The Called Ones

Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. What will you do with the information and how do you process all that's going on in the world? You name it from what's happening to the Middle East, outer space, on your streets, in your yard, at your dinner table, on your skin, the target is your heart. You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast. 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. Galatians 4.19, he says, my little children, this is Paul the Apostle speaking, my little children, is that not beautiful? For whom I labor and birth again until Christ is formed in you, Christian, that is the salvation life and then the sanctification life that follows. So Romans 8.28 says, and we know that all things work together for good work. It's the word air gone. You can write it down. It's on the screens, actions, behaviors, deeds, the doings. An example of the meaning of the word is as you described the work of a designer or craftsman using his tools to create or to finish his thought or idea. I love that. By bringing into a physical existence, I just love the fact that God made us creative individuals. Now, some people are not so creative. That's okay. You're not supposed to apologize for that. God died for your sins. He didn't die for your personality. You know that? Well, he's really loud and she's really quiet and I'm somebody in between and this person's that way and they're the other. God loves that. It's the sins that God hated enough to go to the cross to die in our place. Okay? So if you're quiet, be quiet unto God. If you're a big mouth, be a big mouth unto God. But don't try to be somebody else. If you wanted you to be somebody else, you would have made you that person. So stop trying to be like them. Plus they're probably trying to be like you anyway. Now, the math of God is amazing. In fact, listen to this. This word work implies that all things are activated in the believer's life. In other words, all things are online, not online online, but online in power. They're working. See, you and I, we fail to recognize this because we get bogged down in the mundane of life. See, we lose it because it's the routine. This is what happens. Friends, listen, please listen carefully. The more predictable your life is in some areas, fantastic, but also the predictable things of your life that are not effective. That's not good. God wants to take the predictable things where you're seeking after him with all of your heart and your loving on God. You're going after him. And then he takes your life and he transforms it into something incredibly active. I don't mean busy. We need to get away from busy. When I say active, I mean activated your life in the spiritual realm. Well, now you're alert to things. You're hearing from him. He's leading you and you don't want anything else but him to be speaking to you. And when that happens in our lives and we can decide today to have it happen that the word of God is going to be a supreme period. You make up your mind. That's it. All things work together for good to those who are called to those who love God according to the purposes that God has engineered for my life. I'm going to go for it. When that truth takes hold of your life, when verse 28 takes control of your life, everything changes. I'm going to actually show you what happens when verse 28 takes control of your life. So I don't know if you've ever heard of the National Bible B Championship. It's insane. I mean, that's a good way. I've learned that from young people. It's fire. Hang on. It's busting. That's something coming from somebody that I came from Groovy. This is amazing. What happens when the spirit of God takes the word of God and gets a hold of your heart and it becomes real? Put your eyes on the screen. All right, here's your last passage. Both riches and honor come. Madison. First, that's Alonians. Four, verses 13 through 18. Sorry, that'd be incorrect. For the rest of you. Bethany. Four chronicles 29, 10 through 13. That is correct. Please recite it. First chronicles 29, 10 through 13. Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation. And David said, blessed be thou. Oh, God, Israel, I'm falling forever and ever. God, oh, Lord, you are the greatest and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom, oh, Lord. And thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee. And thou rainest over all. And in my hand is power and might. And in my hand, it is to be great and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, I God, we say and praise thy glory, its name. First chronicles 29, 10 through 13. Bethany, bring us into your heart, mine. What was going on there? I just realized how powerful and in control God is and how everything is just because of him. And he's so great and amazing. That ladies and gentlemen is the way the word of God should impact us. Praise God. That's awesome. That's what this is all about. Wow, right? I mean, excuse me for a moment. No, that's no harsh reddish here. No, no, no. Wow. So when trouble, yeah, when trouble comes to her life, she knows that there's a great one that she can go to. She doesn't have to have all the answers. He's got the answers. She's got somewhere to go. So many in our world today do not know. You and I know people, we have relatives, we have friends, we have spouses or we have children or grandchildren. They don't know where to go. They don't know that that kind of God is available. But he is. I'm going to give you an equation. God gave it to me. It's personal. I'm not going to make it. Don't make a shirt. I'll make a shirt. But God showed me some math this week preparing for this message. One plus two equals one. You see, you need to figure that out. Yep. Number one is all the good things in life are working out for my good. All the good things in my life are working out for my good because I love God. It might be a little bit of love, but I love God. And I do know that I'm called because I can't walk away from them. And that he's bringing his purposes about all the good stuff. Number two is all the bad stuff. One good stuff. Number two, bad stuff. The bad stuff is working together for the good exactly as the good stuff. I don't see it. I don't understand it. God says, I got it. I'm doing something here. When one plus two equals one, God says, I'll take the bad. I'll take the good. I'll take the good. And I'll take the bad. And when I get done, it's one. And it's this way. I'm in them all to bring you to one spot in one place. And that is the likeness of my son. That is the, if you're a believer here today, the only reason why you're alive today, you may think there's a thousand reasons why you're alive. I get it. I understand that. But according to God, there's one