1 00:00:00.460 --> 00:00:02.830 Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast. 2 00:00:03.630 --> 00:00:06.850 With intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip 3 00:00:06.850 --> 00:00:09.010 the saints, and impact our culture. 4 00:00:09.370 --> 00:00:11.290 God speaks about new. 5 00:00:11.650 --> 00:00:12.890 He loves to give new. 6 00:00:13.370 --> 00:00:15.250 And that is so seen in the birthing 7 00:00:15.250 --> 00:00:17.050 of Jesus coming into the world. 8 00:00:17.430 --> 00:00:19.310 And He comes in just like us. 9 00:00:19.650 --> 00:00:21.810 He's got five fingers and five toes on 10 00:00:21.810 --> 00:00:22.890 each hand and each foot. 11 00:00:22.950 --> 00:00:25.070 He's got the nose, the ears. 12 00:00:25.470 --> 00:00:27.130 He's just like you and I. 13 00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:28.710 He feels what you and I feel. 14 00:00:28.710 --> 00:00:32.030 He experiences the draft, the cold, the heat. 15 00:00:32.550 --> 00:00:35.570 Everything pre-planned by the power of God 16 00:00:35.570 --> 00:00:37.090 to come into this world and relate to 17 00:00:37.090 --> 00:00:37.610 you and I. 18 00:00:41.380 --> 00:00:43.720 You can get the outlines of this podcast 19 00:00:43.720 --> 00:00:47.500 by going to Jackhibbs.com slash podcast. 20 00:00:48.220 --> 00:00:51.000 Today, if this podcast lifts you up and 21 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.260 encourages you to live a more fulfilled life 22 00:00:53.260 --> 00:00:55.360 in Christ, then make sure you leave us 23 00:00:55.360 --> 00:00:56.980 one of those five star ratings. 24 00:00:57.300 --> 00:01:00.600 To us, that's like saying amen or yes. 25 00:01:00.600 --> 00:01:03.360 Then that rating will encourage others to listen. 26 00:01:03.739 --> 00:01:06.080 Now open your hearts to what God's word 27 00:01:06.080 --> 00:01:07.100 has to say to you. 28 00:01:07.460 --> 00:01:08.980 Here is Jack Hibbs. 29 00:01:09.780 --> 00:01:11.660 One of the key verses that you and 30 00:01:11.660 --> 00:01:13.420 I always go to is 2 Corinthians chapter 31 00:01:13.420 --> 00:01:14.500 5, verse 17. 32 00:01:15.200 --> 00:01:16.000 And I love that. 33 00:01:16.080 --> 00:01:18.860 It says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, 34 00:01:19.740 --> 00:01:21.680 so the baby born in Bethlehem is going 35 00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:24.640 to someday in his adult ministry life, he's 36 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.100 going to challenge those to believe in him. 37 00:01:27.100 --> 00:01:30.780 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is 38 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:31.600 a new creation. 39 00:01:31.760 --> 00:01:33.140 All things have passed away. 40 00:01:34.500 --> 00:01:36.280 Behold, all things have become new. 41 00:01:37.020 --> 00:01:38.560 Our God is a God that loves new 42 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:39.140 things. 43 00:01:40.280 --> 00:01:42.160 We should never shy away from that. 44 00:01:42.800 --> 00:01:44.740 Isaiah chapter 42, verse 9. 45 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:47.120 Behold, the former things have come to pass, 46 00:01:47.340 --> 00:01:49.180 and new things I declare. 47 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:52.320 Before they spring forth, I tell you of 48 00:01:52.320 --> 00:01:53.060 them. 49 00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:55.620 Revelation 21, verse 1. 50 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:58.100 Now I saw a new heaven and a 51 00:01:58.100 --> 00:01:58.660 new earth. 52 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:00.740 For the first heaven and the first earth 53 00:02:00.740 --> 00:02:01.640 had passed away. 54 00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:04.060 Also, there was no more sea. 55 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:08.020 God created a new existence called eternity. 56 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:11.040 Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26. 57 00:02:12.220 --> 00:02:14.700 I will give you a new heart and 58 00:02:14.700 --> 00:02:16.200 put a new spirit within you. 59 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.420 I will take the heart of stone out 60 00:02:19.420 --> 00:02:21.580 of your flesh and give you a heart 61 00:02:21.580 --> 00:02:22.100 of flesh. 62 00:02:22.420 --> 00:02:24.360 God speaks about new. 63 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:25.960 He loves to give new. 64 00:02:26.640 --> 00:02:28.880 And that is so seen in the birthing 65 00:02:28.880 --> 00:02:30.700 of Jesus coming into the world. 