Just When You Thought It Was Over | Jack Hibbs Sermon

Well, today we’re gonna be looking at a message title just when you thought it was over.
I don’t know what you think about when you hear that just when you thought it was over.
But for Lisa and I, we were taking a trip once to host a Footsteps of the Apostle Paul tour in the Mediterranean.
And so we with a big group of people had flown to Rome, then we got on a smaller jet from Rome to Athens and everything seemed to be fine and we were getting real close to Athens and just when we thought the trip was over and we’re gonna get ready to land, everything broke loose.
The turbulence was off the charts. Terrifying people were hanging on and it was just, just over the top.
Something that got your attention, something that actually caused us to make sure Lord, are we good?
Are we okay with each other? It was that bad.
And just when we thought it was over, the pilot got the plane on the ground and let’s put it this way, a very unorthodox way.
If it wasn’t the turbulence that was going to kill us, the landing was gonna kill us just when you thought it was over.
So that’s how it is in life so many times. So we’re gonna ask you to grab your Bibles.
Let’s remember this. The ride that you’re on, it is real. God is true.
And that’s why we dive into the Bible.
The Bible’s got the stability to keep you and I firm grounded and the Lord knows that at a time like this, you and I need him more than ever.
So listen, hang on here. We go into the word of God just when you thought it was over.
Our first argument is found in verse seven and it’s, this is that truth shakes you at the core truth and your note taking.
Can you write down truth? I know that’s a, that’s a difficult word these days truth.
Who would have thunk that the word truth now has so many meanings which are lies.
By the way, I have to tell you this, I don’t mean to upset anybody.
But if I’m the first one to tell you, then let me be the first one to tell you.
You ain’t got no truth on your own. Well, that’s your truth. No, it’s not even my truth.
There’s only one truth the Bible says, and truth comes from God. He said, oh yeah. But what about gravity?
I mean, how does God get involved in that great question? The Bible says that God invented gravity.
You see what does it say that God’s the creator, he’s the creator of the physical and the nonphysical existence of things.
Truth is something that God has given us and you don’t mess with it.
You either agree or you disagree.
But listen, if you wanna live, agree with truth, if you want to die, disagree with truth.
And the Bible says that God is the author of truth because God himself is true and God’s truth shakes us to the core and we don’t like it, We don’t like it.
And Paul is going to be talking about the effect. In verse seven. We learned this. That truth is factual.
You just write that down.
Somebody said now it was just this week, this, there was a woman arguing your case on TV, regarding she wants people to pay her for something and she was on the news and she was saying I want this money and I want it now and this is, she actually said this.
She said this is my truth and I want what I want.
And that’s when I got involved in the conversation.
Um She couldn’t hear me but I was talking to my TV about lady.
You can’t do that with truth, you can’t do that.
You can’t have your truth and you over here have your truth.
What happens if your truth bumps into this truth and this whole mess? That’s impossible.
Unless you’ve lost sight of truth, there’s one troop And that is God and God says this in verse seven, what shall we say?
Then? What a tremendous statement, Paul is throwing his arms up with passion. The whole structure of the Greek language.
Is this? What should we say? What can we say?
What can be said is the law.
Sin, certainly not the word means perish. The thought.
On the contrary, see, Paul was getting in trouble for this reason.
People were saying the Judah Iser, hey, this guy Paul is saying that if you become a Christian and follow Christ, you don’t have to keep the law.
And Paul said, that’s exactly what I’m saying because you guys don’t understand what the law is all about.
And he writes the book of Romans and the book of Galatians to tell you that the law is holy, the law is awesome.
It’s perfect, but you can’t keep it because we’re imperfect.
So try all you want the relationship that you need with God cannot be on that level of rule keeping because you’re constantly at a loss.
Legalism. For example, what does it do to you?
It absolutely saps you from all strength, it bewilders you and it winds up making you.
I think a slave in the worst case. And that is a religious slave. You can’t think for yourself.
You can’t read for yourself. You can’t have any questions, don’t ask any questions and you’re imprisoned.
