In this insightful episode of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack Hibbs delves into the importance of dependence upon God, drawing from various scriptural references. The episode emphasizes the contrast between self-reliance and a life rooted in faith, providing listeners with a deeper understanding of leaning on the Lord for strength and guidance. Through poignant anecdotes and biblical teachings, Pastor Jack illustrates how God’s profound thoughts and perfect plan can guide us through life’s complexities, encouraging us to trust in His provisions.
Does he have a perfect plan for us? Yes. Has it been determined by him? Yes. But can we go against his will? Yes, painfully so.
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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.
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Hey everybody, have you ever thought about what’s afterlife? Do you know that the Bible teaches life is afterlife? If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, my good friend Philip DeCourcy has written a great book and that’s the title, Life After Life, Exploring the Bible’s Wonderful Promises About Heaven and Eternity, published by Harrah’s House Publishers. Get a copy for yourself.
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Life After Life by Philip DeCourcy. Exploring the Bible’s promises about heaven and eternity. It’s available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com.
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On today’s edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series called Disciplines of Life and a message titled Disciplines of Dependence. You know, self-reliance is a pretty popular way to live these days, but for believers, our lives are rooted in a dependence upon God. You see, as people who follow Christ, we’re called to trust Him in all aspects of life, as opposed to depending on our own wisdom and control. True dependence means that we’re not to navigate through life’s challenges or responsibilities all on our own, but we’re to lean on the Lord for our strength and guidance. So today, Pastor Jack teaches us that God the Father knows everything, and that includes everything about us. He knows our strengths, our weaknesses, and it’s why he reminds us in Scripture that we are one with him and no one takes us out of his hands. Now, with his message called Disciplines of Dependence, here’s pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.
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In Psalm 92, verse 5, I’m going to give you several verses here. Jot them down one after another. Psalm 92, verse 5 says, How great are your works, O Lord! How profound your thoughts! Psalm 40, verse 5, Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you plan for us no one can recount to you. Where I speak to you and tell of them, They would be too many to declare. I read that verse today. True story. I read this verse today. Walked outside at my house. I have a fountain in the front of my yard. And there’s a little hummingbird sitting in the fountain. And he was just, as the water comes out, he’s just dipping inside the water. I mean, he looked like a one and a half inch torpedo just going in the water. And I was thinking about that verse, the wonderful works of God. There are too many to count. And I thought, you know what? That bird, look at that bird. It’s sunshine. He’s taking a bath in my yard. He doesn’t pay for the water bill, the electric bill. He’s oblivious. And you think he cares? Man, he’s out there. He’s taking a bath. He doesn’t even know whose yard it is. And he’s bathing in it. And yet Jesus said, the sparrows, which are the most common of birds. Hummingbirds are like, wow, look, hummingbird. Nobody says, look, a sparrow. Right? But people say, look, a hummingbird. Huh? Jesus said, your father in heaven cares about the sparrows that fall to the ground. And here’s this little bird, and I saw the colors in his neck. It’s all red and crimson. And I thought for a minute, wow, that’s an awesome verse, because right now I’m pausing for a second to look at that little guy taking a bath, having a great day. And he’s so pretty, beautiful thing. And our God did that. And you walk outside tonight after service and you look at the moon. Our God is doing that as we look at it. You’re going to watch the sun come up tomorrow? As you sit on the freeway, watch the sun come up? My God is doing it. You ever watch it come up where it goes like that? You don’t see the sun go across the sky like that during the day, but you see it come up like that. You see how fast it’s going? Watch it next time. Slow down. Watch it. It’s amazing the things that he does. Remarkable. The Bible says in Psalm 139 verse 17, how precious are your thoughts to me, oh God, how great is the sum of them. Listen, young lady, God’s thoughts toward you are amazing. His thoughts are so good toward you and there’s so many of them, they cannot be counted. Young man, listen, God’s thoughts about you are absolutely fantastic thoughts for you. He’s got an awesome plan for your life. He’s got great thoughts for you right now. And you don’t even think about that. You should. Isaiah 55, 8. I love this. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Aren’t you glad? Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t think like you do? Like I do? Nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. That’s our God. How great is our God? He’s that amazing. Number four, the disciplines of dependence is this. Understand. Understand your life is in his hands. That’s nice. Understand this one thing, church. He knows what he’s doing. My favorite verse in the scriptures this week is this. John 10, 27. My sheep hear my voice. He’s not doubtful about it, is he? My sheep, he said, hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. Man, that’s a matter of fact. I give them eternal life. That’s a fact. And they shall never perish. True. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hands. Say that again. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hands. That’s good stuff. Listen, my father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of my father’s hand. I and my father are one. It’s almost like he’s like, you’re in my hand, you’re in my father’s hand. No one’s able to take you guys out of our hands. I and my father are one. And it’s almost like anybody thinking about yanking this jack out of my hands, I’m gonna knock him out. I’ll take him out. And you insert your name in there. If anybody tries to take, put your name in there, out of his hands, which is not even possible, he’s going to take him out. I like that. That’s my shepherd. My sheep hear my voice. They follow me. That’s comforting. I like that. He knows what he’s doing. But why do we struggle with this truth that he knows what he’s doing? He knows everything. And we act like we’re the ones who know everything. He knows everything. We don’t know much. We’ve got more knowledge at the tip of our fingers available now, and we are getting dumber by the minute. I mean, it’s true. I don’t mean to insult anybody, but let’s be honest. There’s nobody in this room. I’m convinced of it now. I’m sure of it. I saw a 18 or 17. I forget what year it was. It was either 1793 or 1693. Entrance exam to Harvard. David Barton owns it. I think it was like 1693 or something like that. Harvard, either that or William and Mary, entrance exam. And David Barton presented it to a room of 500 pastors on the screens. It happened to have been a math quiz for the entrance exam to Harvard. David Barton put it on the screen because he hasn’t had anyone able yet to do the math under some considerable amount of time. It’s that advanced. And now today it’s like, you want to come into our college? How’s your dad’s bank account? Sounds good to us. And, you know, two plus two equals any number you feel makes you happy. It’s remarkable. Psalm 139 verse 23 says, search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxieties and see if there’s any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Understand that your life is in his hands. Knowing God’s perfect will for your life. Listen, everybody. I’m not kidding when I tell you this. You might be surprised. to hear this knowing god’s perfect will for your life is very easy we make it hard knowing god’s perfect will for your life is found in the bible literally it’s easier than you think if we just decide right now to walk with him understanding that our life is in his hands stop stressing about it some people get so stressed out over their christian walk You had less stress as a non-Christian. Now that you’re a Christian, you’re all stressed out because you’re trying to figure out, what’s God’s will for my life? Read the Bible. Read it. He tells you. And here’s the great thing. Even if you haven’t read the Bible and you just became a Christian, just decide today, I’m going to walk with God. Listen to him when he speaks to you. Down deep inside, he’s going to speak to your soul. And you’re going to know it’s him. It’s stuff, he’s gonna say stuff in your voice usually. I mean, I don’t know about you, but I’ve only heard my voice in my head, but it’s his logic and it blows my mind because I don’t think like that. And he will speak to you pure truth from the scripture, but he will speak to you in such a way that you go, that’s the Lord in my life. It’s very, very simple. But listen, knowing God’s perfect will for your life We have to throw out an all stop if you’re living in sin or a sinful situation as a Christian and you’re wondering, well, God told me to do this and God told me to do the other. Listen, none of us are supposed to be sin sniffers and fault finders. If you’re a Christian, the Holy Spirit’s speaking to you and he’s saying you need to stop this thing in your life. Don’t expect God to unfurl his Christmas list for you while you’re living as a Christian apart from God’s will. Here’s why I bring this up. Because God has a perfect plan, a perfect will to be executed in your life. There’s something called the permissive will of God, which you do not want. And far too many Christians today settle for the permissive will of God. That is, I know that I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m a Christian, but I’m gonna do it. And my friends are doing this. So I think it’s okay. And God doesn’t kill you. He doesn’t beat you up. He allows it. But his allowance doesn’t mean he’s approving. You can say, God, show me your way as you are already mapping out the direction you want to go. Guess what? You’re still a Christian. You’re going to go to heaven. You’re just… walking outside of his perfect will, and your life will not be as blessed.
