Today, on Real Life Radio.
The talk today about the rapture, I think, is more than ever before. Maybe the world is even talking more about the rapture than some churches. And the temptation for you today is saying, oh, Pastor, you know, that’s really controversial stuff.
Of course it’s controversial, it’s biblical.
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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What you need to know about the rapture by Charles reiry, it’s available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com/realradio. jackhibbs.com/realradio. On today’s edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack now continues his series called first Corinthians with a message titled On Your Mark, Get Set.
first Corinthians, of course, was written by the Apostle Paul to the Church of God in Corinth. And he shares with us how we shall all not sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. You see, Paul is speaking about the rapture.
No one knows when it’s going to happen, but it could happen anytime. And our corruptible bodies will become incorruptible. So today, Pastor Jack teaches us that the grave and death are powerless against eternity.
We make a big deal out of death, but through our Lord Jesus Christ, we can all hold steady knowing we have the victory over its power. Now, with his message called On Your Mark, Get Set, here’s Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.
The talk today about the rapture, I think, is more than ever before. Maybe the world is even talking more about the rapture than some churches. And the temptation for you today is saying, Oh, Pastor, you know, that’s really controversial stuff.
Of course, it’s controversial, it’s Biblical. But are you going to say that this portion of scripture is never going to happen? Well, it’s spiritually speaking.
Really? Well, after we get raptured up out here, we’ll explain it to you on the way up. But this is not a metaphor.
This is the real thing. In fact, didn’t Elijah get caught up? Huh?
Think of that. God’s able to do this. How big is your God?
It’s pretty amazing. Dr. H. A.
Ironside writes this, that there are two reasons why this is a good picture for us. Number one, every citizen of the Roman empire during the time of Paul was familiar with the last trumpet, meaning a Roman general would have the first trumpet blast blown to call his troops to detach camp. And the last trumpet would be announced to fall in line as the army departed.
Interesting. Some have said that regarding the Jewish mind, there was the first trumpet that gathered God’s people together or would gather God’s people together. I believe we have seen this.
I believe that God’s trumpet spiritually has been going out and gathering the nation of Israel together. You think of the Zionist movement, you certainly think of May 14th, 1948. You cannot deny no matter what your views are, that God has drawn the Jew from all four corners of the earth, where?
To Israel. God is certainly gathering his people. Ultimately, of course, he’ll gather them in belief.
That’s yet to happen. But also keep this in mind, that God blew a trumpet to gather his people unto himself. It’s an exciting thing to realize.
Now, let me read it again. What is it going to be like? 1 Thessalonians 4.13, I do not want you to be uninformed.
The Bible uses the word ignorant. It’s not being insulting here. Uninformed.
No, the mystery. Concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow, get your pen ready, as others who have no hope. For we believe Jesus died and rose again.
Even so, God will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. Verse 15, for this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have died or fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Verse 17, then, number four, he says it fourth time, we who are alive and remain shall be cut up together to meet them in the clouds, to meet them in the air. And thus we, number five, shall always be with the Lord. What an awesome, awesome confidence.
Verse 53 teaches us that we can go with expectancy. We can go and be ready and live now with expectancy. Now, this is blunt.
Verse 53, for this corruptible must put on in corruption. What you’re wearing right now, your human suit, it’s not, you can’t wear it there. It can’t happen.
And this mortal, this is good news, must put on immortality. Last service, there’s a man, he’s been battling with cancer, he doesn’t have long to live. Let me tell you something.
When I came to verse 53, he just melted with joy. Melted with joy. He said, Pastor, last week was one of the best things I’ve ever heard when you said that one statement.
I don’t remember anything else about your message, but I remember this. When the doctor told me I had six weeks to live, and you said, no, no, it’s not true. You have six weeks to leave.
Put everything in perspective, and now this verse? He said, now this verse? And he’s got it!
We walk around, we pamper. I have a wart right here. I guess it’s a wart.