And so Paul as a faithful Jew, he meets Jesus Christ And I’m wondering by the way before that acts chapter nine experience, I wonder what was going on in his mind before Christ revealed himself.
Think about the groundwork that God was doing in his heart. What about you?
Listen, think about the groundwork that God has done in your life before he revealed himself to you.
What was going on? Where did you live?
A perfect cake walk of a life and have it easy and realized. Wait, this is weird.
Maybe you lived a horrible life. Did you? Were you abused as a child?
And you’re wondering what’s wrong with this world?
And God was saying to you at the same time, it’s pretty sick, isn’t it?
But see, we have a fallen nature which is what causes you and I to turn to this God that we don’t even yet claim to believe in and hold him accountable for the stuff that’s wrong.
We’re angry at him and we’re not even sure if we believe in him yet.
And then God speaks to us in the word what was going on in Paul’s mind when Jesus revealed himself on that Damascus road must have been incredible.
Was he coming to the point where he’s thinking now how unfulfilled he is, he’s reached the top of his game.
He’s got this status and look, we all know this one. He was empty.
We know this about you. If you’re not a follower of Jesus, we know something about you that you don’t know until right now we know that you’re empty.
I got money, Jack, I’ve got power. I got status. I got fame. I got recognition.
I got the house, the boat, the plane, you’re empty.
You are searching because none of those things can satisfy your lonely soul.
And what Paul is speaking is deep stuff you want to, you want religion, you’re not gonna find it here.
Paul is saying, forget that God has given us the law to show us.
We can’t get from here to heaven on the law because nobody’s perfect. There’s only one.
First Corinthians chapter two verse six says, however, we speak wisdom among those who are mature.
That’s what I praise happening here right now.
By the way, Paul is speaking to a church in Greece, Corinth.
So when we speak the word of God, we’re talking about speaking right here right now to believers.
This, somebody told me some time ago, I’ve heard it numerous times but you know, pastor, the church would get bigger if you didn’t teach the way you do on Sundays.
What? No, I’m not going to change Sundays. Make it more.
Do do what you do on Sunday on Wednesday when there’s a more committed group of people make it easier on Sunday and by the way, make it shorter and you’ll have a lot of you’ll grow.
How far did some of you have to walk to get here today from your parking spot.
There’s people in overflow right now. Are we here doing church to make a big church? Nope, we’re doing this.
We’re here right now with the Bible open and listen.
We together are coming to the Word of God to see the wisdom of the ages, which is not some performance, but this book, it’s God’s Word.
And Jesus said, my sheep will hear my voice and they’ll follow me. That’s the word of God.
And so Paul is saying, when we speak the truth, there’s gonna be those who are of God who are gonna say, wow, that’s just right there man.
And there’s gonna be people who are gonna say, when is this over? I gotta get out of here.
All of that is good news. It means the Holy Spirit is moving.
So listen, nor of the rulers of this age who are coming to nothing.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory verse eight, which none of the rulers of this age knew had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But the natural man, this is the unsaved man. He may be religious but he’s natural.
He’s not supernatural. He’s not born again, does not receive the things of the spirit of God for their foolishness to him.
Nor can he know them. Why? Because they are spiritually discerned.
There are those who gather together in church and they just do time and they think somehow it’s marked down, they can’t tell you what was said, what was taught and they don’t even understand it.
But their religious and Paul is saying it’s time to stop that to get back to the truth because the truth is factual.
You open up this book. Ladies and gentlemen, you start reading this book and you’ll find out something about this book and it will absolutely get inside of you.
We’ve often said that you’re not just reading the Bible. You think you are the Bible actually got you.
It’s reading you, this book gets inside of you.
It gets inside your thoughts and it goes to work And it’s awesome.
Listen, the other thing is this in verse seven is that the truth is surgical.
Now, that’s a violent word, isn’t it? Surgical? I had to have that surgically removed. That’s serious.
Have you noticed that if somebody’s got skin cancer, what do the doctors do? Listen?
Do they cut out the cancer? Uh Yes or no.
They cut out the cancer and what else? And a lot of good skin also. Why?