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You’re listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. To learn more about this ministry or to catch up on some previous episodes, go to jackhibbs.com. That’s jackhibbs.com. And now, let’s get back to today’s message. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
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You guys, Abraham walked with God. His life was super blessed, and when he got out of God’s will, his life got super in trouble. That’s how close you want to walk to the will of God. That when you’re off base, it will be so obvious. Your heart will be so sensitive to where he’s not that you have to go back there to where he is. That’s the relationship he wants with you. He wants you to cry out for his perfect will. in your life. I’ll give you some verses. Psalm 12, verse five. Psalm 12, five says, because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I, the Lord, will now arise. I will protect them from those who malign. Wow, that word malign means speak falsely with intent to cause harm. God says, that’s it. You can see him. He’s coming after those that are troubling his kids. When? When you walk in the will of God. James 1 verse 2. My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, and you may be complete or perfect and complete, lacking nothing. That’s walking right in the middle of God’s plan. You may be right now in the perfect will of God’s plan for your life, and everything’s blowing up around you. Hang on to him. Don’t think that God’s perfect will for your life is some perfect rose-strewn path. A great example of this is that verse in 1 Peter 2.21. 1 Peter 2.21 says, For this you were called, we looked at it earlier, but it goes on, because Christ also suffered, leaving us an example that you should follow in his footsteps, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth, who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. And when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him, that is his Father, who judges righteously. Amazing and awesome. Number five, point five, we’ll end with this. The disciplines of dependence upon God is this, number five. Mark it down. It’s very important. It is rest. Rest. Rest because your outcome has been planned. Now look, I’m going to give you some stuff and some people are going to, they want to get all controversial about what I’m going to say. I’m going to read your Bible. You have to deal with it. I’m going to give you scripture and I’m going to delight in it. You want to kick against the Bible? Go kick. But I’m not going to kick. I’m going to Pull up my raft and lay down on it. Okay, listen to this. Rest in the fact that God has determined, listen, the outcome of your life. He’s determined it. Now listen to me. Do I have your attention?
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What does that mean?
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It doesn’t mean what you think it means. If God’s determined my life, then everything that I do must have been what he’s determined. No. No. God has a plan, and as we just talked about you walking in his will, can you walk out of his will? Oh, yeah. When we walk out of his will, guess what happens? We are not resting in the Lord. And what happens is when we are not walking in his will, we’re not resting in him. We’re out about on our own. And guess what happens? His plan’s not being fulfilled in our lives. Does he have a perfect plan for us? Yes. Has it been determined by him? Yes. But can we go against his will? Yes, painfully so. Again, ask Adam. right? Ask King David, Bathsheba. Now he could have said, wow, God, you built a beautiful woman, great work. That’s amazing sculpturing you did there, God. And he could have tried to justify everything that was going on in his head. He was outside the will of God. Listen, in David’s life, did it derail God’s perfect plan for his life? Absolutely. Was not his family riddled with trouble after that? Yes. Did David suffer unnecessary things because David did his will and not God’s will? No. Yes. Same thing can happen to us. Yes, God has determined a course and a plan. Here’s the goal for you and I. Are you with me? We’re almost done. Are you with me? It’s this, that you and I yield to his plan in every area so that his plan that is determined is lived out in our lives. That’s the key to Christian success. I don’t care how healthy or happy or wealthy you are. It’s are you obedient to him? and let him determine the outcome. And if you understand that, then you can settle it in your heart that why are there sick Christians all their life? Why are there healthy Christians? Why are there poor? Why are there rich? Why are there middle class? Why is this? Why is that? Leave it in the hand of the all knowing God. He knows what he’s doing. And the amazing thing is the outcome is tailor made for your life and my life. But they’re different. You will be held and I will be held accountable for what God has called you to do. What he’s called me to do. So watch this. I can mess that plan up. That’s why the Bible says in John 15 that we need to abide in Christ. Every morning you choose to be with God