Are You Lacking Discernment?

(0:00 - 0:28) Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast, with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints, and impact our culture. Hey, did you know that Jesus said, be careful what you hear? Wow, that ought to be like on the front door of our brains in this day and age of just the internet and the news and everything so much. Jesus said, be careful what you hear. (0:28 - 0:47) So let's take a listen, let's take a look. What is he talking about? How does it apply to our lives? Hopefully you'll get a lot out of this, okay? Let's see what happens. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to Jackhibbs.com slash podcast. (0:48 - 1:07) Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying amen or yes, then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. (1:07 - 1:14) Here is Jack Hibbs. Well, everybody, welcome to the Jack Hibbs Show. We are glad that you are with us today. (1:14 - 1:24) We're going to run through some things quickly. Lot of static out there. I saw the other day in a health food store that you can get some pills. (1:24 - 2:00) You can get these natural pills, right? It's all the natural labels and you need to get this and maybe I should have gotten it, but it says it removes confusion and static and makes your brain work more clearly. Look, if it does or if it doesn't, I have no idea, but boy, regarding spiritual issues, regarding things of the spirit realm, things of the Bible, what people believe, isn't it remarkable? Let's all agree on this. People used to say it doesn't matter what you believe. (2:01 - 2:06) Remember those crazy days? Those days are long gone. It doesn't matter what you believe. Hey, listen up, everybody. (2:06 - 2:26) Newsflash. Your eternity matters based on what you believe. And so if you, I'm assuming, if you can go down to your local health food type of store, right? And they tell you there that everything's organic. (2:26 - 2:41) So eat their carrots and eat their broccoli and they have their pill section that this will bring you mental clarity. This will really help you think straight and think clear. So you need to buy this and take three of them a day. (2:43 - 3:02) Imagine, imagine if that was the need as well for spiritual things. Guess what? It is the need. I'm going to argue with you today that it is more important for you to have spiritual discernment and knowing what to do with what you hear. (3:03 - 3:22) And should you even be hearing it or reading it than taking the beautiful, wonderful, healthy pill that is going to make your brain fantastic. Because your soul, your spirit of who you are, yes, it's true. Your soul, your spirit lives forever. (3:22 - 3:40) Ever. I know there's a debate going on right now about is heaven forever? First of all, it's beautiful for me to be an old guy now because after time you live long enough to hear all the arguments and they just, now I'm old enough to where it's like, oh, I remember that in the 80s. I remember that in the 70s. (3:41 - 3:58) I remember when that was going on. So here's the deal. There are people that I was looking for a prop of some sort where they're now pontificating what it all means. (3:59 - 4:34) And it's like, okay, what do you mean by that? What does it all mean? I've read my Bible and it mentions heaven, but what does it really mean? Have you seen these knuckleheads? It's happening everywhere right now. All of a sudden there's this big push and pressure for you to suddenly after millennia to, you have found the answer to the real meaning of what eternity is. Wow. (4:35 - 5:10) None of the previous scholars that have come thousands of years before you could ever figure it out, but you did. You got it. And your view, your conclusion is, it's completely different than historical, biblical understanding and interpretation, even to the point where it takes the simple words of Jesus who says, for example, that you will abide with him in heaven forever. (5:11 - 5:33) Oh, but what is heaven? Well, it's where he's at. But really, what is it? Listen, what is forever? Is forever really forever? Let's start here, everybody. Be very, very simply smart. (5:34 - 6:13) It's not hard. The opening chapters of the Bible, you don't have to go very far until you hear someone begin to think, hmm, what did God really mean by that? Don't you know that God doesn't want you to know secret truth? There's secret revelation that you don't know about. God knows that bad old God that made you, he knows that the day that you eat of this knowledge, you'll be just like him. (6:14 - 6:35) And he