Because they want to get it all, but they’re very surgical about it.
If you’ve got cancer on your shoulder, we’re not cutting your ear off, but we’re gonna take enough to make sure that we got it all off your shoulder.
Are you with me? Surgical? The truth is surgical. The truth of God, God’s truth.
And the Bible here says, I, Paul says I would not have known sin except through the law.
You see, it’s the law of God.
In this case, he’s referring to not the 613 laws that were given in Judaism, but he’s talking about the 10 commandments.
10. and Paul is saying the 10 commandments announced to me.
I’m a sinner, the 10 commandments. It says right here that I wouldn’t have known sin.
That word known in Greek as UNESCO and look, look, look at the meaning of it.
I wouldn’t have known sin without the law to come to the place of being able to recognize it.
I wouldn’t been able to recognize it without the law regarding sin.
I wouldn’t have been able to perceive it regarding sin. I wouldn’t have become aware of it.
It’s to understand what was previously not understood unesco a very powerful reality that causes sin to become obviously wrong.
You start to wake up to what’s wrong. God is stirring your heart.
You may not have any Bible knowledge. Watch this.
You may not have any Bible knowledge, but the Bible says right now, you should not steal.
God says, don’t steal and then you start thinking about stuff you’ve lifted from the office or you move the decimal point over in that piece of paper or whatever it is.
God says, don’t steal. God says, don’t lust after your neighbor’s husband or wife don’t look at them with desire.
God says, don’t do that, think of it. And God goes down the line.
But at the top, he says, love me with all of your heart.
And that’s where I failed.
By the way, I didn’t, I don’t have to worry about two through 10.
When I became a Christian, I realized the reason why I came to Christ is because it was very clear to me that I had failed.
# one God’s word is very surgical. So much.
So, listen to this Hebrews chapter four verse 12.
Listen, oh my goodness for the word of God is living and powerful.
Think of that sharper than any two edged sword.
Think of a scalpel coming at you and you’re standing there and you’re thinking I’m okay.
Nothing wrong. Don’t feel anything sharper than into its sword piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit and the joints and the marrow and is a discern er of the thoughts and the intents of the heart and there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him, to whom we must give an account.
The Bible says this, of its authority to dive inside of us. Absolutely incredible.
Just when you thought it was over and you got religion, you might hear a message like this and God says that’s not it.
You won’t find me there. Well, I’ve been a member of the first baptist Costco for 50 years.
God says, waste of time while I serve and I give and I do this.
God says, I don’t want it. God wants your life, not your wife.
He wants your life, your life personally to know you on a day to day basis.
And when the reality of God’s law hits you, you’re no longer wanting religion, you’re no longer wanting the rules because you realize holy cow.
Do I need to get away from this? This is a silly analogy.
But you know how we, we pretty much conduct ourselves as adults, but you might be, you know, standing around whatever.
It doesn’t matter where you’re at, it wouldn’t matter. The environment is completely irrelevant.
You feel a little tickle in the back of your neck. You’re not, that’s funny.
It must be a little hair or something and you’re talking to some friends and then you feel it more and then you reach back there and you feel this huge spider jump onto your hand.
What do you do? Do you just go? Oh, wow. Oh. Oh, hello, spider.
Is that what you do? How is it? I’m £200. How is it?
Can a little spider that weighs? Who knows what kind of a size can turn me into a screaming, crying.
Little wimp. Right. Don’t, don’t act like you don’t do that.
You’re all like you feel something you see, it’s a, it’s a spider and you flick it off and you run around in your old heebie jeebies.
Doubt about it. Think of that picture.
When you think of the law revealing sin to you.
You’ve been thinking this about your husband, your wife or your neighbor, or your kids, or your parents.
And God says, I see that and you like, you jump like a spider on your neck spiritually speaking because God reveals himself to you and he says, I know you.
Here’s what’s amazing. God knows us and he loves us anyway. How’s that? Acts?
Chapter 2: verse 37. You guys? Okay. X 2 37 X chapter two verse 37.
