Real Life Radio

Jack Hibbs: If you'll be still and yada, the word is be still and know that I am God. The word "know" in Hebrew is Yada. It's a very cool word. It means be still, say the world's blowing up around me and all this stuff's caving in on me and everything's gone wrong. God says be still and yada. The word means discover who I am in the moment.

David J.: 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.

Guest (Male): Celebrate America's 250th birthday with your kids and grandkids in a way that's fun, faith-building, and unforgettable. The American Kids Guide, 250 Years of God's Blessings, is a colorful, gospel-centered guide with Drummer Boy Willie Johnston. He's a 13-year-old Civil War hero, a Medal of Honor winner, and he walks kids through America's story.

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David J.: On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series called Disciplines of Life and a message called Discipline of Disappointment. Disappointment is a normal part of life. But if we handle it well, it can actually make us spiritually stronger and wiser.

Disappointment comes when reality doesn't match what we've hoped for. Maybe we're expecting too much from people or wanting life to go a certain way. We could avoid disappointment by avoiding risks or relationships, but that's certainly not the life that God intends for us.

Today, Pastor Jack teaches that disappointment can reveal what is really in our hearts. A thankful heart prepares for disappointment, and uniting our will to God's will strengthens our faith and trust in Him. Now with his message called Discipline of Disappointment, here's pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: The disciplines of disappointment is preparing for the disappointments of life. We need to prepare for them. And you need to be able to think mature thoughts about that. It requires us to grow up in spiritual matters when we talk about disappointment. How do we handle them? How do we deal with disappointments? Well, it requires you and I to grow up spiritually regarding spiritual matters.

This is going to sound harsh, but I believe this: there is literally no biblical excuse for you and I to whine or complain about why did God have me lose my job? Notice how God always gets blamed for everything. First of all, people lose their jobs. It happens. You want to take it a little deeper? You can be in this room tonight, in the sanctuary, the most right-on, godly Christian on the planet and your child dies.

It would be completely, biblically incorrect for you to stop and say, how could this happen? We say things like that and we get disappointed horrifically because we view it wrong. We somehow think that maybe because we're Christians, we're exempt from certain pain, from certain disappointment. Not so. The truth of the matter is you and I need to know our Bibles.

Everything that happens in your life, in my life, is pre-programmed to be answered in this book. Every one of us, every human being that has ever lived, the answer to life's disappointments is in the word of God. Guaranteed. This book is the answer to your soul's quest. Look, none of us are exempt from this. When I'm tempted to say I don't know why the Lord just doesn't bring fire down and have him consume that guy, the answer is in the book.

God says when I calm down, I'm slow to anger, I'm patient. Back off, Jack. Vengeance is mine. I shall repay, saith the Lord. You see? But we tithe, we serve, we've brought our kids up in the Lord and our daughter's gone to college and has turned into a socialist, communist, liberal, whack-nut, maniac, goofball, anti-Christ, anti-American person and I'm paying for it all.

This world's dangerous. This world is fallen. And you're disappointed. I understand that. But what does God say? God would answer you tonight and say pray, fast, for this kind does not come out without much fasting and prayer. Send your kid off to college, they get possessed or something, I don't know. But we need to grow up and mature up.

God's word says this in Second Timothy 2:15, this is for everybody. Study, that's the Bible, to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun, or put off, profane and vain babblings, for they will increase unto more ungodliness. Is that not the age we live in? We need to know the Bible. What's the answer? Study the Bible.

My nephew's in college and he's got a full-ride baseball, he's a great kid and I'm having a ball with him in college because he's texting me. I don't know if he's doing his homework at all. He's a very smart guy. Maybe he's getting along just fine. But I'm telling you, it's cool. He's texting me all the time. I'm talking to this guy right now about the Bible and he's asking me about scripture. What's the answer?

I was in a board meeting these last two days and we all have our phones. It looks like nobody's paying attention to each other in the meeting because everyone's going like this. It's horrible. But I'm giving him these verses and boom. Well, now the guy says this. What verse? What should I do now? This verse. And a thousand miles away, boom, boom. The answer's in the Bible. And you study to show yourself approved unto God.

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:15, speak the truth in love, that you may grow up in all things unto Him who is the head, even Christ, from which whom the whole body, that's the church, joined and knit together by every joint supplies according to the effective working by which every part does its share. That's the body of Christ. Some of us are mouths, some of us are brains, some of us are elbows, some of us are knees. But we're the body of Christ.

And causes the growth of the body, edifying itself in love. This He says I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles or unbelievers walk in the futility of their mind. Having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. That's not you. That's not you at all.

