Real Life Radio

Guest (Male): Today, on Real Life Radio.

Jack Hibbs: Jesus is announcing right here. It's his desire to capture you, to win you over. And not only to do that, to secure you. My sheep was lost, it's been found. It's mine. It's mine.

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. Well friends, listen, it's been two years here at the Real Life Network and God has been so good to us. God put it on our hearts to create a network that would be cancel free, censorship free, uncompromising so that we could bring the truth to anyone anywhere. God has been so good to us these last two years, everybody, and we want to thank all of you.

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Guest (Male): So if you haven't checked it out already, that's the Real Life Network streaming the best in Christian and conservative content. Sign up and start streaming today for free at reallifenetwork.com. That's reallifenetwork.com. On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series now called The Parables of Jesus and a message titled Parable of the Lost Sheep, part three. Whenever Jesus spoke to the crowds, he often spoke using relatable stories with common everyday themes and the Bible calls them parables. Now in this parable, Jesus is teaching us how much God loves us and how his concern for us is immeasurable.

You see, in part one and part two, we looked at those who are Christians who have wandered away from the faith and how God in his love is concerned for us. It's a comforting thought when we're feeling lost and dissatisfied in our pursuits that lead us nowhere. So today, Pastor Jack teaches that God's love is everlasting. He is our shepherd and that is the most pressing thing on his mind when we're lost. He is our creator and our security is in him. Now with his message called Parable of the Lost Sheep, part three, here's pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: The funny thing in my life is I know my source of joy. I know where to get it. People want to talk about the fountain of youth. The Where the fountain of youth? Google it. Google Earth. Where find it? Where is it? Listen, I found it. I found it. It's wherever I determine I'm going to meet up with Jesus. That's where it is. That's where it is. When I say, you know what? I am checking out from this world and I'm going to go sit alone with God, I'm going to meditate on God, I'm going Listen, I I don't mean this to sound bizarre to people.

There's a time when I even close my Bible and I set it and I'm just alone and I say, Lord, I just want to be with you right now. I just If you have anything to say, if you want I'm I'm just here. I'm just with you. Try that, will you? Will you just try that? Watch what happens. Your Your strength and your joy is replenished. Your life changes. America is the most medicated people on the planet. Did you know that? The average American consumes more drugs than any other person on the planet. Would you say America right now is happy or not happy?

Americans are grieved. Americans are depressed. It should never be said of the Christian. When I say depressed, don't confuse with people who go through emotional depression thing. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the kind of depression that comes because we refuse to get our joy. There's a big difference. Some of you are battling depression based upon either hormonal situations, emotional situations, internal chemical situations. That I'm not talking about that. Talking about when we look around in the world scene as Christians and the world scene gets the best of us when it ought not to.

You want to combat that? Go get alone with God. It's a lot cheaper than your prescriptions and it lasts. And you won't You won't take this pill to have your elbow feel better, but your legs fall off and you go blind and you can't speak and you bleed to death and you have a heart attack and you have thoughts of suicide, but doggone my elbow feels good. Have you noticed those commercials? Taking this medication will cause you to have suicidal thoughts. You may bite your dog. You might jump off the roof. You may catch yourself on fire.

All this so you can go to the bathroom or not go to the bathroom. It's like amazing. Wow. What a drug. There's no side effects with Jesus. None. It's amazing. Psalm 16 Psalm 16 verse 11 says, and you will show me the path of life and in your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. If that verse ministers to you, write it down, copy it, go pray that verse, talk to God about that, watch what he does in your life. Jeremiah 31:3, the latter end of verse three. Jeremiah 31:3.

You've heard it before. I love saying it. God says to us, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving kindness have I drawn you. You You can be joyful about that. John 15:9. Jesus said, as the father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. Build your dwelling in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love. That's where you're going to be the happiest. Just as the father Just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love, these things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full.

