ROM-464-240313 - length: 74:41 - taught on Mar, 13 2024
Class Outline:
The shepherds power always guides our journey.
If you’re in the resident congregation turn off your electronic devices and put them away. Let this be a place where you aren’t distracted by the world.
Welcome To
BARAH MINISTRIES
Rory Clark
Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. Thanks for listening to this Bible lesson!
OPENING AGENDA
You may be wondering some things about Barah Ministries, like…
Who is the God we worship?
What is our source of truth?
Who is our enemy?
We’re always happy to begin each lesson by answering these questions.
The Lord thinks it’s important for you to grow spiritually. Your spiritual life is the most important relationship in your life. In Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 18the Lord commands us through the apostle Peter to…
SECOND PETER 3:18
…keep on growing within the sphere of God’s grace and in experiential knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To the Lord be the glory…both now and to the day of eternity. Amen!
That’s why we come to these Bible lessons…to GROW! We don’t study the Bible to get better…we study the Bible to BE different. God is the One who makes us different. Our relationship with Him is the driving force behind everything we do as believers in Christ.
Who is the God We Worship?
We worship a Triune Godhead. There is One God who reveals Himself to
mankind as three separate…distinct…co-equal…co-infinite…co-eternal Persons…God the Father…God the Son… and God the Holy Spirit.
GOD THE FATHER is the author of the Triune Godhead’s plan for all creatures. Many human beings grow up without a human father’s presence in the home. It can give them the feeling they can’t count on anyone. Our Divine Parent…God the Father…can ALWAYS be counted on! He takes care of His children and NEVER abandons them. James, Chapter 1, Verse 17 says…
JAMES 1:17
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above…coming down from God the Father…the One in charge of the heavenly lights (the stars)…a God in whom there is no variation and no shifting shadow.
We can count on God the Father as the SOURCE of our stability.
GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan…taking on human form as Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah). Putting confidence in Him to save you is the ONE AND ONLY WAY to heaven. John, Chapter 20, Verse 31 says…
JOHN 20:31
…these things written in the Bible have been written so that you may BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…the Son of God (the Lord…who took on human form)…and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life (eternal life) in Hisname.
When you invest your faith in Jesus…asking Him to save you…by believing in Him you instantly have the resurrection life…eternal life…in His name.
We worship GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. He is our Mentor and Teacher…the guide who is the rudder of a Christian’s life. It’s easy to get down when things aren’t going our way. Luckily, we have God the Holy Spirit indwelling us to remind us that we ALWAYS have hope of better days and better things to come. Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 13 encourages us…
ROMANS 15:13
Now may the God and Father of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in HOPE through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit.
Our God always gives EVERYTHING in abundance…and hope is one of those things. Jeremiah, Chapter 29, Verse 11 says…
JEREMIAH 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for your welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”
Thanks be to God for the gift of HOPE.
What is Our Source of Truth?
As Christians, we develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the
entire Godhead through the study of the Word of God…THE BIBLE. At Barah Ministries, we teach the Bible from God’s viewpoint…not from human viewpoint…because we refuse to teach as doctrinal truth the precepts of men. In Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 4…
MATTHEW 4:4
Jesus told Satan, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on physical food alone…but on (spiritual food…which is) every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
There is no problem in your life the Word of God doesn’t have a solution for…use it as a path to righteousness!
Who is Our Enemy?
GOD HAS AN ENEMY…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world’ for a finite period. He is the enemy of believers in Christ as well. Satan is a thief…and he wants to steal your peace…your joy…and your happiness according to John, Chapter 10, Verse 10…
JOHN 10:10a
The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy…
He is the master of scaring us into thinking our life philosophy should be scarcity…that there are limited resources which are running out so you better get yours. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says the opposite is true in the other half of John, Chapter 10, Verse 10…
JOHN 10:10b
I (the Lord Jesus Christ) came so that believers in Christ may have the resurrection life…and have it ABUNDANTLY.
We have a Lord that makes our cup of blessing overflow. He always gives us much more than we need.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Unbelievers…God Has Your Back!
