The Pathology Of Sin

00:00 - Speaker 1 Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. 00:09 - Speaker 2 What offends God should offend me If I'm walking with him. What blesses him should bless me. If God's happy about this, I should be happy about it. I may not even understand it, but God says this is my will, this is what my word is, and I must come to the conclusion. I don't understand how this is going to turn out. I don't see it, but God knows all and I'm going to trust him and wait for the end. 00:41 - Speaker 1 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 - Speaker 2 The pathology of sin. In this day and age in which we live in, it's a very strange thing. And what we see, what's going on in our world around us, and that is that in the ancient time, first century church, there were the Gnostics. Watch this. The Gnostics were a group of people who embraced heresy, and the heresy was a lot, many heresies, but one of them was this hey, listen, I believe in God, but here's the cool thing about it Because I believe in God, I'm good. My body, my physical body, it's just physical, and everything physical is bad. Are you listening? This is for real. I can do anything I want with my physical body. It doesn't matter, because it's all sin. But the inside of me says I'm good. That's called Gnosticism. Physical is bad, spiritual is good. I'm a spiritual creature housed in a physical body, so I can do what I want and then on Sunday, ask forgiveness and then start it all over again on Monday. That's a form of Gnosticism. You've divided two things. Listen, no, there are no two things divided. You are literally one and the same individual. The thing is that this body is now loyal to whatever I yield it to. This makes sense, it's crystal clear, and so we want to make sure that we mark this well in our lives and understand this well in our lives. 02:46 Hebrews, chapter 5, verse 14 says but solid food belongs to those who are of full age or mature, that is, those who, by reason of use, have their senses exercised. Here it is to discern both good and evil. God has called us to discern what is right, what is wrong, what is good and what is evil. This is an important thing. The second thing is this church family is that we are to stand in his life. When verse 13 says at the latter end but if, by the Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit, you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 03:25 And the putting to death of the deeds of our body, church family is something that you and I, as a Christian, deal with every day of our lives. Every day I get up and I meet me at the mirror or down the hallway or whatever it is, and what am I supposed to do with me? According to Jesus, I am to present myself to him and have that attitude of crucifying my flesh every day. Now I understand that that kind of scripture quote doesn't cause people to come to church next week. But the truth of the matter is, if you wanna live a victorious Christian life, we'd learn this that when you and I have appetites that are offensive to God, whatever those things are, we simply do this. 04:09 Lord. God, I know that what I tend to do, either by desire or by habit, is an offense to you. It's sin. It's sin, lord. I'm asking you to change that in my life. So, hypothetically, are you doing, are you living in a way right now and you claim to know Jesus, and maybe you do, but you're allowing this idol that you've carved and polished and sanded in your life and it's right there and you tend to go to it, especially when the temptation rises for whatever it might be, and you go to it. Do you understand that? He's asking you? Give that to me. 04:54 Many Christians suffer from spiritual development because they act as though they don't have that issue, so they don't talk to God about it, like we're fooling them. If you have a temper problem or maybe it's possessions, bring that issue before you and God and say God, here it is, it's right there. A woman told me before service. She says I'm very prone to being anxious anxiety. And I said were you here last Wednesday night. Wow, she said yes. And I said remember what Barry Maguire said no more anxiety. It's a sin. We're not to worry. As believers, we're assuming the Godhead when we worry. Some people think worry is some sort of a virtue. No, seriously. I said well, none of you care, I'm the only one I have to carry all of this all by myself. Have you ever heard it? I said come on, what are you doing? You know the old joke. I can't tell a joke. I'm gonna mess this one up. 06:12 But there's a guy who was very, very prone to worry. He went to a psychologist. The psychologist said listen, you gotta get over this. He gave them all the steps to get over worrying and he just couldn't make it. The guy would come in. His fingernails are almost bloody, biting his stomachs, sick all the time. The guy's messed up. Visit after visit, the psychologist man, we're just going backwards, you're not getting any better. 06:34 And then one day he comes in. He's like, woohoo, he comes in, he sits down, he puts his feet up. He's like hey, how you doing, doctor? And he says what's gotten into you? And he goes. Well, he goes, all right. Finally clicked. He said I found a guy, a neighbor, down the street. We were talking and I told him about seeing you and that I've been worrying a lot and stuff. He said, boy, I wish I could help you with that. And he goes a thought under my head. He said if I pay you 50 bucks a week, will you worry for me? And the guy goes 50 bucks a week, I'll worry for ya. And the psychologist said well, can you afford that? He goes. No, he goes. Well, what's gonna happen when you can't pay the guy? He goes. I don't know, let him worry about it. That's good. 07:34 In a spiritual note, 1 Peter 5.7 says cast all your care upon God, because he cares for you To stand in life. That's the life of God and there's life in that. The Holy Spirit will not possess you and allow you to live a life that is not living. He's the life-giving spirit. William Barkley puts it this way there is a kind of life which leads to death and there's the kind of death that leads to life. That's a very simple biblical truth. But the putting to death of these things, of our lives, we put them behind. That is by the Holy Spirit. We don't do that. We yield to him and he does it. But we must recognize that, we must bring it before him. We must bring it out and present it Whenever listen. Whenever a man is in control, whenever a man is the one calling the shots, man will always frame himself in the place of God and when that happens, there's a trail of crimes that are left behind when man controls. James puts it this way. Chapter four, verse one. 08:51 James says where do wars and fights come from among you? Think about that. When was the last argument you had? Think about what transpired, what was going on. Most arguments are absolutely silly. They're not even the point. It's like a spark that lights a fire, and the fire is more of ego in the individuals than it is the actual issue. I've seen people getting fights over the stupidest things because they wanna win. They'll almost create the argument so they can win it. That's the sickness. He says