Today on Real Life Radio. We should pray before we begin to panic, before all else fails. But if in your life, in my life, we sense and feel that all is failing, that when we've done everything we think we can, when all else fails, by all means, do pray. 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. 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.
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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. On today's edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack continues now with his series called 1 Samuel and a message titled When All Else Fails.
Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel and the first of its prophets.
So here in chapter 15, we'll discover that when human plans fail, we have got to turn to God alone. You see, we need to know what to do when every other option is exhausted. As Christ followers, we need to pray instead of panic. King Saul seems to go from one disaster to the next, making some poor choices instead of listening to God.
So today, Pastor Jack teaches us that a crisis reveals our true character. Saul relied solely on his own capabilities, which tragically fell short. Saul's internal integrity doesn't match his outward reputation when he fails to do what the Lord has asked him to do.
Now, with his message called, When All Else Fails. Here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. Why don't you turn to 1 Samuel then tonight, chapter 15? 1 Samuel 15 and our Study together. We'll go as far as we can tonight.
And um We will gleam through this book, perhaps maybe more of an overview than anything, I'm not sure. But the title of tonight's message is When All Else Fails. Have you ever heard that before? You know, there's a thing. A moment, a time in Christian living and Christian life.
And I guess it all depends on where you're at or how you've been brought up. In spiritual things. But there's this often said certainly often thought Logic. When all else fails. Pray.
Like prayer is Oh no! Everything's been exhausted. There's certainly no hope now. We are in great trouble. It's time to pray.
Wait a minute. We should pray before we begin to sense that there's no hope. We should pray. Before we begin to panic. We should be praying people.
Before all else fails. But If in your life, in my life, we sense and feel that all is failing. That when We've done everything we think we can when all else fails. by all means do pray. I listened to a tape the other day by the.
name of a precious man who long ago went home to be with Christ. Alan Redpath teaching at the Bible Moody Bible Institute. teaching them on prayer He said that a man can do nothing Until he prays. But after a man has prayed, In praying, There is nothing That he Cannot do. I love that.
Without praying, you can't do anything. That would blessen. Give honor to God. But if you've prayed. There's there's nothing that you cannot do.
If you've prayed. God wants to work on our lives. Listen. This man Saul, 1 Samuel 15. This poor man, as we've been watching, as we've been going through his life, this guy goes from one disaster to the next.
The book of Samuel ought to maybe be having a little title down at the end, you know, all the things to do, all the things not to do in the life of a man who claims to know God. I mean, this is Saul's life. He blows it constantly. And even when he looks like he's doing good, he winds up blowing it, as we'll see tonight. When all else fails, My goodness, Saul, as we see in your life, as it begins to unfold before us tonight, as we've been studying, Saul, come around.
When all else fails, fall on your face, seek God, pray, cry out to Him, do something, do anything. But remain in the flesh.
So, Christian, listen tonight. We can learn a lot from what's going on here. Mark it down. When all else fails, verses 1, 2, and 3, we learn this: when all else fails, We need to follow what God says. Can you jot that down?
Listen, when all else fails, or there's that potential that things may fail. And isn't life like that? Can you imagine? Enron And all the things that have gone on with that disaster. If certain people like stockholders would have known where it was going, if they knew if they were to know that all else was going to fail, they would have changed direction.
They would have altered their course. Know him. Is important.
Well, listen, Christian, listen up. Listen, follow God. Follow what He says. Saul didn't do that. It says in verse 1, It says that Samuel also said to Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people.
That was a fact. Over the Israeli people. He says, now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. Can you hear Samuel? I mean, you can kind of hear Samuel as these weeks have been unfolding before us.
He's getting more stern with Saul.
So listen up. Didn't the Lord send me to anoint you, king? Listen to him.
So mark this down. To keep from failing in this life and this Christian experience. Oh. We need to remember. That God has called us.
God is. Doing a work in our lives. Can any of you say that God began a work in your life? I'm not asking you how big or how small. Can you just say that he began a work in your life?
If tonight you can say, yeah. He's begun a work in my life. True story, last Sunday. After service. A guy came up to me and he said, Listen, Mm-hmm.
This is my first day here. And I know you said that the message had nothing to do with visitors. Because if you were here, if you weren't here, you have no idea what I'm talking about. But the message had nothing to do with visitors last Sunday. But this guy, of course, God says, why don't you go to this church where...
The message won't be for you.
So So, this guy comes and he sits down, and I make the announcement. Before we get into the message, this message has nothing to do with visitors, it's just body talk. It's just for us, just us here.
So he said, you know, I sat back thinking, I'm just going to relax and kind of enjoy the beautiful. uh setting and all that's here and He said, God began to grab my heart. Here's the deal. He said, I accepted Christ. Many, many years ago.
I would guess the guy was somewhere around 40-ish. He said that he accepted Christ around 18 or 19 years of age, and he said he hadn't been to church since. And he wakes up And says, you know? I'm going to go to church. Listen, I'm going to go to church today.
Because earlier that week he had led his brother To the Lord. What is that? Wait a minute, man, you haven't been fellowshiping for like a bazillion years, and then you share the Lord with your brother. He accepts Christ. And then you decide, yeah, you know, I guess I better go to church.