LESSON INTRODUCTION
As believers in Christ, we have proof that God has our back. Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32 is our assurance…
ROMANS 8:31
What then shall we believers in Christ say face-to-face with all these things? If God the Father is FOR us believers in Christ…and He is…who is ever going to be successful in opposition against us?
Of course, the answer is…NO ONE!
ROMANS 8:32
God the Father…who did not spare His own Son (the Lord Jesus Christ)…but delivered Him over (as a sin sacrifice) for us all…how will the Father not also… because of our union with Christ…freely give us all things?
In unconditional love, God has the unbeliever’s back as well. In today’s lesson we’ll learn more about the amazing God of the Universe, and how He provides a path out of the darkness of unbelief.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!Does God have the unbeliever’s back? John, Chapter 3,
Verses 16 and 17 indicate He does…
JOHN 3:16
“For God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He gave His uniquely born Son (the God-man…the Lord Jesus Christ…to be crucified on a Cross as a sin sacrifice) … so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish…but hasthe resurrection life (eternal life).”
WHOSOEVER means EVERYBODY!
JOHN 3:17
For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord) into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
The Lord is always on the prowl looking for unbelievers to save! Here’s June Murphy to remind us how our Lord operates with unbelievers in her song YOU RAN AFTER ME.
MUSIC
OPENING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
YOU RAN AFTER ME
June Murphy
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Gratitude Father…that’s the feeling that comes from being in a relationship with You…there are so many times in this life when we let ourselves down…when we do things we consider to be out of character for us…and we shock ourselves…then as we reflect, we realize that our condemnation of others is a condemnation of ourselves because we do the very things we get disgusted with others for doing… thanks be to You,Father, that You have the power to deliver us from ourselves…and that You’re always willing to use that power for our benefit!
Amid this indictment of the unbelieving world in Romans, Chapters 1 to 3…help us believers in Christ to remember Your attitude toward unbelievers, which is unconditional love…something we as human beings would never offer them if it were not for Your power in us…help us believers in Christ to realize our
helplessness to break our own cycle of sinning with human power…show us how to count on You because there is nothing You can’t do…nothing is impossible for You…and as we realize You are on the side of ALL Your creatures, help us believers to be on the side of unbelievers as well, sharing with them the good news of all that You are willing to do for Your creatures…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Unbelievers…God Has Your Back!
LESSON PART ONE
The next passage of Romans, Chapter 2 indicts those who are moral and religious…in this case the Jews. Remember…Romans, Chapters 1 to 3 are designed to convince the whole world of the need for a Savior. Without an indictment, it would be easy to feel there is no need to be saved thus no need for JesusChrist and no use for gospel message.
You’ll remember in Romans, Chapter 1 Paul deals with the flagrant and godless types in first-century Rome who have created a lifestyle of immoral sinning. They break the rules…they don’t care…they eat and drink and are “merry”…and Paul describes them in Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 22 and 23…
ROMANS 1:22
Professing to be wise…(immoral) unbelievers became fools…
ROMANS 1:23
…and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images to worship…in the form of corruptible man…in the form of birds…in the form of four-footed animals…and in the form of crawling creatures.
In the first passage of Romans, Chapter 2 Paul presents an indictment to those who
are moral…the legalistic, self-righteous, “respectable” ones who see themselves as wonderful and see those who engage in immoral sinning as despicable. Yet secretly, while they condemn those with a lifestyle of immoral sinning, they commit the same immoral sins.
Many of these moral people ARE decent...perhaps even hard-working people. Yet theywant nothing to do with God. As they would say, “I’m not religious.” Paul lets them know in Romans, Chapter 2, Verse 11…
ROMANS 2:11
…there is no partiality in the presence of God.
Whether you’re an immoral sinner who “lives it up” or a moral sinner who looks down his nose at others, presuming you’re better than others…in God’s eyes, a sinner (an unbeliever) is a sinner.
