Today on Real Life Radio. In this world, if you are going to be a real Christian, which are very rare these days, you are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ and you will have issues in life to deal with. To be a disciple is to embrace those things rather than panic and throw our arms up and say, God, why? How could you be doing this to me? And God would say, Because I love you.
Yeah. This is real life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible. U.S.
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Get your prophecy pack now for a gift of any amount at jackhibbs.com. Uh On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack begins his new series called Disciplines of Life and a message titled Disciplines of Discipleship. How we should be living in the world matters, and discipleship takes faith, wisdom, and perseverance. You see, as Christ followers, we need to develop a lifestyle that's usable to God. Christian discipleship is not passive, but it requires intentional spiritual discipline that deepens our relationship with God.
So today Pastor Jack teaches that as disciples we are devoted followers of Christ, denying ourselves even our pursuits by putting him first in all that we do. And as we are united in our journey with the Lord, we're committed to his word and faithful in prayer.
Now with his message called Disciplines of Discipleship. Here's Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs. Hey, Pastor Jack, can I read you Matthew 16, 24? You probably read it off the top of your head. No, but the Bible?
Yeah. Read it to me. Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after me, Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. That's good stuff. Good stuff.
Now, discipleship, it's a word that most Christians are familiar with, but It can mean a lot of different things to different people, right? I mean, in this sermon, you talk about discipleship being more than belief, right? It's learning and doing. Do you think that that distinction gets lost easily? I think that distinction is rarely taught these days.
Discipleship is beyond belief. When we come to Christ, we're saved. Our names are written down in the Lamb's Book of Life. And some people just sit around after that until they die. And that is not discipleship.
Discipleship is now that you are saved, grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. And so the Bible tells us the Spirit of God has given us gifts to operate in the church that we attend. And by doing that, our discipleship is even enhanced because the greatest way. For us to grow in Jesus is to serve the Lord through and by his power. And in doing that, guess what happens?
You're denying yourself, you're picking up your cross, and you're following him, and therein lies the secret. Of true liberty and freedom.
Now, you also mentioned how easy it is to stay busy with. religious activity and and still avoid real discipleship. How does that happen? Yes, it's easy. In fact, I think if you look around at the world, people are very, very busy about religion.
No matter what religion they hold to, it's got them busy. But the God of the Bible says, come away with me. It's the God of the Bible that says, shalom, peace. It's the God of the Bible that says, Be still and know that I am God. What a wonderful invitation.
And, you know, I love how Jesus met Nathanael. Under a tree of all things. You know, that is a very precious picture if you think about that.
So a relationship should be.
Something that is like a good I don't know, like a good pair of shoes, worn out, comfortable Uh Easy to go with and very usable. Knowing Jesus in a relationship like that. You know, Davy, the Westminster Catechism, shorter catechism, says something to the effect that man's chief end and man's duty in life is to know God and to enjoy Him forever. What a beautiful statement that is. Yeah.
Let's get into it. Yeah. Lord, that you would just go before us now and that we would be busy about our Father's business.
So, Lord, bless this series now that we begin tonight. the disciplines of life. Let us, Lord, embrace them. In Jesus' name, and all God's people said. Amen, church.
Listen, here we go. On a Wednesday night, a brand new series. The disciplines of life. We are going to be talking about the disciplines of being a Christian. What are they?
And each week as we gather together, we're going to go through some things that you will not only, of course, apply to your Christianity, but they are things that will absolutely, listen, absolutely change your life and all areas of your life. If you're a student, it's going to make you a better student. If you're a worker, if you are unemployed, if you are whatever, it's going to strengthen you in the inner fiber of who you are as a Christian. It's going to be great. I have longed for this series.
Very, very excited about it.
Well, listen, I want you to grab your Bibles tonight and turn, if you would, to Matthew chapter 16. Verse 24, Matthew 16, 24, as we kick it off in our first. Topic in the disciplines of life series. Our first one is going to be this. The disciplines of discipleship.
And what does it mean? Boy, I tell you if you are a new believer in here tonight, this is exactly what you need to hear. Listen, if you are a seasoned saint, you need to be reminded of these things. And I tell you what, for one, I'm very excited about what's going on. The disciplines of discipleship, Matthew chapter 16, verse 24.
Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after me, Let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. I want to take a little bit of a methodical approach to that verse, and then we're going to go into our study tonight.
So, this is introduction, it's very important. If you're note-taking tonight, jot it down. When Jesus spoke there in Matthew 16, 24, he used the word disciple this way. The word means one who learns and does. Not just one who learns.
Not just one who receives education and doesn't do anything with it. Nobody needs that in life. The word means to Learn and to do. The word we get from here is a pupil. A student in a class.
We also get the word from this apprentice.
Somebody who is learning, someone who is taking in with the absolute motive of doing. The Christian faith is a doing faith. The Bible says that God is love. And you all know, in any language in the world, the word love, no matter what it is spoken in, is a verb. It is an action word.
You cannot say you love someone without taking care of them, without ministering to them, without showing that love. It's an amazing thing. The word love The act of love cannot be separated.
So when you say, well, I love you, that means that there's this sense of... Of you'll do anything for me, or I'll do anything for you. When Jesus says, I love you. It's obviously proven in Christ that He'll do anything for us. And then Jesus turns, as we'll hear tonight, and says to us that we need to love one another, a true act of discipleship.
He uses this other word. Look with me there in Matthew 16:24. The word anyone. If anyone, and that. Is a great statement because it makes The invitation for all people to become a Christian.
No matter who you might be, no matter what you believe now, you can come to faith in Jesus Christ and. Be what Jesus said is born again. You can become a Christian. You don't become a Christian by. joining some church or signing some document.
It is a divine supernatural work in the heart, and it's listen, it's directly connected to being a disciple. You cannot be a Christian without being a disciple. And if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you will naturally be a Christian.
Well, look at the word desire. He who desires to come after me. That word desire means to be thirsting, hungering, focused, with an unwavering pursuit of God. That's what that word desire. Jesus says, if you come to me with an unwavering desire to pursue me, Jesus says, you'll be my disciple.
That's an important and Much needed declaration tonight. Church, as we gather together tonight, this is a great classroom setting for you and I to say, Lord. Am I desiring you as much as I ought? And now maybe tonight you would say You know, Pastor Jack, I don't know if I desire God as much as I ought to.
Well, praise God you're here. That's great that you're listening. Ask him to put that within your heart. There is nothing out of our reach. When we pray and ask our Lord.
Nothing. Do you want more faith? Yes. Pray. Do you want to serve him?
Yes. Then pray. Do you want to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus? Look, it's a Wednesday night. You're here.
You could have done anything else in this world around us, and you've come here, and I assume, because you're hungry and thirsty, because you desire more of Him. Then look at the next word: deny. Let him deny himself. That word means, listen, concerning. Ourselves.
I'll just pick on me right now. If I'm going to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. That word deny means this: that I'm going to deny to the point of disowning me. Hear me out. To disown myself, to disavow myself, to abstain from myself.
Listen, this sounds strange, and if you're a psychologist in here tonight, you're going to say somebody called a doctor. But the word also means to depart from yourself. How does somebody depart from themselves?
Well, listen, Jesus said, whatever your pursuits are. Whatever your passions are, whatever those things that are of this world and of yourself. He's saying, I want you now to make a decision to depart from those things. He said, Jack, are you saying that I shouldn't have a desire to go to college? That's not what I'm saying.
Are you saying that I shouldn't marry that person or that person? I'm not saying that.
Well, I really want to be a corporate executive, or I really want to be an architect, or I really want. That's not what I'm saying. Jesus is saying this: whatever you have as a target in your life or pursuits, You need to put Christ at the top of that thing. And listen, everything that you do. is with Jesus first.
Being a disciple. It's amazing to realize, and I know this sounds shocking to say, but it is theologically accurate: nobody who's in heaven tonight. Got there by not being a disciple. You have got to be a disciple. To follow Christ.
So much so that the thief on the cross, who was converted to Christ in that moment, Before entering eternity, That was his window, his moment of being a disciple, and he didn't fail. Didn't he give testimony? Lord, will you remember me when you come into your kingdom? What a great statement. And that man, that thief on the cross there in Luke's gospel, can you imagine throughout all the world how many people in their last hour of breath looked to that story, looked to that portion of scripture, and said, you know what, there's hope for me.