The word is overflowing, gushing joy. Only God gives that. You can't buy it. You can't earn it. You can't He gives it. Jesus is my joy, my peace I give. The third thing under this consideration is this. We are God's desire and that his desire for us is security in him. Security. Security in him. He says, look at that, verse six. He says, for I have found my sheep which was lost. What does that mean to you? Jesus is saying, my lost sheep Now remember, this whole parable ends with those that are lost being found and it also speaks to the believer having wandered away.

Jesus is announcing right here. It's his desire to capture you, to to win you over and not only to do that, to secure you. My sheep was lost, it's been found. It's mine. It 's mine. That's an important thing. Don't you want God to say, you're mine? Who would not want that? Honestly, who would not want that? Well, I'm my own man. No, you're not. Where'd you get that from? Well, I I I am woman. Hear me. Hear me roar. Look, the greatest thing in the world is for you and I to come to the reality of letting God own us.

He made you. He's your creator. But just because he's your creator doesn't mean he owns you. I mean, you've been bought with a price, Corinthians tells us. Paul does there. But you can be usurping your own authority saying, uh I am running my own life, God. Thank you very much, but no thanks. There's no greater thing than to be owned by the security of God. In John chapter 10 I love John chapter 10. I'm going to give you a bunch of verses here. You ready? Watch this. John 10 verse one. Jesus said, most assuredly I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door Who's the door?

Jesus is the door. But climbs up some other way the same as a thief and a robber. But he who enters the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger. Have you noticed that? The real Christian when they hear false teaching or false doctrine, they just go, no, there's something wrong with that and I'm leaving.

Have you noticed that? It's awesome. Why? Holy Spirit has given you the ear to hear the shepherd's voice and you will not follow someone else. That's why Listen, that's why I've often said, we are all sheep of his pasture, right? Well, but you are a pastor. You're the pastor, which is the word for an interim shepherd. I understand that, but I've already had a deal made out with God that I'm at best a sheepdog. He's the chief shepherd. I remind him of that constantly. We're sheep. He's the shepherd. If anything, I'm a sheepdog. Okay, listen to what Jesus says.

He says, for they do not know the voice of strangers. Look at verse seven. Then Jesus says to says to them again, most assuredly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All whoever came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved. Listen, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not This is a reference to Satan, by the way. The thief does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy.

I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. Verse 11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep, but a hireling that is a shepherd who punches the clock 8:00 to 5:00. If the sheep are in trouble before 8:00, he doesn't help them. If they're in trouble after 5:00, he doesn't help them. He's in it for the money. He's in it for the position. He's in it for the title. I don't know what, but he's not in it for the right thing. Jesus says, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees.

What a knucklehead. And the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he's a hireling and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd and I know my sheep, watch, and am known by my sheep. As the father knows me, even so I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold. That's Israel. The fold The original fold is Israel. Then also I Them also I must bring. That's us, the Gentile believer. And they will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

Therefore my father loves me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me. That is his life, but I lay it down of myself and I have the power to lay it down and I have the power to take it again. This command I have received from my father. Isn't that awesome? If you're reading Bill O'Reilly's book The Killing of Jesus, Bill O'Reilly forgot that verse. Nobody killed Jesus. Bill O'Reilly says You know who Bill O'Reilly is? He's not a theologian. Okay. Bill O'Reilly says that Jesus cared so much for the poor that he went and stood up for the poor so much that he wound up getting himself killed.

I don't know that Jesus. That Jesus is not the Jesus in the Bible. Jesus says, I lay down my life when I'm good and ready and when I'm done, I'm going to take I'll raise my life back up and I'm going to do it for the sheep. Isn't that awesome? He says, nobody takes my life from me. Wow, that's awesome. That's excellent. You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series, just go to jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. And for now, let's get back to our teaching.

Once again, here's Pastor Jack. Third point, we can finish this. We can do it. Third and final point, verse seven. Look at it. We are God's aim. We are God's aim. We are his aim. Verse seven says, I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 just persons who need no repentance. What do we mean by that? His aim is to have you return to him. Return to him. How Listen, don't answer out loud. How's your walk with God? Is God smiling upon your walk?