Any of us, when we hold ourselves up against God’s standard, ALWAYS fall short of it…and we feel bad…we feel like we are letting God down. He doesn’t feel that way about us…He loves us unconditionally…He is on our side…He uses the “broken ones” among us to do His will. Everyone He has ever used for His purposes has a lousy resume. His power is what matters, not ours. He will deliver us from ourselves…and when we forget that,which we often do, life feels like it has no purpose.
God has our backs!
So the next passage zooms in on the moral and religious sinner…the one who hides behind religion, thinking religion will save them. They go to church, perhaps every time the doors are open; they pray every day; they have a Bible and they read it; they are the “Super Doers!” They count on what they DO rather than counting on what God has DONE for them. Unfortunately, their religion can’t save them.
Many don’t want to believe we are all the same…and that God will judge us the same…fairly. We like thinking we are special. We aren’t. However, God IS special, especially in the way He treats all members of the human race. What He does for us, what He thinks of us, is what matters.
Jesus taught this lesson to a religious Pharisee named Nicodemus. In addition to
being a Pharisee, he was a member of the Sanhedrin…the supreme Jewish
Counciland Tribunal of the Jews…the court of justice…headed by a High
Priest…who had religious, civil, and criminal jurisdiction.
Nicodemus was religious. He was in church all day every day for years. He was a “spiritual” leader of the Jewish people. He was into outward appearances, and that kept Him from developing his inner spiritual life. He was missing a fundamental of life here on earth. Those blinded by religion are in love with the outward appearance of things. They prefer religion over a relationship with the Lord.
Let’s see WHAT Jesus taught Nicodemus…and HOW Jesus taught Nicodemus…in John, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 6…
JOHN 3:1
Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus…a ruler of the Jews…
JOHN 3:2
…and Nicodemus came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher…for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
JOHN 3:3
Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is BORN AGAIN (the spiritual birth)…he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
JOHN 3:4
Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
JOHN 3:5
Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of (the) water (of the Word) and God the Holy Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
JOHN 3:6
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh (those born ofmortals are mortal)…and those who are born again ones of the Spirit are spirit (God is immortal and so are His children).”
Nicodemus was in shock…his mouth hung open…his soul was convicted by God
the Holy Spirit. He was aware, perhaps for the first time, how out of touch with truth he was. In John, Chapter 3, Verse 7 Jesus continues…
JOHN 3:7
“(Nicodemus)…do not be amazed that I said,‘You must be born again.’”
From his shock, Nicodemus managed a few words…John, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
JOHN 3:9
Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can these things be?”
In John, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
JOHN 3:10
Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”
Let’s look at and listen to the second passage of Romans, Chapter 2, Verses 17 to 29. You’ll hear a similar message…
ROMANS 2:17
But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Mosaic Law and boast in God…
ROMANS 2:18
…and know His will and approve the essential things…being instructed out of the Mosaic Law…
ROMANS 2:19
…and if you are confident that you are a guide to the blind…a light to those who are in darkness…
ROMANS 2:20
…a corrector of the foolish…a teacher of the immature…having in the Mosaic Law the embodiment of knowledge and the truth…
ROMANS 2:21
…you, therefore, who teach another…do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal…do you steal?
ROMANS 2:22
You who say that one should not commit adultery…do you commit adultery? You
who abhor idols…do you rob temples?
ROMANS 2:23
You who boast in the Mosaic Law…through your breaking the Law…do you dishonor God?
ROMANS 2:24
For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written.
ROMANS 2:25
For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Mosaic Law…but if you are a transgressor of the Mosaic Law…your circumcision is uncircumcision.
ROMANS 2:26
So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Mosaic Law…will not his uncircumcision be regarded by God as circumcision?
ROMANS 2:27
And he who is physically uncircumcised…if he keeps the Mosaic Law…will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Mosaic Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Mosaic Law?
ROMANS 2:28
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly…nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
ROMANS 2:29
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly…and circumcision is that which is of the heart…by the (power of) God the Holy Spirit…not by the letter (of the Mosaic Law)…and his praise is not from men…but from God.
When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering and then we’ll dissect this passage verse-by-verse to see what is has to teach us.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK
NOBODY
Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Unbelievers…God Has Your Back!
