Today on Real Life Radio. Christians, the only time we get pressured. is because we've allowed ourselves to s to be pressured. We're not trusting in the Lord. You gotta get it now.
You need guns like that and you're like, man, you know what? Boy, this has got to happen today. Gabriel, Michael, we've got to get this thing to happen today on Earth, because if it doesn't happen on Earth today, it ain't going to happen at all. That's not like that. 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. Truth doesn't need permission and it doesn't need a filter. The Real Life Network delivers bold biblical content that addresses today's toughest issues with clarity and conviction. Watch teachings and interviews and the special programs that equip you with God's truth for the world that we live in today.
Sign up for free at reallifeenetwork.com. Stay grounded in scripture, gain perspective, and remain confident in Christ no matter what's happening around you. Stream for free today at reallifenetwork.com. On today's edition of Real Life Radio. Pastor Jack now continues his series called 1 Samuel with the message titled David, a Lapse of Faith.
Now Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel and the first of her prophets.
So here in chapter 29 we'll consider how David's fear-based choice led to a lapse of trust in God for protection and provision.
Now David made the decision to live with Israel's enemy, the Philistines, but God steps in and David is sent back to Zyklag, preventing him from having to fight against his own people.
So today Pastor Jack teaches us that a lapse of faith often begins when we slowly stop seeking after the Lord and try to start managing our fears on our own. David pulled himself into the light of God's will even in the midst of darkness, and that is a profound way in which we need to live.
Now with his message called David a Lapse of Faith. Here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hughes. Chapter 30, verse 1.
Now it happened. When David and his men came to Zikleg on the third day, That the Amalekites had invaded the south and Zikleg and attacked Zikleg and burned it with fire.
So David's en route going back. to the Philistine stronghold. En route? They come to Zikleg, they see it destroyed, attacked. Verse two.
And listen to this. and had taken captive the women. And those who were there From small to great, They did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.
So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire, and their wives, their sons and their daughters, had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with them listened, lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives. Ahenoem the Jezreelitis, and Abigail, remember her? The widow of Nabal, the Carmelite, had been taken captive Then David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke.
of stoning him. Because the soul of all the people were grieved, every man for his son and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Mark it, please. Circle, please underline that.
You need that verse at the end of verse 6. Mark that down. This is tremendous. Everything's gone. How did this happen?
If we were going to do a forensic study on this, let's back up. How did this happen? It all happened because David and his lapse of faith Thought for a moment, God will not fulfill his promise toward me. I've got to seek shelter. under the protection of the Philistines because Saul's going to kill me.
How does that apply to our lives? Man, when you and I feel like we're backed into a corner, Church, listen, when you feel backed into a corner, The temptation is so strong to do something. When I was in high school during the summer, I used to work for a contractor. And He said a lot of things that I'm still trying to get out of my head.
Okay. But one of them was He would pull up in his car. look around and he'd say, what's going on? And maybe at that moment we didn't know what to do, or maybe the stuff didn't arrive, and you know, we're waiting. And he would say What are you doing?
Well, we're waiting. You're waiting!
Now this is bad counsel, but listen. He would say, don't stand around, the meter's running. The clock is going. You're being paid. Listen, do something.
Even if it's wrong. He would always say that. We've So, guess what I used to say? Because then I wound up being a supervisor of a couple of those trucks. Hey, what's going on?
We don't know. Oh, oh. Yeah. Don't stand there and um and on. Do something, even if it's wrong.
You know, and I, it's like, what did I say?
Well, I don't know. What do you have? Let's just, you know, start something on fire then. Let's just knock the plate. Do something even if it's wrong.
When you get pressured into a corner, you say stupid things. You do stupid things. I don't know, honey. You know what? We should get it.
The guy said it's the last one on the lot. And you know what? Right now, with zero APR. And listen. 60 months.
You know, no charge, the rate, interest rate, the resale, and all of a sudden, you know, we get genius on the resale. The resale value of this vehicle is fantastic. Like you feel like in thinking you're gonna sell it soon, you know No, you're you're you're thinking I'm taking this car to the grave. It's black or it's orange or it's hot. pink, well not a guy car, but a you know, oh look at this.
And the guy sent us the last one on the lot. Corner, corner. Corner. Hey. Don't don't do that.
Don't get into that place.
Well, you know, buddy, you better buy this house because this is a market. I got 25 people that are lined up to buy this house right now. And there's people that are just throwing out the offering price right then and there.