doesn't want that to happen. Do you understand that lie is picking up more, it's always been popular, but it's picking up more traction right now, more than ever. And it's, but yet it's more dangerous now, more than ever, because it's found a home in the so-called Christian community. (6:38 - 6:55) Jesus said, you must be born again. Well, what does that really mean? The Bible says that the wicked shall inherit eternity, hell. But is, but yeah, that's what the Bible says. (6:55 - 7:15) But what does it really mean? Okay, Peter encountered this in his day. And in first and second Peter, both read both of his epistles. He's going to warn you that there will be those who will seek to bring to you a private or personal interpretation. (7:15 - 7:31) Peter says the scriptures have not been given to give anyone the ability for a private interpretation. Did you know that? You know, when people say something like, well, that's, that's your interpretation. This is important. (7:31 - 7:49) It's a very good thing. It's actually a really good thing when people say that, when they say, well, you know, Jack, that's your interpretation. For example, I could say, for God so loved the world that he gave, gifted his only begotten son, that whosoever would believe on him would not perish, but have everlasting life. (7:49 - 8:05) So you need to trust Christ. You need to make sure that that's how you avoid perishing, is to trust Christ and to revel in the joy that God loves you. Well, Jack, that's your interpretation. (8:06 - 8:12) That's not my interpretation. It's not an interpretation. It's a regurgitation. (8:12 - 8:37) I am regurgitating what Jesus said. You think, listen, do you think God left his truth for those smarty code breakers to figure it out? And those are the guys that have got the market on truth. Are you kidding? Jesus, if anything, told us you got to become like a child if you're going to enter the kingdom of heaven. (8:38 - 9:23) While everybody's trying to stoke up intellectual isms to really believe, to really understand what God's word says, those people are buffoons and doing the exact opposite of what Jesus said needs to happen. And so I would say this, get ready, folks, strap on your seatbelt, put on your helmet, moving forward in life, because I don't care who says they're a Christian. I don't care how many books they've written or whatever status they have and have brought it over into the theological realm. (9:23 - 9:42) And so we're supposed to listen to this person or to that person because what? You know, Paul warned about that to the Corinthians. He said, you guys have created personality cults. Some say you're of Cephas. (9:43 - 9:55) Some of you guys say that you're of Apollos. Some of you say that you're of Paul. And some of you, I'm embellishing this next one because I think they were the worst ones. (9:56 - 10:09) Paul said, and some of you are of Christ. I think those guys were the worst ones because they were the ones where all these other guys were saying, well, I'm on team Paul and I'm on team Apollos. And then there's the super dupers. (10:09 - 10:26) They come along and say, well, we're of team Christ. To be of team Christ is the antithesis of what Jesus Christ is all about. Okay, so there's not to be these personality cults that you should listen to this person or that person because they are this name or that name. (10:27 - 10:35) No, we are to judge everything against the Bible. Everything against the Bible. Hey, I'm going to shameless, shamelessly. (10:36 - 10:48) I think that's the right word. Plug my own book because I wrote it because I believe in it. And that is living in the days of deception. (10:48 - 11:00) If you don't have, if you don't have a copy, get a copy. It covers this stuff. Living in the days, D-A-Z-E, living in the days, right? Living in the days of deception. (11:00 - 11:09) So much out there. And it might, it might help you. So heaven is on the chopping block now for interpretation. (11:09 - 11:16) Hell, hell can't be real. That's too harsh. We'll talk about that more toward the end. (11:17 - 11:40) Spirituality, is there spirituality? Is there physical reality? So of course there's physical reality. Well, which one's going to last longer? Physics reality or spirit, spiritual reality? Which one's going to last longer? Think of that. Which one was in exist, which one was in existence before the other? Think of that. (11:41 - 11:54) And what about this area where we need to really be growing in discernment? Discernment is so lacking today in the Christian community. It's pathetic. There is the gift