Real Life Radio

Jack Hibbs: To obey Him in signing up for the course, even if you got a D in the class, the whole point was that He wanted you to go through those things in the discipline of delay to get the answer to that person's soul: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. That's how He works in our lives.

David J: Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David J. Thank you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible.

Jack Hibbs: Hey everybody, have you ever thought about what's after life? Do you know that the Bible teaches life is after life? If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, my good friend Philip De Coursey 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 Harvest House Publishers. Get a copy for yourself.

David J: Life After Life by Philip De Coursey, 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.

On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues with his series called Disciplines of Life in a message titled Disciplines of Delay. Isn't it true that lots of us are waiting to hear from the Lord about something in our lives? And waiting can wreak havoc on our emotions as well as our patience.

We can't see what good can come out of our waiting, but God knows exactly what time it is. Timing, of course, is His sovereign business. And when He delays, all we've got to do is obey. So today, Pastor Jack teaches that God knows exactly how it's all going to turn out. And when we wait for His results and not try to make things happen, we're actually letting God be God. And it's amazing what He can and will do. Now with his message called Disciplines of Delay, here's pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: "I've had it with California. We're moving." "Oh, where are you going?" "Kentucky." "Okay, Kentucky. Did you find a church before you moved?" "Nope, we're just going." And then you hear this: "Lord told us to go." Because they're looking at me when I don't jump up and down. "You're going to Kentucky! That's great!" I'll just go.

And here's the thing. "What do you think about that, pastor? Honestly, pastor, we're moving to Kentucky." They tell me, "We're moving to Kentucky. What do you think about that?" Why are you asking me for? Who am I? Honestly, why do you ask me? I'm nothing. I'm nothing. I'm nothing. What did God tell you about Kentucky?

And then, from insecurity coming on, "Well, the Lord showed us we're supposed to go." Really? What verses did He give you? Because He speaks through here. What verses? "Well, we have to leave now." But listen, because I love you, I tell you. What are you doing? It's a crazy state. We all agree. Kentucky's nice, fantastic. But did God say go?

Here's the thing. We can surround ourselves with people who tell us, "Yeah, yeah! Let's go!" But God didn't say go. Joshua learned this painfully when guys showed up with moldy bread and worn-out shoes. And they said, "Oh, Joshua, we love you guys. You guys rock. You're incredible. And we want to join your team. We've walked forever. Look, when we left, we took this bread fresh out of the oven. And look, it's as hard as a rock. And our shoes were brand new, and now they're all worn out. That's how far we traveled."

Guess what? They were right over the top of the hill, on the hill on the other side. And they came and they fooled Joshua because, it says, because Joshua didn't consult the Lord, he got fooled. He got tricked. This is very, very important stuff. We need to wait on God because we are His workmanship, and God's doing a thing.

Psalm 37, verse 7, says, "Rest in the Lord." Isn't that a great word? Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. You know, that's a beautiful verse, but that is really hard to do. But we've got to do it or else we're not going to make it. I'm going to give you a few things, and I want you to jot them down real quick.

The discipline of delay, number one, separates you from the advice of the world. There's no way to shortchange this. There's no way. The discipline of delay to wait upon God until He answers separates you from the advice of this world. Don't listen to the counsel of this world. The world doesn't own you; God does. The world didn't die for you; the Lord did. And the world does not have a plan for you that's everlasting; He does.

The longer you—listen, you're not going to like it—but the longer you and I have to wait, the more clear we begin to see. Simple things become more evident to us. And by having less—listen, yes, the Bible says there's wisdom in a multitude of counselors, but when it comes to waiting upon the Lord, simplicity matters. God is very, very precious about this.

Here's the point. The longer you and I have to wait to get His answer, the more clear things become. That's when you know when somebody will say, "You know what? It was really tough, it was really hard, but I wouldn't—now I wouldn't change a thing." Have you ever said that? Isn't that a beautiful way to live? I love that. It's amazing.

