The Right Faith

real life presents the Jack Kibs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth equip the saints and impact our culture Christianity is not being a member of a church Christianity is not being part of some group it's not some label you slap on your t-shirt or the back of your car window true Christianity is something that is lacking in America today it's lacking in the world today and that is you and I determining to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ you can get the outlines of this podcast by going to Jack Kibs.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 Kibs the book of Romans unlike any other book in the New Testament in fact it may be unlike any other book in the entire Bible and that is the fact that it is such a technical treaty on doctrine that is unparalleled in scripture in fact many believe just in literary work alone that the book of Romans written by Paul the Apostle is something that is of such high shelf character and quality that there's nothing even in the secular realm that rivals it I've been told that the book of Romans has been used in schools of law because Paul the Apostle brings forth his argument of justification and righteousness by faith alone that he presents it so powerfully and so clearly that it's a way of arguing a legal case well be that as it may the fact of the matter is the argument that the book of Romans does give us is that we are a people that is the follower of Jesus Christ what Jesus said is the born again believer that we as a people we are someone who have been justified by faith that means that we look solely 100% to the finished work of Jesus Christ upon the cross and in other words our salvation and our relationship is solely based upon the merits of Jesus Christ this separates those that are religious from those who have a relationship with God this separates those from the cults of the world that have a works centered salvation attempt I have to throw the word in their attempt because that's all it is versus an intimate relationship with God and so the book of Romans opens up with this tremendous statement to you and I regarding us being called saints isn't that amazing we are called to be saints in fact in the actual Greek scripture it is we who are called saints not called to be that's in the English version the Greek is more powerful we that is God calls us saints how can this possibly be friends I know that that sounds hard and impossible for us because you and I frankly we have been victimized by traditionalism traditionalism by that I mean this that maybe it's some particular church that says this is how a saint is made saintly this is how someone is declared godly by these various merits that they must perform if they just keep so many of these rules if they do so many of these acts if they perform so many miracles then they are now qualified for the consideration of sainthood my dear friend I want you to know that the book of Romans for that matter the entire Bible knows nothing about that those are human inventions God says if you trust and believe in my son Jesus what he's done at the cross I call you saint and the word saint means one who is listen positionally declared righteous by God that's a saint and positionally matters it's God who moves you and I from the realm of being sinners from the realm of being lost from the realm of being an outcast from God from the kingdom of God from heaven it's God who says I see that you're trusting my son Jesus and what he's done at the cross I see that and so I am now declaring you to be a saint you are now washed in the blood of my son Christ Jesus you are now taken from the position of being lost and I put you in a position of being my child it's positioning the book of Romans is all about God positioning his children in his righteousness listen real quick kids love the dress up you'll see a little junior walking around in his dad's cowboy boots he'll have his dad's work gloves he might even have his dad's hat on and it's pretty cute because you see this three-year-old kid walking around trying to talk like dad trying to act like dad because he's wearing dad's clothes or your little princess at home might mimic the same thing regarding mom you know it's awesome about that in their minds positionally they are mom they are dad in their minds they're dressed for the occasion and they act like it well God says to you and I I want you to be dressed in my son Jesus put on the Lord Jesus Christ and walk like it talk like it live like it friends listen this is the key to our Christian success to recognize that positionally we are in Christ and we don't have to strive we don't have to push and labor to obtain anything we walk in the position of who Christ is in his righteousness not our own we've got his boots on we've got his hat on we've got his wrapping on and we walk around this world talking acting and being like Jesus why because we get to that's what we do that's what it means to be a follower of Jesus and positionally that's what it is to be a Christian well if a man cannot be saved by his efforts his merits if someone has no chance of getting into heaven by their good deeds or good works and how does somebody get into heaven that's the greatest question that I think anyone could ask for their entire life in fact beyond their entire life even eternity itself the fact of the matter is the scriptures teach us that by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in the sight of God if man could be declared righteous by the good deeds or the keeping of the law I mean let's be specific keeping the ten commandments then why would God tell Moses that in the day that Israel