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
When God blesses us financially, He wants us to raise our standard of GIVING, not our standard of living. Remember, God is the One who seeks and saves the lost…the lost don’t seek Him…Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 11 says…
ROMANS 3:11
No creature understands God or any divine thing…there is no creature who seeks a relationship with God…
In Luke, Chapter 15, Verse 4, Jesus says…
LUKE 15:4
“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them,
does not leave the ninety-nine sheep in the open pasture and go after the one sheep which is lost until he finds it?”
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Shepherd. As His creatures, we are the sheep. What does the Shepherd do for the sheep who are not seeking a relationship with Him? He goes after them. Your generosity creates the opportunity for Barah Ministries to provide the gift of the gospel message to the unbelievers God brings to this ministry.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
JOSHUA 1:9
“Have I (the Lord) not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
OFFERING SONG
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Unbelievers…God Has Your Back!
LESSON PART TWO
Welcome back!
Let’s see how the apostle Paul, under the guidance of the Lord’s thinking, indicts those who are moral and religious. As was mentioned earlier, religious people are impressed with what they DO. Paul mentions the things the religious do and then he assails these things done in human power. Romans, Chapter 2, Verses 17 to 29…
ROMANS 2:17
But if (1) you bear the name “Jew” … and you do…and if you rely upon the Mosaic Law…and you do…and if youboast in your relationship with God…and you do...
ROMANS 2:18
...and if youknow God’s will…and you do…and if youapprove the essential things…and you do…being instructed out of the Mosaic Law...
ROMANS 2:19
...and if youare confident that you are a guide to the blind…and you are…and if you area light to those who are in darkness…and you think you are...
ROMANS 2:20
...and if you are acorrector of the foolish…and you are…and if you area teacher
ofthe immature…and you are…having in the Mosaic Law the embodiment of
knowledge and the embodimentof the truth...
ROMANS 2:21a
...you, therefore, who teach another…do you not teach yourself?
That’s quite a list! But if these seven things don’t manifest themselves through the power of God the Holy Spirit, they are worthless.
Paul asks…if you’re a Jew…if you follow the Law…if you boast of a relationship with God… if you know God’s will…if you know what is spiritually essential…if you’re confident as a guide of others…if you’re a teacher…yet you do not practice what you preach…what good is your religion? That’s quite an indictment…and it is true for all of us. Seldom are we able to live up to the standards we impose on others. We certainly don’t live up to God’s standards.
The blessings that are available through learning the Mosaic Law are a curse for those who aren’t born again.
For those who claim to be Jews…one of my friends always says it with gusto … “I’m Jewish!” … she’s so proud of her racial heritage … Paul would ask, “How do you treat people, especially enemies? Does your conduct misrepresent the Lord? Are you unforgiving? Do you see yourself as superior to others?” Paul would ask the same of today’s Christians!
As it relates to the Mosaic Law…Paul would ask, “Does it give you the resurrection life (eternal life)? Is it a shield against the disasters of life?” There will be a lot of people in the Lake of Fire who have Bibles in their homes. They had access to the Law of God, but they did not value it enough to learn it and use it.
In relationship to God as the chosen race, Paul would ask the Jews, “Did you distort the privilege? Did you look down your noses at those who were not Jewish? Did you boast? More importantly, did you abdicate the responsibility that came with being Jewish…the charge to evangelize the world?” Paul certainly did until his conversion to Christianity.
Paul would ask, “If you knew God’s will, was your inner spiritual game in line with God’s will? Are you obedient to the Word? Do you take credit for the things God has DONE for you? Is your knowing and doing on par with God’s?”
On judgment day, religious unbelievers will face a truth they ignored while on earth…Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 21 to 23…
MATTHEW 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven… but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”
MATTHEW 7:22
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord…Lord…did we not prophesy in Your name…and in Your name cast out demons…and in Your name perform many miracles?’”
MATTHEW 7:23
“And then I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will declare to them, ‘I never knew you…depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”
The will of God the Father is that all of us believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. For the religious, who are always proclaiming the Lord, yet they had no relationship with Him…their eternity will be in the Lake of Fire.