Also this. The discipline of delay drives you to look to God alone. That's important. The discipline of delay settles God's Word into your heart and mind. When we wait on the Word and wait on the Lord, then when our will is unified to the plan of God. The danger is we automatically think we know what we should do. "I think we'll do this." Slow down, wait.

You know what? I've got to tell you, I think you know this: in your Christian life, aren't things happening sometimes at breakneck speed? I know it's true for my life. And here's the thing. When you get up tomorrow morning, will you do this? "Lord, give me Your wisdom for all that comes my way today. Stuff I know that's coming, and the stuff I have no idea that's coming. Don't let me—listen, are you listening? Don't let me make a decision, give an answer, even if it appears to other people to be on the fly, on the spot. Don't let it be from me."

And you think about that for a moment. How many times have you been in a situation in the barrage of ministry or life, or maybe it's your business and you want to be a godly example at your business, and something comes and you've got to make a decision on the spot? You're walking in the Spirit, and you're there. And some of those things are made on the spot. And you know God's in it when, a month or a year or ten years later, somebody comes back and says, "How did you know to say yes to that?" "I didn't." "You didn't? Oh my goodness! You..." "No, I felt strongly that that was the Lord leading me in that direction."

The property you're sitting on here right now, this dirt. There was no way that we could afford that dirt, this site. No way. When we were in the old building, the little building, the little warehouse thing, remember? We'd be giving the message, the wind would be blowing, the doors would be shaking. You could hear babies crying from children's mission. It sounds like a church having a child sacrifice all the time, the kids are crying. Kids screaming. There goes another one. It's crazy.

But you know what? God was leading and guiding, and we signed the offering. And the guy goes, "You know what? This is ridiculous!" He starts yelling at us. "You insulted me by offering this little amount of money!" But we prayed so hard before giving that dollar amount. And the guy, he said some non-Christian words at us, was all upset. And then a month later the guy calls back. "All right, we'll talk some more."

And God was so good. We never, as you guys know, we never had a thermometer, we never had a pledge drive, we never had a money meter. None of that stuff. And before we put the first shovel in the ground, God had paid off the property. Nobody died, we had no bazillionaires in the church. Never said a word about it. By the end, before we put the first shovel in the ground, God had paid off the property. He did it all by Himself. And behind the scenes, we're like going, "Wow!" Amazing. God is so good.

Listen to this. The discipline of delay enables you and I to trust God deeper. The longer we have to wait, the more we learn to trust in Him. And maybe that's the big problem. Because when we have to wait, we have to relinquish our rights to Him. The discipline of delay develops a mature, enduring faith within us. And that's a tremendous thing also.

Number three, the discipline of delay does this: God knows how it's all going to turn out in the end. He not only has a plan, He not only knows what time it is, He knows how it's all going to turn out. I'm glad about that. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 46, verse 9-10. He says, "Remember the former things of old." I mean, I'm trying, but He does. "For I am God, and there's no other. I am God, and there's none like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that have not yet been done, saying My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure." Isn't that an awesome statement? "I know stuff that hasn't even happened yet." I love when He talks like that.

And think about how He turns things around. Our entire book of the Bible is all about turnarounds. And I'll give you just a few. Number one, Noah. How did things turn out? Can you imagine God says, "Hey, Noah, build a boat." Well, no one's ever had a boat before, God. "Well, you're going to be the first one with a boat." Why? "It's going to rain." It's never rained before, God. "Well, it's going to rain after you build the boat." Can you imagine? And nobody believes Noah. How'd it turn out for Noah? It turned out just fine for Noah.

And then you think about Abraham. Abraham, my Jewish friends, I always get a kick out of this. Actually, they don't like to hear this, but I get a kick out of it. I'll tell my Jewish friends. Abraham was a Gentile before he was a Jew. Before he got circumcised, he was not circumcised. He was before Moses; there was no law. Abraham had a born-again relationship with God.

