Live Like Jesus

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) Watch out. You cannot boast in your flesh that you're a father of Jesus, and don't let anybody boast that they've got control over you. You go and you live directly before God. 00:27 - 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. 00:55 - Jack Hibbs (Host) I want to have a party over this message. For this reason, it's a happy day when you realize that my deeds, my good deeds, the things I do, that are good. How dare I even think that they're good? So one of our grandkids won their school volleyball championship, and you know what happened. You got to teach little kids this, because they're bouncing off the wall, screaming, crying, footballing crazy, and you kind of I mean you don't want to bum them out, you might enjoy the moment, but then, when they come back to their senses, you got to instruct them. And so the question was what should you say to God about what just happened? Oh God, it was awesome. Yeah, it's always great to crush people in volleyball. It's great to win what else? And it took several attempts to get the grandchild to the point of I thank God for the opportunity to be healthy enough to play volleyball. There you go, that's it, and that is an important thing, because our deeds listen for us to perform anything that is of value. We, instead of us going well, look at me. We should say God, thank you for allowing me, allowing us as a church, to be involved in doing something or being involved in that thing. It's a glorious thing. 02:39 It says in verse two, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to post about. Isn't that a great line? The word justified means and you already know this it means to be shown to be righteous. What's that? Shown to be righteous? That's very key. That word meaning why? Because if you asked Abraham, are you righteous? Let me ask you, in fact, the answer. If we could go back in time and ask Abraham, or we can ask ourselves Abraham, mike, karen, bill, are you righteous? You know what the answer has to be, because you know those people that try to get you pinned down. Just give us a yes or no answer. Sometimes it's an impossible thing to give a yes or no answer, and this is one of those things. 03:34 Abraham and you and I would say this yes, positionally, in Christ I'm righteous. God has declared me righteous. Now, if you walk with me, you'll find out that I'm not situationally always righteous. I went 10 miles over the speed limit. That is situationally unrighteous, is it not? God's grace in this world looks down upon you and hallelujah. The Bible says to the believer the Father looks upon us and pities us as a father pities his child. Now, to those who are not Christians. Let's be honest. The Bible says he's angry with the wicked every day. What is inside you? Abraham would say listen, I love God. He came into my life, he called me out of my old life and my old world but I fail. But he declared me righteous. I'm so unworthy. You know, I just got busted. 05:00 A beamelech made me feel like such a fool because he caught me lying about Sarah. I told him that she was my sister because she's so cute. I thought he'd kill me to have her as a wife. So I lied it and I said it is my sister. I mean, talk about throwing your wife under the bus. I mean, abraham, this is great. Abraham, are you with me? Yes, that did not please. God. Excuse me, abraham, I thought you were righteous. Oh, jack, god declared me righteous. I believe in him. He declared me righteous. It's this flesh I struggle with. I did that thing to benefit myself and it makes me so sick to my stomach. Jack, I wish it never would have happened, especially Sarah. I haven't heard the end of that. 06:06 Can you relate to that church? You know a lot of people freak out because Peter echoes the Old Testament doctrine be perfect for I, your Father is perfect. So, oh, my goodness, that's it. No, listen, the meaning is God's perfect, you're my child, so go now, be perfect and when you trip, get up and pick it up, continue on. We really want to be righteous. We really want to do perfectly. Thank God, there's a day coming when you and I die, when that prayer will be answered. You know, if we had the physical ability as a believer, it should probably be like this for the death of a believer, like the Puritans. The Puritans would gather around when someone was dying. Did you know that in England and in colonial America, when somebody was dying, all the many members gathered around. The other lay members and other pastors would gather around. 07:13 And you can read books. There's books. It's the last words of great saints. You can read their last words and they wrote them down. There was no medication in those days, so you were not loopy or out for months or weeks or days and they recorded their last words. And when you read those it's amazing, but you could tell their body some the accounts of these things. And you can read also in the Fox's book of martyrs, while people are being slain throughout antiquity for Jesus, eyewitness accounts where people are worshiping the Lord while they're being burned at the stake. 07:50 How does that happen? It can't happen, but without God. And the point is this we may be dying of cancer or we may be perishing because of this, that or the other thing. The amazing thing about the Christian is that they're limited to express the joy that's happening to them by their body. They're like this and they can barely open their eyes, they can barely speak, but they're making utterances and their eyes are looking like this and there's a smile on their face and they pass away. Could you imagine? No wonder the Bible says precious on the side of the Lord is the death of His saints. Why? Because if we really understood what was really happening at the moment of death, we were cutting this body, or getting this body cut loose from who we really are. We'd go out going woo hoo, yeah, you guys, deal with me, or what's left of me. I'm out of here to be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord. The Bible says Sorry to leave you all the mess, but I'm with Jesus now. 09:00 No human effort can measure up and the word boast means to glorify self-glorify self-confidence. You can't boast Abraham. Abraham couldn't and he never walked around saying excuse me, everybody, excuse me. You guys all need to know that God called me out