For those who know what is spiritually essential, Paul asks, “Do you know what is best and right yet secretly live what is worst and wrong?”
For those who are well instructed in the Mosaic Law, people like Nicodemus, Paul wonders, “Does what you have learned through the Mosaic Law affect you?"
For those who are teachers, who consider themselves to be guides for the blind… instructors of the foolish…teachers of infants…who read the Bible every day…who claim falsely to abstain from sin…who hang out with those they consider to be the right people…Paul asks, “Do you teach yourselves?”
The Jews…and all who are religious…would vehemently defend that they have checked all the DO boxes, making them special to God. Paul wonders if it is all show for these unbelieving, religious Jews. So as Paul continues in Romans, Chapter 2, Verse 21 with five rhetorical questions to these unregenerate ones…he challenges them to evaluate if they are practicing what they preach…
ROMANS 2:21b
You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?
They did.
ROMANS 2:22a
You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?
They did. They did not have control of their passions. They caused people to resist God through their own conduct. Matthew, Chapter 5, Verse 28…
MATTHEW 5:28
…but I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Even our thoughts condemn us.
ROMANS 2:22b
You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
They did. In the front of the temple, they would claim that worshipping idols was horrible! Yet in the back of the temple, they were making money selling idols. Hypocrisy at its finest.
ROMANS 2:23
You who boast in the Mosaic Law…through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?
Those who don't live by the Law are phonies. They didn’t live it. They merely professed it while their lifestyle professed something quite different.
ROMANS 2:24
For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU (religious and phony Jews),” just as it is written (in Old Testament Scripture).
Taking the Lord’s name in vain is not merely saying things like “Oh My God” … or saying “Jesus!” in frustration. Taking the Lord’s name in vain happens, too, when we misrepresent the Lord with our conduct.
ROMANS 2:25
For indeed (physical) circumcision (the mark of being Jewish) is of value if you practice the Mosaic Law…but if you are a transgressor of the Mosaic Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
The Lord encourages us to practice what we preach. When the moral see hypocrisy, they use it as an excuse to proclaim their own righteousness which is no righteousness at all. When the driving school instructor gets a DUI…when the fire station burns down because there is no smoke detector…when the fitness instructor eats donuts…when a policeman is on the take…it causes us to doubt the value of spirituality. Unfortunately, when we fix our eyes on human beings (as if human beings are “role models”) …we will always see hypocrisy.
Don’t let people turn you off to God! That’s what a lot of religious people do.Romans, Chapter 2, Verses 26 to 29…
ROMANS 2:26
So if the uncircumcised man (the Gentile) keeps the requirements of the Mosaic Law (by nature)…will not his uncircumcision be regarded by Godas circumcision?
ROMANS 2:27
And he who is physically uncircumcised…if he keeps the Mosaic Law (by nature)…will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Mosaic Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Mosaic Law?
ROMANS 2:28
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly…nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
ROMANS 2:29
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly…and circumcision is that which is of the heart…by (the power of God) the (Holy) Spirit…not by the letter of the Mosaic Law…and his praise is not from men…but from God.
In the first two chapters of Romans, the Lord indicts those who construct immoral lifestyles…those who construct moral lifestyles…and those who construct religious lifestyles. These lifestyles are Satan’s lifestyle offers to the human race. Our God’s lifestyle offer is simpler. He wants us to count on His ability to conform us to the exact image of God the Son.
As we continue to listen to the indictment of the whole human race, we can’t help but see our inadequacies. In human power, we are inadequate. The apostle Paul expresses this frustration in Romans, Chapter 7, Verse 24…
ROMANS 7:24
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?
ROMANS 7:25a
Thanks be to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord (who delivers us)!
In God’s power, we believers in Christ have significance because of what He has done for us. Our doing has no power. Now on to Romans Chapter 3 for a summary of the indictment of the whole human race.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The closing moments of this lesson could be the ten most important minutes of your life. You’ll be introduced to the good news concerning how you can spend all eternity in heaven when you close your eyes in this life. We want you to know that…
GOD WANTS YOU!