Think about it. God tells Abraham, "You're my friend. The just shall live by faith." The guy was a Gentile from Ur of the Chaldees, pagan-worshipping culture, uncircumcised. And the Bible says that when God spoke to him, he went out and followed God. It says, "And Abraham went out, following God, not knowing where he was going." How many men would embark on a trip not knowing where he was going? You've got to know because your wife's going to say, "Where are we going?" Sarah probably asked many times. How'd it turn out for Abraham? Pretty good.

Joseph turned out pretty good. Moses, Daniel. All of God's people have gone through seasons of delay, and it turned out pretty good. Don't panic if you don't hear God speaking to you. Wait. Don't decide, don't do that thing, don't jump. Wait. You can never outwait God. Just wait. And I know people—listen, people are going to pressure you to make a decision. I know what that's like. "Do something! Say something! What's wrong with him? Why doesn't he do something?" Believe me, inside I'm like, "Yes, listen to them! Do it, do it!" And God is saying, "Just wait. Just wait."

The Lord is, in fact, the Lord is always saying to me, "Listen, you can do it your way, you can do it my way. I'm still your God, I still love you. But one is going to be good and one's not going to be so good." "Okay, all right, help me." You know what I'm talking about? Good.

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. That's jackhibbs.com. And now, let's get back to today's message. Once again, here's Pastor Jack.

Jack Hibbs: When He delays, we've got to obey Him. And listen, you guys, the Scriptures make it very clear, by the way, before we go to our final point. The Scripture makes it very clear. You and I are living in the age where people are making fun of the fact that we believe Jesus is coming back. And you know what? The Bible tells us, in fact, it tells us in numerous places, the Scriptures tell us that in 2 Peter 3, "Know this first, that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts. They will say, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'"

Isn't that fantastic? The next time somebody comes up and says, "Oh, you guys believe in Jesus coming back at any minute," give the guy a kiss! Say, "Man, come here, come here, come here! You are fulfilling Bible prophecy, brother! The Bible says loonies like you would say the Lord's not coming back!" And listen, it goes on.

Jesus warned in Matthew 24. He said, "Watch out! In the last days, just before I come back, people are going to say, 'The Lord delays His return.'" And the Bible says those—listen, the people who say that, he said, the people who say the Lord delays His return begin to get sloppy in their walk. They begin to stop walking the straight and narrow. It says, Jesus said, they'll begin to drink and carry on and party and carouse. And the Lord will return in an hour that they're not ready, and He will catch them unaware, and they'll be swept away with the hypocrites, it says.

Well, people are laughing at me for being ready to meet Jesus. Let them laugh. I'm sure for 120 years people laughed at Noah until the first cloud showed up and rained. It turns out pretty good.

And number four, we'll end with this. God wants us to wait for His results. Ladies and gentlemen, church family, wait for the Lord to qualify, define, and bring about His results in what you're involved in. "Well, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that." Watch out! Let the Lord bring about His results. Wait for Him. Don't do, especially in the area of spiritual matters, don't do anything without God's confirmation in your life.

God wants us to wait for His results. And this is where many of us get into trouble as Christians because we get impatient, we fail to meditate, and we get into trouble. And remember this: the very first assignment to the church in Acts chapter 1 was to wait for my Holy Spirit. Wait. Wait for the Lord. Young people tonight, wait on God. I know this is going to sound insane to you. Find a room. Maybe it's a closet, maybe it's a bathroom, seriously. Find a place that's quiet. Get your Bible, get a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. Turn off your iPod, just shut it down.

It's going to be the hardest thing you've ever done. Five minutes will feel like five hours. And begin to discipline yourself to wait and to listen for God. And here's the fun part. Are you ready for this? This is free, man, this is free! Take a pencil and a piece of paper. I mean this with all my heart. And as you're, "Lord, You want to speak to me? Do You want to speak, Lord? Speak to me." And you're going to have a thought enter your head. Write it down. I don't care what it is. I'm dead serious about what I'm going to tell you. If it's like this: "Read Isaiah 28:19." Just write it down, and then wait.