of Ur of the Caldees. Every one of you need to know that. He spoke to me and he said he's going to make out of me not only a great nation, but nations. That's me. He's going to be a little nice because I'm Abraham. He would be boasting. Well, god picked me because there are people who think this. Well, you know, god chose me because are you serious? No, no, there's nothing to boast of. 09:56 And 6 says for not even those who are circumcised to keep the law you know that's a statement effect, but they desire to have you circumcised that they might boast in your flesh or translate it to today you need to join our group. Why, I'm fine, right, I'm okay. No, you need to join our group. And if you join our group, you'll be the ninth person today to join our group. We'll be able to report back to headquarters that we got nine of you and we'll boast in your flesh that we got nine people. Today. We got nine marks on our belt. So just join our spiritual group. No, I'm not going to do it. There are people who actually boast. Jesus said oh, my goodness, it comes to my memory. It's not in my notes. 10:55 Jesus, mild mannered, jesus speaks to the scribes and Pharisees and he says you hypocrites oh, I want to see this. I hope he shows it. I'm sure we'll see it Somehow. There's going to be like a movie theater in heaven and we'll be able to go online and check out. I want to see this part when Jesus talked to those guys. Play it. 11:19 And Jesus says you hypocrites, you scribes and Pharisees and leaders of the people. You're so wicked. But you're not satisfied. You'll travel land and sea to make a convert to your traditions and when you do, you make them twice the child of hell than you are yourselves. Did you know? 11:48 Jesus said that. I mean, it's not like in one of those little daily memorization verses Be thou encouraged, but it's awesome moment, isn't it? I mean, that's God speaking to hypocrisy. Watch out. You cannot boast in your flesh that you're a follower of Jesus and don't let anybody boast that they've got control over you. You go and you live directly before God. And he says in that scripture verse there of Galatians but God forbid that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. 12:41 For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision or uncircumcision avails anything. Here it is, but a new creation, a new life. God, listen, because we can't measure up what God does as he recreates us, and then we'll end right here. In this third point, I'm going to fly right now. We're going to go quick. Jude, you know this verse beautifully though, but it's precious, jude, chapter 1, verses 24 and 25. 13:07 Now to him, listen, remember the plus sign. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling? Somebody say amen, god is able to keep you from stumbling. Last night, lisa and I prayed Lord, we're this age, I mean, I'm 64. She's 29 still, but, lord, we've come all this way in our lives. Please don't let us fumble the ball so close to the end zone. That's what we prayed, just like that. Don't let us fumble so close to the end zone. Don't let us disgrace your name. Oh, god in heaven, we prayed. Just keep doing what you're doing, but don't let us fail your name. Now to Him. Who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. Are you kidding me? This is a beautiful thing, church. We're going to stand before God with exceeding joy. But that's not all. 14:09 According to the book of Zephaniah, it tells us that when we arrive in heaven, it says that the Lord Himself will sing and shout and dance. So, jack, you didn't just say that, I did say it. It's in the book of Zephaniah, in the Old Testament. I'm going to show up in heaven. Oh my gosh, this is amazing and God's going to go. Yeah, five, jack, welcome, come on, there's so much I want to show you. How do you expect heaven to be? It is white and it's very quiet. Welcome to heaven. No, when the Bible says exceeding joy, yep, you know, you think about that. Heaven's going to be awesome and loud, loud people. I don't like how loud the music is here at church and you, pastor, you can get kind of loud sometimes. We're sorry, but we're just practicing. We're just practicing. 15:25 He says in verse 25, to God, our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both for now and forever. Amen. James 2, verse 14, what does it profit? Listen, my brother, and if someone says he has faith but does not have works, can faith save him? Listen, if a brother or sister is naked in destitute of daily food. Listen to the qualifier. And one of you says to them depart in peace, be warmed and be filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body. What does it profit? Thus also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there's one God you do well, even the demons believe in tremble. But do you want to know, oh foolish man, that faith without works is dead? You see, jack, are you contradicting? Oh no, abraham was justified by faith. Right, because that was true. Abraham went out doing Please get this, it will free you up, you will be liberated right now In the book of Romans. 16:49 The book of Romans is all about your positional righteousness with God. God has declared you righteous, like Abraham, but you're living in this world right now. Who knows that? James talks about your righteousness being established here on earth? Why? Because you're here now, positionally in heaven. My name is written down, my salvation is secured, it's all on him, I'm going to heaven. These things have been written that you might know you have eternal life. James says if your faith is real, it's going to be proven by your works, by how you live your life. James is not saying you work your way into heaven. James is saying anyone who claims to have faith we should be able to look and hear your life. We should be able to hear with our eyes and we should be able to see with our hearing, with our ears, your life. They're not contradicting each other. Because your life is secured in heaven. You get to be bold here on earth for Christ, because God has called you and I, who have faith, to live like Jesus. I hope you know him. 18:25 - Announcer (Announcement) This is Jack Hibbs podcast. As well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities our listeners supported, Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? Go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected.