600 --> 00:02:34.040 broken when a promise is broken. And I would say with you right now that if God gives promises, 28 00:02:34.040 --> 00:02:41.400 then there's the ability regarding choice. Will you believe him in his promise? Will you trust 29 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:47.880 him in his promise? With what God has said, will you trust him? So listen, here's a little test. 30 00:02:49.160 --> 00:02:55.320 Regarding selection, regarding being chosen or elected, remember that all based on the foreknowledge 31 00:02:55.320 --> 00:03:03.240 of God? Then listen to this. Matthew 11, verse 28, come to me, all you who labor and are heavy 32 00:03:03.320 --> 00:03:11.080 laden and I will give you rest. What is the invitation? Come. Can you refuse? He says, come. 33 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:18.200 Listen, do all of you, is every, is every Christian full of rest in peace at all times? 34 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:25.880 No, it's because you didn't go when you should have come. Come to me if you're laborer and heavy 35 00:03:25.960 --> 00:03:34.760 laden. That's an invitation. The very word means an invitation. Matthew 19, 14, Jesus said, let the 36 00:03:34.760 --> 00:03:40.440 little children, what's the word? Come to me. Watch this. Do not forbid them. Could they have 37 00:03:40.440 --> 00:03:46.280 forbidden them? Of course they could have. Let the little children come to me for such as the 38 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:53.640 kingdom of heaven. John 6, 37, Jesus said, all that the father gives me will come to me and the one 39 00:03:53.640 --> 00:03:59.400 who comes to me, I will by no means cast out. Is that beautiful? You say, Jack, I don't know if 40 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:05.320 I understand that. Yes, you do. God gives the invitation and you respond to it. You are responding 41 00:04:05.320 --> 00:04:11.880 to God's overture. You're exercising your choice by giving your life back to God so that when 42 00:04:11.880 --> 00:04:15.560 you get to heaven, you're going to thank him. You're not going to pat yourself on the back 43 00:04:15.560 --> 00:04:20.760 for getting up there. Boy, did I make the right decision? None of us are going to do that. 44 00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:33.080 John 7, 37. On the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, if 45 00:04:33.080 --> 00:04:43.320 anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. Are you thirsty? I had somebody tell me, after first 46 00:04:43.320 --> 00:04:51.800 service today, he said, Pastor Jack, I'm thirsty on the inside. I am so dry. What do I do? 47 00:04:52.760 --> 00:04:59.560 And I said, press into him, draw yourself, pull yourself into Jesus. And he said, how do I do that? 48 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:04.680 And I said, start reading in John's gospel. John's gospel impacts the beautiful nature of Jesus 49 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:10.200 like no other gospel. And then he asked the question, what's all humans do? Well, what do I do? 50 00:05:11.080 --> 00:05:14.680 No, read John's gospel. Yeah, yeah, I got that. But what do I do? I said, there's your problem. 51 00:05:15.640 --> 00:05:25.240 I said, you got to get along with him. It's like I'm sentencing someone to prison. 52 00:05:26.200 --> 00:05:35.000 Get along with God. People think, what? No, you do that. And you have to work at it because you 53 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.400 know you go to, you get up early in the morning to be alone with God and your mind will go a thousand 54 00:05:39.400 --> 00:05:44.920 different places than what's supposed to be. Read the word, pray the word out loud, pray, read 55 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:49.080 the word and then pray it out loud, even though you're all alone. Watch what happens. Rehearse the 56 00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:54.920 presence of God in your life. Are you doing that? Watch this, don't say anything. Are you doing that 57 00:05:54.920 --> 00:06:01.560 in your life today as a believer? Did you do it yesterday, the day before? The true believer 58 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:07.800 is someone who we're going to meet up with in a moment that that's their life's event. It is a 59 00:06:08.760 --> 00:06:16.840 struggle to meet with God, but they meet with God. They might hit miss, but they've got to be with God. 60 00:06:18.120 --> 00:06:23.240 Does that drive your heart? Does that ring true to the inside of your very soul? Did you recognize 61 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:28.920 yourself in that statement? It's because you're a child of a living God. Third and final arguments 62 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:35.320 in verses 10 to 13 and that is the choices at yours and that is the faithfulness of God's sovereignty. 