Real Life Radio

Jack Hibbs: Jesus also prophesied and said in the last days, just before he returns back to earth, there would be a plethora, there would be many, countless numbers of cults all around the world. Those cults would have a theme, and that theme would denounce the deity of Christ and exalt their own leader or leaders as being a god or gods themselves.

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. Fear does not have to control your life, not when Christ is at the center of it. This month, we're featuring a powerful and deeply personal book, *Living Fearless in Christ*, by Hediyeh Mirahmadi.

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On today’s edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues now with his series called First Samuel and a message titled "The Spiritual Realm." Samuel of the Old Testament was the last judge of Israel and the first of her prophets. So, here in chapter 28, we’ll consider how there is a spiritual world beyond our visible realm.

As Christians, we’re to always look for spiritual answers from the Holy Spirit. But King Saul, in desperation, sought spiritual answers through mediums and occult practices. This reminds us that there is indeed an evil side of the spiritual realm.

Today, Pastor Jack teaches us that there are forces that are real and yet they don’t come from God. This is why the Lord encourages us to stay grounded in scripture and resist the temptation to seek answers outside of God’s word. Now, with his message called "The Spiritual Realm," here’s pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: The impending demise of King Saul is a tragic story. A lot of people have opinions about King Saul. I have my opinion about King Saul; you have your opinion about King Saul. You have to remember something: King Saul was a man that was appointed to the office of king of Israel by virtue of the fact that it was the will of the people.

They asked that Israel might have a king like all the other nations. By doing that, graphically I present before you that collectively the children of Israel got on a ladder. It was almost equal to the Tower of Babel. When they got up to the top, Nimrod there pulls out his arrows and begins to launch them into the sky at Babel, in Babylon, to try to shoot God down out of heaven so that he might be the ruler of the world. Nimrod insulted God in that attempt.

Then the Bible says that God sent confusion among the people. They began to speak other languages. From that point, that cradle of civilization went out the languages of the world. What’s interesting about that is linguistic and archaeological science and forensics in this area have not only traced all languages back to one tongue in the area of Iraq today, but also biologically.

This has been going on for quite a few years now. They trace through DNA, hematology, and archaeological forensics our original bloodline to a woman who lived somewhere in the area what is known today as the cradle of civilization. I think she goes by the name of Eve. This is interesting, fantastic science today.

When we consider Saul, the children of Israel did an equal type of insult like Nimrod did of old. The children of Israel looked around at all the other nation-states around them. They were tribes and tribal units of descendants and they usually went by tribal leader names or the lineage of such people.

Israel was this nation, and God wanted to rule it by a theocracy. God wanted to speak to his people and lead them, and they were to be unique above all people of the earth. The Bible says that God chose the Jewish people not because they’re brilliant—but they have become brilliant. Not because they’re rich, but many of them are now. Not because they were mighty in power; no one entangles with the Israeli army or the Israeli air force anymore.

God says, "I didn’t choose you for these attributes that you think you have. I chose you because you are the most stubborn, the most difficult, arrogant people to work with on the whole planet." So God said, "I chose you." That’s encouraging for us, isn’t it? If God can work with the Jewish people, he can work with us.

They are his chosen people, but not for any natural powers that they possess. God says quite frankly that because they are so stubborn, he has chosen them to show his glory in. But what that nation did was they said, "Wait a minute. We want a king like all the other nations of the world. We don’t want an invisible God. We want somebody who we can look at, an icon, a figurehead."

They wanted somebody who could ride around in a black donkey or black camel motorcade. They wanted somebody that they could recognize as their leader. They didn't want to have faith; they wanted to just look at him and believe they would do fine, and he could go in and out and fight their battles for them.

Samuel was beginning to scold the nation of Israel for that carnal approach. God said, "Samuel, just put a lid on it. Just be quiet. They haven't rejected you; they’ve rejected me. They don’t want me. So I’ll give them a king. I’ll give them what they want. I’ll give them a man who’s tall in stature, somebody they can’t miss in a crowd. I will give them a man who’s really, really good-looking, because that’s important to them. Because I’m invisible, I’ll give them something the exact opposite. They can focus their attention on him."

