WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.820 Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim 2 00:00:05.820 --> 00:00:10.980 truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. God does things in life, my dear 3 00:00:10.980 --> 00:00:19.560 friends, that causes faith to take action. You can't talk about faith without 4 00:00:19.560 --> 00:00:27.340 living it. That's where Christianity goes from theory to reality. 5 00:00:27.340 --> 00:00:35.740 You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. 6 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:41.100 Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled 7 00:00:41.100 --> 00:00:46.020 life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, 8 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:51.580 that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. 9 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:56.940 Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. 10 00:00:58.940 --> 00:01:06.300 17 times in the Old Testament, the Bible says it is written. 17 times. Do you have any 11 00:01:06.300 --> 00:01:13.740 times that appears in the New Testament? 63 times. And I love that. Why? The Old 12 00:01:13.740 --> 00:01:17.980 Testament's 17 times it is written. You say, Jack, that doesn't make any sense because the number 13 00:01:17.980 --> 00:01:26.860 should be the same. No, no, no. Because the Bible, it is written. 17 times 14 00:01:26.860 --> 00:01:34.860 Old Testament, 63 times new, is the New Testament winds up quoting all 17 of it is written. 15 00:01:34.860 --> 00:01:42.500 And listen, listen, are you listening? All of the other statements or quotations that are 16 00:01:42.500 --> 00:01:50.260 necessary for us in our salvation. It's brilliant. You'll see this so in a moment. 17 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:57.860 How do I equate this? 17 and 63? Jesus soon, you'll see. Jesus said that he came and taught 18 00:01:57.860 --> 00:02:06.500 or he came to fulfill Moses and the prophets. So when you read the New Testament's account 19 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:12.420 of what the Old Testament declared, you come to this conclusion that the New Testament 20 00:02:12.500 --> 00:02:18.020 was as though a bunch of reporters were watching the unfolding and the fulfillment of God's 21 00:02:18.020 --> 00:02:27.700 prophesied word. And what happened was God prophesied his word time and time again. Why? Because 22 00:02:27.700 --> 00:02:35.700 God's word is true, not like the news broadcast or the video of some guy trying to keep his body 23 00:02:35.700 --> 00:02:43.620 bag on. I don't know nothing anymore unless it's in the Bible. I don't believe anybody in the 24 00:02:43.620 --> 00:02:53.780 more unless it's in the Bible. That's a good thing. I think that's a good thing. Quite remarkable. 25 00:02:53.780 --> 00:02:59.140 So watch this. Come in right along like this. Listen up carefully and then we're going to plug 26 00:02:59.220 --> 00:03:06.500 this together. It's kind of blow you out. Genesis 17. For as for me, God is speaking. Behold, 27 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:12.580 my covenant is with you. That is Abraham. And you shall be a father of many. What's the word? 28 00:03:13.380 --> 00:03:20.980 Nations. The Hebrew word is Goy. No longer shall your name be called Abraham, but your name shall 29 00:03:20.980 --> 00:03:29.700 be called Abraham. For I have made you a father of many. Goy. Nations plural. Look at that verse. 30 00:03:29.700 --> 00:03:37.540 You should mark verse five. That's you and me. I will make you exceedingly fruitful and I will 31 00:03:37.540 --> 00:03:45.620 make nations. Goy of you and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me 32 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:50.980 and you and your descendants after you in their generations. Now watch what happens here. 33 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:57.860 For an everlasting covenant to be God to you and your descendants after you, I'm tracking everything 34 00:03:57.860 --> 00:04:02.820 right now with my Jewish brothers and sisters. Are you with me? Because I know something here. Did 35 00:04:02.820 --> 00:04:10.900 you catch it? He's the God of the nations. But he has picked a special nation to be his witness. 36 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:18.740 That nation is called Israel. Abraham is the father of Israel, but when you read Genesis, 37 00:04:18.740 --> 00:04:27.620 Abraham is the father of all who believe, including the Goy. The nations. I get excited about this. 38 00:04:28.900 --> 00:04:36.980 Listen, us Gentiles. We're not orphaned. We're not on the outside. We've been grafted into the very 39 00:04:36.980 --> 00:04:43.220 family of God by the blood of Christ. Jesus has made us one with the father and we, as the 40 00:04:43.220 --> 00:04:48.020 Scripture says, have been brought into the commonwealth of Israel. All of the promises that have been 41 00:04:48.020 --> 00:04:56.340 given to Israel belong to us. Now, the book of Colossian says, how beautiful is that? And remember, 42 00:04:56.340 --> 00:05:02.420 the first century church only had the Old Testament and it was enough. The New Testament was given 43 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:06.180 to announce to the world that the Old Testament was true all along. 