sins and breaks the ten commandments that they would have to offer up an animal sacrifice for their sins see friend the fact of the matter is that blood will always trump human performance meaning this in the economy of God there is no forgiveness of sins when you try to approach God based on merit because the moment you and I come to God with a failure a breach a discrepancy in our good deeds the Bible calls it sin you have no offering you have no way to reclaim yourself because once sin is performed or executed in our lives we are forever tainted now look that may sound strong and hard but you actually know that it's true because you and I know that from the earliest ages a child is preloaded as it were preset to disobedience kids are cute and kids are wonderful and it's a good thing they are because they're little rebels not only according to the Bible but according just to human psychology the human is a rebel we are the Bible teaches that we are a rebel against God we fight and kick against the authority we know that this is true we just want like you admit it but a little kid will rebel once he or she knows they are not allowed to cross the street or they can't go to houses down what do they do they go three houses down and they'll definitely cross the street once they know that there's a rule a law they gravitate to that rule to break it why is that the case it's who we are as soon as we're told you can do this you can do that you can do the other but you can't do this now in our minds that's all we're thinking about I'm not supposed to do that why am I not supposed to do that I can't stop thinking about that why because we have a sin nature and Christianity is the message that addresses the sin nature with all due affection and respect I say Buddhism doesn't offer the opportunity for us to reclaim ourselves Islam Judaism Mormonism go down the list listen denominationalism doesn't do it only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is what allows you to as it were tap into the merits of Jesus Christ in fact the Bible puts it this way in first John chapter 1 that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins that's only found in Christianity Christianity is not being a member of a church Christianity is not being part of some group it's not some label you slap on your t-shirt or the back of your car window true Christianity is something that is lacking in America today it's lacking in the world today and that is you and I determining to be an authentic follower of Jesus Christ to be someone who says I'm gonna pick up this word and in this case I'm gonna pick up the book of Romans and I'm gonna read that it's God who calls me a saint it is God who has positioned me in the righteousness of Jesus Christ it is God who says the just shall live by faith what a what a declaration listen when Martin Luther the great Catholic reformer when he read that in the book of Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4 Paul the Apostle restates it in Romans chapter 1 that the just shall live by faith it blew Luther's mind in fact it blew the mind of the theologian Newell or John Knox blew his mind George Whitfield blew his mind John and Charles Wesley it blew their minds because they have been conditioned by their denominations or by their groups this is how you go to heaven this is what you must do and when they came to that scripture and they read especially from Paul the Apostle a man who knew all about works is the man who said wait a minute all of my disciplines in Judaism all of my legalism all of my efforts have turned out to be like Dung he used the word Dung it's fertilizer Isaiah the Hebrew prophet said filthy rags very graphic our righteousness is as filthy rags our good deeds is as fertilizer to God but the just shall live by faith meaning I come just as I am I come recognizing here's the by the way listen up here's the real stumbling block I come just as I am in need of the Savior I see that I'm a sinner I need God's forgiveness in my life I need to be forgiven I need a new life I need guilt and shame removed from me so that I can walk with God that is easily said only because listen God would have done the work in your life for you to even think that thought are you hearing me don't lose this in the weeds you are either going to think one of two things I don't need Jesus I don't need God I'm good I'm fine and you walk away in your self-righteousness lost and if you die in that condition you're lost for all time and eternity but if you think wait a minute I am guilty of lustful thoughts in jealous thoughts or I am guilty of pride or I want to be first thoughts I do I do realize I've got guilt and shame I did this and that I've got shame I've got guilt I need Christ if you begin to think that thought then guess what my friend God is working in your life and when he works in your life you need to listen because if anything I'm saying to you right now is starting to resonate with you it's because God the Holy Spirit is saying you need my son Jesus that means God is calling you I suggest strongly that you listen to what God is saying to you it could cost you your eternal life it could be your key to freedom and to liberty and to salvation so listen as we wrap this up the most important thing for you and I to realize and to understand is that faith is something that you and I exercise every day it's not mystical okay it's not something that is mysterious in the sense that what goes on in the realm of faith is as a practice we use all the time and and so allow me to put it to you this way by faith you grab your car keys and you turn your ignition over and you do it so often that you don't think for a