She goes, Well, yeah, you know, I'm telling him that he should go to church. And then it all dawned on me, duh, maybe I should go. And so he comes and he winds up coming, and he was this just the cutest guy. I mean, cute as in heart. He said, Where do I sign up?
What do I do? What do I got to do to just jump in head first? And you know, when you hear stuff like that, you want to be careful. Because you know, there's that zeal. You know, and somebody getting hurt like that, you know, you get hurt.
Oh man, you know, I've all these years and, you know, they just whoosh. My next. Like a Disneyland fireworks show, you know. But I said, here, listen, here's a ministry. thing, whatever we call it.
It's got all the listing of the ministries that you can get involved in. I said, just take this home and pray over it and see if God begins to illuminate some of these things to you and pray about getting involved and see what happens, you know. And uh he was so excited. And Now look. It was his first day here.
And he greets me. I'm still meeting people. Hi, Pastor Jack. I've been here three years and I thought I'd meet you now. This guy's been here a half a hour, you know, and he meets me.
And he goes out of the building like a tornado. Very exciting. I love it.
Well He's decided to follow Jesus. And you could see the light in his face. One of the greatest ways to keep from failing To keep from falling. And our Christian growth and our Christian walk is staying close to Jesus. Samuel says to Saul, Did I not come sent by God to anoint you as king?
Now, therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord. The word here, heed, in Hebrew, means listen with the intent to do it. With the intent to do it. How appropriate tonight? As you Just a matter of hours ago.
Pastor Romaine went home to be with Christ. that I have in my office And I've told you about this blanket before. But it's a blanket. that a dear sister at this church made And she took fabric cuttings, or whatever you ladies call it, pieces of. Fabric, and she had people sign verses and sign their names: people that were attending the church here, and people that have been important in my life.
One of those was Pastor Romaine. And it's an awesome thing because he signs it Romain. And in his little square on this great comforter or blanket, whatever it is. Um It says Isaiah 26, 3. which states That thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusts in thee.
Okay. And then under that, Romain wrote exactly how Romain talked. Just do it. And I should have come out here tonight with that blanket wrapped around me because by the time I wrap it around me, I am wrapped up in over 100 scriptures. that people have written.
And it's a great blanket. It's a great thing to have. And when I have a rough day, Uh Usually Sunday afternoons I'll wrap myself up in that blanket and Kinda. No, I'm kidding, but I want to do that. But you know, there's this blessedness and and and his admonition to me was just do it.
And Samuel is saying, To Saul, just do it. God has called you. Do that thing. What is it that God has called you to do? Do it.
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.
Are you waiting for signs and wonders? Then you'll do it? My friend, if you're called by God, He ain't going to bring you any signs and wonders. He will demand of you to obey Him first. Oh, if I just have some sort of confirmation.
Confirmation's cool, but listen, you got to be stepping, you got to be moving first.
Okay? Has God called you? God called Saul. Samuel confirmed it. And repeatedly through these studies, Saul is doing the exact opposite of what God had asked him to do.
And so it's pretty tragic.
So what we learn from this is that we need to be following what God says.
Now here's the big deal: jot it down. You need to jot it down because we don't often do it. Listen, when all else fails, do what God says.
Now listen. I'm gonna say it again. When all else fails, do what God says.
Now, do you realize how great of counsel that is? Isn't that great, Council? When all else fails, do what God says.
I've tried this, I've tried that, I've tried that, and I've tried this, and I've tried that. I talked to him, I talked to them, I talked to her, I talked to she. I still don't know what to do. Try following what God says. Says, watch what happens.
Won't name his name. He's here. Don't want to embarrass him. But he had really been struggling for good reason over a life situation, big problems in the home for many, many, listen, many years. And he was starting to get into books and the Into seminars, into this, into that, and he just got so fed up.
That he said last Sunday, Jack, I just decided to read the Bible. And he read the Bible. and made it his only book. And his life began to get straightened out. And God began to bring people that had been cut off from his life back into his life, and his life has been radically healed.
And his relationships have been radically healed. And it was so funny because I said to him, How you doing? He goes, I'm doing fine. I go, you look like you're doing fine. He goes, as long as I stay in this book, I'm fine.
And that is exactly true. Oh man, if I just get a revelation from God. Excuse me, it's called the Bible. Read it! Oh, if I just get a word from the Lord.
He's already given us.
Okay. Sixty-six books. That's wrapped up in this leather thing called the Bible. Very important. God had given Saul what he needed, and Samuel was there to speak the word of the Lord.
And so Samuel says, do it. Follow God. Do what God says, Christian. We will do much better. Isn't it weird that Samuel had to remind Saul that he was king?
Didn't the Lord send me to make you king? I'm sorry, when I read this, I could hear Samuel say, Didn't the Lord send me to make you king? Ding-a-ling? I mean, what's with you? You're the king.
Come on, act like a king. Instructions. Didn't God sends Me to you, instructions. You know what's funny about instructions, and it's so sad. Saul should be the one giving instructions, he's the king.