44 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:14.660 But I'm still reading. Where did I leave off? Verse 8. God says, look, listen to him. He said, 45 00:05:14.660 --> 00:05:21.540 I made. I will make. I will make. I will establish. Look at verse 8. I give to you and your descendants 46 00:05:21.540 --> 00:05:27.860 after the land in which you are a stranger. All the land of Canaan, which was renamed by God, 47 00:05:27.860 --> 00:05:34.100 Israel, as an everlasting position, and I will be their God. What an awesome statement that is. 48 00:05:35.300 --> 00:05:39.700 So the beautiful thing about all of this is remembering the fact that there's no act. You know this. 49 00:05:39.700 --> 00:05:47.140 There is no physical act that can make you right with God. Abraham was a Gentile called out of a 50 00:05:47.140 --> 00:05:52.580 pagan world by God's own voice and God declared him righteous. You got that everybody? Fundamental 51 00:05:52.580 --> 00:05:59.060 basic, right? We need to repeat that over and over again. 400 years before Moses was born and then 52 00:05:59.060 --> 00:06:05.060 and the 10 commandments was given, Abraham was already declared righteous. God declared him righteous 53 00:06:05.060 --> 00:06:11.220 before the practice of circumcision. God declared him righteous. Why, based on what? Abraham 54 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:18.660 believed God's word. In fact, listen, what FF Bruce, professor FF Bruce put it this way, it's 55 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:26.820 perfect. Abraham simply took God at his word and acted accordingly. That's a bomb drop, right? 56 00:06:26.820 --> 00:06:33.140 That's a mic drop. A bomb drop. I'm watching too much news. That's a mic drop right there. That 57 00:06:33.140 --> 00:06:38.100 sums it all up. It's perfect. What's the big deal with Abraham? That's the big deal. He simply took 58 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:44.420 God at his word. Man, do you know how healthy you and I would be in life if we just took God at 59 00:06:44.420 --> 00:06:49.700 his word? He took God at his word and he acted, conducted himself. You know the word, we don't 60 00:06:49.700 --> 00:06:59.700 use this word anymore. It's an old English word. Deportment. Deportment. Abraham heard God and then 61 00:07:00.660 --> 00:07:07.780 conducted himself in his deportment accordingly. What does that mean? He went from being a pagan 62 00:07:07.780 --> 00:07:16.820 worshiping, bowing down to idle guy, Gentile, to a believer confident in the promises of the God 63 00:07:16.820 --> 00:07:22.500 who got to hold of his life, who no doubt I would say, and I'm just assuming here that somehow in 64 00:07:22.500 --> 00:07:29.780 some way, shape or form, Abraham found his heart being strangely warmed. You need to ask yourself, 65 00:07:29.780 --> 00:07:36.020 it's God causing you right now and even in this message to start realizing, you know what I think, 66 00:07:36.020 --> 00:07:42.020 I think I can maybe believe this, that the God of heaven would do this for me. That would be love. 67 00:07:42.020 --> 00:07:50.420 That's right. Pretty sure I can't save myself. You're right. My flesh usually gets me in trouble. 68 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:56.260 True again. So I think I'm going to come running to the foot of the cross. Amen. 69 00:07:56.260 --> 00:08:09.540 That happens as God awakens you. So watch, this is fun. James chapter 2 verse 20. Some of you have 70 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:17.300 been writing me and saying, what about this? All right, so what about this? Let's remember something. 71 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:22.660 Theologians in here, all of your theologians by the way, do you know that? It means you study the 72 00:08:22.660 --> 00:08:31.780 words of God. So watch, the book of Romans summed up is the believer's position in Christ in heaven. 73 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:38.340 In other words, from God's vantage point, he looks at the, he looks at your name. Let's see. Okay, 74 00:08:38.340 --> 00:08:51.060 there's Mike, Mike, righteous. Mike believed in my son on April 9th, 1941 or 2010 and 75 00:08:51.780 --> 00:08:57.300 declared righteous. Isn't that cool? That's the book of Romans from God's perspective. 76 00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:01.700 The book of James, same truth from man's perspective. 77 00:09:04.420 --> 00:09:11.540 If I say I believe in God, guess who knows that immediately? God does. You don't. Do you? 78 00:09:12.980 --> 00:09:16.340 Let's be honest. If I were to ask all of you, do you guys all believe in Jesus? 