Today on Real Life Radio. You in this physical realm. cease to function. And this is where you and I are hung up. It's all about the physical.
And Jesus says, listen, if a man dies, physical part, believing in me, He shall never die. It's just a door. Yeah. 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. This Independence Day don't just celebrate America's 250th birthday. Stand for what it was built upon. Faith, freedom, truth. These are the values that shaped this nation from its very first days.
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Order soon and be ready to celebrate America's 250th birthday with conviction. Shop today at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com or call 877-777-2346. On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series called Disciplines of Life and a message titled Discipline of Disease.
Now sometimes sickness or disease is something that God can use for our learning and not something just random or meaningless. You see, illness really can have a purpose. These struggles can draw us closer to God and as we're hurting and asking why, well that can push us to depend upon God more deeply and with more sincerity.
So today, Pastor Jack teaches that godliness is formed in us through redemption and salvation through Christ.
So when challenges, weakness, or disease comes, well, the Lord's grace is sufficient, and others will see the gospel displayed in our lives.
Now with his message called Discipline of Disease, here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. In 1990, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. and it took them nine months to figure it out. And it was nine months of Bad stuff. And they went through all of the stuff.
Well, we think you have cancer. For four months, I thought I had cancer. They're treating me for cancer of the colon and all this stuff. It's like, oh man, they're doing one test. It's ridiculous.
It's terrible. From sore throat to that. I want you to think for a second. This is what I learned. I didn't read this in a book.
For me, this works. God gave this to me. I learned this in a time of suffering. Whenever my life is challenged physically, Or now, spiritually, where I can't explain why I feel depressed, I have no reason to. Why do I feel dark and I feel like I'm going to drown?
You know, what is that all about? It's a demonic attack. But watch this. I ye I wrote it down to make it so crystal clear.
Now number one, I'll pray this, Lord. If this illness is from you, Then give me the grace to go through it. And allow me to hear what you're saying. Why? Because I've learned with sickness that God is always wanting to talk.
Sometimes, you know what? We never slow down enough. And that's one way I think that God will allow things to happen to get us to slow down. And you pray, Lord, if this sickness is from you, and oh, yeah, Christians, we'll see in a moment, God allows sickness, sometimes He sends it. I can't believe I heard that.
Oh, just sit down. We're going to read that in the Bible here in a minute. Lord, if it's from you, give me the grace. And let me hear what you're saying. To me right now.
Number two, I'll pray this. Lord, if this sickness is not from you, If it's from the enemy, which the Bible talks about, can happen. Then, Lord, I ask you to rebuke the enemy and what the enemy has meant for my demise. Double it up, super duper. As a blessing on me.
If it's not from you, Lord, teach the enemy the next time you want to. Pull that on me, that you're going to bless my life. With every attack, I always pray, Lord, if it's from the enemy, Stop the enemy. and bless my life. Did you hear that?
I mean this. Number three. I'll pray this. Lord, if this sickness is from you, that you might be glorified. In it?
Then just Keep me right in the middle of it. Don't let me jump out and short-circuit your plan. And I promise you right now, if you guys start practicing a similar prayer, your whole attitude will change about suffering. And it doesn't just have to be physical. It can be any form of suffering.
Point number two tonight: it's this: understand this: that sin is our greatest enemy. Sin, the disciplines of disease is understanding now not life, we've covered that, but now sin, that sin is our greatest enemy. Genesis 4:6.
So the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Remember Cain and Abel? Cain was a wacko. Why are you angry, God said to him? And why has your countenance fallen?
Your mug is dragging in the dirt. What's wrong with you, Cain? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not well, sin lies at the door, and its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. Isn't that awesome?
Now he didn't heed God's word and he wound up becoming the second murderer on the earth. You all know who the first murderer was. It was Satan in the garden. Cain followed in his footsteps and killed his brother out of jealousy. The first Man who committed manslaughter.
Sin is our greatest enemy. And what I like about that verse is that it warns us that sin almost, almost acts like a lion and it's crouching, waiting. To pounce on who? On every one of us.
So, what do we do? Understand this: that sin brings separation between. our lives. Separately and corporately. Separation.
In John chapter 5, verse 58. Why is sin so dangerous? John 5, 58. Yeah. Says, now a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years.
Now listen to this. When Jesus saw him lying there, And he knew that he had already been in that condition a long time. Jesus said to him, Do you want to be made well? Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed and walk. Verse 14.
Afterward, Jesus found him, because he had been healed. Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, See, you have been made well. What does he say? Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. That man's sickness was in correlation to his sin.
Listen, life, church, listen, life has its struggles because life has sin and it and life has death and life has issues in it. That's a given to everybody.
Now, point two is that sin can bring on illness. Sin can bring on situations.
Now, watch. Understand this, not everyone who's sick is sick because they've sinned. That is a terrible, mean thing to think. But there are sins that we commit. as responsible individuals mature against God.
Against man. And the result of it is suffering. Jesus says it, John chapter 5. Look at Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 1, verse 26.