Maybe you're here tonight and you think there's no hope for you. Oh, there's hope for you, all right. You're listening to Real Life with Pastor Jack Hibbs. To learn more about this ministry or to catch up on some previous episodes, go to jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com.
And now, let's get back to today's message. Once again, here's Pastor Jack. Maybe you're here tonight and you think there's no hope for you. Oh, there's hope for you, all right. And in a second, you can become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Now, what about us who have lived for a while? Ah, we'll talk about that tonight. Disencouraging. He says, take up your cross in that verse. That means this.
Now, this is important: that's our issues of life, our challenges, our hardships, our calling. Don't shout it out, but where are you in this life right now? You might say, I've got this situation, I've got this issue, I've got this hardship. Or I've got this challenge, this call upon my life. Listen, are you a Christian tonight?
You say, Yes, I'm a Christian tonight. Then listen, great. Then you are a disciple of Jesus Christ. You are to take up that cross of yours. And you are to bear it.
This is the Christian walk. Look, I hope I don't blow anybody's minds, but if somebody told you becoming a Christian is the easiest thing in the world to do, Um let me let me Straighten that out right now. In this world, if you are going to be a real Christian, which are very rare these days. You are going to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and you will have issues in life to deal with. They could be physical.
At times, they're emotional. They are maybe financial. They may be something that is of deep spiritual. A challenge to you, whatever it might be. To be a disciple is to embrace those things rather than panic and throw our arms up and say, God, why?
How could you be doing this to me? And God would say, Because I love you. And like Tevi and fiddler on the roof, he answers back and says, Lord, can't you love somebody else for a while? You're the disciple. You're the follower of Jesus.
And God is committed to growing us up. It's awesome to realize. And then finally, this word follow, and here it comes all back around to that word disciple. The disciple will follow. Me, says Jesus.
That word follow means to be united in the same journey. To walk the same way. It's often been stated the word mimic. Or to walk or move in the same direction, to pilgrim along a wayfarer or a traveler. A follower.
The Bible tells us that we are in this world, but not of this world, and that our citizenship is in heaven. That's fantastic. This world is not what we're living for. We're living for the world to come.
Someone said, Don't you guys want to inherit the earth, you Christians? Hey listen, that's up to Jesus to decide. What we want to do is inherit the presence of God Himself. That's what we're living for. That's what we're longing for.
And those are the Old Testament dispensations in your Bibles, the book of Hebrews speaks to. In Hebrews 11, 13, there the Bible says that they all died in faith. That is in the wilderness. That is in the Old Testament time. They died in faith, not having received the promises.
Why? Because the promises' fulfillment was still yet to come. But having seen them from afar off, They were Assured of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims. on the earth. That is an awesome statement.
By the way, that is a verse that William Bradford, the great pilgrim. Often quoted and often taught on when he was in Leiden, and then, of course, when they made it to America. Pilgrims and strangers, they cited it often. That they were passing through. Look, when I was a Christian back in the 70s, there was this cartoon that I don't know who drew, but some of you know it.
It's a hippie with his sandals on, and he's kind of like this with a peace sign. And he's got a cross around his neck, and his long hair was flowing, and it said, just passing through. And that was the life of the Christian. And it is the life of the Christian today. This is all an introduction, we haven't started yet.
The book of Philippians chapter 3, verse 20 says, For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait. Do you eagerly wait? Because the disciple does, for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And as Christian disciples of Jesus Christ, we're serious. and passionate About knowing him.
in this life. It's all that we can.
Okay, so listen. Let's dive into this. Point number one in our study tonight: the disciplines of discipleship. What does it mean to be a disciple? How do I know if I'm doing those things.
Number one, Sounds kind of obvious, but be careful. Point number one: discipleship requires a conversion. You say, Jack, did I come here tonight to hear that? I'm already saved.
Well, first of all, let's not take any chances. This is the issue. There's no such thing as discipleship without being converted to Christ. This may sound almost insulting to some of us, but it's the most basic, fundamental thing is that. We'd be discipled.
In fact, Satan has engineered, listen, a plethora of things to give you enough religion, a little injection, a little inoculation of religion to get you going on something. And then he'll load you up with being busy, being preoccupied, going through maybe legalism. Listen, when we're not converted to Christ, But religious, we will gravitate towards legalism. We will love legalism. Why?
Because it feeds the flesh. Did you pray today? Did you read today? Did you go to this today? Did you do that today?
I did. Boy, I tell you, when you meet that kind of an attitude, you are meeting an attitude that is proud, that is impressed with self, that is grandizing self, and there's no room for Christ. Legalism is a dangerous thing, and legalism always looks down the nose upon other people. Discipleship. demands conversion.
And Satan will gladly allow you to have a little bit of religion. It could be even a little inoculation. of Christianity. All of the trappings. Maybe you own a cross, maybe you own a Bible, maybe you go to church at Christmas and Easter.
Just enough for you to think I'm okay with God, but let me ask you. Are you faithfully, daily following Jesus as he demands of us? That's required. You say, Jack, are you saying that I worked my way into heaven? I'm saying the exact opposite.
Once you are converted, You start your path with God. You start a walk with God. You're already saved. If you die the night that you give your heart to Christ, or 30 years later, you're just as saved all along the way. Don't think for a moment, well, who's up there in the big seats in heaven?
The guys that have been saved along? Is that Billy Graham's seat up there? Billy Graham was saved the moment he said yes to Jesus, as he is now. But see when we think legalism and works No, that's not salvation. Works is the fruit that comes out of knowing the Lord.
It has nothing to do with salvation other than in this life it shows forth that we've done good works unto God, but no true person converted walks around saying, Man, look, wow, I've got so many great works. Boy, heaven is going to be really happy to see me show up. That's not how it works. Mark this down. It's important.
It's this: remembering our sinful states. Discipleship requires conversion, and we need to be reminded of the fact: church, listen, I'm not insulting you tonight, so don't get up and run out of the building. I'm saying this: that we who are disciples of Jesus are very mindful that we are sinners saved by the grace of God. That's why we sing with our hands lifted up. We're so happy.
We are so glad about that. That he saved us. Mark this, Romans 3:23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Man, you would think if God said that in the Bible as he did, that there's no hope for us. The exact opposite.
The doctor says to you, You're sick. And I'm going to give you this shot. to make you better. Stop right there. When we were little kids, we would plead with our mothers.
We would do anything we want, anything that we could to get her to not take us to go get that shot. at the doctor's. You guys, I had a medical procedure not too long ago. Actually, it was a little bit a while ago, I guess, now that I think about it. And um You know, they put you out.
And during the procedure, I woke up. But when I was in recovery, I didn't remember that. But the doctor comes into the recovery room and says, and he comes in and he takes his mask off and he's laughing. And I'm thinking, well I guess everything went fine. And he says, Man, you okay?
And I go, Yeah, yeah, you know, we're fine. And he goes, Man, you woke up halfway through that procedure. He said, you um You started swinging at me and trying to hit the nurses. And uh We we turned up the flow of the heroin or whatever they put in your food. In your face.
And before, he said before it took effect. He said, You started saying to me, Doctor, I'll give you my car. I'll give you my wallet. I started, I didn't know, I'm starting bribing the, I'll do anything if you just stop this. The doctor was working on me to fix me.
He had a plan that would make my life better. I was resisting. When the Bible says all have sinned, the person who's not converted but is religious hears that and goes, I can't believe I'm hearing that in church.
Well, first of all, it's in the Bible. Where are you going to hear this? This is Bible. I can't believe God would say that. That can't be in the Bible.
No, it's there. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It gets better. Romans 3:10 says: As it is written, there is none that does righteousness. No, not one.
So, man, you're just giving me a paper cut and you're pouring salt on it right now. No, listen, the doctor says you're sick, you need help, we need to do this. And that's how you get better. Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hughes. Here on Real Life Radio, and his message called Disciplines of Discipleship.
You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called The Disciplines of Life. It's a series that highlights the disciplines of a Christ follower and the high cost of sharing our faith with others in a lost and broken world. And we'll continue. on the next edition of Real Life Radio. Daniel Cohen here from Israel.
If you love Pastor Jack Hibb's 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, and it's totally free.
Sign up now at reallife network.com. Hey, thank you again so much for listening. And if you'd like to hear or see more of what we do here, you can always go to jackhibbs.com for all the latest on what's going on with this ministry. And please, if you're ever in the Southern California area, come see us at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. We'd love to see you there in person.
It has been so good to be with you today, and I pray you find yourself in the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. See you on the next episode. 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.