66 00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:33.180 And he comes in just like us. 67 00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:36.040 He's got five fingers and five toes on 68 00:02:36.040 --> 00:02:37.120 each hand and each foot. 69 00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:39.300 He's got the nose, the ears. 70 00:02:39.760 --> 00:02:41.360 He's just like you and I. 71 00:02:41.440 --> 00:02:42.960 He feels what you and I feel. 72 00:02:43.300 --> 00:02:46.260 He experiences the draft, the cold, the heat, 73 00:02:46.540 --> 00:02:47.300 everything. 74 00:02:48.260 --> 00:02:50.440 Preplanned by the power of God to come 75 00:02:50.440 --> 00:02:51.940 into this world to relate to you and 76 00:02:51.940 --> 00:02:52.140 I. 77 00:02:53.540 --> 00:02:54.600 There's new hope. 78 00:02:54.720 --> 00:02:55.500 There's a new start. 79 00:02:55.660 --> 00:02:56.440 There's new life. 80 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:57.540 There's a new world. 81 00:02:58.020 --> 00:02:59.560 There's new everything. 82 00:03:00.100 --> 00:03:02.280 And what's awesome is that for the first 83 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:04.200 time, new if you want to call it, 84 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:06.800 where God allowed himself to come into this 85 00:03:06.800 --> 00:03:07.880 world like us. 86 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:09.500 And I appreciate that. 87 00:03:09.560 --> 00:03:10.620 He didn't come as an angel. 88 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:14.500 He came to us as a human. 89 00:03:15.460 --> 00:03:17.560 Because only humans are redeemed. 90 00:03:17.900 --> 00:03:19.040 Angels are not redeemed. 91 00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:20.380 That bums people out. 92 00:03:20.380 --> 00:03:21.500 Forget about angels. 93 00:03:21.580 --> 00:03:22.840 You don't need to care about angels. 94 00:03:23.040 --> 00:03:25.200 The Bible says God made them to minister 95 00:03:25.200 --> 00:03:25.660 to us. 96 00:03:25.700 --> 00:03:26.260 Did you know that? 97 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:28.180 That's how valuable you are. 98 00:03:28.620 --> 00:03:30.500 I want to give this to you in 99 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:32.080 a way of a contradiction. 100 00:03:32.820 --> 00:03:33.900 Look at it this way. 101 00:03:34.020 --> 00:03:35.540 The old world was cold. 102 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:36.820 It was a cold world. 103 00:03:37.720 --> 00:03:40.420 Christ came into the world at just the 104 00:03:40.420 --> 00:03:41.720 right time according to the Bible. 105 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:44.240 Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire. 106 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:47.100 Life was difficult to say the least. 107 00:03:47.100 --> 00:03:49.420 But he came into a world that was 108 00:03:49.420 --> 00:03:50.920 a very cold world. 109 00:03:51.500 --> 00:03:56.000 Death, life, life expectancy, cultures, how people treated 110 00:03:56.000 --> 00:03:56.840 one another. 111 00:03:57.080 --> 00:03:58.500 You would have thought if you were God 112 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:00.140 sending your son into the world, you would 113 00:04:00.140 --> 00:04:01.420 have brought him in at just at the 114 00:04:01.420 --> 00:04:02.640 right time of what? 115 00:04:02.720 --> 00:04:03.360 The enlightenment. 116 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:05.540 Or just at the right time of the 117 00:04:05.540 --> 00:04:08.060 great economic boom happening in the world. 118 00:04:08.160 --> 00:04:08.760 Not God. 119 00:04:09.260 --> 00:04:11.400 God sends his son not only into a 120 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:12.180 cold world. 121 00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:15.279 He sends him into a very humble, humble 122 00:04:15.279 --> 00:04:15.779 setting. 123 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:17.880 A cold world. 124 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:20.180 How do I know if God loves me? 125 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:21.420 Number one, think about this. 126 00:04:21.640 --> 00:04:23.680 We celebrate Christmas and he came into a 127 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:26.680 very cold, cold world. 128 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:29.340 At a very difficult time. 129 00:04:29.820 --> 00:04:30.860 A second thing is this. 130 00:04:30.980 --> 00:04:33.140 The old world was a very dark world. 131 00:04:34.080 --> 00:04:36.680 My goodness, we've studied history and we have 132 00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:38.340 gone through times like what is known as 133 00:04:38.340 --> 00:04:39.340 the dark ages. 134 00:04:40.660 --> 00:04:42.840 We hear about some of the great wars 135 00:04:42.840 --> 00:04:44.480 on the continents of the earth. 