of discernment mentioned in scripture. (11:54 - 12:12) That is a supernatural gift given by the Holy Spirit to the believer. And that believer operates that gift of discernment within the body of Christ. It's a gift listed among the gifts, pastor, teacher, evangelist, so on, discernment. (12:13 - 12:30) But all Christians are to exercise discernment. Can we develop it? Can we build up and strengthen our discernment? The answer to that is absolutely yes. And in a very quick answer, Romans 10, 17 says, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. (12:30 - 12:57) You want to build discernment? Stop allowing so much stuff to be poured into your life through your eyes and through your ears and start taking in Bible through your eyes and through your ears and watch what happens. And I want you to consider asking yourself this question or these questions. Do you actually know truth? Are you sure? Do you actually know truth? Now, I know that our natural response is, of course, I know truth. (12:58 - 13:28) Just slow down for a moment. You'd be a very wise person to say, do I actually know truth? And then the next question should be, do I factually do the truth? Do I actually know the truth? So I'll unpack that. Do you know the truth? Yes, because I read so-and-so's book and this is what I've come to the conclusion. (13:28 - 13:36) That's not what I'm asking you. You can read the encyclopedia and you can skip truth. You can miss it. (13:37 - 13:53) In fact, you could actually wrongly read the Bible. You could read the entire Bible 10 times over and read it wrong and have no more discernment and have no more grip on truth. Why? I'll tell you why. (13:53 - 14:02) Listen, in Mark chapter 4 verse 24, listen to what Jesus said. Mark chapter 4 verse 24. Then Jesus said to them, take heed what you hear. (14:04 - 14:19) Oh my gosh. Wait a minute. If we apply Mark 4 24 to news, conversations, articles, broadcast, podcast, newscast. (14:21 - 14:36) You know what has happened? Our culture has become, or we've allowed ourselves to become like a dump. Like people go to a dump and they dump stuff in it that they don't want. They back the truck up and they just pour it into a dump. (14:36 - 14:51) It's a big hole and then they've covered up in dirt. When we start having all of these things being blabbed into our lives, if you don't have discernment, listen friends, listen, if you don't have discernment, you are a sucker for deception. You will be deceived. (14:51 - 15:01) If you don't have excellent discernment. So Jesus says, take heed what you hear. So I want to ask you, and you can ask me. (15:01 - 15:10) So what are you hearing? Jesus said, take heed. Watch out. The word take heed is scrutinize what you hear. (15:10 - 15:14) Wow. Take heed. Watch out what you hear. (15:15 - 15:34) Right now, people, I'm talking just about Christians. Christians think that they have to hear everything about everything so that they can be what? I'll tell you what. Christians who believe that they've got to listen to everybody and hear everything. (15:34 - 15:46) Mark my words. You will watch them decline into a path of confusion. They will become less and less confident in what they believe in. (15:46 - 16:25) And they will become more and more confused and have uncertainties about things like heaven, hell, salvation, the cross, sin, gender, you name it. There is some sort of psychological, spiritual, emotional fact that what you and I allow ourselves to hear. Jesus says, take heed what you hear. (16:25 - 16:39) By hearing certain things, I think we can conclude from the Bible that it will affect us. Jesus says, take heed what you hear. In other words, beware. (16:40 - 16:53) So how are you being aware of what you're hearing? Are you being discerning? Oh, I've been fishing for a word that I should know, but I'm having like a senior moment. Discretion. That's the word I've been looking for. (16:53 - 17:09) You should be very, very discreet and discretionary about what you hear. That's not my opinion. Jesus says, take heed what you hear. (17:10 - 17:26) What you hear. He goes on to say, with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you. And to you who hear, more will be given. (17:26 - 17:39) He didn't say to you who hear the most or hear more. He's telling you, take heed to what you hear. And if you do that, you're going to hear more. (17:39 - 18:01) That is, by virtue of discernment, you're going to be able to take in more truth. If you're very, very, very discerning about taking in truth, Jesus says, I'm going to give you the ability to even take in more