Samuel's old. Saul's leading the nation. What's weird about instructions is that they're no big deal if everything goes right. In fact, us men, we don't even Look at instructions. Because we want to make sure you know, okay, it's like I got it, I got it.
Instructions are no big deal as long as everything goes right. Instructions are cool. They're very cool. As long as we don't need them. But I tell you what.
It can get scary if we need instructions. Have you ever read Deuteronomy Leviticus? And you're there reading? And you cut that dove open this way, and you lay it out, and then you take that. Part of the Meat of the bull and lay it out there and offer this up and put half of it at a three-quarter angle.
And it's like, I mean, I would have been, oh gosh. Lord, what are you saying? Can you imagine when Moses came down from the mountaintop, he's got the blueprints for the Tabernacle and the Ten Commandments. God told them a lot, no doubt, God gave them the memory to remember all of the detail. But instructions.
Specific instructions. And so the instructions given here, look to your scripture. that Amalek must be destroyed. The Amalekites, God tells. Saul through Samuel must be destroyed.
Now, watch this. This is going to raise some eyebrows tonight, I guarantee it. Amalek, verses 2 and 3. Shall be destroyed, God says.
Now, Amalek, by the way, Amalek is not so much a person, it's like a title. Uh It would be like president, president who?
Well, Amalek who?
Well, whichever the man was, Amalek, he was. leader or king Of the Amalekites, nasty, mean, ugly, brutal people that you and I, without doing research about them, Cannot even imagine how brutal they were. If an Amalekite walked in here right now, you would run out that way. They were scary looking. They were barbaric.
They were filthy. And they did really freaky things. I don't even know if we have people alive on the planet today that would. To how demonic these people were. God said they got to go.
So here's now the order, instruction. Samuel tells Saul. Amalek and the Amalekites have got to die. They've got to be removed from the earth.
Now, hang on. Especially those of you who have a little liberal bit of blood in you, you're gonna love this. You're gonna go running out of here crazy in a minute. To follow what God says, it's so important. Verses 2 and 3: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will punish Amalek for what he did.
Two Israel Boy, that's a Thing to underline there, be careful how you treat Israel. And God goes on to say how he ambushed him on the way as God was leading his people out of Egypt. The Amalekites were evil to the children. And God did not hold them guiltless. Look at this.
He says, Now go, verse 3, and attack Amalek. Are you ready for this? Utterly destroy all that they have, do not spare them. kill both men and women. Infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.
Kill em all Wait a minute, Jack. Hold on, that sounds too tally band to me. Doesn't it?
Sounds a little Chapter 9 of the Quran to me. If you've read it. What's the difference? From Jehovah to Allah at this point. Good question, though you didn't ask it, I did, but I asked it for you.
Wait a minute, what's God doing? I thought He was a loving God. He is a loving God. Then what's He telling Saul to go kill all these people? Nursing babies?
Yeah?
Okay, back up, calm down, hang on. There are times, my friend, when God knows. More than you do. Believe it or not. I know we try to counsel him on so many things.
But the fact of the matter is, God knows. everything and you know what he doesn't share everything with with us Now before you get all wiggy and freaked out about this, listen to this. Why in the world, if God says of Himself that He's gentle, kind, tender-hearted, merciful, and abounding in grace? This is what God says of Himself. How in the world could He give an order like this to Saul?
Let me ask you a question before we answer. What does God have against men? Anything? For being men? No.
What about women? Does God have anything about women? No. It's not against them. Does God have anything against infants?
Think about okay now just be thinking You're going to need to know the answer to this. When you go back out into the world. Because people are going to accuse your God. And the God that you worship, like all the other gods of the earth. They're going to say, well, doesn't the Old Testament talk about God having people killed?
Yes, it does. But listen carefully. What does God have against nursing babies? Nothing.
Now this is pathetic. What does God have against oxen? And people go, um You know, I can mention all the other things of the above. I guess nothing. He doesn't anything against men, women, nursing children.
And what does God have against oxen? Oh, oxen. Nothing.
What about sheep, little sheep? He has nothing against little sheep. G people get weird about animals. I just saw something on TV. I just got me all pumped up about this.
Camels. He says, I want you to slaughter the camels. What's it got against camels? Listen, God is not off his rocker. He's on his throne.
What's he asking Saul to do? Are you ready for this? Romans 11:33 says, Oh, the depth and the riches of both the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments. and his ways are past finding out. Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hughes.
Here on Real Life Radio. With his message called When All Else Fails. You know, this message, by the way, is part of Pastor Jack's series called 1 Samuel, a series that highlights the prophet Samuel, who was called by God during one of Israel's darkest times to bring the people back to a heart of true worship. And will continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
Okay. Hey everybody, we got our first time ever actually devotional. We have a 40-day devotional called Watching Waiting. 40 days of walking you through biblical passages that excite you and prepare you for the soon coming of Jesus Christ. Watching Waiting is a 40-day devotional that's all tied to biblical prophecy.
Watching Waiting. It is our featured resource for this month and it's available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com/slash real radio. Jackhibbs.com/slash real radio. 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.
