Real Life Radio

David J.: Today, on Real Life Radio.

Jack Hibbs: You can mount the words, I believe in God, I believe in Christ. If you are not leaning on Christ, then you're not in Christ. If in your life you do not have a dependency upon God, you are not in Christ. It goes with the territory.

David J.: This is real life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David J. thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's word, the Bible. Are you looking for some solid biblical teaching that speaks to the world today? At jackhibbs.com, you have access to Pastor Jack's entire library of sermons on demand anytime, anywhere. Whether you're commuting, you're at the gym, or you need a moment of encouragement, you can dive right into some powerful verse-by-verse teachings that make God's word really come alive. From deep dives into scripture to practical messages on everyday issues, Pastor Jack's teachings help you understand the Bible in a way that's clear, it's relevant, and it's easy to apply.

You're going to find sermons that address today's toughest questions with biblical insight and hope in the midst of life's challenges. Now, whether you're new to the faith or you've been around for a long time, these messages are designed to meet you right where you're at and inspire you to grow deeper in your walk with God. So, don't miss out, visit jackhibbs.com. Why don't you start exploring the sermon library today? You going to like it. That's jackhibbs.com where powerful teaching is always just a click away. On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series called The Book of Ephesians and a message titled, Are You Sealed by the Holy Spirit Part 1.

Ephesians is a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus showing every believer who they really are in Christ. And here Paul wants us to know for certain that we belong to him. You see, so many people hope they're saved and going to heaven, but they're not really sure. The truth is God doesn't want us guessing about where we'll spend eternity. He wants us to know without a doubt that we really are his through the salvation of his son, Jesus Christ. So, today Pastor Jack teaches that there's a big difference between believing in Jesus and belonging to him.

Many people say that they believe, but the real relationship with the Lord is having the Holy Spirit inside of us leading us and guiding our way. Now, with his message called, Are You Sealed by the Holy Spirit Part 1, here's pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: Now, I got to tell you something. When I got saved and even quite a few years into it, um we always sat, I know none of you would do this, we always sat in the same spot at Calvary Chapel, always. For years. And in a church that huge, that's how you get to meet people by the way. And those people literally became our best friends over the years and they still are great friends. And there was a guy that always used to sit to my right, Lisa would be to my left. We would start worshiping.

And I'm doing pretty fine. I got my eyes closed and I've got my hands up there because I want to and I'm same with my with my hands up, Lord. This is a prayer of mine. As we're singing, I am giving that back unto you, God. I I'm making this song a prayer and it's a neat way to worship the Lord. And Lord, I want you to know that I'm I'm giving this to you and I love you and and you're great. And I would be doing fine until I would feel or sense or hear God, I love you and And I would look and tears are flowing down his cheeks and he's wiping the snot from his nose.

And he is just, oh God, oh Lord. And I I would look at him and right in the middle, there's a thousands of people behind me and I would just You know why? Listen, I began, hey, you know what? What's going on? God, what is the deal? I would like to do that with to you. I don't do that to you. And I began to match my form of worship to his form of worship. You see that I should be worshiping like him. And he's bawling and oh and then sit down and oh oh Lord.

And I'm What is this? What is wrong with me? I'd go home and Lisa, what's wrong with me? I'm not experiencing God like he is. I Well, you know what? The guy had known the Lord a lot longer than I had known the Lord. And he was very committed to God and he would sit alone. He would read chapters of the Bible. He was single, lived next door to us. We'd wake up in the morning and you'd hear, I love you Lord. And it's oh man. He's just in You know what? It was a neat thing, but I was comparing myself with him and that is wrong.

Paul says you're a fool if you compare yourself with those around you. Shouldn't do it. But you see, I'm thinking that this guy is really close to God. The fact of the matter is the reason why he worshiped like that is because for his makeup, for his emotional state and his spiritual state and his personality, that was his way of worshiping the Lord and it was not my way of worshiping the Lord. But the fact though was he knew God's nature much better than I did at that time. He knew who he was worshiping in spirit and in truth.