79 00:09:16.420 --> 00:09:22.660 You know, hands go up. I know something. I know this. I don't know if that's true. 80 00:09:25.060 --> 00:09:29.460 You know it's true or not, but I don't know if it's true or not. And let's, we all move into the same 81 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:39.220 house. Imagine if we all went on a huge camping trip for a month. You know, the first day would be 82 00:09:39.300 --> 00:09:46.500 wonderful. First night. Wow. Everyone's singing song. Praise the Lord. Look at the sun. The 83 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:54.500 stars are out. And it's all going so well in the third day. Yeah. God is so great. Let's do this. 84 00:09:54.500 --> 00:10:04.820 Ninth day. Hey. Excuse me. That's my site. Who's in charge around here? I want to follow 85 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:10.900 the complaint. Aren't we sick of eating this? This has been eating this every day since we got 86 00:10:10.900 --> 00:10:25.860 here tired of this. Manna. You know what? Over time, we would find out who's really a believer. 87 00:10:26.740 --> 00:10:29.540 Do you know what that's called? The Book of James. 88 00:10:32.740 --> 00:10:38.180 What you want in your life, what I want in my life is the Book of James and the Book of Romans 89 00:10:38.180 --> 00:10:43.220 to do what we're about to read because it just goes right to our title. Does it not 90 00:10:44.180 --> 00:10:51.380 of this very message? So watch this. James says, but do you want to know a foolish man 91 00:10:52.260 --> 00:11:04.820 that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered 92 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:11.300 Isaac his son on the altar? He said, Jack, you just read in Romans. He was justified by faith 93 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:16.500 by belief. That's right. James just said he was justified by works. That's right. 94 00:11:18.820 --> 00:11:32.180 That's true. In heaven, God saw his belief, God saw his faith. On earth, Isaac, two witnesses that Abraham 95 00:11:32.180 --> 00:11:43.620 took with them saw his works. We'll keep reading. Watch what happens. Do you see verse 22? Do you see, 96 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:49.700 I'm sorry, verse 21, was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son 97 00:11:49.700 --> 00:11:57.860 on the altar? Do you see then that faith was working together with his works? Of course. And by 98 00:11:57.940 --> 00:12:05.300 works, faith was made perfect or complete. And the scripture was fulfilled which says, here we go. 99 00:12:05.300 --> 00:12:11.380 Listen church, everybody. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. You 100 00:12:11.380 --> 00:12:18.180 see the close quote there? And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified 101 00:12:18.180 --> 00:12:26.500 by works and not by faith. What? Say it again. Only. This is epic. Do you remember how I open this 102 00:12:26.500 --> 00:12:35.380 message? What we see, right, ought to jive with what we hear from your mouth. This is incredible. 103 00:12:35.380 --> 00:12:42.580 And what's awesome about this is God tells Abraham alone by himself. Abraham, he says, yes Lord, 104 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:49.300 he said, I want you to take now your only son. And I want you to take him to a mountain that I will 105 00:12:49.300 --> 00:12:58.820 show you. And I want you to offer him there to me as a burn offering. Okay, stop right there. 106 00:13:01.540 --> 00:13:11.380 Abraham's mind. Was that God? I recognize voice. But how can this possibly be? Because I'm really old 107 00:13:12.180 --> 00:13:21.860 and he said earlier that we would have a son and that from him the promise of the nations would 108 00:13:21.860 --> 00:13:31.140 be fulfilled that I would be a father of many nations and that from my life would eventually come 109 00:13:31.140 --> 00:13:41.140 the Messiah of the world. How can this be? I'm sure he said not a word to Isaac. This is all going 110 00:13:41.140 --> 00:13:48.260 on inside. Can you imagine if you were Abraham and you obey God? This makes no sense. The Bible 111 00:13:48.260 --> 00:13:52.100 tells us they went on a three-day journey. I think that's significant. No, I'll read too much 112 00:13:52.100 --> 00:14:00.260 into it. But Abraham was ordered to offer up his son on a hill. He walks for three days. 113 00:14:01.860 --> 00:14:06.740 Three days. And Abraham's heart in mind, his son is dead for how many days? Three days. 114 00:14:07.060 --> 00:14:15.620 He's going with his son and with two servants. Abraham gets to the base of Mount Moriah. Bible says 115 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:21.140 Abraham turned. Listen to this. Abraham turns to the two servants and says, you guys stay here. 116 00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:28.820 I and my son will go to that mountain top and we're going to worship the Lord and we will return 117 00:14:28.820 --> 00:14:45.460 back to you. Did you hear that everybody? That's faith. God will keep his word. You know, God 118 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:52.500 owns everything, you know. What comes to my mind right now, our daughter was eight months old and 119 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:59.940 we didn't know that inside of her blood was something called Stevens Johnson's syndrome. 