Be careful what you ask for from God. The Bible says often, as it does in the Exodus, when the children of Israel had come out of Egypt, they were whining and crying. They wanted to have meat. They were sick and tired of manna. They said, "This manna, we have it in the morning, the afternoon, and the evening. We’re tired of this manna."

They complained again, so God said, "You want meat? I’ll give you meat." An east wind began to blow and quail began to fly into the camps of Israel just at the height of a man’s chest. A man could pick up a stick and begin to beat the quail that were flying by. People were beginning to whack these quail as they were flying by.

It says every man was able to collect for himself a homer. A homer is a weight of measurement in the Old Testament. The Bible says that they had so much meat that as they began to eat, the meat began to come out of their nostrils. God did that to the children of Israel. He gave them the meat that they asked for, but he sent leanness into their soul.

It means they became complacent about the things of God. They didn't care. Now we see Israel in a place where the king has now lived the days of his life appointed by God. We studied in depth last time how in chapter 28, Saul is in a panic. He’s been pursuing David, who is now God’s appointed king, yet to take the throne.

Saul now is at such a desperate place that God is no longer speaking to him. He mismanaged the throne, he would not listen to God, and years had gone by. Despite God’s mercy, grace, and patience, Saul would still not turn and listen to God. Then the Bible said that God took his spirit from Saul and removed himself from him.

It is awesome to think tonight that perhaps none of us will ever know by the grace of God what that's like, to have God’s spirit taken away from you. That’s what hell is all about: where his spirit has been removed from a man. The Bible says that God’s spirit removed himself from Saul, and Saul was on his own in the world.

There is no more horrible condition I can imagine than to be a national leader and to have no direction. He was truly like a ship on the sea with no rudder. We know this man’s life, having spent so much time studying Saul, and that he’s a man driven by his emotions.

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 is Pastor Jack.

Jack Hibbs: Saul was on his own in the world. There’s no more horrible condition I can imagine than to be a leader like this man, a national leader, and to have no direction. He was truly like a ship on the sea with no rudder. We know by now this man’s life, having spent so much time studying Saul, that he’s a man driven by his emotions.

When he had rejected God and God had rejected him and removed his spirit from him, the scripture says that an evil demonic spirit came and began to torment him. He would be crying one moment to David, "Oh, David, I’m so sorry I treat you so bad, my dear son. I love you." Then David would come back into the palace and Saul would pick up a spear and try to kill him.

Then he would cry, "Oh, I’m so sorry, David. I don't know what got into me." He was insane, driven by his emotions. Now we see what we looked at last time in chapter 28, verse three. It says, "Now Samuel had died." So the great king-maker, Samuel the prophet, is now dead.

As Israel lamented for him, they buried him. Verse four: "Then the Philistines gathered together and came and encamped." As they were gathered there, they encamped at Gilboa. Look at verse seven: "Then Saul said to his servants, 'Find me a woman who is a medium. Find somebody who’s a spiritist, a soothsayer. Find somebody who’s dabbling in witchcraft. Find me something like that, that I may go to her and inquire of her. I need answers.'"

The man who once knew God stooped to the level of consulting demons. He goes to a channeler. His servant said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium in Endor." Saul disguised himself and he put on his other clothes and he went, and the two men with him, and they came to the woman by night.

He said, "Please conduct for me a séance." He was going to call up the dead; he wanted to inquire from the world beyond. "Bring up for me one that I shall name to you." Then the woman, verse nine, said to him, "Look, you know what the king has said, what Saul has done, how he has cut off from the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay the snare before my face to cause me to die?"

Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord lives, no punishment shall befall you for this thing." Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" He said, "Bring up Samuel for me." Everybody knew who Samuel was, including this witch. He was probably more famous than Saul because he was a man of God.

Verse 12: "When the woman saw Samuel," she cried out with a loud voice. Why? She freaked out. It was not some familiar spirit that she was used to working with. She was used to either ripping people off for money or channeling demonic spirits to gather information about a person’s life to lead them astray.