Because of this, God gave them over to their shameful lust. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. And in the same way, their men also abandoned natural relations with a woman and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committing indecent acts with other men. And the result was they received in themselves the due penalty of their perversion.
The translation, disease, inside, ill. Wrong, unsanctioned sexual activity caused physical disease. And that's a fact. You don't want to talk about that. It's a fact.
Sin can be brought on, or I should say sin brings on, can bring on. Great illness. Look at this also. Secondly, sin brings isolation within ourselves. Isolation.
In the book of Numbers, chapter twelve, Aaron and Miriam. Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron, Moses' relatives, brothers and sisters. Brother and sister. They start chewing on Moses.
Well, why is he doing that for? Ah, his leadership stinks. That guy, he drives me crazy. And they're just whining on, whining on. And Moses, you know, Moses.
It says in the Bible that Moses was the most humble man on the earth. Of course Moses wrote that, but... But it's He never asked to lead anybody. And now, his brother, his brother, man, you're a dope. Isn't he a dope?
They're chewing on Moses behind his... Turbine and God says, hey, I heard that. Wow. Numbers 12, 8 says, Why then Were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? You shouldn't talk about Moses, is what the Lord is saying.
So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and he departed. Not good. And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, Suddenly. Miriam became leprous. As white as snow.
Can you imagine? Then Aaron turned toward Miriam. And there she was. A leper. Can you imagine?
I bet you Aaron just shut his mouth. God brought judgment. Sin brings isolation. Think about being a leper. Isolation.
I was on the island of Molokai. Actually, it's Moloka'i.
Okay. Not more like I It's Molokai in Hawaii. You know the leper island? And you come to the edge of the cliff and you look down on Father Damien's work, there's still over 200 lepers there today. Right now.
Leprous white. Only access is by airplane. The cliffs that you can observe the leper colony from is over 2,000 feet high, and it goes straight down. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth, but it's cursed. In the minds of the islanders, it's cursed.
Nobody wants to go there. Interesting. Isolation. In the Bible, during the Bible times, you had leprosy, you were completely isolated. You had to shout to people walking down the street as you're wrapped up in a robe, unclean, unclean, and people would part out of the way, isolation.
Why? The Bible tells us As it was with Miriam, that this is a situation where a person sinned and judgment came upon them. We don't want to even talk in terms like that today. But God can bring not only His. Divine intervention in judgment, but also God doesn't even have to get involved.
God can just let. Since bring forth its natural Disaster. in our lives when we Do the wrong thing. Isaiah 59, verse 1 says, Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short that he cannot save, nor is his ear dull. To hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he He will not hear.
That's a strong word, huh? And then also this church, its sin brings judgment upon ourselves. Sin brings judgment. upon upon us. Yes, life Has challenges, difficulties, disease, and pain because this is a fallen world.
And yes, number two, we can aggravate it all by sinning against God. Third and final point tonight is this. Understand that godliness is formed in us. Mark that down. It is very important.
And for me, this is the most encouraging part. of the message tonight. Godliness must be originated for us. for us not by us for us.
Now watch this. You see, what does godliness have to do with the discipline of disease or suffering? Because guess what? There is a godliness. Are you guys awake?
There is a godliness that's given to us by the Lord. It's called redemption, salvation. He gives that freely.
Okay, that's given to you.
Okay. Imagine right now, imagine if I were a non-believer, I hear the gospel, I give my heart to Jesus, and three minutes after I give my heart to Jesus, I step in front of a train and die. Where do I go? Yep. What if I accept Jesus and take a walk and walk the next 30 years loving the Lord, born again, and I die?
What happens? Heaven. Think about that for a moment. All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Yeah.
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.
All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. So this is cool.
So that. If I go to heaven being a believer for a moment, you know the old deathbed conversion events? I'm so isn't it great that our God will take a rotten stinking bad, wicked Adolf Hitler type of sinner. And if that person would cry out to God, God washes them away, washes their sins away and saves them in a second.
Now I know some people would say, I don't like that. Do you understand that your Jesus and his blood and the gospel is stronger than? what any person can do on earth. How true is that? Absolutely true.
See, you and I, we got our emotions involved. We want bums like that to suffer and burn in hell forever. Not God. We say, he got what was coming to him. And the Bible says the Lord weeps over the death of the wicked.
Amazing. The person that's just converted, or the person that lives for 30 years converted. What's the difference? Here's the difference. godliness that was imputed or given by the Lord.
Over the course of time in those years, living for Christ is lived out among all of us right here, right now. You guys listen. The best way for you and I to really know if you and I are Christians. is not like this here and now. It's knowing one another.
You should have to go. To my neighbors' houses around me and ask my neighbors if they think Jack and Lisa are Christians. I should be able to go to your neighbors and ask your neighbors if Okay. Fred and Barney and Wilma and Betty are Christians. They'll tell they'll know.
They'll know. Our kids know. Ask our kids. I need a Score kids. They'll know.