I don’t know what it is. It’s growing. I told Lisa, I said, get some compound W.
I don’t like it. And now my granddaughter is looking at it. And I don’t want her to look at that.
What is that thing? What is it? And it’s funny, because man, you know, I started caring so much about my flesh this week.
I gotta get that removed. Why? It’s my arm!
Nobody else cares if it’s removed or not. Why? It’s not their arm.
It’s my arm. I care about my arm. I love you, but I don’t care about your arm.
And I’m thinking, but this flesh… And I’m getting on these H-spot things. What is that?
And I’ve noticed driving in my car, and the sun hits it just right. Holy cow. You know what I’m talking about?
Okay, then I’ll move on, then. It’s all corruptible. It’s all corrupted.
It’s all mortal. But that guy got it. He got it.
Yep.
Yep.
I’m going home. I’m leaving. See, we get so caught up in taking care of this carcass.
Are you okay? Are we all right today? Want some lotion?
We’ll fix that. It’s dying, man. These days are numbered.
Must. Must. The change must happen for us to get to heaven.
1 John 3, verse 2, great verse. Listen, 1 John 3, 2. It says, We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
And everyone, verse 3, who has this hope, in himself purifies, or he himself purifies himself. He walks with the Lord, walks in the spirit, does not fulfill the lust of flesh. Why?
Just as he is pure. Walking after Jesus. If you believe Jesus could come back to you, it’s gonna change the way you live.
That’s good news, right? I don’t know, man, backsliders, it’s gotta be a tough way to live, backslidden. Man, I hope the Lord doesn’t come right now.
Think of that. Are you a believer, but you haven’t been walking with God? Are you far from the Lord?
I mean, you’re his, but you’ve been off doing your own thing, and the thought of him coming back just terrifies you, and you see, well, am I gonna go up or not? A lot of people debate that stuff. I’ll just say this.
The Bible says, don’t be ashamed that it’s coming. Can you imagine? I mean, instead of us going, yes!
You’re gonna go. What’s the matter with you? You’re going up.
And you’re like, you got this look on your face. What is wrong with you? Man, I didn’t think it would come right now.
Not a good thing. Be expecting him. Listen, verse 54, we learn this, that we’re to go with peace.
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, oh, happy day, huh? And this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Oh, death, where is your sting?
Oh, Hades, where is your victory? If God was ever gonna mock publicly, it’s right there.
Ha!
Death, ha ha ha!
You’re powerless! My son destroyed you! If God would ever mock and ridicule, it would be death in the grave.
What a tool Satan had. I say had, because the Bible says precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. The Bible says that it is a valley of the shadow of death we walk through.
I gotta tell you, I’m thinking about that right now, because I’ve never been hit by a shadow. Have you ever been hit by a shadow? You’re not gonna get hit by a shadow either.
And I’m thinking about that, because I wrote that down in my notes last night, and then at midnight last night, midnight, boom! Is that the Lord? Perfect timing, God, the message.
It wasn’t the Lord. It was some guy crashing into my truck. Yeah.
No, I got the guy. I got him. I’m not gonna tell you how I got him, but I got him.
Crashing into my truck. It’s, I mean, bang, boom. Death’s like that.
Boom! And I understand that if you’re not a Christian today and death comes up and goes, boom, you ought to be scared. Satan’s about a millimeter away to grab his, take his claws and sink them into your skin and pull you into hell.
You better be scared of that. But listen, when death comes up and says, boom, to the believer, you can go, ha! My God says, that death, this valley, just a shadow, that guy that hit my truck, yeah, it would have been great, but it was no shadow.
It was his truck, and the damage is there. If it would have been a shadow, no problem. You get in a shadow box with somebody, you’re not going to get hurt.
But if somebody lands one on you, you’re going to get hurt. Jesus or the Bible says that Satan is like a lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour. But listen, for the believer, for the believer, he is like a gigantic cat with no claws, and he hits you with death, and it’s like, like a pillow.