Is God glad with your walk? Is Jesus saying, you are one of the 99? Notice what he's saying. He is not saying that the 99 are perfect. He's saying the 99 have nothing to need They have no need to repent of waywardness. It doesn't mean they're flawless. They're sheep. He's saying 99 The 99 They haven't wandered away. There's no There's no necessity for them to repent of a waywardness. They They haven't gone anywhere. But So what about you if you have If God is speaking to you tonight and there's stuff in your life and And you're saying even right now in your mind you're saying, I didn't want to I didn't want to think about I'm going to I'm I'm denying it.

I'm not even going to go there. I Jack, I know you're trying to lay that on me. But they're down that hallway in that room. That's my little thing and I am not going to go there. I'm not going to let Jesus in. I'm not letting anybody there. And you're And you're You're holding that off right now and God is saying, that's exactly the room I want you to let me in. And you're saying, no. Watch. No. And it's hard for you because you go, no, Lord. I know that doesn't make any sense. If you were my Lord, I can't say no.

Did you know that? You can't say no, Lord. You can only say yes, Lord. Did you know You can only say yes, Lord. Is Jesus your Lord? Yes. Okay, then he wants in the room. No. Then you can not call him Lord. The Lord has keys to the kingdom, man. That's you. That's me. He has absolute authority to walk down every hallway of your soul and walk into any room. Hey, Jack, what Jack, what's in this What's over here? Uh Nothing. It is absolute joy and victory to say Lord. Now look, I'm going to be I'm going to be What's the word?

Uh over the top with this. Jesus, I know I'm supposed to yield to you, but I don't want to. I know I'm supposed to call you Lord and I can in every room of my life but this room. I have a problem, Jesus. I have a problem. By the way, if you don't do what I'm telling you right here about then you're not going to get any victory. If God is speaking to you tonight and saying it's this thing right here, it's this issue, it's this thing, it's this practice, it's this habit, it's this secret and if you don't let him in there, you will You'll You will live a a wounded Christian life and fruitless Christian life and it will cost you everything in the end.

I mean, you'll go to heaven, but you're going to go doggone it, I sacrificed so much and here I am walking around in heaven pushing a trash can and a mop cleaning up. You know those guys at Disneyland? Like I work at Disneyland. And that It's What do you do? Just pick up my popcorn. You don't want that. You don't do that in heaven. All because of that room. So what you do is this, Jesus. You are Lord almost in my life because I won't let you in this room. I know you're supposed to have access to this room and so Lord, I'm going to ask you right now to change my heart.

I don't want my Listen, I don't want to give this up. I don't want to deal with it, but I'm going to ask you, Lord, to cause me to hate it, to cause me to give it up. Okay, listen, every one of us can pray this prayer. You might say, well Jack, I'm not even willing to pray the prayer. I got you. That's where you come back and you say this. Lord, I'm not willing to even pray that prayer. So would you make me willing? And if you can do that, everything begins to change. It changes at all.

In Matthew Jesus promises us release. In fact, we'll end with that verse. When he says that sinners us One sinner that repents the Bible says in Galatians chapter six verse one, brethren He's talking to the church at Chino Hills. If a man is overtaken in any trespass so there's a man that's been beat up and arrested by his own sin. You who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness considering yourselves, lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. What's the law of Christ? Anybody know?

That's it. Michael got it. The law of Christ is to love. And so God wants you to return. The second thing is his aim is to have you rejoice. As we mentioned earlier, look at Jesus says verse seven, I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one. Well, how about 10? Package deal, combo, Costco bundle. No, Jesus says just one. Isn't that amazing? This is why in good theological terms, this is why we conclude And we And believers have for 1000 for 2000 years he's your personal savior. Jesus saves one at a time.

