Unbreakable: Promises Made, Promises Kept

Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints, and impact our culture. God hates sin. That's why he came and died on the cross, but he came and died on the cross because he loves you. 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. The God of the Bible is the only God of all of human antiquity, from all religious groups that have been formed since creation. It is only the God of the Bible, the one and only true living God. That's why who says that he has come to make us one. We scarcely appreciate that. When he says, I want to be one with you, it does not mean that you become a God. There are those who say that. There are those watch my fingers. There are those who say that is actual Christianity, that you will become God. Excuse me. The last time or the first time I should say we ever read that and heard that was from a slithering snake in the garden. Anybody who comes along and says, hey, you can become a God. You said I heard that before. And drive them off your doorstep because that is false doctrine, folks. No, but what the God of heaven does is that in his redemptive work, in his bringing us into his family, that is the oneness. He is our father, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and God brings us into one family. And that's a beautiful thing to consider. I'm going to ask you to look at a few things or to think about a few things here. And what this world cannot say to you and I, and I just wrote down, I don't know, five or six things here. This world cannot promise you love. I don't care what the song says. The world cannot promise you love. You are loved by the all loving God. That's important for you to know because the fact that God is love demands that God's love is pure. Hear me out. I say this not to offend anyone, but if the Holy Spirit wants to convict you, let him do that for the betterment of your life. God is love, and the Scripture teaches us clearly that he's an all loving God. The world cannot tell you that it loves you like God can tell you that he loves you. And when God says I love you, remember this, he does not love the sin that you and I harbor in hold in our lives. In fact, that is a great hindrance to you and I. Listen, that is a great hindrance to you and I knowing the love of God. God loves you. You may be here today and you might be saying, well, I have this lifestyle or I believe this about myself or the other. Listen, God hates sin. That's why he came and died on the cross, but he came and died on the cross because he loves you. And God's love is so pure and so great that he doesn't leave us like we are. Think of that for a moment. Every single one of us are sinners. The Bible says we've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We've been rescued by the love of God. But listen, God's love is not the tolerant love of this world. The love of this world, frankly, is disgusting and I can put it this way. The love of this world is dangerous because the love of this world will just patch you on the back and say you're okay until you slip and fall into hell. And the world has nothing to say to you about that because the world, frankly, has nothing to say of value when it comes to your eternal life. That's why Christ came. Self-help, self-reformation can never do it. Jesus Christ transforms us by His love. Another consideration I'd like you to think about is what the world cannot say to us is that the world cannot promise you and I forgiveness, forgiveness. I gotta tell you, I failed to read the article as far as I'm assuming it came out but I didn't catch it. But associated press came to the church a few days ago and wanted to ask me and they did. Ask me what I make comments. They wanted to do an article on forgiveness. Associated press. By the way, the interviewer was wonderful and we talked about forgiveness and this person was, I think, I'm not sure of another religion. Certainly of another culture but that said you could tell that when I began to define what forgiveness is from the Bible's perspective that she was captivated by that. You could see it in her face. She was kind of mesmerized by that. Why? Because God issues forgiveness. Listen, the issue and the fact of forgiveness is that only in Christ and in the message of the gospel doesn't make any sense. Someone's got to pay the price for someone to be forgiven and here is, listen, don't miss this. This is what and this is why the world cannot speak you about forgiveness. When someone is truly forgiven, the person that is sinned against has to pay that price. Did you hear what I just said? Whoever experiences forgiveness, their forgiveness has to come at the expense of the one offended. Of course, the context. Think of, think of Erica Kirk going to the microphone and saying to the man who assassinated her husband, I forgive you. Who paid the price? Think about it. She's paying the price to issue forgiveness to that young man. What does that come from? It comes from the very nature of God and that is the God of the Bible. If you're going to be forgiven, someone's got to pay that price. Forgiveness is of divine origin and the side benefit for us who issue forgiveness because I know us. I am you, you or me, we, we. We go like this. I am not going to give them the satisfaction of forgiving them. You're going to die a bitter old person. They'll go off to live a happy life and you'll just grind your teeth at night. Why? Because God gave you an eye the ability to forgive people so we can set our hearts free from the power that the assailant has had against us. Don't misunderstand forgiveness and the world can never tell you and promise you forgiveness. It doesn't know anything about it. The third thing is this is that this world cannot promise you redemption. Of course not. We have in our culture attempts or conversations about redemption. Maybe you can be redeemed and you go to prison and you're redeemed. Not without Jesus you're not. Redemption means that someone has died to pay the price for the human soul. And you've been welcomed into the family of God by the Holy Spirit in such a matter. Next, by the way, this is this introduction to where we're going. This world cannot promise you and I belonging. This is a big deal. Young people need to hear this today. Be longing. You and I, I cannot exaggerate stress. What's the word hyperbole? I cannot stand on my head. I would if I could to communicate this reality. You and I, no matter who we are, we are starving for belonging. You and I must have belonging. Gang members, many of them are gang members to have belonging. Everybody wants to be a part of something great or something happening or something. Even if it's bad, think about it. Your desire to be in a group that does bad still doesn't negate the fact that you desire to be identified in a group. Are you with me? If you're in a gang, you're just going wrong at the wrong way. Listen, Jesus Christ says, you want to belong? Come to me. You want to belong? Follow me. You want to belong? Be my church. Be my people. You want to belong? Remarkable power and all of that, belonging. I am, I think a lot of young people today are going through self-inflicted wounds because of a sense of belonging. They're trying to join up with what? Some, some social media person trying to be in the group? Oh, I, listen, oh, I follow them. Is a statement of belonging? But listen, why is that important? Because you and I need interaction like this. I prepared, I prepared Thursday or Friday. I think it was Friday. It doesn't matter. Just the other day. I don't remember. I prepared to get punched in the face. I counted the cost. I actually, I was sitting at dinner. We were having a meeting with several people and from my angle, I could see a family at the restaurant and I estimated that the little young lady sitting at the table with mom and dad was somewhere between 10 and 13 years of age. All dressed up for the dinner so cute and I'm watching and we're talking, we're talking and every so often I would look at their table and she was looking at our table because our table was laughing. Our table was loud. What do you expect? And I would catch her looking and looking and then I noticed mom and dad both were sitting at the restaurant. Both of them are on their phones. She didn't have a phone. It's the only time I thought that poor kid needs a phone. Because you know what? I watched that girl go through that menu and what was on, you know, what's for dessert and she just fidgeted with everything and it was really bothering me. And then we got up to leave and I walked by and instantly the thought came into my heart. You need to say what's on your heart. You need to tell them and I just kept walking and I got out of the restaurant to say goodbye to these wonderful people that we were meeting with and I said because I knew I knew I knew in that moment there's no way if I go home, total disobedience. And so this person was a very big individual, the dad and kind of tatted up and so I concluded is this worth a fist fight in the middle of wood ranch barbecue restaurant. The answer? Yes. And so I went back and I just thought here it goes. Well it was the the young lady and the dad and then the other booth was the mom in an open seat. I went in and I just sat right down. I sat right down next to mom and I said listen you're gonna thank me crazy but let me say something I am old enough to be your dad and old enough to be her grandfather. My daughters are gone now. You only have a few years with her and since you guys came in and sat down you've looked at nothing but your phones. I haven't seen one conversation between mom and you mom and you dad. I haven't seen any of you talking to her and she's all dressed up but there's no place for her to go. I want to encourage you to pour into her because she's your little princess and yada treat her such and the mom said oh yeah oh right and the dad said dude and I got up I tapped him on the shoulder and I walked away. Why why why why why what was God what was God calling that little girl was crying out for belonging if she doesn't get it through mom and dad she'll get it from a boy belonging and then the world cannot promise you and I grace the world cannot promise us grace you and I now are recipients of the grace of God the world knows nothing about grace can't afford it the world doesn't have it in their bank account grace God's grace and then finally this and it's really the point to the message today and that is the world cannot promise you and I a family the family I don't need to tell you the American family maybe it's the global family is is under attack the family Satan hates family Satan hates marriage that's why he makes it rough and Satan hates family God loves it God made it God created it so church family marked this down if you would what this world cannot say when you and I belong to God and we become one with God is this and and I mean this sincerely verse five there's an ease that settles into us I want to stress it the world cannot bring to us what God can bring to us and the number one thing that God can bring to us is that there's an ease that settles into us I want to stress into as a believer listen many of you are new believers God's salvation is him dwelling in you he says the Holy Spirit in the moment of conversion will come inside of you and he takes you up as his own possession the God of the Bible the God that saves the God that redeems the God that we're talking about today is not a far distant deity in some part of the unknown universe Jesus makes it very clear that it is the will of God and notice what he says and verse five listen the the Bible I said listen to what he says it's Paul the Apostle speaking but he's speaking the word of God which is Christ now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus and here I want to stress the positive nature of his salvation he doesn't leave us friends to be vulnerable in this world when he says to us now may the God of patience this is now Paul's farewell benediction to the book of Romans he's starting to say goodbye and he says to them now remarkable statement here we go we might say are you ready for this get a grip hang on take this in may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded and want you to mark this thought down and John chapter 10 verse one John chapter 10 verse one when I said God will not abandon us he says to us I'm going to bring you patience and comfort John chapter 10 verse one Jesus is speaking most assuredly I say to you he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs up some other way the same as a thief and a robber Jesus is revealing and exposing there are those who will use religion to fake it to manipulate people and he says their thieves strong words right you guys alive okay verse two but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep to him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out and when he brings out his own sheep he goes I love this he goes before them he doesn't say all right you Christians my sheep you get on out there you go out now stay back here no he goes out in front of us and he says come on follow me I'll lead you and this this is the next chapter of your life come on I'll lead you this is the issue of the day come on I'll lead you he's always ahead I think it's uh I think it's tozer who says that God is always prescient meaning ahead of us I love that and so he he goes before us and the scripture says that verse four and when he brings out his own sheep he goes before them and the sheep follow him for they know his voice again I stress Jesus is speaking yet they will by no means follow a stranger somebody propagating false doctrine listen a true child of God will not go off into the weeds on false doctrine you guys need to know this because it's coming it's here false doctrines here and listen if you know somebody that's giving up and saying no no no I'm gonna go after this they don't know his voice they know the voice of strangers you don't I trust say well how am I gonna know Bible Bible Bible there's no substitute Bible and we're reading the Bible right now we're reading the very words of Christ and he says that uh that he goes before them for they know his voice verse five yet they will by no means follow a stranger but will flee from him for they do not know the voice of strangers can you say amen to that this is Jesus talking about you I trust when you hear something when you read something when it's posted when there's a podcast when there's a broadcast when there's an article and you like what you can thank God the Holy Spirit for speaking to you that's how you hear the voice of Jesus Jesus said in the gospels that the Spirit of God would be the one speaking to you and I love that John chapter 10 verse 11 says I am the good shepherd the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep this jack hips podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities are listener supported will you consider partnering with us through a special gift go to jackhibs.com to learn more and stay connected