They know. I had a pastor tell me years ago. In fact, we were still a home fellowship. A pastor told me, now look, if this turns into a church. You gotta move.
I said, what? He goes, you got to move out of town. I go, why? Because you don't want people to know where you live. And he never told me why.
I just thought. This guy he was a he had been a pastor for years and I'm thinking Why? I'm still a little bit more. I don't know why. But I think the reality is we sh should be able to know one another.
And then we'd find out, watch, would we find out that maybe we're not walking so straight or this area is weak in your life? How do you think we sharpen one another? C? Who are we when we're goofing off? Secondly, godliness must be established in us.
2 Corinthians 12, verse 7, it says, To keep me from becoming conceited, Paul said, because of this. surpassingly great revelations that Was given to me, a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan. Was sent to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. This is the Apostle Paul talking here.
But he, the Lord said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made complete or perfect in weakness. Therefore, listen to his answer. This guy's, Paul's under attack by a demonic spirit that won't go away. And the Lord tells him, That's how I'm going to use you because I'm going to use you so mightily that I've got to keep you humble.
This is what's going to work.
So, what's Paul's answer? I quit! No, that would have been our answer. No, Paul says, Therefore, all right, hey, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Hey, if I got to be like this in this life To be effective for God?
Bring it on. That's a follower of Jesus. He's no different than us, you guys, Paul and us. It's what we're willing to do. Are you willing to do that?
Are you willing tonight to say, Lord, use me? No matter what People will attack you, they'll say things about you, they'll generate all kinds of baloney about you. You know what? Are you willing to take it for Jesus? If somebody says, be quiet in Jesus' name or we're going to beat you.
And you'll find the Holy Spirit speaking right out of your mouth something He said 2,000 years ago. For us to obey God rather than man, you judge. But hey, we're going to follow God. And they're going to slap you for speaking. Today, people are tiptoeing around, but I think the church is waking up.
We hear about students being made fun of in school and told to be quiet about Jesus. And there's students saying, I am not going to be quiet about Jesus. And they're stirring it up. That's the way it ought to be.
So are you are you are you really saying so absolutely Absolutely. We I don't know what dumb pill, stupid pill we've been taking. But it's also been a pill of compliance or complacency. and apathy and it's dangerous. Godliness must be established in us.
It's originated for us by God himself. And then finally, it's this godliness must be displayed through our lives, through us. John 11, 23, we're going to end. Jesus said to her, Remember Martha and Mary now, John chapter 11. This is great.
The whole, almost the whole chapter is about this. It's amazing. Jesus says to her, To Martha, your brother will rise again. Remember now he's dead. Your brothers Is going to rise again.
And Martha said to him, I know that. He will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Of course, she knows. She's Jewish. It's what they believe.
They believe the Old Testament. Absolutely. Right on. Jesus said to her, Are you ready for this? This is amazing.
When Jesus says this to Martha, in my mind, I see her hair go, whoo. Like this. You know like when somebody takes that breath mint and it's wow! In fact, the setting is this. Jesus is standing there, and she says, If you would have been here, my brother wouldn't have died.
You ever feel like that? It's the same spirit that says How could God let this happen? In the grand picture, he knows more. He knows more. And Jesus says, hey, your brother's going to rise again.
Oh yeah, I know that. In the end. I want him now. And Jesus says, John 11, 25, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, listen, though he may die.
You know anybody who's died lately in Jesus? Yeah They didn't come back like Lazarus did. Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. Though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
Do you believe this? he told her. Ooh, what does that mean?
Now wait, I people die all the time. That's not what he's talking about. He's talking about living a life, believing in Jesus. And Your body stops in this world. Your blood starts going, stops going through these veins.
Your brain, the Stop everything that you you in this physical realm cease to function. And this is where you and I are hung up. It's all about the physical. And Jesus says, listen, if a man... dies, physical part.
Believing in me. He shall never die. It's just a door. I didn't know this party was going on. You gotta go through the door, man.
Jesus says, a person believing in him. His blood stops flowing. which is the physical gateway into the new life. And you'll never die. He's also talking about you'll never see the grip of the grave.
It'll never be dark and cold and empty and Dead? To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We end with this. It's a song. I haven't sang it in years.
I'm not going to sing it now. But at Calvary Costa Mesa, we sang this all the time on Sunday mornings. It was written in 1855. It's perfect doctrine. What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear. all because we do not carry everything to God. in prayer.
Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called Discipline of Disease. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Disciplines of Life. It's a series that highlights the disciplines of a Christ follower and the high cost of sharing our faith with others. And we'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Hey my friends, come with me on our Bold Faith Hawaii cruise, June 12th to the 19th, 2027.
Listen, we're going to set sail for seven unforgettable days with myself, Dr. Frank Turek, and special worship with Gia Lucid. It's going to be a breathtaking trip. This is more than a vacation. It's a time of rest, renewal, fellowship, and spiritual strength in the Word of God, all centered around the Bible.
You can reserve your spot by going to jackhibbs.com. 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.