You say, yeah, but what a You know, what a What about a bunch of people like What about a crusade and everybody comes forward or what about in a service a bunch of people raise their hand? One at a time. Each of them heard him speak to them by conviction by whatever means he is speaking to them about. Isn't it interesting that the gospel goes out, right? The gospel goes out and whenever that happens you will have a man who's 80 years old except Christ and at the same time there'll be a kid across the sanctuary that's 16 except Christ.

How in the world does that happen? There'll be a person who is white as the driven snow and someone who may be from Africa, black as the night, and it has nothing to do with skin color. You can have a rich man and a poor man and they hear the same gospel go out and they get saved. How does that happen? It's supernatural. It's awesome. God does that. One sinner at a time and that makes him your personal savior. And then finally, it's this. His aim is to have you This is where it all begins.

Repent. Metanoia. The word means to change your mind, change the way you think. Can you change the way you think? Of course you can. Isn't it funny how we've been conditioned to think, by the way? You know that? There's people People have spent a lot of effort trying to get you to think a certain way. For one thing your parents try to get you to think a certain way. Could be good, could be neutral, could be bad, could be mixed. Could be that they were doing the best they could, but they tried to get you to think a certain way.

That's Could be Let's say that's good. Okay, let's say it's good. They love you. Uh your teachers try to get you to think a certain way. Okay, so you spend all your time raising your kid to think a certain way. Okay, then you go send the school that they're going to go do 50,000 bucks to have the school unteach them all the stuff you taught them on how to think a certain way. And great thing is you pay for it all. It's amazing. And then the government tries to get you to think a certain way.

It's called campaigning. The more you campaign, the more you can affect people's thinking because it's like really motivational kind of speaking. I promise you, you can keep your own healthcare plan or whatever. It's like really? Or whatever. They talk that They say anything. Your mind Your mind is uh the control unit. It's the central processing for you. And thank God the Bible says Jesus Christ when he saves us, the Bible says he renews our mind. And that mind Listen, it all starts. It's an amazing thing if you think about it. A person walks into a building or maybe they're listening to the radio or they're watching a program about God or whatever or maybe they're just looking at a sunset and God sends a lightning bolt of thought into their minds and they start thinking a God thought and they start changing.

What is that starts in the mind? Start thinking. And when you start thinking I believe God is in that process, ladies and gentlemen. I I believe I believe that science is a healthy way of using your mind the way God intended it to be used. Science doesn't disprove God. When you use your mind right it confirms God. Listen, when Newton discovered the law of gravity, he didn't say, gosh, that's fantastic. Up until this moment I believed in God and now I discovered the law of gravity and and and I invented some I discovered this law of science, so now I don't need to believe in God.

Really? I can't even say the word right. It's the most influential scientific book ever written to man outside the Bible. Newton's um Mathematica Principica, I think it's called. And it's it's still today revered revered as the greatest scientific writing in the hands of man. And the conclusion of the book is science doesn't explain why we're here. Science just explains how things work. It doesn't explain why. It just says how.

Guest (Male): Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio with his message called Parable of the Lost Sheep, part three. Thanks for being with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Parables of Jesus. It's a series highlighting the teachings of Jesus while he was ministering here on this earth and we'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. You ever feel like your Christian values are under constant assault in a world where biblical truth is often labeled hateful or backward? How do we stand firm without becoming combative or isolated?

Pastor Jack Hibbs wants to help you find answers with this month's featured resource when culture hates you. It's written by Natasha Crane and in this Straight Talking book you'll discover how to tackle tough conversations, maintain biblical convictions, and respond to cultural hostility with both grace and truth. Now think of it as your essential guide for navigating a world that often views faith as the enemy. You'll learn how to speak confidently on issues of morality, identity, and belief without losing sight of God's love because sometimes the strongest stance is one that balances conviction with compassion. Now if you're ready to stand strong in an ever-shifting culture, look no further.

When culture hates you, it's available for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com/realradio. One more time, jackhibbs.com/realradio. 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.