136 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:46.100 I don't know if this is true or 137 00:04:46.100 --> 00:04:50.180 not, but at the CIA website, it says 138 00:04:50.180 --> 00:04:52.660 something to the effect that at any given 139 00:04:52.660 --> 00:04:55.980 day, tribal wars all the way out to 140 00:04:55.980 --> 00:04:57.580 national wars are taking place. 141 00:04:57.660 --> 00:04:58.200 So tribal. 142 00:04:58.520 --> 00:05:00.960 Think about North Africa or think about South 143 00:05:00.960 --> 00:05:02.220 America and the Amazon jungle. 144 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:05.020 There's some form of wars taking place every 145 00:05:05.020 --> 00:05:08.320 day to the tune of 128 wars happening 146 00:05:08.320 --> 00:05:08.920 every day. 147 00:05:09.400 --> 00:05:11.280 That seems impossible to us. 148 00:05:11.280 --> 00:05:14.720 But the world is like that without God, 149 00:05:14.880 --> 00:05:17.140 without hope, without Christ. 150 00:05:17.420 --> 00:05:19.360 The world is cold and the world is 151 00:05:19.360 --> 00:05:19.800 dark. 152 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:23.840 And everything about Jesus is him coming into 153 00:05:23.840 --> 00:05:26.440 this world and he illuminates it. 154 00:05:29.030 --> 00:05:29.670 It's awesome. 155 00:05:30.470 --> 00:05:32.830 The Bible says in Isaiah chapter nine, verse 156 00:05:32.830 --> 00:05:33.210 one. 157 00:05:34.130 --> 00:05:38.130 A prophecy concerning Jesus against over 700 years 158 00:05:38.130 --> 00:05:39.250 before Christ was born. 159 00:05:39.250 --> 00:05:42.570 By the way of the sea beyond the 160 00:05:42.570 --> 00:05:46.370 Jordan in Galilee of the Gentiles, the people 161 00:05:46.370 --> 00:05:48.270 who walked in darkness have seen a great 162 00:05:48.270 --> 00:05:48.610 light. 163 00:05:48.990 --> 00:05:51.030 Those who dwelt in the land of the 164 00:05:51.030 --> 00:05:53.910 shadow of death upon them, a light has 165 00:05:53.910 --> 00:05:54.390 shined. 166 00:05:55.450 --> 00:05:58.550 And Isaiah attributes that light shining to the 167 00:05:58.550 --> 00:05:59.510 coming of the Messiah. 168 00:06:00.070 --> 00:06:03.350 In fact, listen, Luke chapter four, New Testament, 169 00:06:03.490 --> 00:06:04.290 verse 14. 170 00:06:04.290 --> 00:06:06.870 Then Jesus returned in the power of the 171 00:06:06.870 --> 00:06:08.110 Holy Spirit to Galilee. 172 00:06:08.510 --> 00:06:10.990 And news of him went out through all 173 00:06:10.990 --> 00:06:12.110 the surrounding region. 174 00:06:12.510 --> 00:06:15.790 And he taught in their synagogues being glorified 175 00:06:15.790 --> 00:06:16.450 by all. 176 00:06:16.870 --> 00:06:19.090 So he came to Nazareth where he had 177 00:06:19.090 --> 00:06:20.030 been brought up. 178 00:06:20.610 --> 00:06:23.210 And as his custom was, he went into 179 00:06:23.210 --> 00:06:25.310 the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood 180 00:06:25.310 --> 00:06:26.130 up to read. 181 00:06:27.590 --> 00:06:29.290 And he was handed this book or the 182 00:06:29.290 --> 00:06:30.610 scroll of the prophet Isaiah. 183 00:06:30.610 --> 00:06:32.750 And when he had opened the book, he 184 00:06:32.750 --> 00:06:34.430 found the place where it was written. 185 00:06:35.090 --> 00:06:35.870 Listen to this. 186 00:06:36.410 --> 00:06:39.030 Jesus says, the spirit of the Lord is 187 00:06:39.030 --> 00:06:42.730 upon me, quoting Isaiah, because he has anointed 188 00:06:42.730 --> 00:06:44.990 me to preach the gospel to the poor. 189 00:06:45.270 --> 00:06:47.350 He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, 190 00:06:47.670 --> 00:06:50.550 to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery 191 00:06:50.550 --> 00:06:52.650 of sight to the blind and to set 192 00:06:52.650 --> 00:06:55.550 at liberty those who are oppressed and to 193 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:58.430 proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. 194 00:06:58.430 --> 00:06:59.210 Verse 20. 195 00:06:59.490 --> 00:07:01.750 Then Jesus closed the book and gave it 196 00:07:01.750 --> 00:07:03.730 back to the attendant and he sat down. 197 00:07:04.530 --> 00:07:05.930 The eyes of all who were in the 198 00:07:05.930 --> 00:07:07.630 synagogue were fixed upon him. 199 00:07:08.170 --> 00:07:10.250 And he, that is Jesus, began to say 200 00:07:10.250 --> 00:07:13.190 to them, Today this scripture is fulfilled in 201 00:07:13.190 --> 00:07:13.670 your hearing. 202 00:07:14.030 --> 00:07:15.390 What a radical thing. 203 00:07:15.970 --> 00:07:17.310 No one has ever done that. 204 00:07:19.230 --> 00:07:21.730 He's come, listen, to set us free and 205 00:07:21.730 --> 00:07:23.550 to give us a hope with a new 206 00:07:23.550 --> 00:07:23.990 world. 207 00:07:24.290 --> 00:07:26.750 A new world that begins, listen, not with 208 00:07:26.750 --> 00:07:28.670 the advent of some new currency, not with 209 00:07:28.670 --> 00:07:30.170 the advent of some new politic. 