So you better don't you bargain with these people. You better take it. Listen, if God's in it, That guy might give you the house. Oh, could such a thing happen? Watch out.
such a thing could happen. Don't get pressured in. Christians, the only time we get pressured. is because we've allowed ourselves to s to be pressured. We're not trusting in the Lord.
You gotta get it now. You think God's like that and you go, oh man, you know what? Boy, this has got to happen today. Gabriel, Michael, we've got to get this thing to happen today on earth. Because if it doesn't happen on earth today, it ain't going to happen at all.
God's not like that. He's not there ringing his hands. Man, do you realize what tomorrow is? It's not like that.
So David's in a Panic. Yeah. That's how this whole thing began. It evolved in a path that is now leading from compromise to destruction. And all that is precious to them has been taken away.
By an enemy power. By an enemy force. And so they're thinking of stoning him. This is their great leader. I tell ya, you you you you we so easily glance over we don't think about it.
Remember, David is the Army Ranger. Navy SEAL. Marine. He is it. There's nobody in Israel who can fight better than David.
I mean his men could probably take him on and he could probably carve him up. He's so down. He's so low, and he is so in trouble. that his own people Said, you know what? There's rumors.
Hey, you know what? I lost my son. I lost my daughter. I lost my wife. Their bodies are not here, so they must have been taken captive.
You know, that's almost worse. You know? There's no closure on this. We're just a bunch of ragtag guys. What can we do?
And plus, you know what? You're our leader. What are we doing? We're hiding out with the... Camp of the Philistines.
That's really inspiring. See when the chips begin to tumble Popular opinion will shift in a second. But the tide can change so quick. David, we love you. Oh man, Saul's killed this.
Thousands, but you, David, you've killed tens of thousands. You're a man. David, David, you're the man. David, David, if there's a giant who can kill him, you can, you know. Then they come home and their houses are all ripped up, torn up.
And what do they do? They're just they're people.
Somebody find me, give me a rock. All those in favor of David, raise your hand. All right. Your poles are slipping. They're gonna kill him.
You think he's low? That's why you can correlate in the book of Psalms how he pulled out. And he wrote psalms at times like this. You want to read psalms that will bless your heart? when you're down and you feel outcast.
He strengthened himself in the Lord. 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. Turn and we'll end with this. Turn to Psalm 139. I know what time it is, but I'm still in Hawaii time, so we're going to go another three more hours. No, I'm kidding.
We're almost done. He strengthened himself in the Lord. Psalm 139. O Lord. You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down. In my rising up. You understand my thought afar off. Why did he write that? Nobody understands David at this hour.
He doesn't know if he's going to be alive for the next hour. God knows everything. Christian? Hey, for that matter Non-Christian tonight? God knows everything about you.
And he loves you silly. He loves you much.
Okay. It always blows my mind to think that God loves people who are sinners, too. And then the Lord says, But, Jack, that's you. And they say, well, yeah, I know, Lord, but you forgave me all my sins. Yeah, but I loved you, Jack, before you came to me.
And then I started. And he said, you know what? Just put a sock in it, Jack. I've loved you. And with an everlasting love have I drawn you.
I've been doing that in all in your life, your whole life. You understand my thought of far off. I wonder if David thought he was going nuts at this point. What have I done? To my Family.
To my friends, to my soldiers. to my future. What have I done? You comprehend. Hmm.
The word comprehend is a bizarre word in Hebrew. God everything so much about us This is this kind of fries our circuits. He not only knows what we're going to think, say, and do tomorrow. But he also knows things that we will not say think or do tomorrow. He knows both the actual And the probable.
Isn't that weird? It's like, well, okay. if I'm going down that road. And I choose to go left. And I wind up at this beautiful spot.
What would have happened if I would have went right? God knows. Yeah, but I didn't go right. Yeah, but God knows what would happen if you would have went right. Isn't that weird?
It's in theology it's called the decree. Of God. He knows all things. Actual And Probable. Or what is Not happening, or did not happen, or will not happen.
But he knows. the outcome if they were to happen. Isn't he big? Didn't it just kind of like You comprehend my path and my lying down. You are acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word on my tongue.
But behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before. You think D David needed God's help right now from his own people? You laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
It's high. I cannot attain. I can't get to that kind of knowledge. Where can I go from your? Look at in your Bible, it's a capital S.
