Romans 257: Romans 8 - God the Holy Spirit Does the Grooming

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Barah Ministries has a worldwide reach and an intimate impact on lives, through the gracious provision of our omnipotent God, the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Thank you Lord for the internet, a place where anyone with access can be reached with Your Word.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

God the Holy Spirit Does the Grooming

 

What is your attitude toward your church leaders here at Barah Ministries?  What are your relationships like with other members of Barah Ministries?  How are you doing living the holy life that God intends for you?

 

In closing out his first letter to the church at Thessalonica, the apostle Paul gives the church a series of do’s and don’ts…First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verses 12 to 22…

 

First Thessalonians 5:12

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction…

 

First Thessalonians 5:13

…and that you esteem them very highly in unconditional love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.

 

First Thessalonians 5:14

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

 

First Thessalonians 5:15

See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.

 

First Thessalonians 5:16-17

Rejoice always…pray without ceasing (make it a habit to pray)…

 

First Thessalonians 5:18

…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

First Thessalonians 5:19-20

Do not quench the Spirit…do not despise prophetic utterances.

 

First Thessalonians 5:21

But examine everything carefully, and hold fast to that which is good…

 

First Thessalonians 5:22

…abstain from every form of evil.

 

Our attitudes, our relationships, our spiritual lives are affected most, not by our environment, not by our circumstances, but most by our choices, especially the choice to listen to the urgings of God the Holy Spirit.  As we close out the third passage of Romans, Chapter 8, our focus shifts back to the Person on whom we focused at the beginning of Romans, Chapter 8…God the Holy Spirit…our Mentor and our Teacher.

 

Last week we talked about the idea that we are being “groomed.”  When someone is being “groomed,” they are being prepared for a specific position or purpose.  As Church Age believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we are known in heaven as “The Bride of Christ.”  The irony is that as His bride, the Lord Jesus Christ is “grooming” us.  He is preparing us to live in our position as His bride for all eternity, as He reveals His glory IN us. 

 

Well God the Holy Spirit is the one doing the grooming…and in this third passage of Romans, Chapter 8, there has been an emphasis on the role of suffering in that grooming process.  John Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist Church, says this about God the Holy Spirit…

 

JOHN WESLEY

One of the greatest evidences of the Spirit’s unconditional love, to those that love him, is to send them afflictions (suffering), along with the grace to bear them.

 

When I think about God the Holy Spirit, I am amazed at the changes He has orchestrated in me.  I wonder if you notice what He has been doing for you.  I have no problems.  How about you?  It’s not that my life doesn’t have challenges…it is not that I have reached maturity…it is not that I am special…it’s just that I see God the Holy Spirit’s hand molding and shaping every thought, every action, every desire.  And the words that touch my soul as I witness His work in me are the words of First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verse 18…

 

First Thessalonians 5:18

…in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

Yes even when suffering we give thanks!  I am grateful for each of the people who are part of this ministry.  I appreciate your faithful support of the ministry.  I appreciate the way you are treating each other.  And I appreciate your sincere desire to let what you are learning show up in your every day lives.  Thank you for that.  And I enjoy hearing about your journey.

 

Welcome to a place where you can grow, by means of the Holy Spirit’s grace, in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…to Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity…Amen.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

JESUS LOVES ME

Chris Tomlin

 

As we prepare our souls for worship, let’s enjoy the opening song…JESUS LOVES ME…sung by Chris Tomlin.

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for the indwelling God, the Holy Spirit in us…the One who influences our thoughts that they might all be holy…the One who moves in us so that we can feel His presence…the One who wins our hearts with His gentle gracious and guiding hand…

 

Through Him, Father, help us to love what is holy and to abhor what is evil…strengthen us with His enabling power…illuminate the path that He is leading us down…protect us from straying from His guidance…

 

We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name... Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

God the Holy Spirit Does the Grooming

 

God the Father has given us a counselor…God the Holy Spirit…He is with us forever…he is the Spirit of truth…and His job is to lead us into all the truth…He teaches us, He guides us, He inculcates our souls with truth…and those who are led by the Spirit of God…these are the sons of God.  Count me in.  Let’s return in this lesson to a look at the One who is grooming us to be a bride.  First, a few announcements.

 

BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Next Deacon’s Meeting

February 27

7:30A-9:00A

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

No Face-to Face Teaching

March 6, 2016

 

A lesson will be posted.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

NEXT WEEK!

The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration

March 13, 2016

 

TAKE THE WORD OF GOD WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO

 

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It’s available at Google Play, at the Windows Apps Store, or at the iTunes Store.  It’s also downloadable from the Barah Ministries website.  Tell your friends about the APP.  It’s never been easier to have the Word of God at your disposal all the time. 

 

BARAH MINISTRIES IS BACK ON THE RADIO

KXEG 1280AM The Trumpet

Sundays at Noon

 

PRAYERS

Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group

 

Join me in prayer directed at all the intercessions and all the petitions of the people visiting the Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group.

 

YOUR CONTRIBUTION TAX RECEIPTS

Distributed This Week

 

PRAYERS

Nick Tsontakis

His Mother Went Home to Be with the Lord

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

God the Holy Spirit Does the Grooming

 

We’re closing out our study of the third passage of Romans, Chapter 8.  When we survey this passage we see that we are a suffering creation…beginning at Romans, Chapter 8, beginning at Verse 18…

 

Romans 8:18

For I (Paul) know for a fact that the sufferings of this present time (both RIGHT NOW, and throughout the Church Age…this present evil age) are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed IN us believers in Christ (IN THE FUTURE).

 

Romans 8:19

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

 

Romans 8:20

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope…

 

Romans 8:21

…that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

 

Romans 8:22

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

 

Romans 8:23

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

 

Romans 8:24

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

 

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

 

During my frequent trips to Philadelphia, I am reminded of the suffering in our lives…as I have told you, the homeless population in the Philadelphia area is quite sophisticated in their appeals for money.  Last week I was in a sports bar watching the Chicago Blackhawks get trounced by the Dallas Stars…my obsession with pain has turned away from Arizona Cardinals football to Chicago Blackhawks hockey…a man came up to me to ask for money.  I gave it to him, and he promptly got escorted from the bar.  The guy sitting next to me then went on a fifteen-minute rant (right in the middle of the game) concerning how he “spurns beggars”…and he all but told me that he runs red lights to get through Camden, New Jersey because of a fear of the predominantly black homeless population.  Evidently, and I did not know this, alcohol obscures color.  Didn’t he see that I am black?

 

It’s times like these when God the Holy Spirit’s work on my behalf becomes most obvious to me.  I felt compassion for the homeless man…and I felt, perhaps, more compassion for the young man sitting next to me who was numbing himself with beers and tequila chasers…at least three while I sat there…forty dollars…I was hoping he was not driving home.  Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 5 says…

 

Philippians 4:5

Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

 

I see the gentleness being engineered into me by God the Holy Spirit.  He is changing me.  He is changing us, and suffering is a great tool at his disposal to shape our character.  Are you noticing what He is doing in your life?

 

The final verses of the third passage…Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 23 to 25…

 

Romans 8:23

And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

 

Romans 8:24

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

 

Romans 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

 

After a short music break we’ll close out our study of this passage.