210 00:07:30.730 --> 00:07:32.970 The new world that he gives starts first 211 00:07:32.970 --> 00:07:33.890 in the human heart. 212 00:07:35.510 --> 00:07:37.830 Jesus said, my kingdom begins within you. 213 00:07:38.830 --> 00:07:40.570 He told those that were around him. 214 00:07:40.770 --> 00:07:42.870 He said, look around, the kingdom has arrived. 215 00:07:43.330 --> 00:07:44.130 I'm here. 216 00:07:45.090 --> 00:07:46.570 That's how he was able to raise the 217 00:07:46.570 --> 00:07:46.950 dead. 218 00:07:47.330 --> 00:07:49.270 He exhibited all the powers of the kingdom 219 00:07:49.270 --> 00:07:51.690 life so that people would believe in him 220 00:07:51.690 --> 00:07:52.490 and follow him. 221 00:07:53.250 --> 00:07:56.290 The miracles were done not to convince people. 222 00:07:56.430 --> 00:07:58.570 The miracles were done to tell them the 223 00:07:58.570 --> 00:07:59.730 word of God was true. 224 00:08:00.570 --> 00:08:02.530 You're not to have faith in miracles. 225 00:08:02.650 --> 00:08:04.730 You're to have faith in the miracle giver. 226 00:08:05.670 --> 00:08:09.010 And that's him, the Christmas Christ, the salvation 227 00:08:09.010 --> 00:08:11.170 Christ, the Christ that delivers us from a 228 00:08:11.170 --> 00:08:13.970 cold world, a dark world, and also a 229 00:08:13.970 --> 00:08:14.750 hard world. 230 00:08:15.050 --> 00:08:15.410 Hard. 231 00:08:16.750 --> 00:08:18.850 Now throughout our globe, throughout all of human 232 00:08:18.850 --> 00:08:20.610 history, there are regions that have always had 233 00:08:20.610 --> 00:08:24.330 it hard just by virtue of this fallen 234 00:08:24.330 --> 00:08:24.870 world. 235 00:08:25.670 --> 00:08:26.570 It's hard. 236 00:08:28.030 --> 00:08:31.289 But listen, living even here in Southern California 237 00:08:32.210 --> 00:08:35.070 or wherever you may be, maybe you're listening 238 00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:36.770 to this message and you're in a region 239 00:08:36.770 --> 00:08:37.830 that is very affluent. 240 00:08:39.630 --> 00:08:41.470 It can be a very hard life. 241 00:08:42.250 --> 00:08:44.290 You can have all the things that promise 242 00:08:44.290 --> 00:08:48.190 you meaning and hope and ease and be 243 00:08:48.190 --> 00:08:51.830 completely destroyed and broken by the events of 244 00:08:51.830 --> 00:08:55.230 life and when it throws its darts at 245 00:08:55.230 --> 00:08:56.590 you, they stick nonetheless. 246 00:08:56.930 --> 00:08:59.070 If they're being stuck in your ribs or 247 00:08:59.070 --> 00:09:01.850 stuck in your back in Bel Air or 248 00:09:01.850 --> 00:09:03.310 Bangladesh, it doesn't matter. 249 00:09:05.790 --> 00:09:09.470 And Jesus came to deliver us from a 250 00:09:09.470 --> 00:09:10.310 hard world. 251 00:09:11.330 --> 00:09:13.030 But our God is a God that has 252 00:09:13.030 --> 00:09:15.730 given us the hope and the assurance of 253 00:09:15.730 --> 00:09:18.010 a brand-new world that first starts within 254 00:09:18.010 --> 00:09:18.370 us. 255 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:20.270 Let me explain what I mean by a 256 00:09:20.270 --> 00:09:20.910 new gift. 257 00:09:21.210 --> 00:09:23.510 Throughout all of Israel's existence, in fact, it 258 00:09:23.510 --> 00:09:27.050 doesn't have to be Israel's existence, for human 259 00:09:27.050 --> 00:09:28.350 existence is recorded. 260 00:09:29.030 --> 00:09:29.950 And this is kind of amazing. 261 00:09:30.130 --> 00:09:37.510 If you're an anthropologist or a sociologist, whatever 262 00:09:37.510 --> 00:09:39.490 culture you study around the world, it doesn't 263 00:09:39.490 --> 00:09:39.750 matter. 264 00:09:39.890 --> 00:09:40.790 It does not matter. 265 00:09:41.110 --> 00:09:46.450 Find a continent, study the ancient history of 266 00:09:46.450 --> 00:09:47.990 those people and go back as far as 267 00:09:47.990 --> 00:09:48.410 you can. 268 00:09:50.330 --> 00:09:52.270 And when you do, I mean, I hate 269 00:09:52.270 --> 00:09:53.010 to burst your bubble. 270 00:09:53.250 --> 00:09:54.650 I'm going to get letters for this. 271 00:09:54.790 --> 00:09:59.320 But when you go back, you are not 272 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:03.940 going to bump into Neanderthal. 273 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:06.820 I mean, I'm sorry to tell you. 274 00:10:07.300 --> 00:10:09.420 You're not going to bump into all of 275 00:10:09.420 --> 00:10:11.660 our previous fathers that came from a monkey's 276 00:10:11.660 --> 00:10:11.920 uncle. 277 00:10:13.540 --> 00:10:14.940 You're not going to bump into them. 278 00:10:15.020 --> 00:10:16.440 Those are fabrications. 279 00:10:17.660 --> 00:10:21.780 And I don't mean necessarily intentionally mean fabrications. 