Also this, preparing for disappointments of life causes us to see God's unwavering faithfulness. This is true. If you've ever gone through a trial and a difficulty, if you'll be still and yada. Be still and know that I am God. The word "know" in Hebrew is Yada. It's a very cool word. It means be still, say the world's blowing up around me and all this stuff's caving in on me and everything's gone wrong.

God says be still and yada. The word means discover who I am in the moment. When you go [gasp], God says now calm down. Know who I am right now at that moment. Yes. His unwavering faithfulness. The Bible is full of accounts and events that prove that unless man is led and guided by God, things don't go very well. Why? Because God alone is the one who is unwaveringly faithful to us.

Proverbs 16:25 says there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end of that way is death. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace. His unwavering faithfulness, church, is awesome. Secondly, it develops within us a happy and thankful spirit. Did you know that if you prepare for disappointments?

The Bible tells us over and over again to be thankful. I've never been, Lisa and I, we've never been more thankful than right now in our lives. Why? I'm going to venture to say you've never been more thankful than right now. Why? When you eat, aren't you thankful? And when you wake up in the morning, most of us, if not all of us, have beds. And if you don't have a bed, I don't know what's going on.

Think, you've got shoes or flip-flops, you've got something on your feet. It's amazing. I'm so thankful like never before. And when you're thankful, it causes you to have a happy heart and it prepares you for disappointments. Please don't leave this sanctuary tonight and say well, my car has this flat tire. Well, I should have known. You don't walk around like Eeyore. Well, there you have it. Another huge problem.

Like Debbie Downer or whatever that thing is, everything is probably going to die of cancer now. There's people like that. They need this message. But that's not being prepared for disappointment. To be thankful for whatever God allows you to have is a glorious thing. And then third, the disciplines of disappointment, how do we overcome the disappointments? That's what I want to know.

Three ways. Number one, uniting our will to God's will. I'm disappointed. Okay, are you disappointed tonight? Not your will be done, but His will be done. Unite your will to God's will. Father, I'm disappointed. Give me the right vision, give me the right understanding, cause my will to be in line with Your will. That's important.

David J.: 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. And now, let's get back to today's message. Once again, here's Pastor Jack.

Jack Hibbs: By uniting our will to God's will. I have discovered in preparing for this study, thinking deep thoughts, that I almost 100 percent of the time prepare, pre-cast, set myself up for disappointment when I don't look to God's will. I'm going to do this! Have you ever had that thought? I'm going to do this! You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to do this! Talk to God about it? What for?

The way I think, this is going to make me happy, or us happy, and we're going to go do it. And then crash. I need to unite my will to God's will. Also, number two, by prioritizing the words and people in our lives. How do we overcome disappointments? Listen, this is just going to be right down to street level. There are some people in your life, perhaps, you ought not to be hanging around with.

Just cut it off. Because listen, you will become like the people you hang out with. You say well, pastor, I'm a wonderful, strong Christian. I hang around with a bunch of losers, a bunch of non-believers, and I'm going to lead them all to Christ. You can witness to them. You can fly in there and drop your bombs like a Christian, so to speak, and fly out of there, which I think is wise.

But you hang out with them? The Bible says that their conduct will corrupt you. Now, the gospel's not fragile. But when you hang around people who say come on, come on, oh come on. You say no, I'm a Christian. Come on, come on. Eventually they're going to wear you down. Listen, what fellowship does light have with darkness?

You can witness to them, but look, if they don't want you to tell them about God, but they want you to go hey, man, just drive us home. When we get totally plastered, we can look to you to be the one that drives us home. You are flirting with disaster. Watch out. Get away from those who do not build you up in Christ. You say man, but I work with a bunch of non-believers. That's why you're here right now.

And that's why you read your Bible every day and talk to God. You get pumped up, you get built up, you go back into the world tomorrow, you be a witness for Jesus. And you're dropping those spiritual bombs all day long. Lord, there's Fred over there at the copy machine. Save him. Freak him out, God. I'm dead serious. I'm not joking about what I'm saying.

I worked 13 years at Baxter Healthcare and I'd do that very thing. There's so-and-so, God, he's a full-blown atheist, cause something to go on in his life that causes him to cry out to You. I told you guys this years ago. We are right in the middle of an experiment and there is this guy, I remember his name, I remember the moment. I can tell you what he looks like.

