God Has Declared You Righteous

00:00 - Announcer (Announcement) Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. 00:09 - Jack Hibbs (Host) When you ingest the Bible, it comes out and it becomes I don't even like to use the word second nature, I think for the believer God allows it to be our first nature. Why? Because we've been born again, and so you think Bible, you speak Bible and you do Bible. And when God sees this he's blessed and the world sees it and they realize how is this even possible? This person's got no education. Oh, I know they've been with Jesus. 00:41 - Announcer (Announcement) You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com 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. Here is Jack Hibbs. 01:10 - Jack Hibbs (Host) I wrote this down. We'll put up on the screen. If it blesses you, then God gave it to me. If it doesn't make any sense, I made it up and it's this. It's this If the observable universe displays the glory of God Well, we know that's true from the book of Psalms and it does Then shouldn't a glorified life place the observable God on display for all to see? 01:33 Can I read that again? If the observable universe displays the glory of God and it does then shouldn't a glorified life place the observable God on display for all to see? You see, well, jack, wait a minute. God's invisible. You can't see him. 01:49 My point if you and I have been transformed and we're living for Jesus, doesn't the world, just like they observe the stars? Can't the world observe your life and conclude there must be a God? That's the life of the believer. That's how you get into lion's dens and you have no fear. That's how you get onto ships that are tossed in a raging storm and you don't panic, because our lives are secured in him and settled. And as long as the universe is observable. I know this that the God who made those things desires something greater, and that is for him to be observable in our lives and I believe, according to the Scripture, he's so committed to that. The witness of God is on display in our lives. It's true of all of his followers, it's true of his children and Acts, chapter four, verse 12, acts four, verse 12 says there is no salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. 02:56 Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, they just got done saying that and obviously those who heard that watched. Then they saw Peter and John. They perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men. I love that verse. Everybody you want to know why. I don't mean to offend anyone, but if you have a PhD or if you've got an MD or if you've got a doctorate in theology, it doesn't matter and it doesn't matter what your world experience is. That's awesome. That verse to me is. This verse is so encouraging because it announces to me that no matter what you have in this world by degree or by experience, it doesn't translate over into your spiritual world of being used by God. In other words, if you are a brilliant MD, that's great and keep doing that. But listen, god in his kingdom might have you do something completely different, whereby he didn't need your education to pull it off. Are you with me? He does the supernatural. Now look, I want your education when you apply your medicine to me, but God doesn't need that for you to be used in his kingdom. 04:14 So when the Bible says that there are those observing, and they saw Peter and John tremendously powerful by the hand of God, they concluded immediately how can this be? These guys are uneducated, unlearned people. Why? Because they were approaching a supernatural phenomenon through human, physical eyes. And the greatest thing about being a Christian is that our lives are supernatural. That's why so much that goes on in our world. We can't explain it. Good, bad and ugly. We can't explain it. God's at work. But look, they perceive that they were uneducated and untrained men. They marveled and they realized oh, we get it Now. We know, of course, that they had been with Jesus. That's a good tattoo right there. I have been with Jesus. 05:10 If you want the whole verse, it would be right about here, right, isn't that a great thing? Think of the statement, think of the title, think of our argument. The world looks at us and they see your boldness because it's hidden in Christ, it's anchored to him. It's not your boldness. It's your boldness because God gave it to you. Your argumentation because it's biblical. You've been at this church for a while. You've got Bible now flowing through your veins so that when you talk to people or when you look at something, your decision is coming up out of you, because the Bible says I have hidden your word in my heart. When you ingest the Bible, it comes out, it becomes I don't even like to use the word second nature. I think for the believer, god allows it to be our first nature. Why? Because we've been born again. You think Bible, you speak Bible, you do Bible and when God sees this he's blessed. And the world sees it and they realize how is this even possible? This person's got no education. Oh, I know They've been with Jesus. I'll submit to you that the more time we spend with Jesus privately, the greater the manifestation will be publicly in the life that you live. 06:43 Four things I want to run through this little checklist I have on my notes on page three. If you're looking at the notes up until this point, everything has been necessary to sweep things out, to make things clear, so that whatever foundation might be exposed. Only then can you begin to build. That's what Paul's doing. Second thing is chapter four is where Paul brings us into the world of the Jewish mind and the origins of the both Hebrew people, as well as what it means to be a real Jew. We're going to learn about that. Third thing we'll see in this chapter is that he will do this by calling them to the two greatest examples, calling them, calling us, of a true listen, living and acceptable relationship with God that are founded upon in the lives of Israel's great patriarchs. It's very shocking, church Listen. 07:42 For you to best understand your own walk with God today, in the 21st century, you've got to go back and look at the lives of Abraham and David. In Romans four, you're being introduced to Abraham and David. Why in the world would a New Testament book drive you back to the Old Testament patriarchs of Abraham and David? And if you read about their lives in the Bible, you find out that they have the same exact walk that you and I have today. They say the thing. That's why you love reading those Psalms. It resonates with your heart and when you look at Abraham and this situation's going on and taking place and you connect with that. These two men had most unique relationship with God. That is mirrored today in our 21st century. I've said it this way it sounds clumsy, it's theologically you can't defend it theologically really, but it's this. It's as though Abraham and David had born again relationships with God. You know they were not born again. Nobody could be born again until John 20 in the Bible. Fourthly, that this chapter holds for us is that these two men, whose lives were Old Testament examples of what it looks like to be true, a true believer today is, in the 21st century, believer now. It's remarkable. 