280 00:10:21.900 --> 00:10:24.320 But when people were trying to describe our 281 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:27.520 coming into existence and they would not consider 282 00:10:27.520 --> 00:10:29.320 God, they had to make stuff up. 283 00:10:30.280 --> 00:10:31.820 Why am I saying this? 284 00:10:32.180 --> 00:10:36.180 Because man has never lived without pursuing some 285 00:10:36.180 --> 00:10:41.040 avenue of faith and or religion, or both. 286 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:41.820 Did you know that? 287 00:10:41.820 --> 00:10:47.360 Every culture has worship, shrines, temples, altars, and 288 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:49.120 pillars of sacrifice. 289 00:10:49.260 --> 00:10:49.360 Why? 290 00:10:49.760 --> 00:10:52.780 Because all the Gods that man made up, 291 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:54.700 they all required a sacrifice. 292 00:10:55.560 --> 00:10:56.620 And you say, well, Jack, the God of 293 00:10:56.620 --> 00:10:58.220 the Bible and the Old Testament required a 294 00:10:58.220 --> 00:10:58.600 sacrifice. 295 00:10:58.900 --> 00:10:59.500 That is true. 296 00:10:59.640 --> 00:11:00.300 You got me there. 297 00:11:00.700 --> 00:11:01.120 It's true. 298 00:11:01.900 --> 00:11:04.940 The real true God required a sacrifice. 299 00:11:05.280 --> 00:11:08.980 But even the pagan Gods of paganism required 300 00:11:08.980 --> 00:11:09.940 sacrifices. 301 00:11:12.370 --> 00:11:15.410 And we were told, or commissioned, or commanded 302 00:11:15.410 --> 00:11:16.270 to bring a gift. 303 00:11:19.340 --> 00:11:20.840 And in all the religions of the world, 304 00:11:20.940 --> 00:11:23.440 there's only one that says, you know all 305 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:24.780 those gifts I asked you to bring? 306 00:11:25.100 --> 00:11:26.240 They were just types. 307 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:27.740 They were just symbols. 308 00:11:29.880 --> 00:11:31.580 Eshtar wouldn't say that. 309 00:11:32.880 --> 00:11:34.280 Moloch wouldn't say that. 310 00:11:35.520 --> 00:11:37.000 Atlas wouldn't say that. 311 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:38.760 Poseidon wouldn't say that. 312 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:40.200 Diana wouldn't say that. 313 00:11:40.800 --> 00:11:42.460 The God of the Bible says, you know 314 00:11:42.460 --> 00:11:43.900 that stuff you've been giving me for all 315 00:11:43.900 --> 00:11:44.760 these years is real? 316 00:11:45.940 --> 00:11:48.780 It's just a picture of the real thing 317 00:11:48.780 --> 00:11:49.120 coming. 318 00:11:50.420 --> 00:11:51.500 Yeah, what's that? 319 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:53.700 You don't give me the gift. 320 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:55.700 God says, I give you the gift. 321 00:11:56.220 --> 00:11:58.660 The new gift is Christ and Christ alone. 322 00:11:58.880 --> 00:11:59.720 He's the gift. 323 00:12:00.140 --> 00:12:03.160 That's the entire point to this entire celebration. 324 00:12:03.300 --> 00:12:06.700 The very fact that God is the gift 325 00:12:06.700 --> 00:12:07.060 giver. 326 00:12:07.060 --> 00:12:09.520 Listen, tonight and tomorrow, you're only going to 327 00:12:09.520 --> 00:12:11.580 act like God and give a gift to 328 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:11.960 somebody. 329 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:14.200 It's an expression of love. 330 00:12:14.220 --> 00:12:14.820 I get it. 331 00:12:15.500 --> 00:12:16.180 That's fine. 332 00:12:16.460 --> 00:12:17.380 Just know this. 333 00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:21.260 The old gifts had become routine gifts. 334 00:12:22.900 --> 00:12:23.900 Routine gifts. 335 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:25.860 Even though they're draped in religion. 336 00:12:26.180 --> 00:12:27.960 Our God gives us a whole new, brand 337 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:28.600 new life. 338 00:12:29.040 --> 00:12:29.920 And here's the deal. 339 00:12:30.360 --> 00:12:33.060 If you get balled up and tied to 340 00:12:33.060 --> 00:12:35.500 religion, you can be just like a pagan 341 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:37.980 and go through all of the religious stuff 342 00:12:37.980 --> 00:12:38.920 and it's not real. 343 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:39.680 It's routine. 344 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:41.700 Well, I'm here right now, Pastor, because this 345 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:42.580 is our routine. 346 00:12:42.920 --> 00:12:44.640 We do this once a year and I'll 347 00:12:44.640 --> 00:12:45.540 see you next year. 348 00:12:46.800 --> 00:12:48.200 Listen, save your gas. 349 00:12:49.300 --> 00:12:50.240 Save your time. 350 00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:54.120 God doesn't dwell in routines. 351 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:58.100 That sunrise this morning will never be repeated. 352 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:01.520 There'll be ones like it, but like a 353 00:13:01.520 --> 00:13:03.620 snowflake, there'll never be another one. 354 00:13:04.460 --> 00:13:06.020 And God doesn't want routine. 355 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:08.360 That's the old world. 356 00:13:09.240 --> 00:13:11.300 The new world and the new life in 357 00:13:11.300 --> 00:13:13.620 Christ, all of it is the opposite of 358 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:14.100 a routine. 359 00:13:15.900 --> 00:13:19.860 Now, I know that as people, it's good 360 00:13:19.860 --> 00:13:22.220 for us to have, I call it fences 361 00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:23.200 or guardrails. 362 00:13:23.280 --> 00:13:24.460 We need that in life, you know? 363 00:13:24.460 --> 00:13:27.900 We need, we might say routine, but what 364 00:13:27.900 --> 00:13:29.260 I'm talking about is a discipline. 365 00:13:29.780 --> 00:13:30.700 We need disciplines. 366 00:13:31.180 --> 00:13:33.620 Because you and I have a tendency to 367 00:13:33.620 --> 00:13:34.380 wander off. 368 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:39.200 But listen, even when we say, well, I 369 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:40.560 get up in the morning and I read 370 00:13:40.560 --> 00:13:41.780 my Bible and I pray. 371 00:13:42.200 --> 00:13:44.340 Listen, it sounds like a routine when you 372 00:13:44.340 --> 00:13:45.200 say it that way. 373 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:47.340 But I pray that it's not, because I 374 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:50.080 pray that you and God are actually making 375 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:51.140 a way together. 376 00:13:52.220 --> 00:13:53.940 Because that's the kind of God he is. 377 00:13:54.760 --> 00:13:57.280 He wants it all to be anything but 378 00:13:57.280 --> 00:13:57.820 a routine. 379 00:13:58.780 --> 00:14:01.460 Here's what we do, God, we do this 380 00:14:01.460 --> 00:14:03.020 and then we do that. 381 00:14:04.160 --> 00:14:06.500 And after that we do this. 382 00:14:06.680 --> 00:14:08.200 And then I step up and then I 383 00:14:08.200 --> 00:14:09.600 move to the right and then I go 384 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:10.220 forward. 385 00:14:11.760 --> 00:14:14.380 And then you walk away from that and 386 00:14:14.380 --> 00:14:15.720 somebody says, what were you just doing? 387 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:16.660 What do you mean, what? 388 00:14:17.120 --> 00:14:18.140 What were you just doing? 389 00:14:18.140 --> 00:14:18.560 What? 390 00:14:18.700 --> 00:14:19.140 Oh, that? 391 00:14:19.260 --> 00:14:22.000 Oh, I was just doing my religious thing. 392 00:14:22.260 --> 00:14:25.800 A lot of people today are gravitating towards 393 00:14:25.800 --> 00:14:26.480 spirituality. 394 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:28.320 Because they like the candles. 395 00:14:28.680 --> 00:14:29.980 They like the icons. 396 00:14:30.880 --> 00:14:32.140 They like the cross. 397 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:34.180 Or they like the stained glass. 398 00:14:34.260 --> 00:14:35.340 I'm not knocking those things. 399 00:14:35.780 --> 00:14:38.020 But if that's your routine in approaching God, 400 00:14:38.080 --> 00:14:38.900 that's not a good thing. 401 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:41.660 The next thing is this, is that the 402 00:14:41.660 --> 00:14:43.620 old gifts have become empty gifts. 403 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:47.400 Well, the gift that God gives, listen, can 404 00:14:47.400 --> 00:14:47.860 you imagine? 405 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:50.980 The gift that God gives, the Son of 406 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:51.400 God. 407 00:14:52.280 --> 00:14:54.080 And when we say that, he's not less 408 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:54.700 than God. 409 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:57.600 The Son of God is God in skin. 410 00:14:57.680 --> 00:14:59.420 That's why he's called the Son of God. 411 00:15:00.820 --> 00:15:02.020 Inside of him. 412 00:15:03.460 --> 00:15:05.160 Do up the same lungs and the same 413 00:15:05.160 --> 00:15:07.420 heart and the same pancreas and kidneys that 414 00:15:07.420 --> 00:15:07.920 you have. 415 00:15:08.160 --> 00:15:10.660 But his soul was divine. 416 00:15:10.660 --> 00:15:13.000 His spirit was divine. 417 00:15:14.260 --> 00:15:15.760 And God visited us. 418 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:17.560 Anything but routine. 419 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:19.220 Can you say amen to that? 420 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:22.680 Listen, you want exciting, you want to break 421 00:15:22.680 --> 00:15:23.120 routine? 422 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:25.340 Start reading the John's Gospel. 423 00:15:26.540 --> 00:15:28.140 That'll break your routine. 424 00:15:28.300 --> 00:15:31.620 And then, look, there's nothing more disappointing than 425 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:33.380 for somebody to give you a gift that 426 00:15:33.380 --> 00:15:34.540 is meaningless to them. 427 00:15:34.860 --> 00:15:36.000 I don't know how to say this. 428 00:15:36.160 --> 00:15:36.960 It's impossible. 429 00:15:37.100 --> 00:15:37.980 I'm going to get in trouble. 430 00:15:38.260 --> 00:15:39.140 I just know it. 431 00:15:39.140 --> 00:15:40.040 I can feel it coming. 432 00:15:40.860 --> 00:15:43.400 You know how hard it is to buy 433 00:15:43.400 --> 00:15:44.400 gifts for some people? 434 00:15:45.140 --> 00:15:46.780 Can someone, do you agree? 435 00:15:48.180 --> 00:15:49.880 It's like, well, you get them. 436 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:52.420 And then you have an idea. 437 00:15:52.580 --> 00:15:53.740 This just happened with Lisa and I. 438 00:15:53.840 --> 00:15:55.500 We were doing the last minute shopping yesterday. 439 00:15:56.340 --> 00:15:57.140 I have an idea. 440 00:15:58.620 --> 00:15:59.900 And you know why I had that idea? 441 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:02.000 She said, well, we should get them. 442 00:16:02.180 --> 00:16:02.800 I have an idea. 443 00:16:02.960 --> 00:16:03.760 We should get them this. 444 00:16:04.340 --> 00:16:05.580 She said, that's where we got them last 445 00:16:05.580 --> 00:16:05.800 year. 446 00:16:08.460 --> 00:16:10.780 I didn't help her, but I was happy 447 00:16:10.780 --> 00:16:16.100 I remembered something that was meaningless. 448 00:16:16.420 --> 00:16:17.980 If we would have gotten the same thing, 449 00:16:18.040 --> 00:16:19.280 it would have been not only meaningless, it 450 00:16:19.280 --> 00:16:19.940 would have been insulting. 451 00:16:22.100 --> 00:16:22.540 Meaningless. 452 00:16:22.660 --> 00:16:24.400 You want to give a gift that's meaningful 453 00:16:24.400 --> 00:16:25.600 to somebody that you love. 454 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:29.660 Here's what's a remarkable thing about this moment 455 00:16:29.660 --> 00:16:30.560 in time for you and I. 456 00:16:30.880 --> 00:16:33.160 God loves you to the point where God 457 00:16:33.160 --> 00:16:35.380 thought this is going to be the ultimate 458 00:16:35.380 --> 00:16:38.220 communication of my love to you. 459 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:42.200 It will be me coming into the world 460 00:16:42.200 --> 00:16:47.100 to live my life perfectly because you can't. 461 00:16:47.620 --> 00:16:48.900 I'll do it for you. 462 00:16:49.580 --> 00:16:51.980 And then when I have accomplished that, once 463 00:16:51.980 --> 00:16:54.320 the law has examined me up and down 464 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:56.740 and all around, I will keep the law 465 00:16:56.740 --> 00:17:00.300 and fulfill the justice of God and the 466 00:17:00.300 --> 00:17:01.400 righteousness of God. 467 00:17:02.640 --> 00:17:04.700 And all of you will come into the 468 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:06.180 kingdom of heaven if you trust what I 469 00:17:06.180 --> 00:17:06.720 did for you. 470 00:17:07.480 --> 00:17:09.460 You will come in, so to speak, not 471 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:10.440 on my coattails. 472 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:12.260 Oh no, better than that. 473 00:17:12.359 --> 00:17:15.420 You will come in the kingdom of God 474 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:18.160 washed in my blood, covered in my blood. 475 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:20.660 Listen, you get close to Jesus and what 476 00:17:20.660 --> 00:17:22.839 he does is he covers you in his 477 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:23.859 atoning blood. 478 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:27.339 And God the Father sees the blood of 479 00:17:27.339 --> 00:17:29.980 his son Christ as your atonement and God 480 00:17:29.980 --> 00:17:30.560 accepts you. 481 00:17:30.600 --> 00:17:31.560 No questions asked. 482 00:17:33.560 --> 00:17:34.680 This is salvation. 483 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:37.480 This is the meaning of the name Jesus. 484 00:17:39.100 --> 00:17:41.960 Christ Jesus coming to the world represents a 485 00:17:41.960 --> 00:17:48.760 brand new life for us, for all who 486 00:17:48.760 --> 00:17:49.640 will believe in him. 487 00:17:50.740 --> 00:17:54.460 Three things that we consider right now together 488 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:56.620 is that the old life had become visionless. 489 00:17:56.740 --> 00:17:57.860 What does the Bible say about this? 490 00:17:57.920 --> 00:18:00.080 Without vision, my people perish. 491 00:18:02.410 --> 00:18:09.490 Listen, without vision, if you're visionless, you can't 492 00:18:09.490 --> 00:18:11.050 have life at the same time, really. 493 00:18:12.770 --> 00:18:14.790 Listen, the Bible says that a woman who 494 00:18:14.790 --> 00:18:17.830 lives for a sinful life, the Bible says 495 00:18:17.830 --> 00:18:21.590 she may be living for pleasure and think 496 00:18:21.590 --> 00:18:23.430 that she's alive, but she's actually dead. 497 00:18:24.330 --> 00:18:27.970 And that's certainly true for men, obviously, us 498 00:18:27.970 --> 00:18:28.330 humans. 499 00:18:29.870 --> 00:18:31.470 But God wants you and I to live 500 00:18:31.470 --> 00:18:32.070 with vision. 501 00:18:35.350 --> 00:18:40.110 Well, without vision, you can't see God and 502 00:18:40.110 --> 00:18:41.150 God's plan for your life. 503 00:18:41.190 --> 00:18:42.310 But I got news for you, believer. 504 00:18:42.670 --> 00:18:45.830 If you're trusting Christ right now, I have 505 00:18:45.830 --> 00:18:46.570 good news for you. 506 00:18:46.870 --> 00:18:49.510 God's got an absolute vision for your life 507 00:18:49.510 --> 00:18:51.670 and you will not stumble around in this 508 00:18:51.670 --> 00:18:54.090 world because part of God's new life in 509 00:18:54.090 --> 00:18:56.150 you is that God gives you the ability 510 00:18:56.150 --> 00:18:56.750 to see. 511 00:18:57.130 --> 00:18:59.150 And I'm not talking about seeing like, oh, 512 00:18:59.150 --> 00:19:00.990 now I know which way to go, more 513 00:19:00.990 --> 00:19:01.610 like a leading. 514 00:19:01.610 --> 00:19:04.270 And then secondly, it's this, the old life 515 00:19:04.270 --> 00:19:08.970 had become a hopeless life until Christ came. 516 00:19:10.430 --> 00:19:11.810 That's why they were longing. 517 00:19:12.230 --> 00:19:14.070 That's why the Bible says that they search 518 00:19:14.070 --> 00:19:16.670 the scriptures to find where the Messiah would 519 00:19:16.670 --> 00:19:16.890 be. 520 00:19:17.070 --> 00:19:17.890 When would he come? 521 00:19:19.110 --> 00:19:21.450 None of us appreciate this, none of us. 522 00:19:21.850 --> 00:19:24.010 For 2000 years, you and I have lived 523 00:19:24.010 --> 00:19:25.770 in a world that has known who the 524 00:19:25.770 --> 00:19:26.630 Messiah is. 525 00:19:26.990 --> 00:19:28.910 If you believe in him or not, that's 526 00:19:28.910 --> 00:19:29.470 on you. 527 00:19:29.470 --> 00:19:31.590 But we all know who he is. 528 00:19:33.030 --> 00:19:35.650 In the name of Jesus, he gives you 529 00:19:35.650 --> 00:19:35.970 hope. 530 00:19:36.070 --> 00:19:37.390 And then finally, we end with this. 531 00:19:37.810 --> 00:19:39.990 And that is that the old life had 532 00:19:39.990 --> 00:19:41.650 become a powerless life. 533 00:19:41.710 --> 00:19:43.670 No power, no power. 534 00:19:43.810 --> 00:19:44.370 Please listen. 535 00:19:45.010 --> 00:19:45.630 Are you religious? 536 00:19:45.910 --> 00:19:46.770 I promise you this. 537 00:19:46.870 --> 00:19:47.670 You have no power. 538 00:19:47.810 --> 00:19:48.930 I'm not talking about how much you can 539 00:19:48.930 --> 00:19:49.470 bench press. 540 00:19:49.830 --> 00:19:52.090 I'm talking about the power that counts. 541 00:19:52.170 --> 00:19:52.730 And that's on. 542 00:19:52.890 --> 00:19:54.710 That's the power on the inside of you. 543 00:19:54.710 --> 00:19:57.890 Do you have a character that is honoring 544 00:19:57.890 --> 00:19:58.310 God? 545 00:19:59.770 --> 00:20:01.870 That can only come from God's power, not 546 00:20:01.870 --> 00:20:02.350 our power. 547 00:20:03.670 --> 00:20:05.830 The great power that God gives to the 548 00:20:05.830 --> 00:20:08.710 believer is a power that also comes with 549 00:20:08.710 --> 00:20:09.790 it to relax. 550 00:20:10.270 --> 00:20:11.190 It's not to sweat. 551 00:20:12.310 --> 00:20:14.590 Christians should not be sweating out their Christianity. 552 00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:18.490 That great power that comes is God living 553 00:20:18.490 --> 00:20:20.010 his life out through you. 554 00:20:20.830 --> 00:20:22.470 That's why the Bible tells us that we 555 00:20:22.470 --> 00:20:23.610 are children of God. 556 00:20:28.020 --> 00:20:30.700 This Jack Hibbs podcast, as well as all 557 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:33.740 the broadcast outreach opportunities, are listener supported. 558 00:20:34.320 --> 00:20:36.600 Will you consider partnering with us through a 559 00:20:36.600 --> 00:20:37.220 special gift? 560 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:41.700 Go to Jackhibbs.com to learn more and 561 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:42.580 stay connected.