He's standing there and we're working and he was the boss of the experiment. So we're all doing the stuff and he's telling this off-color joke. Hey, you know what? Hey, listen to this! And remember the Whittier Narrows earthquake? Boom. Earthquake hit. The guy went from cussing to instantly saying, somebody pray, somebody pray! At least he knew enough that his prayers would never be heard.

He says somebody pray, somebody pray! And I remember I would literally silently pray in my mind, Lord, that guy, that girl, Lord, speak to them. Lord, reach into their lives. When you go to work, you need to be doing your job but looking around. When you see that guy walk by or that woman's at the copy machine or the boss pulls up, you need to say, Lord God, get them. Get them, Jesus.

Get them, speak to them, do what You must, just get their attention, Jesus. You should be thinking like that. I'm sure you do. Prioritizing the words and the people that are in your life. Ephesians 5:11 says what fellowship does unfruitful works have with darkness, but rather expose them. For it is a shameful thing to even speak of those things which are done by them in secret. Wow.

And then here we end with this: by giving the hurt to God and leaving it with Him. How do we overcome disappointments? Listen, in fact, close your Bible. I'm going to ask you to do something. Just listen. Close your Bible, sit still, we're done. I want you to just get fixed right now by the Holy Spirit. This is a decision that you have to make.

You've got to give your hurt and disappointments to God and leave it with Him. And I want you to get real quiet for a second. I want you to just bow your head, close your eyes and just as these thoughts come into your mind, you make them your prayer. Let's do business before the throne of grace right now. Many people, maybe you're here tonight and you're wounded and you're hurt by being abused or injured by those who you once trusted in life.

I don't know, maybe when you were younger, and the younger you are, the worse it is because you trusted people when you were younger. You've learned to become cynical. You've learned to become bitter. And you've got unhealed disappointments. You're bitter, you're hurt, and you don't even like to hear that. But you know that when the challenge comes to you of hope and trust, to get up and to make yourself like Jesus, vulnerable to those around you, you recoil at that.

I understand, you withdraw. But that's one of Satan's tricks to sterilize you. Maybe you have dad hurts in your life. Mom hurts or brother or sister hurts. Or maybe a friend has hurt you really bad. And whatever it is, maybe molestation or violence, I don't know, or abandonment. I read today that this one factor of disappointment was a person who had been adopted and felt angry all their life because they were given away.

And they viewed it from the bottom up instead of from the top down. And maybe tonight you're viewing things from the bottom up and you're constantly, perpetually disappointed. Stop right now and start viewing it from God's perspective. And here's the fix. Father, I pray right now for these that are here and I pray this: that they would take on, Father, Your mantle.

And, Lord, that You'd open up their eyes to see that our warfare is not of the flesh. And that these weapons that we have are of the spirit. Lord, that You would bless everyone, every one of us right now, to cast down these imaginations that challenge, Lord, the place of Jesus in our hearts. That tonight, Father, You would sweep across this sanctuary and set people free.

There are men in here tonight that have never felt the love of a father, or women in here that never felt the love of a father. And there's anger or bitterness. There's sons and daughters in here that have never felt the caress of a loving mother. I don't know. And we want to believe that we've just put it out and it's done, but the truth of the matter is there's bitterness in our hearts.

And, Lord, I pray that right now, right where we're sitting, that we'd cast all our care upon Jesus. That, Lord, we would turn to You, the anchor of our soul. And, Father, that we would all be anxious for nothing from this moment further. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, we would make our request known unto You, God.

So that the peace of God would surround us and surpass all human understanding and guard or garrison our hearts and minds through that name that we pray, that name above all names, Jesus Christ. Lord, heal. Lord, wash away. Lord, speak. We release to You tonight our disappointments and we ask tonight for Your renewal of our lives.

Thank You for dying on the cross for our sins, Jesus, and having been risen from the dead to set us free from all power of sin and death. That Jesus Christ is our only hope and He's the only one we need. And we call out to Him tonight in Jesus' name, Amen.

David J.: Pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called Discipline of Disappointment. This message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Disciplines of Life, a series that highlights the disciplines of a Christ-follower and the high cost of sharing our faith with others. We'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.

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/nogod. 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 No God tab at JackHibbs.com.

Do you think that your kid has a solid understanding of where America came from and why we're so blessed? Happy Birthday America: 250 Years of God's Blessings is a production that we've put out there that you're going to want to get your hands on for your kids and your grandkids because it's all about God's good hand upon America.

Get a copy for yourself and you'll enjoy it immensely. The Happy Birthday America booklet, helping the next generation discover the founding truths of our nation. Get your copy today for free. Just pay shipping at JackHibbs.com.

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. 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.