 

MUSIC BREAK

HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US

Phillips, Craig and Dean

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

God the Holy Spirit Does the Grooming

 

Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 23…

 

ROM 8:23

And not only this, but also we believers in Christ ourselves, having the first fruits God the Father has given us…namely God the Holy the Spirit…even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

 

Our physical body remains unredeemed after salvation…our soul and our spirit are redeemed AT salvation.  There is some salvation work that is yet to be completed.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 2 says…

 

Second Corinthians 5:2

For indeed in this house (our physical body) we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven (the resurrection body)…

 

That’s certainly not an excuse for us to sing the “I’m Only Human” song…the entire Trinity indwells our unredeemed body…so there is no excuse for us to continue in the deeds of the flesh.  What are the deeds of the flesh?  Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 19 to 21…

 

Galatians 5:19

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:  immorality, impurity, sensuality…

 

Galatians 5:20

…idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions…

 

 

Galatians 5:21

…envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

Believers in Christ do not practice these things even though we may partake in them.  Instead, we are to allow ourselves to be directed by God the Holy Spirit…in fact we are to request the leadership of God the Holy Spirit.  Our return to the real subject of Romans, Chapter 8…God the Holy Spirit…the one who has the job to replace what was broken in us…reminds us what His responsibilities to us are…He is responsible to instruct our new creature… He is responsible for producing fruit…Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 22 and 23…

 

Galatians 5:22

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…

 

Galatians 5:23

…gentleness, self-control; against such virtues there is no law.

 

While God the Holy Spirit is producing these things in us, we groan, waiting for the redemption of our bodies.  If we are happy in this life, we owe it all to God the Holy Spirit.  He is our down payment, our signature guarantee, our earnest money, the One who guarantees our future inheritance with His indwelling presence…turning our bodies into a temple of worship… directing the enabling power of God the Father, God the Son, and the Unique Person of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ…putting that power at our disposal.  With God the Holy Spirit on our sides, do we worry about the gauntlet of suffering in this life?  Not at all…remember Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 18?

 

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

Our present suffering is soon to be turned into glory…Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 24 and 25…

 

ROM 8:24

For in hope (for the future) we have been saved (in the past), but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

 

ROM 8:25

But if we hope for what we do not see, and we do, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

 

What is it we, as believers in Christ, are hoping for?  Our next hope, our confident expectation of an amazing future, is fixed on the exit resurrection of the Church Age believers…commonly known as the Rapture.  Let’s look at First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 42 to 58…a great description of the groaning life here and the hope that is to come in the not too distant future…

 

First Corinthians 15:42

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body…

 

First Corinthians 15:43

…it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power…

 

First Corinthians 15:44

…it is sown a natural (physical) body, it is raised a spiritual (resurrection) body. If there is a natural body, and there is, there is also a spiritual body.

 

First Corinthians 15:45

So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam (the Lord Jesus Christ) became a life-giving spirit.

 

First Corinthians 15:46

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural is first; then the spiritual.

 

First Corinthians 15:47

The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.

 

First Corinthians 15:48

As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.

 

First Corinthians 15:49

Just as we believers in Christ have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

 

First Corinthians 15:50

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

 

First Corinthians 15:51

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…

 

First Corinthians 15:52

…in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead (in Christ) will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

 

First Corinthians 15:53

For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

 

First Corinthians 15:54

But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 

First Corinthians 15:55

“O death, where is your victory? O death (grave), where is your sting?”

 

First Corinthians 15:56

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law…

 

First Corinthians 15:57

…but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

First Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

 

God the Holy Spirit allows each one of us to “drop it like it’s hot.”  It’s not sin…it’s not the law…it’s grace.  We are being groomed in the sphere of gracious by our most gracious Mentor and teacher God the Holy Spirit.  Praise be to God.

 

When the Lord Jesus Christ

Promises Salvation, It’s a Guarantee!

 

Acts 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

Acts 4:12

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given to mankind by which we must be saved (except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ).”

 

Luke 19:10

“For the Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

First Timothy 2:9

…the Lord has saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and through the grace which was granted to us in union with Christ Jesus from all eternity…

 

CLOSING SONG

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEG

June Murphy

  

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

          THANKS- INTERCESSION- PETITION

 

And we pray You protect our steps as we go out into the world, Father…and that you keep us on the narrow way, completely dependent on You and Your Guiding, Mentoring Spirit…we ask this in Christ’s name, Amen.

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com