09:07 Ephesians 1 3 says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord, jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Verse four just as he chose us in him. Now listen, jew and Gentile, listen. Just as he chose us in him, before the world or the foundations of the world were ever laid, were ever created, before time was ever established that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. Verse six to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved In him. We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace verse eight which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will. The mystery of his will is the New Testament. The old had the message, the new recorded it, that mysterious, that which has always been before time ever began, was made known According to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself verse 10, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. In him Verse 11, in him also, we have obtained an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will. That means God's got a plan for your life and he's going to do it. 10:58 And I love that kind of talk. I love when God comes up and takes me by the hand and says let's walk. He doesn't say would you like to take a walk, jack? No, listen, I've put my faith in him. And so he comes up to me and he just grabs him and says let's walk, let's walk and talk. Come on, let's talk. 11:14 I'm gonna talk to you about something Genesis, chapter 15, verse six and seven, says and Abraham believed in the Lord and he accounted it to him for righteousness. Abraham believed in God and God says for that I'm gonna declare you righteous. Then God said to him I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Caldees to give you this land to inherit. God gave Abraham promises. That was the banner over Abraham's life. And then David. We read a moment ago about David in this chapter. 11:48 David's example is this in Psalm 27.4. I'm gonna ask you do you recognize this verse in Psalm 27.4? Does this not describe you? And, dear church family, listen, you should know me by now. I'm gonna lay this out in a second, in such a way that it will either cause you to get excited or cause you to probably never come back here again. And I want you to know something that's not. That's not, that has nothing to do with me, and I love you, but I don't care. No, seriously, we're not building a club. Here's the thing. How do you know if you are a true believer? David's going to tell you. David's going to show you. You judge yourself right now. Nobody else needs to judge you. Nobody's got the authority to judge you, but we're commanded to judge ourselves, aren't we? So here we go, let's judge ourselves. 12:42 And we agree with David 3,000 years ago. Does he sound like us today? One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord. That's not here, that's not this building, okay, that's not some temple, that's heaven. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple. Does that describe you, pastor? What do you mean? Are you longing for heaven? Do you want to go there Now? 13:24 Look, I know some of you are young and some of you are single and you're thinking, yes, but I just met a young woman, or I just met a young man and we're getting pretty serious and I wanted to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. But can we do that later? I understand that struggle, but the reality is true nonetheless. How beautiful is that struggle? Because you are a young individual who's got the Lord in your heart. You have that struggle and that's a beautiful thing. Now, those of us who are older. I mean, I don't know Some of us. We hang out together and have you noticed? Our conversation, especially the last couple of years, has been more on heaven than in your other topic. Why? Because we're getting excited. 14:18 What did Abraham do? Church to be declared righteous by God he believed. Does that bother you? I love it. You know who it bothers. It bothers those of you who have come from denominations, who all your life you were told by the ministry leaders you better do this, you better do this and you better do this. You better never find you doing this, this or this. And if you fill in the blanks and if you dot that I and if you cross those T's, we'll advance you to the next position and you'll be this thing. And then you're going to get this award and you're going to be this Super Saint and you're going to be this thing. And then maybe, then maybe, you know and you grow up thinking like that. 15:03 This is American Christianity. It's horrible that if you're just good enough, you're acceptable. Look, there's something called Yankee Know-How and we're famous for it at least we used to be and I get that Yankee Know-How was the Europeans said. You know, we can't fix this. We wouldn't even know what to do about this. Getting American over here, they'll figure it out. Crazy soldiers came from farmlands and they would take binding wire and make the airplane work again, and we were famous for it. This week side story. 15:42 - Announcer (Announcement) This week my lawnmower wouldn't start. 15:47 - Jack Hibbs (Host) Actually, the back story was this it started perfectly fine, just like it does every time I need it. I pulled that thing up and I made one, two, three, four and a half passes on my grass right Straight lines, and the lawnmower went. I just filled it up, it can't be out of gas, wouldn't start. Got a new spark plug, put it in, wouldn't start. I pulled it and go. That's all it did. And it sat there for two days and I would pull and I would say, lord, please. No, I'm not joking, god, I'm not kidding you guys, I'm dead serious. Thanks, lisa, lord, I just want to. I don't know about you, but I get a lot of therapy out of mowing the lawn. It's like, lord, please, it's all I want to do Now, lord, I want to remind you the tides are moving fine, the moon is working, saturn still has its rings. You can start the smaller. I know you can. It's all I want to do, just want to mow the lawn. So do you know what you do when you're in that situation? No, she said, buy a new mower. That's the American way. No, you do the Christian thing to do. What's the Christian thing to do? 17:29 I went and got my granddaughter and I said now watch this. She had just put a big scoop of food in her mouth, I don't know what it was, and I said I need you to come over here. Come here, I need you to pray for my lawn mower to start. And she goes. I go, just pray for my lawn mower. Listen, for all of you who struggle with the gift of tongues, check this out. She goes and I went and the thing just started right up. If it doesn't work, get a kid. She prayed with food in her mouth. God brought down the answer. How that applies to our message, I have no idea. Abraham's faith. Abraham's faith he didn't do anything. He didn't do a thing. He believed what God had said. And that's where the walk of the believer begins. The cultist and the legalist says do these things and you enter in. The cultist says nope, enter in and you get to do these things. There's a big difference. There's an eternal difference. 19:08 - Announcer (Announcement) 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.