Satan is involved in leading people astray. That’s why the Bible says you shall not suffer a false prophet to live. If someone leads you astray, they lead your soul astray. That’s why God is so upset about the cults. That’s why Jesus also prophesied and said in the last days, just before he returns back to earth, there would be a plethora of cults all around the world.

Those cults would have a theme, and that theme would denounce the deity of Christ and exalt their own leader or leaders as being a god or gods themselves. What’s interesting about cults is that everybody gets to be a god except Jesus Christ. They exalt mankind and they tear down the deity of Christ. They all have that demonic link.

She says Samuel, and she cries out when she sees him and says, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul." The truth was coming out, not from a witch. God was intervening in the situation. He was freaking out the witch. He had a message for Saul and he was going to allow the spirit of Samuel to speak.

How do we know? Let the Bible speak and teach us from its own pages. Verse 13: "And the king said to her, 'Do not be afraid. What did you see?'" The woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit." Technically, she used the word *Elohim*. She was not saying "I saw God"; she was saying "I have seen a supernatural spirit. I have seen a being from the other world ascending out of the earth."

He said to her, "What is his form?" She said, "An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle." That was a mantle of authority. Samuel wore a mantle; he was a prophet. Saul heard from her that the man was ascending, he was old, and he had a mantle. He was a man of authority. He was Samuel.

Saul perceived that it was Samuel and he bowed down. Verse 15: Now look what your Bible says. "Samuel said to Saul." It doesn't say "a spirit said to Saul" or "the spirit said to Saul." It says Samuel. The Bible says Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"

Saul answered, "I am deeply distressed, for the Philistines make war against me and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by the prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called upon you that you may reveal to me what I should do."

This is so vital. If somebody who’s professing to know God is not being spoken to by God, Christian, be careful to not speak to them either. If someone is consulting God and God’s not telling them, maybe he doesn't want to say anything. Maybe that person’s not listening just right. Maybe God’s teaching them patience. Maybe they’ve sinned and he’s not speaking to them based upon Isaiah chapter 59.

It’s God’s prerogative to speak or not; it’s his business. When somebody says, "God’s not talking to me. I don’t know what’s going on," you can say, "I’ll pray for you." But when they start to say, "I just can’t get an answer from the Lord. What do you think I should do? Do you think I should take that job or not?"

I will not answer you when you come and ask me like that. I’m encouraging you as a Christian, don't answer your brother or sister. If God’s not answering them, don't answer them. You’re not God. Let them seek the Lord. Let him speak to them. He’s able.

God is always speaking, but we’re not always listening. Sometimes we just need to learn how to listen. Get still, turn off the TV, turn off the radio, and put the kids to bed. Pick an hour and set your alarm if you have to. Get alone with God, talk to him, seek him. If you’re not hearing God speak, please, Christian, don't run to some human and try to get a voice in your ear that way.

That’s a dangerous thing to do. If God’s not talking, wait and ask him why. Saul did a horrible thing. "No one’s talking to me. So here’s the deal: I’m going to use a witch who’s demonically possessed to get some godly information." The ends do not justify the means.

Saul asked what he should do. Samuel said, "Why then do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for himself as he spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek. Therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me."

Then verse 20, Saul goes into his already too-late act of submission to God.

David J: Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio and his message called "The Spiritual Realm." Thank you for spending some time with us today. This message is part of Pastor Jack’s series called First Samuel, a series that highlights the prophet Samuel, who was called by God during one of Israel’s darkest times to bring the people back to a heart of true worship. We’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.

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, at the gym, or need a moment of encouragement, you can dive right into 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, relevant, and 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. 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 and start exploring the sermon library today. That’s JackHibbs.com, where powerful teaching is always just a click away.

Daniel Cohen: Daniel Cohen here from Israel. If you love Pastor Jack Hibbs’ fearless approach to teaching God’s word, you’ll love the Real Life Network. It’s built for warriors who want the truth, God’s truth. On the Daniel Cohen Show, we bring you stories the mainstream media downplays. It’s time to start getting your news from people you trust. It’s totally free. Sign up now at RealLifeNetwork.com.

David J: Thank you again so much for listening. 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. 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.