120 00:15:01.780 --> 00:15:07.620 We didn't know she got sick. So when the kid gets a cold, they get antibiotics, ear infection, 121 00:15:08.420 --> 00:15:15.220 pediatrician gives the antibiotic. Next thing we know, she's bleeding from the inside out of her body. 122 00:15:15.700 --> 00:15:25.060 Her blood cells begin to lice open throughout begins to swell shut and suffocation takes place. 123 00:15:27.700 --> 00:15:37.060 She's rushed to the hospital, Chak's hospital, and this unbelievable process, 124 00:15:37.780 --> 00:15:42.500 quarantines, they don't know what's going on whether she's the only one there on that area of the 125 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:48.980 floor. Incredible love and attention and medical treatment. Took him a while to find out what it 126 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:54.660 was that she had because it's not all that common. Lisa and I went downstairs as we were doing, 127 00:15:54.660 --> 00:15:58.420 we'd go downstairs in the cafeteria and just try to get something deep and catch up to this. 128 00:15:59.220 --> 00:16:03.380 You know the amazing thing is, have you ever had this happen? Eight-month-old baby girl 129 00:16:04.340 --> 00:16:11.700 and God says, do you believe she's mine? Do you believe that she's mine? Did I give her to you? 130 00:16:12.660 --> 00:16:17.860 Yes, and she's mine. Yes, sir. Yes. 131 00:16:19.140 --> 00:16:21.940 Humanly speaking, Lord, can you have your stick around a little bit longer? 132 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:28.900 Second thought, but heaven's awesome. 133 00:16:32.980 --> 00:16:40.340 And we get in the way of this. And then, you know, our God is alive, you know, so that's why one 134 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:47.300 year in situations like that, he shows up. It was a Saturday morning, mid-morning, 135 00:16:48.260 --> 00:16:53.380 and Lisa and I were in the cafeteria and we saw Chuck Smith walk by. 136 00:16:55.380 --> 00:16:58.980 We got up and ran. Pastor Chuck, Pastor Chuck. I don't know if you know, but Ashley's here. 137 00:16:59.460 --> 00:17:03.620 Oh, no, I know. I know she's here. I was just up in the room praying with her. 138 00:17:04.820 --> 00:17:11.220 Excuse me. He said, yeah, the office told me that Ashley's here at Chuck's and I'm in between 139 00:17:11.220 --> 00:17:17.220 weddings. Truly. He did four weddings a day on Saturdays. I'm in between a wedding, 140 00:17:17.220 --> 00:17:22.100 so I thought I'd come in and pray for her and he said, she's going to be great. 141 00:17:24.820 --> 00:17:28.020 He doesn't say things like that. He didn't say things. He didn't give you false hope. 142 00:17:28.020 --> 00:17:31.780 It wasn't even him speaking. I'm sure of it. It was the Lord saying this. 143 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:35.940 Now that you gave her back to me, she's going to be fine. 144 00:17:36.260 --> 00:17:41.700 You see, that's exactly what happened with Abraham. Isaac got on the way. 145 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:48.900 God loved Isaac. God loved Abraham. God was going to fulfill his word, but listen, 146 00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:56.340 God does things in life, my dear friends. That causes faith to take action. 147 00:17:57.220 --> 00:18:02.020 You can't talk about faith without living it. 148 00:18:04.740 --> 00:18:07.780 That's where Christianity goes from theory to reality. 149 00:18:09.780 --> 00:18:13.700 And we end in verse five. Salvation is a radical transformer, 150 00:18:15.220 --> 00:18:20.260 but to him who does not work but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, 151 00:18:20.260 --> 00:18:24.660 don't raise your hand, but are you ungodly? God wants to justify you, friend. 152 00:18:25.620 --> 00:18:29.860 His faith is accounted for righteousness. Do you believe that you need a savior? 153 00:18:30.500 --> 00:18:34.900 Bible says you're ungodly. If you believe that Jesus has done the cross for your sins and 154 00:18:34.900 --> 00:18:36.820 rose again from the dead, he'll give you a new life. 155 00:18:41.620 --> 00:18:46.020 This Jack Kibs podcast, as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities, are 156 00:18:46.020 --> 00:18:50.500 listener supported. Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? 157 00:18:51.220 --> 00:18:56.820 Go to jackhibs.com to learn more and stay connected.