where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure? That war in your members you lust and you do not have? You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war, yet you do not have. 09:44 James is talking about doing the things that man seeks to do in his own power. Jesus is inviting you to come and enjoy his life, which is a full surrender, of just quitting and letting him live his life through you. It's very, very powerful. I wanna read something to you. I wrote it. If it stinks, I wrote it. If it blesses you, then it was from God. 10:08 There are fools today who seek to separate the life-giving Holy Spirit from their day-to-day thoughts and actions and yet claim to know God. As an example, it is the life-giving Holy Spirit that is the genesis of the human being. Remember, we're the image-bearers of God, are we not? We've been created the image of God, but what has man done with that priority of God? Somebody might say. But, pastor Jack, that's offensive to the fool. True, because the man or woman who sees themselves as the authority will always leave a wake of destruction and death. Mayhem always follows the absence of God. Destruction, death and mayhem are the fingerprints that Satan leaves behind at the scene of the crime. The same fool who says I believe in God but, as an example, supports abortion has been fully deceived. You think about this for a moment. This is a perfect example. 11:11 I'm not making a political statement. You want to frame it as a political statement to make you feel better. I'm not gonna let you do that. God, the Holy Spirit, is the God of life. The Christian should be the most lively person in the world, always, seriously, don't raise your hand. But let me test you for a second. Don't raise your hand. How many of you believe in God? If you believe in God and the Bible and Christ and what the entire scripture tells us, you should be completely thrilled. 11:47 That said, when issues about parental authority, freedom, abortion, when those issues come up, you should be able to enter right into that issue with a biblical worldview. When you show up, you light up the whole issue and this political group is arguing about this political with this political group, about this political thing, and when you look at it it's like, okay, forget the groups. The issue is a God issue. Should parents have authority over their own children? Do you think for a moment that that's a political issue? Come on church, wake up. Do you think that's political? No, no, you don't. But guess what? It's too late, it's already been taken from you. Do you hear me? Yes, if you like it or not, if you understand it or not, it's already been taken from you. Thank you. They've made decisions in the halls of power to redefine parental authority. 12:45 That should offend you. I tell you what it offends God. What offends God should offend me. If I'm walking with him. What blesses him should bless me. If God's happy about this, I should be happy about it. I may not even understand it, but God says this is my will, this is what my word is, and I must come to the conclusion. I don't understand how this is going to turn out. I don't see it, but God knows all and I'm going to trust him and wait for the end. 13:21 That's the best part about getting older. Seriously, no joke. You become a, you be a Christian, and you get older. It's awesome, listen, it's not that true gets truer, true is true. You get to experience more truth and you see God move more Incredible To live his life. That's his desire for you and I. 13:46 And when he says put the death, does this sound violent? It is violent. The word put the death in Greek it's three words, in English put to death, but it's one. It's that to mortify, to cause death to occur. Listen, this is what the Bible says about how you should treat you and I should treat me Is to cause death to occur. That sounds kind of final. That's the point. Yes, to have put something to death or someone to death. 14:16 But the thing is me, I'm to read the word and say, god, your word is speaking to me. I need to mark this verse and then I pray. You know, you guys listen, I know, listen, we're all the same. We're the same in this way. You say I'm going to get up tomorrow morning, I'm going to pray, and then you get up and you go to pray and you're like it's like a block wall. You notice that it's just like it's tough. Hey, here's how you break that. 14:44 Dive into chapter one of any book of the Bible seriously, and start reading and there's going to be a verse that stops. You Circle it, pray it. Pray that scripture, think about it, meditate on it, watch the prayer start and you'll be shocked to see how in the world can Genesis 118 apply to my life today? And it will Pray the word of God and that word that gets in us, transforms us from the inside out. You already know all this. 15:22 In John, chapter one, verse 12, john, chapter one, verse 12, the Bible says but as many as receive him to them, gave he the right Some of your Bible say the word power to become children of God to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood. Well, we were all born of blood. But he's saying that's not the point. You're not going to go to heaven by being a blue blood, a royal. It's not your DNA, nor of the will of the flesh. That's man's decision making, nope. Nor of the will of man, but of God. That verse 12 says that God has given you and I the power to become children of God. The right to become children of God. That's a strong statement. 16:15 Church, but to as many as receive him. Do you guys see that on the wall, on the screens? Have you ever received Christ for real? Have you ever done that? Have you ever said God, I'm receiving you now into my life. I'm going to ask you to bow your head, all of us now. Nobody moves. I know I'm ending early, but that doesn't give you parking lot privileges. Don't move. Eshers locked the doors. 16:41 I want those of you who are believers to be praying. There may be a man or woman, boy or girl around you who may not know the Lord. Don't interrupt them. They may be thinking right now and you step right on their toe. I'm serious, it's happened. Don't move. Pray, we need you. 16:57 But if right now you're saying Jack, in my life, I think I'm more of a religionist than I am one of a relationship with the Almighty God, and I want to know Jesus Christ personally. I want to know about this power to stand in His debt and to be freed by that debt, to live the rest of my life indebted to His love and indebted to His care. And I also want to know real life. I have pursued men, women, money, drugs, power, position, place. I've acquired this or that and I have no life. I keep going for the next golden ring and now I've got bags of them and I have nothing. 18:02 But today, maybe today that's you in some way, shape or form. That's you today. I'm going to ask you, as we sing this song, I'm going to ask you to come forward and I'm going to pray for you. I know that's terrifying, but it's only you and Jesus right now. If you want today to receive Christ as Lord and Savior and or rededicate your life to Him, now, as we sing this song, you come and stand in front of this stage, on the floor, and I will lead you in a prayer. You come right now.