or not. Romans 8, 29. For whom he, what? For knew. Circle the word. For knew. It means he knew everything before it ever was materialized. He knew it all. He already knew the outcome. He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he predestined, remember it’s based upon his foreknowledge, these he also called. Whom he called, these he also justified. Whom he justified, these he also glorified. Now watch the outcome of this. It’s great if you get this, your life will be freed, liberated. Verse 31, what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, was Jesus in the middle of the will of his father? Yes. He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? All things what? All things that pertain to God’s perfect plan in your life. That’s why what God gives you, receive with gladness and thank him. And whatever it is, use it to the glory of God. And don’t worry about that. Anything else? It’s to his glory. Ephesians 1 verse 4. Just as he chose us in him, that’s Christ, before the foundation of the world. That’s the definition of foreknowledge. that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, that’s your position, having predestined us to adoption as sons, all of us have been adopted. Isn’t that cool? Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Rest, church, in the fact that he has determined the outcome of your life if you just let him live his plan out in your life by yielding, surrendering, submitting to his wonderful plan. It’s very, very fine. In fact, Romans, no, excuse me, Hebrews. Hebrews 4.9 says, There remains therefore a rest. The word in Greek is repose, to recline. There remains therefore a reclined, reposed position for the people of God. For he who has entered his rest… has himself also ceased from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore be diligent to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. Draw near to him. In church, we’re out of time. I’ll just sum things up by saying this. As believers, when it comes to the discipline of dependence upon God, in Romans 15, 13, there’s a great prayer that y’all ought to just mark down and we just start praying. And I’ll pray it with you right now even. This is a great thing. It says, may the God of hope fill you, that’s us, with all joy and peace. in believing that you, that’s us together, may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. God wants to work his plan out in your life. That’s why you have Jeremiah 29, 11, and 12. God says to you tonight, I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you. Isn’t he wonderful? Father, we thank you for your word. And Lord, that we tonight get to exercise the discipline of dependence upon God, upon you. Lord, like any parent, there’s the welling up of the heart, the plumping up of the soul when our children ask of us for a toy or something. a dollar or a helping hand. It’s just a God thing. We want our kids to cry out to us and we want to meet their need. And Lord, tonight, here we are, a church in a very, very amazing prophetic time that we’re living. challenging times. And yet, if we will let your word rule and reign in our hearts, these are going to be the most exciting days that we could have ever known. And on top of the fact that we weren’t born at a time like this by accident, this is your absolute plan for our lives. We ask it in Jesus’ name and all God’s people said, Amen.
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pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio and his message called Disciplines of Dependence. Thanks for being with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called The Disciplines of Life. It’s a series that highlights the disciplines of a Christ follower and the high cost of sharing our faith with others in a lost and broken world. 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 everybody, listen, all of our Happening Now events are amazing, but this one’s special. On April 22nd, on a Wednesday night, starting at seven o’clock Pacific time, I’m gonna sit down with Chris McKenna. He is an expert on internet pornography and how it gets into your home, how it destroys your children, how it destroys your marriage, and you’re gonna wanna be brave enough. I stress brave enough. You know, you mentioned this topic and people don’t wanna show up. Show up and save someone’s life.
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That’s happening now with Chris McKenna and Pastor Jack Hibbs. Wednesday, April 22nd at 7 p.m. Learn more at jackhibbs.com.
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Hey, thank you again so much for listening. And if you’d like to hear or see more of what we do here, you can always go to jackhibbs.com for all the latest on what’s going on with this ministry. And please, if you’re ever in the Southern California area, come see us at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. We’d love to see you there in person. It has been so good to be with you today, and I pray you find yourself in the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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See you on the next episode. 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.