Now, when they had heard this, this is the preaching of the gospel, They were cut to the heart.
Sounds like hebrews 4 12 Huh?
And said to Peter into the rest of the apostles men and brethren, what shall we do?
So stop right there, Peter was preaching the gospel.
They were convicted to the heart surgical strike by the word of God.
You want to know if God’s real, do something wrong. If you don’t feel anything about it, then you’re dead.
If you in your heart and mind, it’s I should never have done that.
Oh, in fact, Jack, just the thought. Just what you said, go do something wrong.
I can’t, you wanna know why you can’t because the Holy Spirit inside of you has written God’s law, not on stone but on your heart.
God, the Holy Spirit comes inside of you and establishes the holiness of the law and you don’t get proud about it.
You get more humbled by it because you’re the one who knows as a believer and a follower of Christ that what God is doing in your life, he’s doing it and you’re not, you don’t walk around all pride, all proud.
Can you imagine how a Christian that is arrogant?
Yes, I aren’t you blessed to have me in your presence. That is insane and impossible.
The more God will use you, the more he’ll take you out at the knees to make sure he gets the glory.
And that’s a beautiful way to live. What do we do? What shall we do?
And Peter says something verse 38 listen to this. Peter says something that many churches will not mention.
Peter said to them repent. That’s it. Repent.
The word in Greek is meta neue, neue mind, think method again, over, think over, think again, change your thinking the way you’ve been thinking, think different.
That’s why this word was used in the first century for sailing ships.
Hey, the navigator says to the helmsman repent.
It means turn 180°. Now it’s a nautical term.
Turn your ship around biblically speaking, turn your mind around. Everybody gets offended with the word repent.
I can’t believe you said that word. Listen, there is no salvation.
There’s no heaven without that word. Zip not a nit none, no heaven without repentance.
It’s that word is the first word of the gospel. Did you know that?
Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? And you shall be saved.
Peter says repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Repent, change your mind that surgical friends do you agree?
That’s to the point you’re watching real life with Jack Hips.
So the day and age in which you and I live in should tell you that we are exactly right on track.
Right on course, regarding the Bible’s instruction, when the word of God tells us that in the last days, there’s gonna be false doctrines and false gospels preaching a false Jesus.
One of the main indicators is that you’ll have a so called gospel church service without the word repentance.
As we’ve just learned repentance. People don’t want to bring it up.
Pastors think that if they bring up the word, they’re gonna lose people.
This is a very destructive way of thinking because church family without that word meta noia changing your mind, you cannot have an actual church.
Yes, you heard me right.
Just because you go to a church with a steeple and a cross on the top at a certain address doesn’t mean you’re going to church at all.
It may be called a church but it may not uh meet up to the standards of a New Testament Church.
Have you ever thought of a New Testament Church?
According to the Bible, according to the book of Acts Well Friends, the whole thing starts right here.
The first word of the gospel as you’ve been learning is repent, that has changed your mind and believe when the Lord Jesus Christ, that means put your trust in him and you shall be saved.
That is a recipe for salvation that God will not alter.
That is God’s secret recipe for the healing and for the cleansing of man’s soul for you and I to start all over, we must start with changing our minds about ourselves and how we look at God.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins, rose again from the dead and listen, because that is true.
We want to help you in your walk with Jesus. That’s why we’re here.
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Find out what that looks like in a letter to the American Church.
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Welcome to Real Life Radio with Jack Hibbs.
God’s word never will return. Void God’s word is spirit, its power and it has its effect.
Mhm.
So I want to encourage you to grab your bibles, open them up and get ready to learn from God’s word.
God did not give us Bible prophesy to scare us but to prepare us.
But I think you’re gonna get a lot out of it.
And one of the great reasons you are the light of the world.
Jesus said you are the salt of the earth. How does that happen by the power of the Holy Spirit?
You’re going to get excited about what Jesus Christ wants to do in and free you.
Jack Hibbs truly believes we are living in some of the most exciting days in history, which brings some great opportunities to share with the world, a powerful no nonsense presentation of the gospel to this generation who are searching for answers and truth.
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