That means Holy Spirit. Where can I go from your Holy Spirit? See how He strengthened himself in the Lord? He's preaching to himself. Where can I go from your Holy Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend into heaven, you are there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. Even there your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall fall on me, listen, verse 11, that's his art.
People listen. This is David talking to David. This is the best-selling book. New York. Times Bestselling book, David on David.
He says of himself If I say surely, the darkness shall fall on me. Even The night shall be light about me. That's a man. Pull in. Himself into the light of God's will, even in the midst of darkness.
Christians, we need this bad. Don't take this pathetic teacher's inability to communicate the magnitude of what that verse means. People, if you're having a problem or if you intend to have a problem. You better mark this verse. and preach it.
to yourself. Meditate on it. Indeed, verse 12, the darkness shall not hide. From you? but the night shines as the day.
The darkness and the light are both alike to you. Why is he saying that? Because he's in darkness. He needs the Lord's presence like never before in his life. I need help.
For you have formed my inward parts, and you have covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you.
Well, wait a minute, David. I can give you 10,000 reasons why you shouldn't. No, I will praise you. For I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are your works.
And that my soul knows right well. My frame was not hidden from you. You're in control of everything. When I was made in secret In the Womb of my mom. In conception, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
By the way, that's a reference to his mama's belly. Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. Wow, modern day. Christian Uh Biologists and chemists are saying that this could possibly be a reference to God's. God revealing to us His understanding.
Of course, I can is not coming to this. But he's sharing with us now through this passage with what we've come to know of DNA. God knows the freckle you have. And he knew before you were conceived, and at the moment of conception, when it came together, he knew where that little birthmark was going to be, and he knew the color of your hair. It's all coded in the DNA.
Your hair color, your height. You're everything. It's all there. Your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. And in your book, they're all written.
In the days you have fashion The day is fashioned for me. when as yet there were none of them. Verse 17, church Listen, how precious are your thoughts to me? O God, how great is the sum of them? If I should count them they would be more than the number of the sand.
And when I awake I'm still with you, Oh, that you would slay the wicked, O God Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men, for they speak against you wickedly. Your enemies take your name in vain.
Now, he's not talking about his men. But now he's going beyond his dilemma and he's going over the dilemma of his immediate situation and he's going back to the enemy. He's now coming not only out of the hole, but he's starting to take flight. Verse twenty, for they speak against you wickedly, your name. Or your enemies take your name in vain.
Do not hate them. Or do I not hate them? Excuse me, O Lord. who hate you. And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
I hate them. with complete or absolute hatred. I count them my enemies. 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. Is that not real? What a man of God. He said, well, he's got words.
Yes, so do you. And so do I. Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word. Let it be an encouragement to us. And Father, may your Holy Spirit Be getting through more effectively every day.
Lord, cause us to slow down. And to listen. And to take you in. To apply you to everything. Lord, let us not go to work, let us not go to play, let us not, Lord, in our leisure or in our sweats.
Father, let us not forget That you are the engineer of the moment. And how we choose what we choose. will matter. And Lord, so oftentimes in our lives we have made decisions that were wrong, foolish and stupid. And yet you never give up on us, you never stopped.
And Lord, I just wonder. Do you shake your head? Do you hide your face in your hand when we do something stupid? Do you say things like, when's he gonna learn? Or is your view and attitude Of our blunders so very different That when we blow it Your application may very well be, well, He just opened up a door, That's going to cause him.
to be a little bit better more acquainted With my patience, My mercy. My grace My forgiveness and my healing as a good shepherd upon his soul. Father, teach us more. Your love for us in every situation. Thank you, dear God, that you're not a God of Happiness or a god of political correctness, you're not a god of.
Popular view, you're not a god of trend. Oh, you're not a god. of a democracy. You are the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Mm-hmm.
and nothing sways you. And we're grateful tonight. Because your Bible tells us that you love us with a perfect love. and that neither death nor life nor any created thing shall separate us from the love of God. Mm.
So Lord, if we find ourselves tonight like David running, Yeah. confused and goofed up. And even on the point, now We've been under attack. May we strengthen ourselves. in the Lord.
In you. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio, and his message called David: a Lapse of Faith. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called 1 Samuel.
A series highlighting 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.
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. 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 Harris House Publishers.
Get a copy for yourself. 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. Uh 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. 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.