truth. Now, that's pretty cool because that's pretty true in nature and in supernatural realms. (18:02 - 18:24) For example, Ben Franklin said, a penny saved is a penny earned. Is that smart or not smart? It's smart. If you find a penny on the ground, do you take it and put it in your pocket? What do you do with it after you have it? Do you actually believe that you should save a penny? I think you should save pennies. (18:25 - 18:35) You say, Jack, it's just a penny. I know, but it's a good practice. It's a good practice because, listen, if you practice that, it kind of becomes a habit. (18:37 - 18:57) And it's pretty cool because, for example, I was just raised in such a way that, and I wasn't even raised in a Christian home, but I was raised in a way that you see a penny, you pick it up, man. Somebody else is going to pick it up. Why don't you pick it up? And then later on, when I became a Christian, I think it was Chuck Missler. (18:57 - 19:10) Some of you might remember the guy Chuck Missler said, if you ever see a penny, you should pick it up for this one thing alone. It may not be worth much anymore, but it does say in God we trust on it. That makes it valuable. (19:10 - 19:19) I like that. So a penny saved is a penny earned. Well, if you keep living like that, then you're going to have eventually thousands of dollars in pennies. (19:19 - 19:31) Not bad. So what about truth? When you save truth, biblical truth, it's going to compound. It's going to grow. (19:31 - 19:43) Because you develop an eye and an ear and a heart and eyes for truth. Listen to this. Matthew 27 verse, I'm sorry. (19:43 - 20:00) Matthew 7 verse 24. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken unto him as a man who's built his house on a rock. And the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. (20:00 - 20:21) And it did not fall for it was founded on the rock. But listen, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be likened unto a fool or a foolish man who built his house on sand. And the rains descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house. (20:21 - 20:35) And it fell and great was its fall. Why? Because they were not careful to take heed as to what they were hearing. Because what you hear, folks, is what you build on. (20:37 - 21:05) And so let me just grab the throat here and shake it. There's a lot of people in this day and age who think just because they own a microphone and they've got a phone, a camera, that they should be broadcasting something. They think it's like some smart thing to do. (21:06 - 21:35) Listen, when it comes to spiritual matters, boy, and I got somebody in mind before there was ever a social media world. I saw this guy who to this day, in my opinion, is nothing but a walking disaster. But I'm not going to say the name because everybody loves this person because of a personality cult. (21:36 - 22:01) But I got to tell you, man, going back 20 years ago, this guy, God told me, God told me, yeah, I was praying. I was praying and God told me to just walk out of the house and go to LAX and get on an airplane and fly to Biafra and he'll tell me the next thing to do. And this guy was a pastor of a church, man, of a lot of people. (22:02 - 22:16) And then the next thing, yeah, you know what? And then God told me that I'm supposed to move to this country. And then it turns out that he never moved to that country. And then he's speaking at a conference. (22:16 - 22:31) And the topic that he's teaching on is how to hear God's voice. I almost died laughing. This dude talking about God's voice and how to follow God and this stuff that he went and did and said, God told me to go do it. (22:32 - 22:42) And then things that, I don't know why I came. I'm sure I'll find out. God told me to come here and then I'll go home. (22:43 - 22:51) Or God told me to move to this new location and the guy never moved. Okay. Someone's not telling the truth here. (22:51 - 22:58) It was either God or the individual. Somebody made a mistake. I got news for you. (22:58 - 23:04) It's not God. And then to have a conference and say, here's how you listen to the voice of God. That's a disaster. (23:04 - 23:18) There are people out there that are instructing people and they're experimenting with their own lives. They don't even got it locked down yet in their own life. They've never read the verse yet that says, take heed what you hear. (23:18 - 23:30) They haven't come across that part yet, but they've got cameras. They got a microphone and they're talking about what God's telling them. And I think, you know, I've never thought about it that way before. (23:31 - 23:42) And they're living out their Christian, maybe it's Christian experiment on camera. Like it's a reality show. Like naked and afraid. (23:42 - 23:49) I don't watch that by the way. I've just seen commercials. It looks dumb enough to me to not watch. (23:50 - 23:59) Okay. Come on. Why would you want to walk around naked in Africa or wherever they're at? Excuse me. (24:00 - 24:11) Stupid. That kind of stuff. Who needs a reality show? But there's Christians who have their shows and their podcast or they're streaming or whatever they're doing. (24:11 - 24:31) And they were actually, they don't think we pick up on it, but we do. They're actually living out their spiritual journey and experimenting on camera live. They don't realize because they have no discernment that they are confusing thousands of people because they don't got it. (24:31 - 24:39) They don't got it right yet in their head. And so they're not sure about heaven. So what do you mean? They're not, they don't, they don't, they're not sure about heaven. (24:40 - 24:49) They actually aren't sure if heaven is forever or not. They're confused about that. Because the Bible says that heaven's forever. (24:51 - 25:07) But now they have doubts about it being forever because the same word says that hell's forever. Well, that can't be true because that would be mean. So I don't like the way that makes me feel. (25:07 - 25:22) So I have to think a new thought. Yeah, this is what I'm going to go with. I'm going to take the same Greek word or Hebrew word that describes heaven or hell or heaven and hell being forever. (25:23 - 26:00) And I'm going to apply the forever part because it makes me feel good to the heaven stuff. And I'm going to apply the annihilation part to the spooky stuff because I don't want that to be true. And do you know what? If you are in a theological course, you would have been rebuked because what's happening is that you are taking the justice and righteousness of God and you're diminishing the power and sacrifice and value of the atonement of Jesus Christ and the price offered on the cross. (26:00 - 26:21) When you say there is no real forever hell, that there's annihilation, that you vanish. There's no consciousness after you die without Christ. I want you to know that you are taking an absolute heretical stab at the value of Christ's offering. (26:21 - 26:52) Here's the reason why. Hell is so bad and so forever that it warranted God coming from heaven to earth, born into this world, living a perfect human life and dying on the cross to meet the demands of the law in his perfection and dying for our sins in his atonement for us because we are absolute sinners doomed to hell without him. And then on the third day being resurrected from the dead for justification. (26:52 - 27:10) It's all doctrine. So important. But if you say there's annihilation at the end of life, if you don't accept Christ, it's too bad that somebody didn't tell Jesus that before he left heaven to come here. (27:12 - 27:16) That's a shame. It's too bad Jesus didn't know that. Because here's my point. (27:17 - 27:32) If there's only a heaven for those who believe and there's annihilation for those who don't, then dude, you don't need to come to Christ. Just go out and eat, drink, and be merry. Have a blast. (27:33 - 27:40) Sleep with as many people as you want. Drop or do the drugs. Do whatever you want. (27:40 - 27:46) Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow you die. Don't worry about it. There's no consciousness after death. (27:47 - 27:54) You're good. Good to go. There's only consciousness for those who repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, trust in his atonement. (27:55 - 28:06) They go to heaven. Non-believers go into annihilation. And they've, it's as though they never, no consciousness, no recollection, zero blank, dark, nothing, no existence, over. (28:08 - 28:45) Wow, really? Doesn't that make you feel good? The only problem is, it completely attacks scripture, the fundamentals of scripture, and the work that Christ did at the cross for you and I, for the world, to have the opportunity to repent and be saved. Completely takes the power of the gospel away, of which in Romans chapter 1, verse 16, Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel of salvation, the cross of Christ, because it's the power of God unto salvation. But listen, if there's annihilation, who cares about salvation? I wouldn't. (28:47 - 29:06) I would just, I'd just go, man, live it up right now. Why not? Come on, why not? This is insane thinking. You can't apply the Bible to one side that makes you smile and change it, redefine things, even though it's the same word, and to try to explain it away. (29:07 - 29:29) Well, you know, this author, this scholar said this, this person, who cares? Who cares? What does this Bible say? And so this, listen, I'll land it this way for now. This is how you develop discernment. How do you know if, I'll just, please forgive me in advance. (29:29 - 29:42) I'm just going to make up a name. Who's famous in the world right now? Like who's really famous? Who's famous in the world? Just name, who's famous? Taylor Swift. So let's say Taylor Swift says, hey, I became a Christian. (29:44 - 29:56) I'm born again believer. And I read my Bible. And it seems to me that this really, this, this, this thing I've been thinking really makes sense to me. (29:56 - 30:06) And here, here it is. And Taylor Swift, that the gospel according to Taylor Swift, I'm making this up Taylor. I'm just using your name because I asked the staff, the team here, who's famous? They said your name. (30:10 - 30:40) So if Taylor Swift says, I'm now a Christian. And I believe, I believe that you should have to, you should have to buy my latest album to be saved. People without discernment will go, yeah, where do I buy it? I mean, do I get on the Apple, Amazon? Is Spotify where I buy it? Now that's a ridiculous example. (30:42 - 31:15) But when somebody says, hey, I used to be, or I am the, I am the, the dean of, of whatsoever university, college of, you know, Christian theology. And this is now the way that we understand what Jesus really meant about male and female. And you redefine that. (31:17 - 31:32) Okay. You're bad enough, but you're in a place of authority. And let's be honest, everybody, if you have a microphone and a camera, all of a sudden you are in some way an influencer, even if it's one person that you influence. (31:33 - 31:52) And if you're not influencing them toward truth, then you are influencing toward error. And the Bible, Old and New Testament, read Deuteronomy and read the book of Revelation about those who lead people into error. Oh, that's right. (31:52 - 32:02) It's okay. Because I was going to say they're thrown into hell, but it doesn't exist. That's convenient. (32:02 - 32:14) I almost got stuck there. No, actually hell is for real and it's really hot. And when I say for real, it's not like it's long. (32:14 - 32:34) Like people are not, excuse me. People are not in hell going, oh, it's taking so long. Do you know what eternity means? Timelessness, which if you're into physics, it's kind of cool because time is a physical property of a physical universe. (32:35 - 32:52) That means that time only is occupied or constrained within a physical realm. It's so fun to think outside of the physical realm, there's no time. There's no time in the spirit realm. (32:54 - 33:20) If the spirit realm wants to communicate to us and the Bible does this, it will communicate that there was silence in heaven for the space of a half hour. But heaven's eternal. So in the book of Revelation, what was, what was John being told? John, a human was being told that there was silence to his understanding as a human because he's bound by physics half hour in eternity. (33:20 - 33:30) There is no time. So somebody is not in hell for a long time. Somebody is not in heaven for a long time. (33:31 - 33:36) People are in hell. That's where they're at. People are in heaven. (33:37 - 33:55) That's where they're at. The moment we start talking about long time, short time, part time, we're looking at it wrong. The realities, Jesus said, both of those places are forever. (33:56 - 34:14) Jesus says the righteous shall inherit eternity. The Bible says, Jesus tells us that the wicked will inherit hell for eternity. So stop listening to people who are trying to learn stuff for themselves and they don't have it down yet. (34:16 - 34:21) But they have a camera and they have a microphone. You're going to be led astray, folks. One more time. (34:22 - 34:33) Mark chapter four, verse 24, Jesus said, take heed what you hear. He didn't say take heed how you hear. He said, take heed what. (34:34 - 34:44) And the what is everything that's out there. So be very, very careful. All right. (34:44 - 34:48) Bible. Build your discernment up in the Bible. You'll do great. (34:49 - 35:00) Stick to the Bible. Always the Bible. This Jack Hibbs podcast, as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported. (35:01 - 35:09) Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to Jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected.