ANNOUNCER: The following program is sponsored
by generous friends and partners of Real Life.
ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Real Life with Jack Hibbs.
JACK: Friend, are you suffering? Are you going
through something? It's not the end. He has a plan. I want to
know what it is. He's not going to tell you. That takes
faith. If He told you it wouldn't take any faith.
ANNOUNCER: Painful scars often form after physical
injury causing irritation, discomfort, and pain.
Though not as visible, we also suffer from
the effects of emotional, mental, even spiritual
trauma. Today, learn how Christ can convert our scars
into displays of glory. Stay tuned for the message Scars.
ANNOUNCER: Has your spiritual life stalled out?
Do you find yourself on the side of the road
watching others drive past, unable to move forward
because of fear, indifference, or maybe distraction?
It's time to get your spiritual motor started and begin
living a life of purpose, joy, and effortless Faith.
Ignite Your Life is a brand new book from gifted businessman and
car enthusiast, Barry Meguiar, with an energizing passion for
living every day with fearless faith. Barry helps you conduct a
spiritual tuneup to get you back on the track in the race of
life. Ready to live a joy-filled, purpose-driven,
God-honoring life? Order your copy of Ignite Your Life by
making a gift of any amount to the ministry of Real Life. Get
your copy by going to JackHibbs.com or by calling
877-777-2346. On your mark. Get set. Go.
(Music)
JACK: Well, hey, my friends, listen, the Bible says
in the book of James chapter 1 verses 2
through 4, and this is powerful stuff. So
true. The Bible says, "Consider it pure joy my
brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces
perseverance." That perseverance is an endurance. It is an
ability to continue on long and hard in the things of life with
God. So listen, what's your story? We all have one. Every
single one of us right now can reiterate some story, but what
has God brought you through? Those are the stories that so
often make for tremendous, tremendous testimonies as
believers. So as you consider that, the fact that difficulty,
trials, and hardships is something that the Bible
anticipates, the Bible instructs you on how to deal with these
things, it doesn't ignore them. It doesn't gloss over them. The
Bible's the only book in the world that gives you the literal
answer. So listen, the best thing that you and I can do is
let perseverance finish its finish it's work so that you and
I may grow more mature and complete, not lacking anything
in our Christian experience. So grab your Bibles. Let's dive
into a message that we are titling Scars. We've all got
them, but how do we handle them? And when we look at them, by the
way, do they bring us down or have we come to the place that
when we look at our scars, it tells us that we've been brought
through a situation that God was faithful and this scar is
more like a badge rather than something of
defeat. Scars, we all have them, but God wants
to make them great victories in our life.
JACK: What are you going to do? You clinging
to Christ. What are you going to do when
the doctor makes his announcement? You clinging
to Christ. And it's not- listen, it's not such a- I understand
none of us want go through any pain. We're all on
the same team on that, okay? And if we could just die just, and
then we open up our eyes and we're in heaven, I don't want
needles. I'm not afraid of dying. I don't want to get
there. But His grace will be there. He's promised us His
grace. But do you know, listen, we're going to heaven. Now, the
Bible doesn't say much about heaven, just enough. Paul the
Apostle, we infer from his writings, it says that I know a
man who was killed and who was caught up to heaven and saw
things that is not legal for a man to speak of, they were so
glorious. It's so amazing, Paul said, I'm going to talking about
the glory, it's illegal for human words to describe it, it's
so awesome. So you think about that, how can that possibly be?
C.S. Lewis tries to describe such differences from lostness
and redemption, and he talks roughly this way. He says, you
know, concerning what God is going to do with us who trust in
Christ, he said, consider a cow. How bad can a cow be? A cow, you
know a black and white cow? How bad can a cow be? How good can a
cow be? This is the cow being bad. It's the cow being good. It
looks black and white to me. What about a dog? Can a dog be a
little bit worse than a cow? Can the dog be a little bit better
than a cow? I think way better than the cow. I don't know.
We've had three dogs in our lives, they've all been born
again. Amazing. They exhibit the fruit of the Spirit like I've
not seen in people. But the more you emanate out from that, the
more risk it gets. How bad can an angel be? How good can an
angel be? Wait a minute, angels were not created in the image of
God. We were. How good can we be? How bad can we be? When
Christ comes back to get us, He's taking us to you and I
being the absolute perfect will and expressed image of God like
Jesus was here on earth. He's going to glorify us, the Bible
says, we'll get to this later in this chapter. You guys, we have
an amazing future. This earth is not. Man, I'm going to grab all
gusto I can because I could die
tomorrow. Let's live it up! Man, you need to get a heavenly
perspective. You need understand, living it up with
Christ is coming. It's amazing. The Bible tells us in
Philippians chapter 3 verse 10, a very dear verse to me
personally, I didn't understand it for years, until frankly, I
went through a bunch of suffering. And it's Philippians
3:10, and I have to tell you before I went through something,
this is how I read the Philippians 3:10 "that I may
know Him in the power of His resurrection." Wow, what a
verse. I'm honestly- don't tell anybody, I'm telling you this is
personal. What does the rest of the verse say? "And the
fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death."
What is that? I never read the whole thing. You know why- You
know why this verse has become dear to me for life. We were a
little home fellowship group in Chino Hills in a couple of
houses, and we decided to host a Sunday Easter sunrise service at
the park. We had no idea what we were doing, and hundreds of
people showed up. We were completely blown away. We were
talking about all the stuff that God had done that day, and later
that evening we were at Mark and Mary's house and we're talking
and it was amazing. And I felt this little, what was that? I
felt like I got a bee sting inside my guts. It was like,
what was that? And then it happened again. And I told Lisa,
I said, I have to go home. So I just walked across the street to
our house and frankly, I started going to the bathroom and I
didn't stop for nine months. And I was in the hospital and I was
going through every test you can imagine, and the pain is
increasing and it's not a happy picture. And I lost 30 something
pounds and I was going anemic. I couldn't keep anything in. And
so now they're telling me, well, it looks like you have either
stomach or colon cancer, but we're sending you to this
specialist. And then they did this again, and I don't know,
doctors do. Dr. Joe does the test on Monday, but Dr. Phil,
he's got to have the same test done on Thursday, cause he
doesn't trust Dr. Joe's. So it's like it's just my body. Who
cares? Just do your- you know what I'm saying? And it's just
like after a while, you're just like this, right? And then you
get to the point when you're looking at Philippians 3:10, and
I remember saying, I'm good. Whatever you're doing, I'm good
with it. Everybody's prayed for me. My company, Baxter, they
were amazing. They broke all kinds of rules to keep me still
employed because I missed months of work and I resigned. That's
it. God, you're so good. You're amazing. And He spoke to my
heart. I didn't hear a voice, but He spoke to my heart. He
said, you love this verse, but you'd never read it all the way
through. This is what I'm doing in your life. And then it dawned
on me right then and there, Lord, if you're putting me
through this suffering, then you have a plan. Friend, are you
suffering? Are you going through something? It's not the end. He
has a plan. Well, I want to know what it is. He's not going to
tell you, that takes faith. If He told you, it wouldn't take
any faith. I want to see I want to see everything. Not going to
happen. Abraham went out following God not knowing where
he was going. How's that? Abraham gets an A. Sarah gets
two A's, can you imagine? Sarah, follow me. Where are we going? I
have no idea. And she followed him. So both of them amazing. He
says also regarding verse 18 is that we have to have the right
perspective. And the word there is are not worthy, that these
difficulties are not worthy to be compared. The word worthy is
axios, and here it's in the negative sense, obviously, if
you look at this. But the word is announcing that what heaven
awaits us to enjoy, that there's nothing on earth that you can
compare it to. It's not in the same league. It's not weighty
compared to where we're going. So as we wrap this up, you need
to be thinking, are you going to heaven? Where are you? Listen,
if you are inside your head, if you're today saying, I think I'm
good, don't think you're good. The Bible says you are to know
that you're good. I don't mean good, good. I mean good, secure.
And know this, you can't get to heaven by any good deeds of your
own, the Bible says, but what about all the nice stuff I've
done? Good, good. That's it. Good good for you. But doesn't
that get me into heaven? Nope. You can't get to heaven by being
good. You get to heaven by being washed in His blood. You get to
heaven by trusting Him and leaning upon Him. And then he
goes on, and we'll wrap it up here, this is where we'll end is
that we're to be looking forward to what I call the beginning.
What God has in store for us He announces here with the glory
which shall be revealed in us. The glory. What an amazing
thing. Doxa. It's where we get the word doxology. You've heard
that term. Give us or present the doxology. Ology words.
Bology words about bio, right? Ology is the study of, or you
could say words of doxa, the words of glory. We should be
talking, by the way, about the words of glory, the things of
glory, the book of glory, because that's where we're
going. And what is going to be revealed in us, this world
cannot cast a shadow upon in its most grotesque suffering. I
speak to you by faith. I don't understand what I'm about to
say, but I don believe the Bible. How in the world will God
make right somebody who brutally rapes a one-year-old child to
death. If I were God, I know exactly how I would deal with it
before that event even got started. Are you hearing me? Why
doesn't He do something about it? Is our earthly question. I
get it. Can you imagine? Wait, it's not just Him. Can you
imagine God holding the angels back at bay who they would
delight to kill that perpetrator in a second. And God says, wait,
I don't understand it. Somehow, some way God is going to be
glorified and that those who have been victims, God is going
to vindicate. I don't understand it, but we're talking about
heaven here. But it's so horrible in the now. Listen, it
might get worse. Well, it will get worse according to the
Bible. It's just going to make heaven all that more weighty for
us. We need to stop looking at the here and now as the
terminus, we're all hurt in some ways regarding something, but
this I've learned in a very tiny way what I've gone through in
other areas, it was necessary for what He wanted to speak to
me about. And then He always lays this on me, because He is
really loving is are you willing to go through this, Jack, that
somebody might get saved? Are you willing to go through this
right now so that others might grow in Jesus? How do you answer
Him when He says that to you? Yes. No, I have to confess it
makes things beautifully, perfectly in perspective. Are
you willing to suffer through this so that others might know?
Yes sir. The glory of heaven, I want to remind all of you,
heaven is going to be awesome. Listen, according to the Bible,
I probably should put it this way. Sometime ago somebody was
listening to our program on the radio in LA and they came and
they were horrifically offended and upset, and they'll never be
back here again. You want to know why? Because we had drums
on the stage and everyone knows that Satan lives- see that
little hole right there? And I said, have you read your Bible?
Of course. Have you read the Psalms? Yes. How about 150?
Psalm 150. Have you read Psalm 150? Psalm 150 is really a loud
Psalm. There are symbols slamming, there's drums beating,
there's sound singing, the voice of people shouting. It's like an
ocean waves roaring God speaking. The Bible says that
when Jesus speaks, it sounds like a gigantic rushing
waterfall. Heaven is loud. Well, I don't like loud. No. See, we
get this thing rest in peace. Well, may he rest in peace. Who?
Our brother who just passed. Well, he's not resting in peace.
I mean, let's be honest, he's not resting in peace if he's a
brother of mine, if he's a brother or sister of yours,
they're not resting in peace. They're partying in praise.
They're worshiping God. The praise, the angels are singing,
it's loud and noisy. Say, I don't want that. Well, it's your
choice. We're going to have a great time up there and it's
going to be amazing. I want to leave you with this picture,
everybody, you can close your Bibles we're all done. It's
pretty amazing. We are on the Mount of Beatitudes. Now, when
you go to Israel, there are locations where you are in the
vicinity of archeological evidence. When we are in the
area of Gideon's Springs, we're pretty sure that this spring, no
doubt has been here for thousands of years. We have all
kinds of records of it. But where did Gideon and his 300
kneel down? We don't know. Or when we're over at this site,
what about this? What about that? And this coin was found
right here, so we pretty- Now, when we go to some sites like
Magdala, now you're standing in the synagogue where Mary of
Magdala, Mary Magdalene stood. A flood unearthed the old
synagogue, and it's beautiful. You'll see it when you go. But
when you go to the Mount of Beatitude, it's up in the
country in the Galilee. It's gorgeous, by the way, and it's
very much untouched. And there's one spot up there where it is
well known and documented that that's where Jesus gave the
teaching of the beatitudes. Blessed those who, right? And
one of the things that's remarkable about it, you can
talk right there and the sound just goes forever. You can talk
to a huge crowd, not that He needs help, but maybe Jesus used
the acoustics that He created. But the Bible says there are
thousands there listening. And so we were taking our tour and
teaching the people and we got done. And there was a- back over
by the road, there was a backhoe, like a Case or a John
Deere backhoe tractor. It was all locked up. Shut up. But we
noticed that there were two dogs tied to the tractor. In fact, if
I remember right, John Strash and Morgan Lawrence, my
son-in-Law, they saw the dog and they went over there and the two
dogs, one dog was in a bad way. It was chained to the tractor,
but the other dog was loose. It was free. But the other dog
didn't want to leave the chained up dog side. And the dog that
was chained up, if you know what a German short-haired pointer
is, and the chain, the dog had been there so long, I think
either the worker died or went away for the season or
something. But this dog has chained to this tractor. And the
other dog must, I'm guessing, how did this dog live? There's
no food. There's no water. And so I think his buddy was
bringing him food, I'm guessing. But when they showed up, the dog
ran away, but the other dogs just chained like this,
mortified. And they began to calm it down and they realized
the chain had grown into the neck of the dog. So it must've
been there as a very young dog and the chain. So just getting
that chain off is going to be a bloody mess. But those guys,
they broke into the tractor cab and they got out tools and they
started prying the ugly, horrible chain. I'm talking
about a construction chain, not a chain like oh, you know you
had a across at the end. This is a brutal, this is a chain that
you chain fences with. And that dog is just there mortified, and
they got it and there's blood and all this, but it has the
incredible scar of lynxs around its neck. And they got him and
he took off running, and then his buddy came up and they got
together and they looked back at everybody and then took off
running and really everybody in the bus. Yeah! And so you think
for a moment, how'd that dog get like that? I don't know. What
was going on in that dog's mind, I don't know. But that dog was
not made to be tied up like that. But a stranger came along
and set him free. He still has the scars, I'm sure to this day
of that chain around his neck about his past, scars are still
there as a reminder, but no longer controlling him. That dog
probably won't get near a chain again, bears the scars been set
free. Do we not all bear the scars, but we've been set free?
Don't let your scars determine your liberty or not, your
freedom or not as a believer. Oh, my life's been so bad, scars
that He converts into displays of glory. It's true about His
own body, it's true about our testimonies and stories as
believers what God has brought you through, is it not?
JACK: So friends, scars. Scars. What's your story regarding
your scar? It could be that you got this injury
here or this scab or something over here,
or maybe it's that scar in your knee from that
surgery. Yes, of course, but listen, we're talking about
the scars of life that make up for your story. And only God can
convert scars into great, great victory marches. And so it goes
to this, what is your story? Jesus Christ has been faithful
through all of our sufferings to bring us hope. What do we do
when we hurt? We go to the Word of God. What do we do when we're
injured? We go to Him in prayer. Remember that Christ converts
our scars into displays of glory. And as I mentioned and
alluded to before, the Apostle Paul, his back was scarred
throughout his life. I think of friends that I know that have
been in the military who have received purple hearts as their
medal because they've got deep scars within their flesh. But
listen, Christ suffered on the cross so that you and I might
live eternally. That's what I want you to take away regarding
scars. The scars that Jesus received were scars to set you
and I free from the power of any scar that would come into our
life, the scars, and that He would convert them into great
victory because three days later, Jesus rose again from the
dead. So I just want to encourage you in your walk in
that way. So Lord, I pray that you bless my brothers and my
sisters right now as they press on with Jesus. And so Father God
galvanize us in this walk of faith. We ask it in Jesus' name,
and all God's people said, amen. Well amen to you. Listen,
friends, as always, you can go to JackHibbs.com where all of
our teaching and materials are there for you. You can also
follow us on Facebook and Instagram. So until next time,
stay close to Jesus. Amen. God bless.
ANNOUNCER: You are watching Real Life with Jack Hibbs.
ANNOUNCER: Has your spiritual life stalled out? Do you
find yourself on the side of the road watching
others drive past, unable to move forward
because of fear, indifference, or maybe distraction?
It's time to get your spiritual motor started and
begin living a life of purpose, joy, and effortless Faith.
Ignite Your Life is a brand new book from gifted businessman and
car enthusiast, Barry Meguiar, with an energizing passion for
living every day with fearless faith. Barry helps you conduct a
spiritual tuneup to get you back on the track in the race of
life. Ready to live a joy-filled, purpose-driven,
God-honoring life? Order your copy of Ignite Your Life by
making a gift of any amount to the ministry of Real Life. Get
your copy by going to JackHibbs.com or by calling
877-777-2346. On your mark. Get set. Go.
ANNOUNCER: Life is full of fear, doubt, and
worry. The more you listen to and see the
world today, the easier it is to feel hopeless and
helpless. Amidst the confusion a voice of hope has
emerged, The Real Life Network founded by Jack Hibbs. The Real
Life Network is a free digital media platform, void of the
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faith. Click on the QR code or sign up for free at
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ANNOUNCER: Welcome to Real Life Radio with Jack Hibbs.
JACK: God's Word never will return void. God's Word is
Spirit, i's power, and it has its effect. God did not
give us Bible prophecy to scare us, but to prepare us.
You are the light of the world, Jesus said, you are
the salt of the earth. How does that happen?
ANNOUNCER: Jack Hibbs truly believes we are living in
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ANNOUNCER: The preceding program was sponsored
by generous friends and partners of Real Life.