He knew that Jesus had truly truly forgiven him. There's a lot of attractive people in the world today. Lot of good-looking people. When you see somebody who's attractive and you look, you're not looking at them knowledgeably. You're looking at them oh. Attractive person in the world. Okay? If you never talk to them, if you never speak with them, if you just, which is sin, continue to look at them, you enter into the lust mode. How can you do that? How can you enter into the lust mode? It's easy if you don't know them, but you keep looking at them.

But if you meet them, get to know them and you you're experiencing, you start, you know, talking with them and maybe even you're meet them at church, you start fellowshiping together and serving the Lord together. Listen, don't take this wrong, but being attractive to somebody and at that level on the on the ground of appearance only is a a lustful foundation that will eventually lead to infatuation which will eventually quickly fade out and be dead and gone. Why? Because you don't know them. But you can take someone who's just, you know, not all that good-looking.

Just really relax in the physical appearance of things and yet get to know them and they become extremely beautiful. And you've heard people say, how can she go out with him? Well, the guy happens to be great. How can What is he seeing her? She happens to be a great great person. And you fall in love with what you know about them. You've known them and so you fall in love with them. Not fall in love or lust at them. You see? Big difference. If we know God, we are going to worship him out of a heart of praise and adoration and enjoying him verse 12 is talking about because we know him.

And the more time we spend in the word of God, the more time we spend in prayer with him, the more we're going to be prone to worship and adore him. In earthly relationships, love is evident by appreciation. Well, in heavenly relationships, love is evident by praise and worship. We need to remember that. The more I understand them, the more I'll praise him and love him. In verse 12, when it says here that that we who first trusted you need to circle the word we. It's not easily picked up in the English language. Paul is referring to we Jews who first trusted in Christ.

Literally this, we who Jews first looked for and awaited the Messiah should be to the praise of his glory. In him you See see the word you? That word is you Gentiles. There's a distinction in verses 12 and 13 that's missed in the English language. In him you Gentiles also trusted. Hey, just like we have after you heard the word of truth, we'll get to this in a moment. Listen, God's creation is estranged from him. It's separated from him right now like a fractured marriage. Unfaithfulness begins a long time early on before the physical problems arise.

It's like in the Garden of Eden. Eve sinned long before she bit into the fruit. Eve's sin is that she began to entertain the temptation. It's not a sin to be tempted. Do you understand that? Today some of you were battling with thoughts or battling with temptation and that something came your way and you were fighting. Thank God you were fighting. It's a sign of life. To be tempted is not a sin, but to yield to that sin is a temptation. Eve was not sinning when she was contending with the devil. When she sinned was at the point where she gets into a dialogue with Satan.

And when she when it says she saw that the fruit was good to make one wise, she fell for it. The eating of the fruit that brought the spiritual death in an instant was the result of a sin that happened deep within the recesses of Eve. You understand? Very important. She sinned a long time earlier, so to speak, before she bit into the fruit. Very important. James Chapter 1, you knew I was going to go to this verse. James 1 verse 12 says blessed, happy is the man who endures temptation. For when he has been examined, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Isn't that interesting? Our love is equated to enduring temptation. Our commitment to our faithfulness to God is directly in correlation to our ability to refuse temptation. Let no one say that when he's tempted, I'm being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone with evil. But each one of us is tempted when, here it is, we are drawn away that is from our relationship with the Lord by our own desires and enticed. Then when desires conceived it gives birth to sin. And sin when it is full grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived. God's creation is a strange from him because of sin, but it is our God who's reached down to us. We don't reach out to meet God. God has come down to us. And Ephesians 1:12 it says that we who first trusted in Christ should be the praise of his glory. I think we need to insert in here that our God has reached us. We should be items and articles and people and vessels to give him praise and glory. Why? He has saved us. He has saved us. John Chapter 6 verse 44.