63 00:06:36.280 --> 00:06:44.680 And the first thing is this is that His sovereign call. God is sovereign with His call upon our life. 64 00:06:46.280 --> 00:06:52.280 This is going to sound over simplistic, but it's true nonetheless. So, Jack, God is sovereign. 65 00:06:53.560 --> 00:07:01.400 You just said, you read a moment ago that Jesus said all that the Father calls brings them to me. 66 00:07:01.400 --> 00:07:11.080 They'll come to me, Jesus said. Yes. Well, what if I don't want to do that? Then God's not calling 67 00:07:11.080 --> 00:07:17.800 you to do that. God is not calling you to come to Christ. Well, what if I don't want anything to do 68 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:25.400 with Jesus? Then God's not calling you into the family. You're not in the family. You're not a child 69 00:07:25.400 --> 00:07:32.040 of God. Well, what if I want to be? You see, they start having this argument. Well, what if I choose 70 00:07:32.040 --> 00:07:38.280 to be? Well, they choose to be. Well, what if I don't want to be? Do you or do you not? 71 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:48.680 When given the opportunity, do you want Christ in your life or not? If you do, it's because God is 72 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:55.720 calling you. He knew that you'd respond before the universe was ever created, before time was 73 00:07:55.720 --> 00:08:05.080 ever made. His calling. And by the way, when he calls, he doesn't recall. He's not a Tesla maker. 74 00:08:07.400 --> 00:08:13.960 Or for that matter, Ford, either. I have a Ford. And you know, if you, if you, if you 75 00:08:13.960 --> 00:08:19.240 least a new vehicle, you, you, you know, drive a COVID vehicle. I wouldn't look. Why's everything 76 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:23.960 fallen off? The bumpers falling off. The things falling off. And then I looked. It was assembled 77 00:08:23.960 --> 00:08:32.200 during COVID by who? I know by who people wearing a mask, they couldn't read the instructions, 78 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:37.080 because the space shield was fogged up. And then I'm driving this thing and the wheels are coming up. 79 00:08:37.400 --> 00:08:49.000 I digress. I vent. Watch this. Watch verse 10. We'll read it together. The God sovereign call. 80 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:56.360 And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceded by one man, even by our father Isaac, 81 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:04.600 parenthetical insert, Holy Spirit drops this in for us. For the children not yet being born. Listen, 82 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:09.960 the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil. Why? What's the deal? Ah, 83 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:16.600 that the purpose of God, according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls. Watch 84 00:09:16.600 --> 00:09:26.520 this. As it, it was said to her, the older shall serve the younger. Listen, in Judaism, the older 85 00:09:26.600 --> 00:09:33.960 doesn't serve the younger. The younger serves the older. The first born. That's King of the Hill, 86 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:45.000 man. First born. That's top shelf. But did you know that God has made in his sovereignty 87 00:09:47.880 --> 00:09:54.840 the option to be exercised that whichever one of them shows faith in him, the first born or the 88 00:09:54.840 --> 00:10:02.760 last born. That is the issue, not status. Are you tracking this gets kind of deep, gets kind of 89 00:10:02.760 --> 00:10:09.880 technical here. You ever heard of a guy with the name of Judah? Of course you have. Jesus is from, 90 00:10:09.880 --> 00:10:16.840 is the lion of the tribe of Judah. Well, guess what? Ruben was the older brother, not Judah. 91 00:10:18.920 --> 00:10:24.600 That's odd. Have you ever heard of a guy with the name of David? David wasn't the first born. 92 00:10:25.080 --> 00:10:32.200 Can you name me David's brothers? Probably not. But who's the one you know, David? 93 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:41.720 Ishmael was born first. Was he not? Then Isaac, watch, I'm being technical with you, 94 00:10:43.240 --> 00:10:49.800 was that a true statement that I just made a moment ago? Ishmael was born first. 