reason why you're breathing right now as a believer. And that is to bring his son, glory, says the spirit of God, John 14, John 16. And all the good comes out from that. What about the bad? God's going to work the bad out too. Bible says in James chapter 1, verse 2, James 1, 2. This is my brother in count of all joy when you'll fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patients have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing. That means that that perfection is not holiness perfection. It means that God's got absolute lordship over your life and your yielded. Is it amazing? God says come with me. Where are we going? We asked, where are we going? He says come with me. You're going to find out. You want an exciting life? Follow God. You want me to rather jump off of a building. Yeah, well, I don't know. Eventually you're going to get tired of doing that or your parachute won't open. But if you wanted a thrilling life, you ought to follow Jesus radically. It's funny in this world. Everything's about extreme. Join us for an extreme adventure. This fall, you know, sign up, you know, on this tour, it's an extreme. Get on your kayak and go down the Colorado River. It's an extreme, an extreme. And with you have a sign up, it's extreme. And then I show up and say, hey, follow Jesus, it's totally extreme. And people like, what? Go, be quiet. But listen, you started one end of the river. You ended. It's over with him and never ends. Never ends with him. And when it says that all things are working together, this is awesome. The word together in the Greek language means it's coming from the outer limits to the center. It's coming from what's outside to the middle. All that's going on in life in the world around you. You name it. From what's happening to the Middle East, outer space on your street, in your yard, at your dinner table, on your skin, the target is your heart. What will you do with the information? And how do you process all that's going on in the world? Friends, listen, people are losing their minds right now because of what's going on in the world because they will not look at the Bible. Seriously, people are all caught up in writing and all kinds of opinions and they're protesting and violence. They don't even know what they're doing. They don't understand. There's an eternal plan at work. But listen, when there's no God in your life, you're going to lose it. Listen, if there's no God, then drink all you want. You need it. But if there is a God, you need to know him. Listen, this is free. Young people, stop with being offended what people are saying on your TikTok or whatever your thing is. Did somebody say something to you and they didn't like you this week? They hurt your feelings? Yeah, who said that? I don't know. It was Story Puffy Fish 13 said it. Do you know Story Puffy Fish 13? No. Then what do you have said about? They said something. Do you see how nuts our world is? First clue, kid. Anybody who names themselves Story Puffy Fish 13? Ain't worth a minute conversation. And the other thing is, no matter what you say to them, they're not going to be happy with your answer. If you really want to get involved in something that is social and extreme, follow Jesus. And instead of being a victim to the internet, why don't you become a victor in the internet? Why don't you throw some Bible verses out there and see what happens? Give them John 316 all the way to verse 21. Watch what happens. You'll have 50% people loving you and 50% of people will hate you. John, go ahead. That's John 316 to 21. When you follow Jesus, you're going to be loving. When you follow Jesus, you're going to be hated. If Christ came back today, do you know what the world would do to him? crucify him. That kill him again. Don't think that we've evolved into some more tolerant creature. No. If Jesus showed up today, the only people who would love on him would be those who recognized that they were sinners. Did you know that? Reach your Bible. All those who wanted to kill him did not believe they were sinners. He's the friend of sinners, the Bible says. So I want to be in the front of the line. That doesn't mean I go out and sin. In fact, as I am now, I sin less than I ever have. But I'm a sinner. I see my sin worse now than I ever have. I'm getting closer to Jesus, but what still remains is disgusting. Look at me. Look, I'm dressed up for you today. See this? Inside. You don't know what this is doing right now. You don't know where this is at. You know it's true about you. You can be sitting right here and your mind be a thousand miles from church. And God knows it all. But when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of you, He goes to work. And it is a beautiful thing. And so church, we revel in the fact that when it says to those who are the called. So it's the number one prerequisite to the verse being applied to your life is in the first part of verse 28. Do you love God? We're called to love Him. And you can't love someone unless you find out about them. There's people who have fallen in love on online relationships. Or what are they called? Long-distance relationships and stuff? And it's kind of it's from what I've heard. It's been kind of cool for a lot of people because they lived so far away that they couldn't cross any moral lines. So they conversed with one another and he made he makes comments like this. Wow, this relationship's been amazing and we plan on getting married. But I didn't realize I could talk so much. Well, why is that? Because all we do is talk online. She lives in another country and our relationship came about this way. And it was all, listen, how do they get to know each other? Conversation. And then listen, here's another tip. Boy, I'm just giving out the relational tips here right now in this service. Girls, this is especially applicable to you. If you're interested in the guy and he says he's interested in you, ask him to pray for you. And not like this. So, hey Rocky, were you praying for me? Yeah, sure, babe. No, I mean now. You mean like over the phone? Yeah. Uh, hey, that's a warning. Don't get messed up with some guy that you're not impressed with. I'm not talking about his biceps. I don't care about his pocketbook. Is he humble enough to pray for you and pray over you? Man, that's somebody to consider. Think about that. It's all free. Again, it's all free. Wasn't even in my notes. Second prerequisite is being called, called. Those who are the call, definite article, the called, meaning those who have been invited into the family of God. How does that happen? God invites you. Did you know that church? The Bible teaches that God will invite you into his family to be one of the called ones. 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.