(#409) Romans 12 - Desperation is The Only Hope For Some
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference worldwide courtesy of the internet. Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference locally in the Gilbert, Mesa, and Chandler, AZ communities. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we teach the Word of God from God’s perspective, not from man’s perspective.
The Christian Way of Living is not a bunch of sound-bites and platitudes. You’ll hear people say, “God never gives us anything we can’t handle!” That’s a complete lie. God ALWAYS gives us things we can’t handle. The apostle Paul can testify to this idea. Paul’s training would suggest that he was one of the original Navy Seals, because his training was as difficult as it gets…Second Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verses 8 to 10…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware (Paul talking about himself), brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, BEYOND OUR STRENGTH, so that we despaired even of life…
Paul thought he was going to die…he was definitely given more than he could handle.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 1:9 …indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but that we would trust in God the Father who raises people from the dead… Intense affliction brings us to the end of our SELF-LIFE. We have no choice, then, but to turn to God…since self is so inadequate to handle intense pressure.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 1:10 …the God and Father who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and who will keep on delivering us…God the Father…ON WHOM WE HAVE SET OUR HOPE…and He will yet deliver us…
Just as He delivered the apostle Paul, our God and Father will deliver us from the perils threatening death while we are alive, and from the peril that is physical death, resurrecting us from the dead in the future.
Does God give us more than we can handle? Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 24 to 28…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:24 Five times I (Paul) received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:25 Three times I was beaten with rods…once I was stoned (to death)…three times I was shipwrecked…a night and a day I have spent in the deep.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:26 I (Paul) have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers…dangers from robbers…dangers from my countrymen (The Jews)…dangers from the Gentiles…dangers in the city…dangers in the wilderness…dangers on the sea…dangers among false brethren…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:27 I have been in labor and in hardship…through many sleepless nights…in hunger and thirst…often without food…in cold and exposure.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.
Yes. God gives us more than we can handle. Not only physical pressures… but mental pressures as well. When He does, count on Him. Welcome to a place where you can study bible, the Lord Jesus Christ’s exact thinking, the Word of God…a curriculum designed to give you hope.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Desperation is The Only Hope For Some
God has given each of His believers in Christ a supernatural spiritual gift, and He designed each gift to have a supernatural affect on the people He brings to us. Believers in Christ are expected by God to provide the benefits of the spiritual gift to those in need. God calls each of His believers to a ministry that provides His Light, through us, to a lost and dying world…an illuminated path out of the snare of Satan’s kingdom of death and darkness…to those who allow themselves to be victims of the darkness.
For some, the step after hopelessness is desperation. In today’s lesson, we’ll learn that some need to come completely to the end of their rope before they let God rescue them.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
CAST MY CARES Finding Favor
First Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 13 says…
FRIST CORINTHIANS, 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but the human kind…and God is faithful… who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear…but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also…so that you will be able to endure it.
Often, the misinterpretation of this verse is the reason people think God doesn’t give us more than we can handle. On closer inspection, what God is telling us through the apostle Paul is that there is nothing we can’t handle when we let Him do it. We are to depend on God. Here’s the group FINDING FAVOR to make it clear to you…when you’re in a tough spot take their advice…the song is CAST MY CARES.
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…You are the God of hope…when we were in the desperation of spiritual death You gave us a way out by sending your Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to die so that we would not have to…three days later You resurrected Him from the dead to prove that He is God and to give us an even greater hope of our coming resurrection…and You sealed our victory with God the Holy Spirit of promise…
Help us to cast our cares on You, Father…help us to remember that You care for us and that You consider our problems to be Your responsibility… help us to accept the help you send…give us the spiritual eyes to see the way out of every jam and every temptation…the way out that You always provide…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Desperation is The Only Hope For Some
I have been blessed with a new family. A female Mallard duck and nine of her ducklings have taken over my back yard and my swimming pool.
So for the last three days, I have been enjoying their company. She is a single Mom…no sign of Papa Duck in the three days. It’s just like God to dump a single Mom in my lap, knowing of my experience of loving my own single Mom for the first forty-three years of my life.
The first day, I wondered what to feed them. Bread was my first thought. The internet confirmed that as a dumb choice. So off to the pet store I went to get advice, and I bought some non-medicated food crumbles for ducks and ducklings.
Mom wasn’t about to let me get close enough to feed her and the babies, so I had to trap them in an area of the yard to get close enough to feed her. Once she tasted the food, we were instant friends because she was quite hungry. Even though she won’t let me get close to the ducklings…she acknowledges her appreciation by wiggling every time I am around. If I get too close, she takes the ducklings on a swim to the opposite side of the pool from where I stand, and if she feels threatened she flaps her wings…and she’ll even fly at me to give me a warning to back off.
The morning after their first night in the yard, there were only eight ducklings left. I imagine the cats that frequent my yard had a meal. I counted the ducklings first thing in the morning, and when one was missing I was so mad I couldn’t even stand it. The anger continued to build during the day, so much so that I was thinking of ways to fortify the yard against predators. Electronic fences…pellet guns…many things came to mind.
Frequent checks during the night became the norm. Momma Duck is the original down blanket. She sits over the top of her ducklings to keep them warm. It’s actually amusing to hear them chirping from underneath her. So cute!
Last night, before I went to bed, I made a final count. There were still eight left. Three of them were in the pool. Five were under Mom as a blanket. Of the three in the pool, two were the “small-fries.” One was the rebel. He was off on his own, far away from the group. I imagined that he would not be alive by morning. I was right. In the morning there were seven. I’m not sure what happened to him, but I fished him alive from the pool, but he didn’t make it. And then there were seven.
It seems to me that wandering away from the group is never a good idea. Yet Satan, the enemy of God, has set up his kingdom to separate us. He encourages us to set up lives on our own, away from the group. For example, it’s easier to listen to a bible lesson on the internet than it is to ARRANGE YOUR LIFE around coming for face-to-face teaching every week. The non-resident congregation is excused from this thought of course…I just want to make the point that it has become routine for us, thanks to Satan, to wander away from the safety of the pack.
In his book Walden, Henry David Thoreau mused…
WALDEN
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them.”
Or what does Walt Whitman say in Oh Me! Oh Life! ?
OH ME! OH LIFE!
O Me! O life! Of the questions of these recurring Of the endless trains of the faithless Of cities filled with the foolish…
OH ME! OH LIFE!
Of myself…forever reproaching myself For who more foolish than I? And who more faithless than I?
OH ME! OH LIFE!
Of eyes that vainly crave the light Of the objects mean Of the struggle ever renewed
OH ME! OH LIFE!
Of the poor results of all Of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me…
OH ME! OH LIFE! Of the empty and useless years of the rest With the rest…me…intertwined The question, O me! So sad, recurring What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer?
OH ME! OH LIFE!
That you are here That life exists…and identity… That the powerful play goes on And you will contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?
Your spiritual gift is God’s answer. It is your verse. God has given you a spiritual gift. In First Timothy, Chapter 4, Verses 14 to 16, the apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to develop and to use his spiritual gift…
FIRST TIMOTHY 4:14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery ( a group of elders).
FIRST TIMOTHY 4:15 Take pains with these things…be absorbed in them…so that your progress will be evident to all.
FIRST TIMOTHY 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching…persevere in these things…for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Your spiritual gift is irrevocable. God gives it to you at the moment of salvation and He will not take it back.
Your spiritual gift is supernatural. It is not merely a talent…nor is it just an ability…it is powered by divine omnipotence.
Your spiritual gift comes with a supernatural desire. You will be desperate to want to use it.
Your spiritual gift is a ministry. What is a ministry?
MINISTRY A service provided to mankind through the members of the Godhead…that you as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ are CALLED by God to perform…using your spiritual gift. The Godhead brings the people to you…and they give you the supernatural, enabling power to provide spiritual healing for hurting souls through the use of your gift. Spiritual healing includes both the gospel message and the Word of God.
Your spiritual gift can keep people from wandering off.
Your spiritual gift is especially designed for the hopeless…because hopelessness quickly turns to desperation…and desperation is the only hope for some. On occasion, people have to hit rock bottom before they decide to let God take over their lives.
Let’s take a music break. One of the best acts of forgiveness occurs when we forgive ourselves for being so hard on ourselves...when we forgive ourselves for wandering away both from God and from everyone and everything that is important to us. Here’s a thought about forgiveness...for whatever violation has you trapped in bitterness...
FORGIVENESS By what you see through eyes of grace The prisoner that it really frees Is YOU
Let’s listen to Matthew West sing about forgiveness and then we’ll take our break.
MUSIC BREAK Matthew West
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Desperation is The Only Hope For Some
Giving is both a spiritual gift and a function of our ambassadorship. When it is a spiritual gift it is supernatural. People with the supernatural spiritual gift of giving do so with an insane generosity. Those who give as a function of their ambassadorship give based on ability.
Generosity is built in to our spiritual gift. In Mark, Chapter 12, Verses 30 and 31, the Lord commands…
MARK 12:30 ‘…you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
MARK 12:31 ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Generosity is an expression of love. As you give today, let your love be ALL IN. Barah Ministries needs your support. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with today’s offering message.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
SECOND CORINTHIANS 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
OFFERING FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE Dave McClure, Instrumental
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Desperation is The Only Hope For Some
Welcome back!
The passage that is the subject of our study is the third passage in Romans, Chapter 12, and it extends from Verses 3 to 8…let’s review it together…
ROMANS 12:3 For through the grace given to me by God the Father (the grace gift of being an apostle…Paul’s spiritual gift), I (Paul) say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think…but to think so as to have sound judgment…the thinking that’s in line with the measure of faith given to you by God (your spiritual gift).
ROMANS 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function…
ROMANS 12:5 …so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.
ROMANS 12:6 Since we each have a gift (charisma) that is different according to the grace (charis) given to us, each of us is to use the gift accordingly…if he has the gift prophecy (preaching the Word of God), exercise it according to the proportion of his faith…
ROMANS 12:7 …if he has the gift of service, in his serving…or he who teaches, in his teaching…
ROMANS 12:8 …or he who exhorts, in his exhortation…he who gives, with liberality…he who leads, with diligence…he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Your spiritual gift can keep people from wandering off.
As believers in Christ, remember we keep sinning after salvation. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…
ROMANS 6:23 For the wages of sin is death… It is clear to Christians that sin leads to death. But as we learned last week, there is a path to the deaths. Sin. Self-betrayal. Self-justification. Self-deception. Self-absorption. Hopelessness. What is another step before the death? Desperation. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with their song still in them.”
God gave us a spiritual gift so that we could pull the song out of others. WE NEED EACH OTHER.
In Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 11, Paul told the believers at first century Rome…
ROMANS 1:11 For I (Paul) long to see you believers in Rome so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you…that you may be established…
Our spiritual gift is a foundation for others and for ourselves. First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verse 12…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:12 So also you, since you are zealous (sincerely desirous) of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church.
A great way to get rid of desperation is to turn your focus to others. God gave you a spiritual gift to do just that. Your spiritual gift is functioning whether you know it or not, so it is best to find out what is and to use it. The people around you need it. Look around. Who’s desperate? Can you tell?
Use your spiritual gift. The life you save may be your own.
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
The closing moments of our study are for the benefit of anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU.
What is going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life? Is there an “afterlife?” And if there is, how can you get to heaven?
Many people believe the answer to the question, “How can I get to heaven?” is to be a good person. In fact, most people think they are, as they say, “basically good people.” For some, being good means not being bad. Here’s what I have heard many people say over the years…“I haven’t murdered anyone. I don’t steal. I don’t curse. I don’t lie. I’m not a drug addict. My conscience is clear because I’m not nearly as bad as the people I read about in the newspapers or the ones I see on television. I’m just like everyone else, and I know everybody can’t be going to hell.”
Then these people open the bible and obliterate their delusion…Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…
ROMANS 3:23 …for all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
ROMANS 3:10 …as it is written “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
The good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ has an interesting attitude toward His creatures…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
SECOND PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of, but instead He is patient toward you 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).
The apostle John makes clear the function of the bible…John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31…
JOHN 20:30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (the bible)…
JOHN 20:31 …but these things written here have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah)…the Son of God (in human form)… and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in His name.
How can you get to heaven? 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…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgement that you can’t do a thing to get to heaven on your own. Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…
ROMANS 11:6 But if salvation is by grace, and of course it is, it is no longer on the basis of works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.
God’s grace makes your salvation a free gift to you…if you have to work for a gift then the work makes you deserve the gift. In salvation, there is no way for you to impress God enough that He would allow you to save yourself. It’s very wise to let God save you, because once God does something He never changes His mind. Heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection 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.”
The apostle Peter reminds us of the words of Old Testament prophet Joel in in Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 21…
ACTS 2:21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.’
Join me in heaven! If you want to belong to God…you can. June Murphy belongs to God. Here’s June to sing her song…Father, I’m Yours.
CLOSING SONG FATHER I’M YOURS June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION
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