Jesus says no man can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him. The word draws him is the first uh is the same word. Excuse me that remember when the apostles were all bumped out, Jesus had been crucified and Peter said, I've had enough of this. I'm going to go fishing. Remember that? They go fishing. They fished all day or all night, didn't catch a thing. And then Jesus is on the shore and he says, hey cast your net on the right side of the boat. And they throw the net in and they hoist up all these fish to where the point was the nets were almost about ready to break and Peter yells, it's the Lord.

It says that they drew in the net with great joy and great security. So, Jesus says nobody can come to me unless the father draws him. Salvation is of God. You don't save yourself. You cannot save yourself. Salvation comes from the Lord.

Guest (Male): 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.

Jack Hibbs: We need to consider something right here. You see in verse 12 where it says in Christ, you should underline that. If no man comes to the father unless the father if no man comes to the son unless the father draws him then those who are drawn by the Lord are also going to be those who are in Christ. And I want to ask you if you're sealed with the Holy Spirit, are you? Are you not? Need to ask you this, are you in Christ? And I think I'd like to start a movement right here tonight forevermore.

I think we need to stop asking people if they're Christians. I think I'm convinced if I read the Bible closely, the Antichrist is going to say, I'm a Christian. You know what I'm talking about? The Antichrist is going to come on the scene and say, I'm a Christian. And by that time the world will be so sick and so deluded and polluted that the whole world's going to be Christian. There's going to be this massive Christian church, the global world church that comes out of Daniel, Revelation, various places in the Bible. And there's going to be this incredibly watered-down thing called the ecumenical who knows what of Christianity.

This all-encompassing all hug one another. Let 's compromise to the point of we don't really stand for anything anymore. We just stand for each other. And the Antichrist is going to declare himself to be God, the Bible tells us. Well I don't think any longer we should ask people, are you Christian? How many people have you asked, are you Christian? Oh sure, I'm a Christian. And you go, man, look at the way they live. I don't know if they're a Christian or not. You know we need to start asking people right here verse 12, are you in Christ?

Guess what? Remember the old days? You know way back they used to draw the in the sand. Remember that's the fish that 's on the back end of your car? If you were talking to somebody and you weren't sure if they were a believer or not and and you run the risk of being persecuted or arrested and you're talking to this guy and you think maybe he's a believer, you're not sure. Maybe you're just a a normal guy like us and you talking to a Roman centurion a soldier, but you think he might be a Christian.

And so you talking about the price of tea in China and you just in the dirt with your sandal make this shape of a fish. The Christians knew hey, he just made the and the guy would make it back or begin to fill it in Jesus Christ son of God savior of the world. And then you knew he was a brother. Hey, praise the Lord, man. Praise the Lord. Good to see you. Listen, that was their way of finding out who's for real. We mentioned the word Christian. Are you Christian? Sure, I'm a Christian. Everybody's a Christian.

We need to be asking, are you in Christ? Only the Christians are going to know what that means. Right? Are you in Christ? Praise the Lord, you bet I am. Ephesians Chapter 1 verse 12. Are you Christian? Oh sure, I'm a Christian. Hey, are you in Christ? Watch. What do they do? What do you What does he mean in Christ? You know you got him. Are you in Christ? That's the question. Are you in Christ? Want you grab your Bible right now and go to 1 Corinthians 1. It's just a little bit to the left.

1 Corinthians Chapter 1. Beginning at verse 18. Are you in Christ? We need to ask people that. 1 Corinthians 1:18, for the message of the cross is stupid, foolishness to those who are perishing. Ah, that's a dumb deal. But to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise and where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

For since the For since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached, that is the gospel, to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. To the Jews it's a stumbling block and to the Greeks it's stupid. But to those who are called, that's us both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the fullness fullness of God is wiser than man and the weakness of God is stronger than man.

