Today on Real Life Radio. Listen, when someone speaks wise, when someone's wise, it changes the course of history. You don't need too many wise people around because the wisdom that comes out of them changes so much. It can even make the foolish wise when they hear it, if they'll listen to it. 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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So if you haven't checked it out already, that's the Real Life Network streaming the best in Christian and conservative content. Sign up and start streaming today for free at RealLifeNetwork.com. That's RealLifeNetwork.com. On today's edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack continues his series called The Parables of Jesus with his message titled Parable of the Rich Fool, Part 2.
Whenever Jesus spoke to the crowds, he often spoke using relatable stories with common everyday themes the Bible calls parables. And in this parable, Jesus is teaching us about keeping God in our plans. You see, we learned in part one to have a God-centered life, keeping in mind the origin of God and all his blessing for provision, his design for our lives, and his goodness.
So today Pastor Jack teaches us that there is a pattern of thinking and living in what this parable calls a fool. When there's no thought of God or to assist others, we can fall into temptation, a snare that comes with terrible consequences.
Now, with his message called Parable of the Rich Fool, Part 2. Here's Pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs. Yeah. What you acquire can never finish. The meaning and purpose of your life.
It doesn't complete God's plan for your life, it doesn't do it. And somebody might say, well, you know what? It's like Kevia in. Fiddler of uh Fiddler of the ark. I was gonna say fiddler of the ark.
What is the movie? Fiddler on the roof. Fiddler on the roof. Remember, he says, God, if riches are a curse? I wish you'd smite me with it.
Well, that's I mean we laugh But It's actually It's actually a request of of condemnation. You say, well, that's a hard thing to say.
Well, okay, look, go do this study later on your own. Over 75% of lotto winners. Within five years, they are divorced or unhooked on drugs, alcoholics, or dead. Did you know that? They can't handle it.
They can't handle it. But you begin to think, well, if I do this and I do the other thing, and if I build bigger barns, and if I just work 23 hours a day, and if I acquire these things, and if I reach it by the age of 40, I'm going to be fine. Wow.
Now, I want to ask you these questions. I wrote these down for me. I think I know the answer, but. Do you think, listen, church, answer. Do you think that this man's plan?
of consulting himself. Do you think it made sense to him? Yeah, it made perfect sense to him. Listen, I'm gonna set you up. It made perfect sense to him.
Why? Because it was his plan. Why would you go with a plan? If you didn't like it, when you're the one who made it. If you have a problem with that, You got You need a doctor quick.
Okay, so The Bible says in Proverbs 16, verse 25, that there is a way that seems. Right. Correct.
Well advised. to a man. But its end is the way of death. Think of it for a moment. I have thought about this, it's what I'm going to do.
Maybe people have even told you, don't do it. No, I'm gonna do it. You have no Bible verses. You have no waiting upon God to say, the Lord showed me. For whatever reasons, maybe they're not even a It clearly Known to you, you are just committed to this path.
That's the way it's going to be. I'm going to do this. And everyone's told you no. Not that everybody's right. But you didn't consult God.
And you're a Christian, but somebody would ask you: on what basis has God given you to do this decision? If you have no biblical chapter verses answers, You're in trouble, you're on shaky ground. This is serious stuff. How does a Christian know what to do? Oh, there go you Christians, pointing to that book again.
Hey, this book is all we have. Oh, he admitted it. I'll say it again, this book is all of him. Don't think it's a book. Look, if this book got burned, it doesn't change its truth.
If if every Bible in the world got burned, God's word's eternal. It doesn't change anything. This abides forever. And so Your decision-making process has got to be Here.
So when your counsel is I'm going to do this. Listen, Christian, listen. You and I saying, well, I... I feel like it's the right thing to do. That is Absolutely.
Do you think it felt right to this man in the parable? A lot of people make their decisions based on what they feel. That is one of the most dangerous. In fact, I think many Christians today are in perilous situations because they make their. Theology, emotionally based theology.
I feel like this would be good. And some people have gone so far Hey, for that matter, there's churches that have gone so far off base because they've taken what they feel over the revealed word of God. It seems right. And here ends the danger. Proverbs 12:15 says, The way, listen, the way.
Of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise. Here's the danger: the way, you ought to mark that in Proverbs 12:15. The way is his pattern of thinking and living. Listen, everybody. His wa the way of the fool.
His pattern of thinking, watch. Because some of you, if you've known people like this, or maybe it's you, the decision-making over your lifetime, you've gone from one disaster to the next. in your life. Yes. One disaster, one bad decision to the next.
And it's your pattern of decision making, it's your pattern of living. God's not in that. Says the Bible.
Well, what is he into?
Okay, here we go. Write this down. How do you not be a fool regarding your own opinion? 'Cause we all have opinions. You guys don't be so quiet.
We all have them. Peace. Our opinions are important to us, are they not? It's part of our Right as a human. You know, we've got that in us.
We don't like to talk about rights as a Christian, but let's be honest. We have them. And how do we know? Or how do we?
Well, because you'll share your opinion. Why? What are you doing? Because I'm a human. And I have this right to tell you, or I'm going to jump in with my two bits into the class, and I'm going to let my opinion be known, and that's fine.
That's fine. But the Bible says, just make sure it's wise. Not foolish. Usually listen when it's foolish. That's gonna sting.
Usually when it's foolish The class, the bulk of the class will agree with it. Because it helps them.
Soothe. their conscience about their silly decisions. And then somebody speaks wise. Listen, when someone speaks wise, when someone's wise. It changes the course of history.
You don't need too many wise people around because the wisdom that comes out of them changes so much. It can even make the foolish wise when they hear it if they'll listen to it. But here is the thing God would have us do. You guys all ready? I want you to write this down.
You're going to laugh because you know it so well. Proverbs 3.
So man, I have that tattooed right here on my arm. I mean, I don't. I just, I'm making that up right now.
Someone's going to email me. I can't believe my pastor has a tattoo. I do not have a tattoo. I'm saying some people I've seen have this verse, and here it is. Proverbs 3, beginning at verse 5.
And by the way, it's a command. Number one command in Proverbs 3:5 is trust. Trust. Who? In who?
Let me hear it again. In the Lord. Trust in the Lord. Ooh, that. Immediately deals with their own self.
Prescribed Opinion. I'm going to trust in one or the other.
Well Trust in the Lord, says the Bible, with all your heart. Isn't that amazing? The Bible says all your heart. Opposed to Some of your hearts. Listen, everybody, some of your heart.
Are you listening?
Some of your heart would answer to emotional is them, emotional decisions. If some of my heart is in something, Then I'm not all in. Right? Right. Then I have listen self prescribed or self-wisdom that gives me options.
Listen, are you? Don't raise your hand, but are you engaged? Would you want that other person to be all in? Are you going to get married this weekend? I don't know if you are or not.
I don't know. I'm not saying, I'm not saying, God didn't say, say this. I'm just saying. Are you going to get married this coming weekend? You're going to walk the aisle.
And you're going to stand before God's Representative and you're going to recite vows and and you're not in it all the way? If you're not wholehearted, Then you have self Why is Options. Do you hear me? Oh, you're quiet. Listen.
When you walk down that aisle, As a Christian, I'm talking Christian. Our God invented marriage.
So that's the context of my talk. Christian comes down the aisle. They're gonna get married. Stand before God, make promises. to one another, then God hears it.
He expects you, and each of you expects one another to be all in. If someone goes down the aisle with options Oh No, he listen to this. I'd I'd I'd stop it right now. The f Flowers cost so much. I would not make the walk.
down that plank. Because that's what the aisle becomes, a plank. If they're not all in, someone's walking to the end. And if they're not all in. Then you're walking that plank alone.
Because they're thinking, well, if it doesn't work out. Personally, listen, let me tell you something. If I knew that about a couple, I would marry them. I'd say you guys come back come back later. Work it out.
Think of it. Trust in the Lord with all. All your heart. That means I have surrendered my self-determined, self-willed, self-wisdom options to God. I quit.
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.
The verse goes on. Is it on the screen? Oh, on the screen. We're going to just leave the verse on the screen. We need it.
Listen to the second command. Lean not. On your own understanding. Wow.
Have you ever said, I'm sorry, I see a cartoon in my head instantly? Boom. Have you ever seen somebody that come watch, they've They're walking down, they're so cool, calm, and collected, and they got their stuff together, and everybody's looking at them: man, look at that. That guy, he's got it together. Look at that guy.
And the guy just goes. And down he goes. It was his understanding that what he was going to lean on was Able or even there? He thought it was there. Because he was trusting in himself.
I got it all planned out. I'll walk down over here. I'll look really cool wearing this outfit, and here I am. Boom!
Something that he thought he understood to be his support completely failed. Think of it. This is so real. I Do not believe in God. I'm a man of reason.
People say. Think of it. And now, today the new atheists are saying. Science explains everything.
So think about that for a moment. Yeah. It explains a lot. But We're still learning stuff all the time. They'll admit to that.
Have we learned all that there is to learn? No, isn't it funny? They know everything. But then you ask him, have we learned all that there is to know? No.
There's still more discoveries to be made.
So there is the possibility. Of you coming to the end of your tremendous acquisition of knowledge. to bump into The God who made it all. That's impossible. That cannot be.
So you're done thinking. You've just declared that it It cannot be.
So you have Finished your journey of education. Because there cannot be a God at the end of your equation.
Well, it's because science explains it. Listen, science does not tell us. Why? Science tells us how something works. Science explains how something Works.
Science never tells us. Why? It cannot do that. And people are staking their entire eternity on their own self-opinion, trusting in themselves, leaning on their own understanding. And from the start, it was flawed because God was not in his thoughts, and so was this foolish man.
In the book of Romans, chapter one, we'll get to it maybe. In Romans chapter 1, the Bible says, professing themselves to be wise. I think it's 122, is it not something like that? Chapter 1, verse 22. Professing themselves to be wise.
Have you ever heard somebody do that? My pastor, who is now in heaven. People don't realize that he could have put in titles behind his name, but you knew him as Chuck Smith. You didn't even know him as Chuck Smith. I mean, I knew his name was Chuck William, Charles William Smith, but I I didn't even call him Chuck Smith.