"Change the oil in the car." Write it down. No, no, I'm serious! That's Satan messing with you. But use him! If your oil needs changing in your car, write it down so you don't forget. If Satan wants to remind me in my quiet time, "Hey, you left the door unlocked," door's unlocked. Right? You wait, you wait, you wait.

And then, listen, the Lord is going to speak something and it's like, "I want you to sign up for that class." Write it down, just write it down. Now you have a prayer list. "Lord, I took care of the oil, and I locked the door. Now, what about the class?"

Here's the fun thing. In your daily reading of the Bible, whatever you're doing, you're reading along and God will use a verse and it won't work for anybody else on the planet. This one verse will jump out and there will be an illumination in your head. God says with this verse, "Take the class." And you'll know that you are—absolutely no doubt about it—I've got to take that class.

And you sign up and you take the class and you're wondering, "I know I'm here by obedience to God." And all of a sudden, three weeks into the course, the instructor comes up and says, "Hey man, you know what? I got cancer," or whatever. And you'll pray, door opens up, you wind up witnessing to them or visiting them in the hospital and making a mission.

Are you willing as a Christian to pray like that, to write it down as silly as it sounds, to obey Him in signing up for the course, even if you got a D in the class, the whole point was that He wanted you to go through those things in the discipline of delay to get the answer to that person's soul: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. That's how He works in our lives. And that's why every day can be absolutely exciting for us. It's amazing. Wait for Him. We're out of time.

Father, we ask You, Lord God, that in this room right now, there may be those that are saying, "I need an answer. I need an answer." There may be those here tonight that are saying, "Lord, I need forgiveness." Father, move in our midst, I pray. Listen, church, I'm going to ask you to do something. I just—maybe this is a God thing. But if tonight you're seeking God for an answer, do you want to get out of this seat and come forward and just come up front here? You're seeking God for an answer for something. Let's lay it at the altar. Let's go before Him. Maybe the whole church has got to stand up and come forward, I don't know.

But let's just do that. Let's tonight, mark your calendar. You laid it at the altar tonight. And if you're coming forward too, you're saying, "I need Jesus in my life," then just come with the crowd. But tonight if you're praying, "I need a job, God. I need—is she the one or is he the one? Is it California or Kentucky? Lord, is it left? Is it right?"

I tell you what, in my heart, I'm coming forward right now for a revival. And I want to know what God wants to do in the next chapter of my life. What is it for you? You come now, and let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, as we gather right here right now, and Lord, we make this our place. The aisles, Lord, are filled and people are kneeling and Lord, it's just—apparently it's the whole house tonight. We are seeking You, and Lord, You hear what's on every heart right now. And Father, in Jesus' name, we pray that Lord, You would speak to us so clearly. You're such a wonderful God because for each of us, Lord, it may be a certain pitch, it may be a certain volume, it may be a certain tone, and You'll speak to each of us. But Father, tonight, these hearts are longing to hear from You. We're yearning to hear from You, Lord, about that thing that's on that heart right now.

And so, Father, we pray in Jesus' name as we make our cry to You, and You inclined to us, You spread out over us, Lord, to listen. We agree together in Jesus' name that we present our case to You, God. Lord, speak to us, show us. And tonight, we vow at the altar to make this commitment to wait upon You. We determine tonight to seek first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness, and all these things that are in our heart, in our mind now will be added in Your timing, Your way. Heavenly Father.

Church, let's pray this out loud together: Dear Lord, we come to You now. We present our case. We dedicate ourselves to You. Hear me when I cry, and may I hear You when You speak. May I obey. In Jesus' name, amen.

David J: Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called Disciplines of Delay. Thanks for listening today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Disciplines of Life, a series highlighting 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.

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/knowgod. 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.

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. From inspiring journeys to thought-provoking conversations, we've got it all. 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.

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.