Keep going to the right, second or 1 Corinthians Chapter 2 verse 12. 1 Corinthians 2:12. Listen to this. Now we have received not the spirit of the world. What is the spirit of the world? The cross Christianity is stupid. Well, we haven't received the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God that we might know the things that we have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak not in words which men's wisdom teaches, philosophy but which the Holy Spirit teaches comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man, the man of this world the guy who is not in Christ does not receive or understand the things of the spirit of God, for they are stupid to him.

Nor can he know them. He can't even begin to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. No man comes to the father or the son, excuse me, unless the father draws him. God turns on the light. Salvation is of God. We who first trust in Christ that is our response. That's true, but it's to God's overture to come to him. Jeremiah 31:3. Jeremiah 31:3 says the Lord has appeared of old to me saying, yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you, pull you in pull you in to his arms.

The second thing that we want to look at tonight is found in verse 13 back to Ephesians and it says here, in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in whom also you have believed. You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. It could take us a year to get through this verse alone. When it says in verse 13 right here in him it is saying volumes. In verse 13 we're saying right here that God has forever sealed us. You ought to jot that down. The second point is that God has forever sealed us.

Who is us? Those who are in Christ. Now hang on to your seats. If you believe in Jesus Christ, it doesn't necessarily mean you're in Christ. That ought to keep you up all night. I said that in our Hebrew study and some people had heart attacks. Well, I believe in God. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe in Abraham Lincoln. But I'm not leaning on Abraham Lincoln to do anything for me. You may believe in Jesus Christ that he existed and that he's even you may even ascent to what he says in the Bible. But if you are not leaning on Christ, then you're just like the one who would be trusting in Abraham Lincoln or not.

We're not dependent upon Lincoln for anything. You can mount the words, I believe in God, I believe in Christ. If you are not leaning on Christ, then you're not in Christ. If in your life you do not have a dependency upon God, you are not in Christ. It goes with the territory. One of the guys that we had in our meeting today was a a wealthy attorney successful powerful articulate. I was thinking here in this guy talk. I was thinking if I had that guy's tongue for the gospel. And we've been praying for this guy's salvation.

I don't know how long now it could be coming up on a year, I think almost. And someone asked tonight, how's he Is he getting closer to the Lord? And my response is he's too proud. He's too He's got the world by the tail, man. Talk to a guy yesterday, I think it was yesterday, went out to the hospital, broke his back in an accident. I'm thinking this guy is going to be ready. Doesn't know the Lord. And walk in there and he's doing great. How you doing? I'm doing great. What what's wrong? Broke my back.

Wow, how's it going? I I can do it. I can do this. There I I can I can I can do this. My heart broke. There's a weird thing, people, that when you're in Christ, there's a great dependency in your life for him. And it's a beautiful thing to see and you don't have to advertise it. People will see it in you. There's something about you can be confident in Christ, but you are not arrogant. There's a great great difference.

David J.: Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio and his message called, Are You Sealed by the Holy Spirit Part 1. Thanks for spending some time with us today. You know this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Book of Ephesians. It's a series through Paul's letter to the Ephesians discovering the riches, the walk, and the warfare of every believer. And we'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.

Guest (Male): Do you need encouragement, clarity, and solid teaching for everyday life? At jackhibbs.com you'll find sermons, podcasts, devotionals, and streaming content designed to help you grow in your faith. Visit jackhibbs.com today and stay connected to what matters most.

Jack Hibbs: Hey, I'm very excited to promote this new book by Dr. Tim LaHaye, not only a mentor of mine, but a precious friend. He has written a book, How to Study Bible Prophecy for Yourself. Remember Dr. Tim LaHaye is the one that brought you the remarkable left behind series. I bet with all of your knowledge of Bible prophecy, there's still a hole somewhere. And this book is going to help you as you walk you through How to Study Bible Prophecy for Yourself.

Guest (Male): How to Study Bible Prophecy for Yourself. Get it for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com.

Jack Hibbs: 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.

David J.: 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.