Join Pastor Jack Hibbs on Real Life Radio as he tackles the complex yet relevant issue of divorce for Christians. This episode delves into the emotional and spiritual aspects of experiencing divorce and guides listeners toward anchoring themselves in faith and making wiser, godly decisions moving forward. Pastor Jack pulls wisdom from Scriptures to showcase how building a personal relationship with Jesus can help strengthen your resolve and steer you through life’s toughest challenges, including marital dissolution.
People are getting tired of driving two miles to church. I think I’ll stay home today. What’s the matter? I just can’t make it to the car. You guys, this is serious stuff and it’s spiritual in nature. I don’t feel like continuing any longer. That’s dangerous.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I’m David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God’s Word, the Bible.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey, Pastor Jack Hibbs here, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, and I also want to challenge you. Join me, will you, to share the love of God with everybody we meet at this time of the year. Now listen, the whole world is decorated in colors and in lights, and people are saying Merry Christmas. Let’s take advantage of the reality. Let’s take advantage of the truth. It’s the recognition of the birth that God has sent His Son into the world. So we should tell people, hey friends, hey family, this is about Jesus, the Lord’s Savior, mankind’s redemption. Remind them that the baby that was born in Bethlehem is the man who died on the cross for our sins. So please, Merry Christmas to you, but let’s not keep it to ourselves.
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Let’s tell the world. From Pastor Jack and all of us here at Real Life, we want to wish you and your family a Christmas season filled with the peace, love, and joy of Jesus Christ. God bless you and yours today and in this new year to come. Merry Christmas. On today’s edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series now called Life and Bible with a message titled Being a Christian and Surviving Divorce. Now, no one wins in a divorce. It tears the heart in two and oftentimes separates the kids and can even ruin a ministry. You see, marriage is one of those sacred agreements that we need to stand up for and fight for. God designed it to work, so we need to do everything we can to save it. Marriage is a covenant that should never be broken, and if it has, we should exhaust every opportunity to reconcile. So today, Pastor Jack teaches us that if you’ve been through a divorce, then press on by living a life dedicated to God. You’ve been through a terrible time, and you need to now make wiser choices and more godly decisions. Now, with his message called Being a Christian and Surviving Divorce, here’s pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.
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Your strength needs to be anchored in a deep, committed, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Husband, wife, ex-husband, ex-wife, focus on Christ. Should you get married or not, remarried, listen. We can talk about that some other time or maybe if we have time in the close of this, but that should not be your pursuit. Drawing close to Christ should be your pursuit. Strengthen, making sure that whatever went on in your life never happens again. By the way, the statistics are overwhelming. That once a divorce happens, the probability of a second divorce is greatly elevated. In 2 Timothy 2.15, this is what I believe. Every person tonight who’s here regarding this topic tonight, if you are post-divorce Christian, you should make 2 Timothy 2.15 clear. an aspect of your life. Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman or a workwoman, how about that, that need not be ashamed. Rightly divide in the word of truth, but shun profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Draw close to God. Romans 10, 17, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Make every effort, Christian, to build yourself up, your lifestyle. When I say lifestyle, that is ethos in Greek, how you live your life. I’m not talking about if you have rings or a ski boat lifestyle. That’s ridiculous. I’m talking about how you live your life. In Jude, verse 20 and 21, it says, but you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Keep yourself in the love of God. Point number four is this, determining, listen, determining this, that you will make different choices from now on. Does the Lord even want you to marry again is a question often, often stated. Look at this slide right here. According to a recent survey, couples were asked Their number one reason for divorce listed are the top 10 answers. And this survey was done by one of those very well-known marriage encounter seminar thingies, whatever it’s called. Number one, cheating and infidelity. Number two, poor communication. Three, physical, psychological, or emotional abuse. Four, money. Five, sexual incompatibility. Six, boredom. Seven, religious beliefs and differences. I’m surprised that’s on there, but that’s biblical that it’s there, isn’t it? Think about that. Doesn’t the Bible say we should not be unequally yoked? Why? God knows. Causes splits in the life, in the home. Child-rearing. I assume that they disagree on how to raise a child. Number nine, addiction. Number 10, change in priorities. These are the top 10 reasons why people get divorced. Interesting. Well mark this down, I’ll give you a string of verses here. First Corinthians 739 says, a wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives, okay, but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to marry to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. See, what does that mean? Are you a Christian wife, and for that matter, it’s also true about the husband, if your spouse dies, you’re free to marry again, but only a believer, it says. Only a believer. You say, well, what’s with that? How can, well, in fact, I’ll read it. Look at 1 Corinthians 7.10. Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord. A wife is not to depart from her husband, but if she departs, or if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and a husband is not to divorce his wife. Meaning verses 10 through 11 apply to the male and the female. There’s not some rule for the man and not for the woman. It’s equal, even. What’s very interesting about this is that if the woman wishes to depart or the unbelieving husband wishes to depart, that person’s free. It goes either way. It’s very important you understand that. Again, 2 Corinthians 6, 14 says, do not be unequally yoked. That is a believer and a non-believer. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What communion has light with darkness? And what accord or agreement has Christ with Belial or Satan? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. This is so wise. It’s so powerful. Are you unhappy in your marriage? People will say that. I want you to think about that for a moment. Are you separated from your husband or wife right now? Are you going through a divorce right now? I want you to be determining now, my friend, to make wise decisions. Are you unhappy? Are you separated? Are you divorced? Why do I ask you that question? Because listen, you’re a Christian now. You belong to the living God. You are to be yoked, that is remarried, if God would have you to be remarried, to a believer and a believer only. Well, pastor, I’m dating this guy, he’s a total Satanist, but I think I’ll convert him and it’s gonna be great. Listen, if you’re going through a divorce, or if you’re separated, are you not still married, by the way? Are you going through a divorce, are you married? Yeah, you’re married. If you’re going through a divorce, you’re still married. Are you separated? Are you unhappy? You’re still married. So when you go to work, keep your wedding ring on. You’re married. Stop going to the singles bar with your friends. You’re married. And a Christian shouldn’t be there anyway. Listen, you may be hurting. You may be upset. You may be angry. Don’t adopt the ways of the world. You are a son or a daughter of the living God. And you need to be careful about this. Yeah, well, you know what? I take my ring off sometimes because, you know, what are you doing? Well, how do I find a man? How do I find a woman? Chase Jesus. And as you’re chasing Jesus, you’ll bump into him or you’ll bump into her. How do you do that? Because he’ll be chasing Jesus too. Or she’ll be chasing Jesus too. And when you guys are independently chasing Jesus and you wind up going along and you wind up looking over and she’s there, hey, what’s your name? Susie. What’s your name? Bob. Cool. And she’s still there. That’s a good thing. Chase Jesus, bump into him or her, and then you know what? Then you can start saying, hey, Lord, is this somebody? But listen. I don’t, you know I’ll go on the fishing boats with the church out in the ocean. I go because it’s fun to watch you guys. I don’t like to do it. Here’s the reason, I like to fish, but not in the ocean. You wanna know why? I wanna know what I’m gonna be pulling up. It freaks me out to do what you guys do. Hey man, let’s go fishing off the boat over here in Newport. And you, what do you got? I don’t know. And you pull it up and it’s like, what is that thing? When you fish in the ocean, you don’t know what you’re gonna get. Listen, there’s people like that. What are you doing? Oh man, I’m lonely, I’m gonna go out. And what are you doing? Oh, we were just gonna go to this dance place and then we’re gonna go to this club over here. Are you crazy? You’re fishing in the ocean, man. You’re gonna wind up snagging something. You’re going to wind up hooking something. You go, what is this? What do you expect? You went fishing in the ocean. And look at the bait you were using anyway. I mean, my goodness. Listen, my dad taught us how to fly fish. You ever fly fish? You know exactly what you’re going to get. And it’s pretty classy, too. You’re going to catch what you’re fishing for. And you’re going to catch what you’re fishing for by what you use. Be careful. That’s a whole other study for a whole other time. Determine now to make the right decisions. Let the word of God be your instrument by which you decide. Don’t let pressure and listen. Don’t panic. Well, I’ve been waiting three years. I’ve been waiting 10 years for Mrs. Wright or Mr. Wright to come along. Wait on God. Man, you’ll go right from one disaster to the other one because you didn’t wait on God. His timing’s perfect. He loves you. You’re not going to blow it. Stay close to him. Well, what if I miss the guy? Let God find him for you.
