Transcript
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In today's world, standing for your faith isn't easy, but it is incredibly important. The culture is shifting fast and the pressure to stay silent is growing. In his powerful resource, Called to Take a Bold Stand, Pastor Jack Hibbs shares how believers can rise with courage in uncertain times. With biblical insight, real world examples and practical wisdom. This guide will help you speak truth with love and boldness influence culture without compromise and face fear, fear, rejection or opposition without backing down. It's time to live with bold faith, unshakeable hope and kingdom purpose. We'd love to send you a copy of Called to Take a Bold Stand as our thanks for your generous gift of any amount to Real Life. Go to jackibbs.com radio or call 877-777-2346 to request your copy today. Stand firm, be and keep your eyes on Jesus. Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast. With intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture.
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Every day you get up and you reckon yourself crucified with Christ. And the moment your thought begins to wander, grab hold of that thought, give it back to God and say, lord, that was crucified at the cross. That's not me anymore. I don't want anything to do with it. The life that I now live, live by faith in the Son of God who died, gave himself for me. And that's how you live.
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You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackibbs.com 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.
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The Bible here goes on to tell us that who is he who condemns it is Christ who died. Absolutely incredible. This is deep stuff. So when it mentions to us about being charged with some wrong or being condemned by somebody, the answer that it's all in Christ, it's all in Him. I touched on this two weeks ago. One more time again in an eschatological or prophetic sense church, remember this. This is going to become very relevant and very, very encouraging to those of the future. And when I think about that, I think about the seven year tribulation period that according to the book of Revelation and the book of Daniel and the book of Matthew and the book of Mark and the book of Luke is Still yet coming. It's still in the future that during that period of time, remember, God is going to call out of the world. He's going to awaken 12,000 Jewish men who speak Hebrew, who are virgins from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Now, nobody knows where the 12 tribes of Israel are at. Nobody. So I just read a guy's book. He knows. No, he just sold you a book and snookered you. Nobody knows but God. Where's the lost tribes? They're not lost. God knows exactly where they are. And the Bible says that he's gonna call 12,000 from each tribe 144,000 Jewish males, Hebrew speaking evangelists who are virgins and they're gonna. Can you imagine? You think Billy Graham reached billions of people? Can you imagine having 144,000 Billy Grahams are better than that. Can you imagine 144,000 Paul, the apostles turned loose. And maybe they even have the Internet at their disposal. Imagine that they preached the gospel during the tribulation period. And John said, the magnitude and multitude of people who get saved from their preaching, nobody could number them. Wow, that's awesome. And those two, as we've mentioned before, they will be part of God's elect. You're God's elect. We talked about this before. Daniel and David is of God's electricity. God's chosen. But God's chosen will always be attacked. It's okay, everybody. We need to get Spurgeon said in agreement with Jesus. When Jesus says, I need you to be as gentle as doves, right? Be as gentle as a dove, but as wise as a serpent. You know, that's a brilliant statement. When's the last time you stepped on a snake? They don't even have any legs and they don't want to be sane. Now. Don't walk around Chino Hills in the springtime or summer. We got some of the biggest rattlesnakes in the nation. I mean, they're huge, but they don't want you. And most of the time you walk around, we'll see a couple each year. But you know, it was like, we act like they're gonna jump, but it's like 20ft away. And it's like there's one. But notice how smart they are. You rarely see them. They hide out again. When's the last time you stepped on a snake? Jesus said and implies they're very wise to be able to stay out of the way like that. You need to be like that, Jesus said, not stay out of the way in the sense of we need to be wise and as harmless as a dove. Charles Spurgeon put it this way, you need to have the heart of a dove. And Spurgeon said, and the skin of a rhino isn't that great. We need to get our skin toughened up. People in our Christianity, somebody criticizes us and we wither. Do you not know that you're a blood bought child of the living God? You're on your way to heaven. God will see to it. You've been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. And Jesus doesn't have any recalls. He doesn't have any. He doesn't have any. Oop, gotta call that one back. This one broke. Listen, he purchased you at the cross. You've come to him, you've given your life to him and it's up to him to get you into heaven. Guess what? He's going to do it. So we need to get toughen up a little bit and not be so sensitive that when the world says something, because they're going to be really, really getting loud. Little do they know we love them. They just don't understand real love. We want them with us in heaven, if they would only listen. But we're under attack. And in Revelation, chapter 12, verse 10, Revelation 12:10 begins by saying John says, I heard a voice, a loud voice saying, in heaven now, salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser. I've always argued in my mind the accuser A should be capitalized. It's speaking about a person, the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night. How many of you are of the brethren? How many of you are a child of God? Raise your hand. How many of you know that you're going to. You're born again, you're going to heaven. Then why did it take you so long to answer the first two questions? Satan is accusing, always accusing. Look for the accuser of our brethren who accuses them before our God day and night he has been cast down and they over. Listen to this. These are the saints on the earth at the time of the tribulation period. So Satan is booted out of having the ability. This may shock some of you, but according to the Bible, God allows Lucifer to have access to the throne of God, even to this moment. And yet I hope he can't hear this next part. I tell you guys, you know everything that you did wrong yesterday. Heaven already knows about it. Did you know that? Louie Louie, Lucifer already ratted you Out. God. Did you see what Susan did? Did you see what Mike did? He's accusing the believer. The Bible tells us in the tribulation period he's going to get booted. God's going to punt and he's going to. And it's going to be a little red ball with horns on it. And he's. He gets ejected from accusing. The Bible says that he's going to be cast to the earth. But look what happens. He accuses the brethren day and night, verse 11. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives to the death. In other words, they followed Christ all the way through. These are the tribulation saints and certainly the 144,000. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. Accuser. Accuser. Accuser. Just a side note, we need to be careful as brothers and sisters. We better be careful that we don't get into that habit of accusing our brothers and sisters of things. If we love them, we'll call them out on something and we don't have to call them out on Facebook. That's a sin. And by the way, don't do this either, because you're a coward and you won't go talk to the person. Don't go tell three of your best friend Christians. You know, you know what Karen did. She said this and it was really bad. So, you know, we need to pray for her. Stop. You just did something worse than Karen did. Did you know that you just sinned a royal sin? You took something that you knew and only you knew about Karen. Then you went over here and you defiled three people who didn't know a thing about it. And the Bible says that you are a talebearer. It's another word for gossip or a slanderer. Did you know that one of Satan's names is the slanderer? Don't fall for that. Don't accuse your brothers and sisters if you see them in a sin. What does the Bible say? Go alone to them, love them and say, you ought not to be doing that. Satan's great at accusing us. Colossians, chapter 1, verse 21. Colossians 1:21 says, and you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to Present you holy. Look at this. To present you and I, holy and blameless and above reproach where it matters, in his sight. Wow. Good news. Thank God. Ephesians 2. 1. And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins in which you once walked according to the course of this world. Remember that old life of yours, according to the prince of the power of the air. That's another title of Satan, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. Wow. Church, can you handle that? That the Bible says, apart from Christ, we are children of wrath. That's what the Bible says. This is truth. We need him. Isaiah, chapter 50, verse 8. Isaiah 58 says, he is near. Who justifies me. Wow. Who will contend with me? Let us stand together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near me. Surely the Lord God will help me. Who is he who will condemn me? You hear? The confidence in that, the boldness in that, the beauty in that. And here's how you might say, jack, all this is great. But how does it happen? This is how it happens. Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20. You all know this. People have this on their Bibles. People have this everywhere, and it's awesome. Galatians 2, verse 20. This is how you. This is how you do this. So God declares you and I righteous. He declares you and I innocent. He declares you and I dead to our past. He declares you and I alive in his son Jesus now. So how do I live? I'm going to act that out for you. First of all, it says Galatians 2. 20. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, in the life which I now live in the flesh. I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. One of the greatest passages of all scripture. Incredible doctrine here, but watch this. How's that? Lived out like this. I'm walking along and I trip over this thing that you left there. I thought you picked it up. I just told you. Can you pick that thing up before we go? Yeah, I'll get it. And so I'm getting the keys and I got my coffee. We're all heading out and I'm going like this. And boom. Everything goes everywhere. I look at it, I look at you, and I tell you various weaknesses that you have and I critique your listening and follow through abilities. Then I get up and I realize, listen, I shouldn't have said that to you. That was wrong of me. I ask you to forgive me. And whoever that person is in your imagination right now, your kid, your wife, your husband, the dog, whoever it is. And they say, nope, I'm sorry for not picking up your ribeye. No, no, no. For what I said, I'm sorry for that. Please forgive me. I forgive you. Awesome. Let's go. Now watch. See? Watch my face. Awesome. Great. Okay, let's go. Let's go. Wait. Go get the car. I'm going to get another cup of coffee. But let's go. Let's go. Have a great time. You know that's what that verse means. You know what you and I do? We don't apply that verse. We read it. But here's what we do. We fall over the thing. The coffee goes everywhere. We yell at the cat and bite the dog and ruin the whole thing. And then all day long. What do you want? I'm sure what? No, let's just go home. And you're. You're all messed up. And what has happened? You have allowed life to seize the moment. You mishandled it. You sin in it. And then instead of recognizing that you've been crucified with Christ, but nevertheless, you live because Christ lives in you now. It means that what just happened needs to be forgiven. And when it's forgiven, you get up with joy and you move. Put it this way. Imagine Peter. Peter and Paul, they're getting ready to preach the gospel. They're in Jerusalem. Paul, are you ready? I'm ready. What portion of scripture you gonna go to? Jeremiah. What do you think you're gonna do? Is it gonna be Ezekiel on this one? Peter? Leave me alone. I don't know yet. I'm thinking about it. You know, Peter, he's just like, well, I need to know. No, you don't need to know. I'm thinking, will you pray? Come on. So Paul's thinking, and Peter keeps poking. And Paul turns to him and says, will you keep your mouth shut, you big dumb fisherman? You get out of the way. And the band stops playing. And it's time for Paul to come out. And there's an awkward little moment because Paul has to stop. Peter. Come here, Peter. Sorry. You know, Peter was huge. Peter. That was the old Paul that did that. That's how I used to be. Actually, I used to be worse than that. But anyway, that was the old Paul. And the new Paul is the one that's apologizing to you right now. And so I'm crucifying the old Paul. And you know about it, Peter, because I'm asking you to forgive me. And Peter says, oh, heck, I do that a hundred times a day. And Peter turns to him and says, go out there and give him Jesus. And then listen, the curtain opens. Obviously, I'm exaggerating. I'm sure Paul didn't have a curtain curtain. But you see the. See what I'm saying? Paul goes out there and preaches an incredibly powerful anointed message. People get saved or a riot starts. You never know. With Paul, something happens and the power of God is there. And what just happened, The Christian life, that's what just happened. Every day you get up and you reckon yourself crucified with Christ. And the moment your thought begins to wander, grab hold of that thought, give it back to God and say, lord, that was crucified at the cross. That's not me anymore. I don't want anything to do with it. The life that I now live, I live by faith. And the Son of God who died gave himself for me. And that's how you live, crucified with Christ. Radical statement, but a biblical truth. We've talked about the crucifixion, but listen, thank God it doesn't end there, you know, thank God it doesn't end with Jesus on the cross.