And he growls, and he goes to bite you, and he’s got no teeth.
God did that. He took it away. And I don’t know about you.
I’ll be honest here, I’ve read my Bible, and I don’t mind what’s after I die. I got that down. I got that.
I am a wimp. And I’m afraid of all the needles and tubes before the death part. Can we just skip this part and get to the death part?
I don’t want to have any pain, but those of you who are going through pain, suffering, and sorrow, I told you guys before, Lisa and I buried a dear friend of ours not too long ago. She battled cancer for 27 years, five different types of cancers, and they had to be the worst cancers. I can’t even name them.
They were the worst. And all I know is she will be great in the kingdom of heaven. I’ll be out back selling churros or something in heaven.
I’ll be happy to be there, but she’ll be up front sitting on Jesus’ lap and playing with his crown. It’s going to be amazing.
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.
Many of you are suffering, but know this. Death will liberate you. You’re a believer.
God will use it as a tool. third, we’ll end with this. We’ll wrap it up in this point.
No. You see that now? Do you see why I had to use the word bro, which I don’t like that word, but bro, go!
Why, no. Know this. Verse 56.
Know the victory that’s in Jesus. The sting of death is sin. Watch this.
And the strength of sin, what is it? What is it? It’s the law.
This is why being a legalistic person is such a joke. Are you crazy? Yes, pastor.
Well, you know, I understand that some of you are struggling, but I have arrived at this place of, oh, you know what? Go sit in the corner. That’s insane.
When you look into the law, which is perfect, no one survives the law. That’s why it’s in stone. The law condemns us.
It’s gloriously holy, but it’s got no emotion. It’s got no feeling. It’s got no blood.
It’s got no life. It’s the law. It’s just like this.
That’s why when you go to the Supreme Court of the United States, Moses is sitting there right in the middle. He looks right at the face of the Supreme Court justices, and he’s holding the Ten Commandments, looking right at him. Can you imagine?
I wish they would have been looking at him a few weeks ago, but… Ten Commandments, immovable righteousness. Wow.
The law does what the law does. Listen, the word in Greek is pedagogus. Book of Galatians.
It drives like a schoolmaster, someone to Christ. You can’t get saved by the law. The law is to make you run, like this.
You run from Moses in the law, and you run to Jesus, and you grab him. And the law comes down, and Jesus takes the law. He fulfills it.
He doesn’t break it. He fulfills it. And listen, in your Christianity, if you got it right, and you’re a believer, in all that Jesus has done, know this.
That Jesus Christ met all the demands of the law. He satisfied the law’s requirement. Once that was done, it was happy.
I’m, of course, I’m personifying the law, but play with me here, will you? It’s happy now. Then Jesus turns and says, well, the law’s been fulfilled.
I die on the cross, paying debts price for all of humanity, resurrected from the dead for our justification. Law is fulfilled, the power of sin is broken. Death has nothing on you.
It’s missing some parts. It won’t work. Believer, you need to remember this.
Growing up in Orange County, now look, I already checked this out, so don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about. Growing up in Orange County, at least I remember back seven summers doing this, but if you research this on the internet, you’re gonna find about three people that know what I’m talking about, and all the young people on the internet are saying, that’s not possible. That never could have happened.
There’s no such thing. See, what are you talking about? In Orange County, we grew up playing with bees.
You know bees? We would every summer, because look, you know what? We didn’t have video games back then, thank God, hallelujah.
We actually played outside in the sunshine with real air. And we would go and find a bush. And if somebody knows what I’m talking about, just start like start going, okay, yeah, right on.
We would look and find bees, and we would look real carefully, and we’d find a bee that had a certain mark on it. Say it again. It had an H on his back.
And you grab him just like that. H, yes. Grab him.
You put him to your ear. You hold him.