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You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. And for now, let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
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Number five, this is the last point. Being a Christian and surviving divorce… is this, being, living, being. You will live a more dedicated life to God. Being a Christian and surviving divorce, you’re smarter now, aren’t you? Cost you a lot, it hurt. But you have a more dedicated life to God now. And if that’s who you are tonight, I want you to respect who you are in Christ. and live a dedicated life to God. Romans 12, one says, I beseech you. The word is to urge. You therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what? The good and acceptable perfect will of God is in Ephesians 5, 17. We looked at it earlier tonight. See then that you walk circumspectly, that you walk in uprightness before God and man. 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 3. For this is the will of God. Listen to this. Your sanctification. That means you are different than those in the world. You’re Christians. You’re different. That you should abstain from sexual immorality. That is, marriage is the place for sexual activity. You’re not married and you’re having sex. The Bible calls that fornication and or adultery collectively. It is sexual immorality. You’re sinning against your own soul. The Bible says if you persist in that lifestyle, it says that no one practicing sexual immorality will enter the kingdom of God. Why? It is a spiritual sin. Do you understand that? Your media, your world has billed it as some sort of a thing that just everybody does. It’s just what you’re supposed to do. They mock and make fun of virgins. In fact, if they find a virgin, they’ll make sure that that guy or that girl is not a virgin any longer. You wanna know why it’s so important to the world? I’m telling you right now, it’s a spiritual issue. The Bible says if a man who has the Holy Spirit in him joins himself with another woman outside of marriage, he’s joining Christ to a harlot. Why does it say that? Because it’s spiritual. And when two people who are married come together physical, in a physical sense, it’s awesome. It’s encouraging, it’s strengthening. It bonds the marriage even more together. Don’t raise your hand in here tonight. But if you’re married tonight here, husband, wife, I think that when you have sex, you should be able to pray after you have sex. Are you kidding me? What the, what is that? What, that’s weird. Why? God was there the whole time. He is there. He made it. You’re married. The book of Hebrews says the marital bed’s undefiled. Undefiled, go in there, shut the door, jump up and down on the bed, you know? It’s undefiled. Come together as a husband and wife, and then praise the Lord. Thank you God, thank you for this marriage, thank you for him, thank you for her. Think about it. I can’t believe he’s saying that. He invented it. But if it’s abused, it becomes a curse. In Hebrews 10, verse 24 says, let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaken the gathering together as in the matter of a son, but exhorting one another so much so as we see the day approaching. What does that mean? These are crazy days, my friend. The world’s coming apart. Marriage is under attack. I don’t need to tell this church that. Well, what should we do? Pastor Jack, I went through a divorce. What should I do? You know what? You dive headfirst into church, into spiritual stuff, into ministries. You absolutely get yourself inundated with doing things for God, serving the Lord, blessing his people. And listen, even if you haven’t gone through a divorce, you need to be doing that right now because the days are evil. And we need to be coming to church more often than stopping and doing our own thing. This is a dangerous time. People are getting tired of driving two miles to church. I think I’ll stay home today. What’s the matter? I just can’t make it to the car. You guys, this is serious stuff, and it’s spiritual in nature. I don’t feel like continuing any longer. That’s dangerous. It’s happening everywhere. I don’t know. You know, I don’t want to read my Bible today. It’s dangerous. It’s dangerous. It’s dangerous. Last final verse. Here we go. It’s a big one, but it’s the last one. Isaiah 54, 3. For you shall expand to the right and to the left. Listen, this is for someone in here tonight. And your descendants will inherit the nations and make the desolate cities inhabited. Do not fear. For you will not be ashamed, neither be disgraced. For you will not be put to shame. For you will forget the shame of your youth and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your maker is your husband. The Lord of hosts is his name, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. He is called the God of the whole earth, for the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused, says your God. The Lord is saying to all of us, I want to heal your life. I’ve got a plan for your life. Now tonight in this brief period of time as we end this we can only cover certain things. The very specific details of is my marriage according to 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and chapter 7? Is it biblical? Is this situation I’m in? Can I remarry again or should I not? Does the Bible command me to stay unmarried? Those things you read carefully, quietly as your homework. Read them tonight. 