95 00:10:50.600 --> 00:11:00.360 But Ishmael was the result of Hegar and Abraham. Was that the promise that God had made? 96 00:11:01.880 --> 00:11:06.280 Nope. God said it's got to be impossible for me to be in it. 97 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:13.000 And Isaac is the one that's impossible. He's the son of promise. Tracking? 98 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:22.120 He's the baby. He had an older brother. All right, from the same father they share. 99 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:32.520 Now, all of a sudden, we've got Rebecca and we've got two boys, Jacob and Esau, who are from 100 00:11:32.520 --> 00:11:39.320 the same mom and the same dad. So there's no question. What's happening here, theologically? 101 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:43.800 If you ever used a microscope and then zoomed in, this is what's happening. Are you guys bored? 102 00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:49.960 I feel like you're bored. Okay, well, we're almost done if that's any consolation. 103 00:11:51.640 --> 00:11:53.160 So watch what happens here. 104 00:11:56.280 --> 00:12:03.880 When God knows what's in a heart, from all time and eternity, 105 00:12:04.760 --> 00:12:10.760 He doesn't learn about you as you are born and live your life. He's always known 106 00:12:12.040 --> 00:12:13.880 that his purposes would be fulfilled. 107 00:12:17.400 --> 00:12:22.920 You read a moment ago, the children in the womb not having done any good or any evil, right? 108 00:12:22.920 --> 00:12:23.720 They're babies. 109 00:12:24.520 --> 00:12:32.120 And so watch, it's not only calling, it's love, verse 13. 110 00:12:34.040 --> 00:12:39.000 As it is written, Jacob, I have loved, but Esau, I have hated. And if I stopped right there, 111 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:40.520 you'd say, I'm done with this God. 112 00:12:41.880 --> 00:12:45.960 Haven't you always thought that when you've read that Jacob, if I loved Esau, I hated that God 113 00:12:45.960 --> 00:12:53.320 has favorites. Well, look at there. Oh, boy, if he's sovereign, that's pretty painful. Yikes! 114 00:12:53.880 --> 00:13:00.600 He picked one and dumped the other. Poor Esau, wait a minute. This is fun. Don't miss this. 115 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:07.080 Paul is quoting Malachi. Put that up on the screen if you would. Paul is quoting Malachi, 116 00:13:07.080 --> 00:13:13.960 or if you're Italian, Malachi, chapter 1 verse 2. It's the only Italian prophet in the Bible. 117 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:22.360 I'm kidding. Watch this. Don't miss it. God is speaking to Israel. 118 00:13:23.640 --> 00:13:24.760 And Israel speaks back. 119 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:31.240 I have loved you, says the Lord, yet you say in what way have you loved us? 120 00:13:32.520 --> 00:13:39.960 God says to Israel, I love you. And Israel says, yeah, wow, really? You know, like a spoiled kid. 121 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:51.080 Was not Esau, Jacob's brother, says the Lord? Yet Jacob, I have loved, but Esau, I have hated. 122 00:13:51.080 --> 00:14:00.120 What the world's going on here? Two nations. Number one, what nation? In fact, his name was changed. 123 00:14:00.120 --> 00:14:10.440 Jacob was, his name was changed to Israel. From Jacob came Israel. By the way, Jacob, now look, 124 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:14.600 be honest, when you read the Old Testament, you read about Jacob's life, you read about Esau's life, 125 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:20.120 I guarantee you, you would not hang out with Jacob. If you're going to hang out with anybody, 126 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:27.080 you'd hang out with Esau. You want to know why? Jacob was a creep. A bonafide creep, in fact, 127 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:34.200 his name means that he is a crook. His name means crooked, he'll catcher, supplanter, 128 00:14:34.200 --> 00:14:38.120 manipulator. That's what his name means. Jacob means manipulator. 129 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:46.360 And when you read about his life and when you see his life in the Bible, what's he doing to people? 