No more, no more buzzing. He’s tired. You take him, set him on your kitchen table, or whatever, hood of the car.
You got 24 inches of mom’s sewing thread. You tie a little noose around his body. I’m not kidding.
Some of you have not even begin to live your life yet. I tell you now, I gotta do this with my grandkids. It’s gonna be great.
I’m telling you, it works. Tie it around there, and then the bee, you wait. You have to wait.
And then he feels good, and then he takes off. It’s the coolest thing.
And he’ll land on your arm. And then what? He lands on your arm, takes a break and he flies around again.
Then, I learned this from my brother, get a cotton ball and tape it onto the thread and then turn them loose. I’m not kidding, we did this in the summer. We innocently made up the H that’s on the back of the B for harmless, we would find them and grab them.
People would go, oh no, don’t do that, you’re gonna get stung. There’s no stinger.
Death has no sting no more, no more. Remember that, the unbeliever, terrified of death, he should be. The believer, it’s like that B, I play with it.
God has defeated it. Know the victory, it’s wonderful, it’s exciting. Romans chapter eight, verse one.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Remember in Christ, remember the armor? Who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh. On account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the spirit.
You’ve been born again. Next thing, verse 58, we’re almost done. Know the power, the power.
Therefore, my beloved bro, brethren, watch this, be steadfast. What does that mean? Steadfast means to sit down, to, we would say, to hunker down, to become like a rock.
Be steadfast, immovable. What is that? Like an anchor that is tied.
What does he say next? I love this. Always abounding in the work of the Lord.
The word abounding or always abounding is super excess. Listen to the boldness, the excitement, and the power that is given to the believer. Colossians 1 very quickly, verse 23.
Colossians 1, 23 says, For indeed, if you indeed continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, there it is, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel. And then finally, it’s this, know the mission, verse 58. Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Church, this is good news. Are you living for Jesus? You ever get tired of living, I don’t say tired of Jesus, tired of living for Jesus in the sense that, man, how long can I put up with this husband of mine?
How long can I put up with this wife? How long can I put up with this job? Or my unbelieving family, or this or that or the other?
Or how long can I, how long, listen. Or how long can you put up with, I’m doing this work for God, and it just doesn’t seem to be making a difference. I’ve been serving God, I’ve been following God, I’ve been doing this to the glory of God.
When’s there gonna be a convert? Or when’s there gonna be some effect? Don’t grow weary at well doing.
You guys, we could die today? Don’t say that. I’m gonna say it again, we could die today.
We’re believers. Number two, the Lord could come today. I’m telling you, it would be great though, if he waited to the baptism.
Wouldn’t it be fun? Can you imagine all these people looking at us? Those crazy Christians.
Yeah, watch the people today, they’ll go like this. Yeah, those ridiculous Christians, what are they doing next? Oh, I know some Christians.
Then can you imagine, hey everybody, thanks for coming, that was a great baptism, God bless you guys. And then.
Can you imagine? See you guys. Oh, man.
Anyway, let’s pray. Oh, boy. Father, you’re awesome.
Your word is exciting.
Father, we must confess, this body’s all that we’ve experienced in this life to a large degree. We must confess also, though, that there’s been those times of worship, there’s been those times of study, where, if I might put it this way, all theory goes out the door. Even the science of it, the theology goes out the door.
The hesitation goes out the door, and for a millisecond of time, we sense your presence beyond human description. And, Father, if there’s anyone in this house today that does not yet know this joy, that they would cry out to you now, right where they’re at, calling upon Jesus, the Lord and Savior, the one who alone can forgive sin, who rose from the dead, who’s coming back, this Christ, our God. May they choose him today.
Pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio, with his message called, On Your Mark, Get Set. Thanks for being with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called first Corinthians.
It’s a series on the Corinthian Church and the Apostle Paul’s bold call for purity. And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
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/knowgod.
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 knowGod tab at jackhibbs.com.
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