He and he he demanded that you call him Pastor Chuck or Chuck. Pastor Chuck was formal. Chuck was what he liked. Isn't that something? But he he could have had all those little Letters behind his name.
Did you know that? You don't know that about him, but he could have had all the And he often would say, or he said it enough, it felt like it was often enough. Or not. What are those what are those things? I don't have to be Dr.
Charles Smith. God knows who I am. And you think about that for a moment. I'm not knocking education. God wants you to be educated.
I believe the Christian should be the most educated person on the planet because God made your brain and God made everything that there is to learn. And um But you trust them, you start leaning on those things. It's a dangerous thing. How many people do you know that they were really good people until they got money? Until they got smart.
When they got really really when they got really smart they got schmart And it's it's again, it's it's Look, it's fine to have enough money to help other people. That's fantastic. But it's not fine when you have so much money, you don't help anyone, and you just wind up building like this guy did, the fool, the world around himself. And then the same thing about knowledge. You acquire knowledge for what?
Well, I want all these letters behind my name. Oh wait, God gave you knowledge, go use it. We're back to Proverbs still. Lay not on your own understanding. Verse 6: In all, how many ways?
in all your ways. Acknowledge. Consult him first. You guys, Proverbs 3 verses 5, technically verses 5 through 8 is the key to success. I mean, if I was to ever have a A 12-step program for you?
I'd just shave it down to six. Because there's in verses five to eight, there's six steps. What I believe is to Success. What kind of success? Any kind of success God has planned for you.
Whatever that might be. Right? Think of it. Everybody, are you with me? You're so quiet tonight.
What's the deal? Oh, I want this. I want that. No, no, no, no, no. We're Christians.
God, you do whatever you want in my life. I have to tell you, I'm very pleased. What God has done in my life for this reason. Um I my mom wanted me to be an attorney. And that was a big deal.
But I wanted to be an airline pilot. And So She didn't get what she wanted. I didn't get what I wanted. Um But this I knew All along the way. From being little.
I want to be rich. I wanted to be a rich lawyer or a rich airline pilot. And You know what's cool? I didn't become an attorney and I didn't become a Pilot. Airline pilot.
Instead, God interrupted my life. Which at the moment if he would have said can I do this What what do you think I would have said to him? No way. He interrupted my life. And wound up Calling me to do something that I never would have picked or even desired.
This And you know what? The older I get, the riches that God is doing in my life.
Someday I'm gonna get so rich.
Someday. That when I leave here. I mean, think, every day I get to walk with Jesus, I get richer. And then I'm going to be so rich That the Lord's going to say, It's time to come home, Jack. Come on.
And I'm going to enter into the glory of the Lord, but listen. Whatever money I have, that stays behind. It doesn't get to come with me. But through Jesus, I get to live my life right now in whatever opportunities or resources I have. I get to send those up ahead before I arrive.
By using whatever we can for him. I'm going to arrive someday. at those eternal treasures. that he has concluded for me and the same he's doing for you. Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message titled Parable of the Rich Fool, Part 2.
You know, by the way, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Parables of Jesus, a series that highlights the teachings of Jesus while he was ministering here on this earth, and will continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Hey everybody, we want to introduce you to what we're calling our summer bundle. It's two great books and you're going to want to get them for the little ones in your life. The first book is called Prayers and Promises for Kids. It's a great resource to not only teach your children about the promises of God, but how do we take those promises and pray them into our lives?
You're going to find this a great resource to develop a prayer life with your child. And then the book, The Red Coats Are Coming, written by our own Nancy Sanders, who attends our church. It is a great, great book. It is featured by Adventures in Odyssey and the wonderful people at Focus on the Family, Prayers and Promises for Kids, and The Red Coats Are Coming. They're two children's books that are very powerful.
Get a copy of both these books as we bundle them for the month of July. That's The Red Coats Are Coming and Prayers and Promises for Kids. A couple of great books. Available as a bundle for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com.
Looking for an inspiring way to pass some time? Or maybe just need some help to get through your workday. How about listening while you work? The Jack Hibbs podcast brings you real stories, real people, with real life experiences. From inspiring journeys to thought-provoking conversations, we've got it all.
So discover a world of knowledge, laughter, and connection. The Jack Hibbs podcast and so much more are available on our website at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com, where faith meets real life. Hey, have you ever looked at a burning fire? Maybe it's in a fire ring or you're at the beach and the logs are burning and someone was to pull out one of the logs and set it off to the side?
Have you noticed how quick it cools down because it's not with the rest of them? The rest of the fire continues to burn, but when you break it up and pull it apart, those pieces begin to grow cold. Friends, listen, that could describe your Christian life right now. But don't let it continue to be that way. You are part of God's family all around the world.
As you and I continue to To stand in the truth, we are standing in the very beautiful, refining fire of God. Let him have his way with you, and you will come out ablaze for his glory. We're near the finish line, friend. Don't give up, don't quit, keep standing because God's truth will never fail. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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.