130 00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:53.720 Manipulate in them. This is, this gets, this goes, looks really bad at, in the moment. And then 131 00:14:54.360 --> 00:15:01.560 switcher, it's like a movie, you can't figure it out. Watch how this goes. Esau? Esau is Esau. 132 00:15:03.800 --> 00:15:08.200 You don't hear Esau having any spiritual struggles in the Bible? He's not wrestling with God. 133 00:15:08.920 --> 00:15:13.880 You don't see any spiritual events with Esau. Esau is just Esau. He's a man's man, 134 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:27.160 barely dude, it seems, rugged. He was a hunter. And he came from the field, the Bible says, 135 00:15:27.160 --> 00:15:32.360 and he was starving. And he was exaggerating, I think. He comes into the house and he says, 136 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:40.840 Jacob, make me some of your stew, your special soup. I'm going to die. 137 00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:48.360 Jacob being the manipulator says, well, what are you going to give me for it? I don't know. 138 00:15:49.560 --> 00:15:56.600 I want your birthright, Esau. Are you hearing me people? I want your birthright. You're the first 139 00:15:56.600 --> 00:16:07.640 boring. Watch this. He says, what good is a birthright when I'm hungry? I'll give you my birthright. 140 00:16:07.640 --> 00:16:18.840 Just give me the soup, will you? Jacob connives and manipulates the birthright away from Esau. 141 00:16:20.520 --> 00:16:27.880 But what do we know about Esau? Esau has no passion for God. He has no inclination toward God. 142 00:16:28.520 --> 00:16:35.240 In fact, Esau winds up becoming the very father of the Edomite kingdom. 143 00:16:38.040 --> 00:16:47.080 Enemies of Israel. Their brothers, one had a heart to worship God eventually. 144 00:16:48.040 --> 00:16:51.160 Did you know that Jacob, the one that, if you saw Jacob coming today, 145 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:56.840 wait, hey, everybody, here comes Jacob. Put your wallet in the front of your pocket. 146 00:16:57.880 --> 00:17:05.000 That dude, here comes Jacob. Hey, Jacob, how you doing? You're like, don't watch out. 147 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:11.320 So now that guy will wind up on top every time. But he's the one struggling with God, 148 00:17:12.040 --> 00:17:18.360 battling with God. He had a heart for God. When did God know that? 149 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:25.960 Before he was ever born, before the children never did good or evil. The man that gives away 150 00:17:25.960 --> 00:17:31.960 his birthright for some porridge. What is he saying? What I pray none of you are saying. 151 00:17:32.680 --> 00:17:38.760 Man, this is nuts. What good is this? I want to live it up. Give me another 152 00:17:39.800 --> 00:17:46.600 pot of porridge, another drink. Give me another million. Give me another fill on the blank. 153 00:17:46.600 --> 00:17:52.280 What good is this stuff? I want it all now. That's Esau. Do you see why now watch? 154 00:17:52.280 --> 00:18:00.840 Malachi, we read it a moment ago? Guess what? That was written after Jacob and Esau were born. 155 00:18:00.840 --> 00:18:07.640 They lived their lives. They were dead. And hundreds and hundreds of years later, Malachi makes that 156 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:11.960 pronouncement. God speaks through Malachi and says, Jacob, have I left? Esau, have I hated? 157 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:18.360 What does this mean? Jacob chose the right way in the end. In the end, Esau chose the wrong way. 158 00:18:18.360 --> 00:18:26.360 So God says, I'm with Jacob. Based on what God? My foreign knowledge. I have always known this. 159 00:18:26.360 --> 00:18:31.560 I didn't learn it. You see, we're the ones learning it now. Oh, I just think it's so unfair of God. 160 00:18:32.280 --> 00:18:39.960 That prophecy was given long after the boys had died of old age. God says, I knew both their hearts. 161 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:45.640 And one had a heart for me, and the other one didn't. It's not amazing. See, I don't know if I 162 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:50.920 like that because Jacob, he is quite a conniver, you know. I know, isn't it something? Some people have 163 00:18:50.920 --> 00:19:04.200 said, I can't believe that God, you know, didn't love Esau. Well, first of all, God's nature. He 164 00:19:04.200 --> 00:19:15.000 did love Esau. He's responding to Esau's decision. For God so loved the, yeah. God is not willing 165 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:21.880 that any should perish. God weeps over the death of the wicked. God wants you to come and live with 166 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:29.960 him. But here's the thing. What's amazing to me is how much love and grace and mercy God expressed 167 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:34.600 and gave to Jacob. The guy that didn't deserve it. 168 00:19:34.600 --> 00:19:45.000 This Jack Hibbs podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported. 169 00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:53.800 Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected.