Breaking Bad For Good

0:00 Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast, with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints, and impact our culture. You say, you Christians are brainwashed. Would to God that we were brainwashed more? I want my brain washed, scrubbed, sterilized. I want my mind purged of the things of the past. Scrub your mind with the Bible. 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.

0:42 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. Here is Jack Hibbs. Now, apparently we all have a hunger for knowledge, a desire for knowledge. It depends on how we look at it. I took a picture of this. I was at P.F. Chang's the other day. And this is the way the world wants to communicate to us the world's wisdom. And I had to take a picture. I just had to do this. My fortune cookie told me that I have a lifetime of joyous celebrations coming. Okay.

1:24 How did they know at P.F. Chang that I'm a Christian and that when I die, I'm going to go to heaven and enter into all kinds of celebrations and enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ? How did they know that? I don't think P.F. Chang is wise. I think P.F. Chang got lucky because that cookie happened to be in front of me. But I took that word from the restaurant and I applied it in light of the Bible. And I would say amen to that. Because there's truth that precedes the cookie. That is eternal truth. But listen, have you ever opened up a fortune cookie and it says, this week's gonna be very horrible.

2:04 You need to really hang on and double down and get strong and look to the Lord. No, everything is, it's gonna be wonderful. You're gonna see some interesting things. You're gonna meet fascinating people. They tell you all this stuff that down deep inside you're looking for. Well, how about this? How about God giving you the truth that you may or may not be aware that you're looking for? The Bible tells us in Hosea 12, verse 10, that it is God. He says, I have also spoken by the prophets and have multiplied visions and have given symbols through the witness of the prophets. Meaning this, that when God speaks, He announces it's all to make things clear.

2:47 Romans chapter 12, verse 2. Romans 12, verse 2 says, and do not become or do not be conformed. The words and do not, it means stop it. In the Greek, it means stop being conformed to this world. Stop being like this world. Oh my goodness, young people today, or maybe, isn't it, maybe all of us, huh? I feel like in the book of Proverbs, because I'm old, I want to bring a bunch of young people tell them, but then the reality is they could probably point right back at me. What things in the world try to creep in to give you some sort of value? That's conforming to the world. Don't do that. What things creep into your life in the way of thought or the way of appreciation or the way of direction that's of the world, and you derive something out of it?

3:35 The Bible says, watch out, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove, test, What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? Remarkable. So here we go. Number two is in verses 8 to 19. And that is the way of wisdom in getting God right in our lives is by leaving bad behind. Can you write that down? Leaving bad behind. We're going to let everybody who gets convicted run out of the house today with their hair on fire. Because God is going to speak to some of us today about leaving bad behind.

4:16 I cannot tell you, it's not legal for me to tell you, but the things that we have not only learned, but continue to learn that people will, you know, we get this information, get that information. Wait a minute, this person or this family or this group's been coming to the church for so long and then you find out that all of these horrible activities are going on in their private life. And as a pastor, it makes me sick to my stomach, and then I'm thinking, well, how did I fail? You know, that's how you, right? If you're a chef, if you cook and somebody doesn't like it, you don't blame the person that's eating it. You wind up seeing if you left out a recipe.

4:56 So when I hear that somebody's living a fake life and they get found out, but I recognize their face, by association, something's wrong. Right? And in verse 8 he says to his son, My son, hear the instruction of your father. This is tender. And do not forsake the law of your mother. Verse 9, for they will be graceful ornaments on your head and chains about your neck. So the first thing we see here is that we ought to be listening, or learning I should say, on how to listen. Learning. How do we leave bad behind? We learn how to listen.

5:37 The instruction that is coming here, notice, is coming from Solomon, the father. Now, I'm going to make this blanket statement. This whole book assumes that we're believers, and this whole book assumes that the father loves his child, and the mother loves her child, and that this is a home of believers. So you might sit here today and say, well, my home is not like that, or my life was not like that. Listen, just let God speak to you and pick up and go. But keep this in mind. The instruction is from the father and from the mother. And it's a beautiful thing. The voice of the father is speaking instruction vividly.

6:18 Dads, fathers, we're to speak to our kids in a very vivid way. My son, hear the instruction of your father. The word implies that the instruction given by dad is vivid. It means hands-on. Very powerful way of teaching. Listen, young people today are not taught well when you tie them. I'm going to get hate mail for this, but you know what? When you put a kid in a chair and they've, you know, at eight years of age, they've got wiggles. But even if you strap them in with leather straps to the chair, it doesn't mean they're going to learn. Kids are kids, and you need to realize, we need to realize as parents, that the best way to teach our kids is to take the classroom outside.

7:06 Get out there. Kids want to climb trees. Make it a teachable moment. Kids want to dig up worms and give them names. Let them do that. Study worms. Get into it. Find out. When a kid runs across the backyard because he saw a butterfly, then get that kid to learn everything they can about butterflies. But when you strap 40 kids in a classroom and you bore them to death... You basically kill their curiosity for learning, and the dad, the father, should be one who gives instruction in a vivid way. Dads, listen, you can't say to your kid, I don't want you to do that.

7:46 And they say, why? They're not being disrespectful. Why? They want to know why. Tell me why. And when you say, because, that means you don't know what you're talking about. And it means that they will go get the answer somewhere else. God has ordained fathers to vividly instruct their children. What an honor to be called a parent. And God wants to encourage you in that area. And then the mother, look what it says, the voice of the mother. She brings the law. What is that? The law? You know, listen, your teenager doesn't want to hear this. Of course my mom brings the law.

8:28 You don't understand, though. That's a very compassionate thing. Your mom is telling you that to have you be comforted. So what do you mean comforted? Your mom is trying to take the instruction that your dad just gave you, and your mom is trying to paint it in such a way that it's guardrails to your life. Moms are to give guardrails. It's quite amazing. God's design, by the way, mom, dad, family. According to human history, God invented the family. And God wants a family to be blessed.

9:08 And God says, I want the dads to tell their kids instruction on how to live life. You say, Jack, I don't know if you want, I don't know if I should tell my kids how I lived my life. It was horrible. Tell them what you can. They can learn from your mistakes. Why would they ever have to repeat them? And he says to them something that is very, very beautiful, I think, and powerful here, where he talks about the very dressing, as it were. And all this leads to choices, people. How are we listening? Are we listening? We need to condition ourselves.

9:49 Jesus said in Revelation 3 verse 22, he who has an ear, this is fine, watch this, let him hear, the word in Greek is aku, or aku, oh, And he says what the spirit says to the church. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit of God is saying to the church. And the word akuo means to take your ear and to bend it and put it. So watch this. This is what it actually means. You guys ready? I'm going to actually be giving you some graphic instruction. The word means to take your ear and to bend it and put it to the church.

10:33 the point of interest, the source. So I got my ear on the word. I had to move it out. I brought the word up to it. I'm pressing the word against my ear. Are you hearing me? Listen, God says, Jesus says that's what I want you to do. I want you to take your ear and I want you to press it to the mouth of the Holy Spirit as he's speaking to you. Make it in efforts to hear what he's saying. Isn't that the heart of God? God says, I will be found by you if you seek after me with all of your hearts. Jesus says, press your ear to the truth.

11:16 Isaiah chapter 50 verse 4 says, the Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned. That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens me morning by morning. He awakens my ear to hear as the learned. That's a great, great prayer to pray for your own life. And those who loved religion in Jesus' day, but they didn't know God, in John chapter 8, verse 43, listen to this. Why do you not understand my speech, Jesus said, because you are not able to listen to my word. The word implies that they had their ears plugged with the world, plugged up.

11:59 Can you imagine stuff hanging out of your ear? Now, Lisa and I, it's kind of funny. We're going through this age of our lives where, what did you say? I didn't say anything. It's so funny. I hear her when she's not speaking. And when she's speaking, I don't hear her. But it's mutual. She'll say, what did you say? I didn't say anything. No, I think you did. No, I didn't. Well, you did. You just forgot. Growing old in Jesus is awesome. There's grace. You have to use grace. But it's part of us having to train ourselves to listening.

12:51 And the great thing about getting old, it's so great. I want you young people, I want to encourage you. As you get older, you actually... from your vantage point, you actually start looking better in the mirror as you get older. It's amazing. It's a miracle because your eyesight starts fading. And there's this portion of some years where everything you eat or look at, you start to gain weight. And then God in his goodness, as you get older, you start losing weight because your teeth hurt and you can't eat what you'd like to eat.

13:34 But we are to incline. We have to make effort to hear. I'm going to give you a lot of verses on this because friends, it goes right into, I think this is a good way to take it. One of the ways. Friendships. Friendships. A lot of young people today, maybe all of us today need to watch out regarding friendships. Friendships. And in my notes, if you have my notes on page seven, I said something to the effect about, we've all heard the term marry up. You ever heard, you know what that means? Marry up. Marry up means you want to do better in your life? Marry up. That's what I did. I may be ugly, but I'm not dumb. I married Lisa and I married up.

14:15 Young people today, if you're single, marry up. Well, listen, it starts with friendships first. Pick your friends wisely, folks. Just because you have something in common doesn't mean you're supposed to hang out with each other. You can go out to the... In fact, today's Sunday. There's a lot of people golfing today. They think they're enjoying things. Satan's out on the golf course today. Think about that. Might be somebody at work. could be a neighbor. Everything seems cool. But is God calling them?

15:00 Has God brought them in to your life to be a friend? I've concluded in life, you don't need many friends. Just you want to make sure that they're true friends. 2 Corinthians chapter 6, this applies to a broad spectrum of life in total. Do not be unequally yoked. Don't be hooked up to a yoke that's pulling a load together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Another word for Satan. Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

15:40 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? Speaking of your body. Amen. For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said. I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Unequally yoked. People who are believers getting deeply involved, emotionally involved, maybe even falling in love with a non-believer. Right? And then one of the cover-ups says, oh, I just, but I love them. And, you know, we just advanced to this situation. I'm gonna pray that God saves them. That's noble, but just know this.

16:22 God warns you. Unbeliever and a believer, they can't mix like oil and water. It doesn't work. Listen, when you have two believers married together, it's still gonna be a challenge. When you get an unbeliever and a believer together in marriage, It's so, so unnecessarily difficult. And then to add drama to dynamic when children come. I want to take them to Sunday school. My kids are not going to Sunday school. You know, all that kind of stuff. Watch out who you hang out with. Because you'll be like them. Inevitably, you'll be like them.

17:04 And godliness is hard to maintain. Evil pulls and tugs and brings it down. It's hard to maintain that. It's best, what does the scripture say? A three-strand cord wrapped together is not easily broken. That's husband, in this analogy, friends or husbands and wives wrapped around God as the core. Proverbs chapter 18, verse 24. One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

17:45 I love that. Why? Because that friend is a friend in the spirit. Get yourself a good, godly friend. How do I do that? Get involved. Find somebody. Get involved in a ministry. Let God open up the door. That's how it happens. Birds of a feather. It's true. It's true. 1 Thessalonians 5.11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. This is the way believers work. This is the way believers live. To encourage each other. I hope you have somebody as a friend or a spouse that's encouraging you.

18:27 Encouragement is an amazing thing. We all need it. 1 Corinthians 15.33 Do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. Or the word can be translated, evil company will corrupt or taint right or good morals. I think about these young people all the time. In my mind, I don't say it much, but in my mind when we're praying for them into the military, I'm always thinking, oh God, may they be the salt. Because the whole universe is going to align itself against them. Like Daniel in Babylon.

19:10 But you don't have to cave in. Surround yourself with one or two or three good people that will build you up. Proverbs 9 verse 6 says, forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding. Forsake foolishness. Decision-making. When somebody says, hey, let's do this. Stop for a moment. Just pause for a second or two. God will speak to you. But listen, somebody will say, hey, let's just do this. And the first thing out of your mouth is, okay. If somebody answers too quick, they haven't thought about it.

19:51 Wait, think about it. It's not a sin. In fact, it's something of a good character to say, okay. Let me think about that for a second. Or let me get back to you tomorrow. Why do we think we have to have everything now? We've been conditioned. God says, wait upon me. You guys alive? Okay. Proverbs 13, verse 20. Just checking. I was feeling kind of alone here. Proverbs 13, verse 20 says, He who walks with wise men will be wise. Oh, that's good. Are you not wise? Nope. I'm pretty unwise. Find yourself a wise guy and walk with them.

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