He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
If you’re listening to this message you need to know that the Lord Jesus Christ is Your Creator…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…
JOHN 1:3
All things came into being through the Lord (God the Son)…and apart fromHim,nothing (including you) came into being that has come into being.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves you…UNconditionally…with NO conditions… First John, Chapter 4, Verse 8…
FIRST JOHN 4:8
The one who does not love unconditionally does not know the Lord…for the LordISunconditional love (in His very Person).
If you think these things are true, then there is no reason for you to end up in the Lake of Fire, commonly referred to as hell, when you close your eyes in this life. To go to heaven, you simply choose to have a relationship with Christ.
Unfortunately for you, God considers you to be a sinner from the moment of your physical birth. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says that from the moment of your birth…
EPHESIANS 2:1
…you were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
It’s not your fault that you were born a sinner, but it is your circumstance.
All of us were born spiritually dead, and spiritually dead sinners need a Savior. The Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord sent this message to you…the gospel message…good news about His salvation offer…because He wants a relationship with you. This message is your roadmap to salvation! First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 say…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3
This is what’s good and acceptable in the sight of the God who is our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:4
…who desires all men to be saved and who desiresfor all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.
There is something the Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t want for you…He doesn’t want you to go to the Lake of Fire…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…
SECOND PETER 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvationas some accuse Him of…instead, He is patient toward unbelievers…not wishing for any of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire) … but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
You will go to the Lake of Fire at physical death if you choose not to believe in Jesus Christ.
To make a place for you in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ forgives all of your sins…Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verse 25…
ISAIAH 43:25
“I, even I (the Lord), am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake…and I will not remember your sins.”
Who is this God who saves you? The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3
For I (the apostle Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the
gospel message I also received from God…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4
…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
This loving, forgiving, patient God offers you the chance to be saved as a free gift, and He wants to save you right this minute. RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT…RIGHT NOW…you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…
ACTS 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
You don’t have to work to be saved…in fact, you can’t work to be saved… Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…
ROMANS 11:6
But if salvation is by grace, and of course it is, it is no longer based on your works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.
To be saved, you simply accept the free gift from God of eternal life by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord warns those who reject His salvation offer in Matthew, Chapter 25, Verse 41…
MATTHEW 25:41
“Then the Lord Jesus Christ will say to those on His left (unbelievers)…‘Depart from Me… accursed ones…into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels…’”
Believe me…you never want to hear those words.
So heed the warning and accept the invitation of John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36
“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life (eternal life) right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
When you realize the power of this gospel message, and as you get to know Jesus Christ’s love for you, you’ll have no problem placing your confidence in Him, both for your salvation and for anything else. Why? Because you’ll know that the Sovereign God of the Universe wants a relationship with you. He loves you, and He died for you.
Take advantage of His grace and choose to be saved RIGHT NOW!
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! In Matthew, Chapter 28, Verse 20…the Lord tells all of us that He will ALWAYS have our backs!
MATTHEW 28:20b
“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am with you ALWAYS…even to the end of the age.”
In his song THROUGH ALL OF IT, Colton Dixon a lifetime of being protected by the Lord.
MUSIC
CLOSING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
THROUGH ALL OF IT
Colton Dixon
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for always being there for us…thank you for your attitude toward us even though we are in no way worthy of Your concern because of sin…thank you for overlooking our sins justly because of what Your Son, our Lord…Jesus…the Christ…did for us at the Cross…
…conform us to the image of Your Son so we have the same attitude toward others that He does…help us to listen to od the Holy Spirit’s guidance as He sanctifies us to make a difference in this lost and dying world…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please make it a habit to listen to the announcements. They are posted separately. Keep current on the things going on and coming up in Barah Ministries.
DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
This will resume next week.
GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?
Ask the Pastor
pastor@barahministries.com
KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!
Thanks for coming!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for listening!
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1220 S. Alma School Rd. Suite 201 Mesa, AZ 85210 |
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(480) 237-9903 |
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info@barahministries.com |