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and 7. the specific things, come in for counseling. Contact pastors here at the church. Dive into your Bible. Just know this, God hates divorce. I highly recommend the situation that you’re in right now, if it is before divorce has taken place, make it work. Get help. Don’t give up. If you are now divorced, You either find out if you think that you have to be married and you should be married. You talk to God about that. And then number two, find out if it’s biblical if you should be remarried because some cases forbid it. Number three, ask God, Lord, do you want me to be single and serve you? You need to ask him these questions. Far too many people seek their identity alone. in their spouse rather than in their God. And that is a dangerous situation. Know who you are in Christ and everything else God will take care of. Heavenly Father, we pray tonight, Lord, over this sanctuary, your people, and we pray, Father, in Jesus’ name, that you know the very situations. And Lord, I think also of young people that are here tonight. They’re not yet married and they’re listening to this and I have no doubt that they’re thinking, well, we won’t have these problems. And I pray that they don’t. They don’t have to have these problems. As long as they keep you in their sights. Father, we pray that the young generation would begin to see marriages working together. And that they would say, I want to be married. I want that in my life. Heavenly Father, we pray in Jesus’ name that those that are hurting right now, you administer to them. Divinely, supernaturally. There may be some of you that are here tonight and you’re hurting, and no human can meet your need. I want you to hear that. No human can meet your need. can counsel you enough right now. For some of you tonight, maybe it’s just one of you, one person tonight, you need to get away with God. You need to just get alone with him and let him speak to you. Everywhere you go, you just keep coming empty handed and you’re not getting the answer and you’re not getting the encouragement that you were searching for and frankly, God has been doing that. He’s been frustrating you so that you’ll get alone with him Seek him. And then tonight there may be those that are here and you are divorced and some of these things have pierced your heart. I want you to, my friend, I want you to get alone with your God. You open up your Bible, you talk to your Lord Jesus, and you decide today who and what you’re gonna follow. Your agendas, my friend, need to fail. Your plan needs to evaporate. If you name the name of Christ today, you need to follow him and obey him. Because you know what? He loves you more than you love you. He wants what’s best for you more than you want. Trust him. Father, we give you these things and we pray in the name of Jesus and all God’s people said, amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called Being a Christian and Surviving Divorce. Thanks for spending some time with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called Life and Bible. It’s a series on how to apply God’s Word to the everyday challenges of the Christian life. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
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So as you heard from our broadcast, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you’d like to know what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life personally, we would love to help you out with that. Go to jackhibbs.com slash know God. That’s K-N-O-W God. And there you’ll be guided through what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life and the freedom that you’ll find in knowing God. Don’t miss out. That’s the Know God tab at jackhibbs.com.
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Hey, if you’re struggling in your marriage or maybe you’re getting ready to tie the knot and want some practical spiritual advice, check out Pastor Jack’s YouTube channel called Real Life with Jack Hibbs. Once you’re there, look for the interviews I did with Pastor Jack and his wife, Lisa. It’s called Real Marriage, Real Life. We talk about some pretty important subjects like dealing with our families in marriage and dealing with forgiveness in marriage. Jack and Lisa talk about the ways they put God first in every situation, especially in handling sensitive issues. Again, the series is called Real Marriage, Real Life, and it’s on Pastor Jack’s YouTube channel called Real Life with Jack Hibbs. You can access his channel on YouTube or at our website, jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com.
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Hey everybody, something that you should know that in our church and in our media community, in the social media community, we have for decades as a church started every year off with the reading of the one-year Bible all the way through. So I’m encouraging you to join us and do the same. If you are not one of the tens of thousands of people that are actually on the same page with me, with my wife, Lisa, with the church and beyond, the entire Real Life audience and beyond, get a copy of the One Year Bible and get started with us on January 1st. You can get a copy for yourself at jackhibbs.com. But by all means, please do this. And listen, get one for your friends or maybe a son or a daughter or a mom or a dad. The one-year Bible, through the Bible, in one year together. Join us.
SPEAKER 02 :
That’s the one-year Bible, and it’s available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com slash real radio. That’s jackhibbs.com slash real radio. Did you know that along with the radio program, Pastor Jack also has a TV show? with more of the Pastor Jack Hibbs content that you like. It’s called Real Life TV. If you enjoy Pastor Jack on the radio, you’re going to love him on TV. So check out your local listings or visit jackhibbs.com and catch the latest episodes. That’s jackhibbs.com. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.