moment is this going to work is the key gonna fit is this car gonna start you assume based upon reliability based upon practice based upon familiarity this is going to happen in a word it becomes second nature right when you get on an airplane and you sit down and you put your seat belt on you expect that seat belt to keep you in your seat during times of takeoff and landing during times of turbulence and that's what it's intended for but you never analyze it you might have the first time that you ever flew in an airplane but you became accustomed to what it does and the same is true for example driving look here in Southern California thank God people still stay in their lanes on the freeway or on the highway those lanes that are dotted with white lines keep everything in order and you don't expect pandemonium when you get on the roadway here there are things assumed and there are rules to keep and there are laws that keep you safe and you obey those because therefore you're good and you do them because it's faith this is how we drive so friend listen don't think for a moment that you are not a person of faith you are a per you are in fact a person of faith I can say great faith so let me ask you this do you have faith in God now all of a sudden we have a little bit of a pause we get a little nervous about that but why why because I want to submit you the evidence that's all around me right now the evidence of the breeze I feel blowing the evidence of the birds here chirping and singing life happening all of these things speak of an invisible God the sun rose this morning it's gonna set tonight how do I know faith faith so let's take it to the ultimate conclusion if there's enough evidence for you and I to be practicing faith every day to the point that we don't even think about it anymore because it's second nature when we look around at this created universe and we come to the conclusion this is good the sun is good the breeze is good the birds are good this moment is good where's it coming from where do these things come from and if I stop and think for a moment why am I living why do I have the consciousness of what is good and what is bad I know what is acceptable and what is not acceptable I know what makes sense and what doesn't make sense how do I know that because according to the Bible God says I have written these things in you by my spirit so I want to conclude with this Paul the Apostle said in the book of Romans chapter one that I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ because it is the power of God unto salvation is there evidence for that is there evidence that I should believe that when Paul the Apostle said I'm not ashamed of the gospel I am not intimidated by others who criticize it I am not in any way a canceled cultured fearful Paul is saying nobody can cancel truth I am not ashamed of the gospel why Paul why because it is the power of God unto salvation friends listen so so beautifully God wants you today to put your faith in his son Jesus Christ just like you put your faith in so many other things for those things to serve their purpose I sat at this table I didn't even think about it I expected it to hold me up and God wants you to have your faith in Jesus this way you don't have to worry about how you don't have to worry about sin you don't have to worry about what happens when you die because the gospel of Jesus Christ is all powerful to save you not only in that moment but right now right now and so I want to ask you this will you pray with me right now will you pray with me right now to receive this gospel of God listen let's pray dear Lord I ask you in Jesus name that you would open up my eyes to the gospel truth of Jesus Christ I come to you God not wanting any religion I don't want any hierarchy I don't want any politics I don't want any churchy entity I want to know Christ and I want to give him my life because I today confess that Jesus died on the cross for my sins he rose again from the grave just as the Bible says and I place my life into his hands right now and so God save me wash me clean make me your child I pray in Jesus name friend if you've prayed that prayer we want to know about it so listen we want you to go to Jack Kim's calm and from there there's all kinds of resources but listen in getting ahold of us we're going to send you a Bible and why do you need a Bible well again the book of Romans chapter 10 verse 17 says faith comes by hearing hearing the word of God the more you read the Bible the greater your faith becomes there's no other way to increase your faith than to ingest the Bible and we want to send you a Bible we want to get you connected with great Bible teaching resources and we want to make sure that we're available to you for any of your Bible questions so please reach out to us at jackibs.com let us know that you're there that you've prayed this prayer and that we can connect with you so listen until next time God bless you guys as we continue on and our study in the word of God together this Jack Kim's podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener-supported will you consider partnering with us through a special gift go to jackibs.com to learn more and stay connected are you really buying a car online on auto trader right now really at a playground yeah really look at these listings from dealers wow your search gonna really get that specific really and you just put in your info and bone cars in your budget mom needs a second honey you can really have a delivered really or I can pick it up with the dealership one-sack sweetie mommy's buying a car I think kid is walking up the slide hi all again really auto trader buyer car online really