Romans 085: Romans 1 - Only God Gives Full Assurance

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

He Is Exalted

 

As God prepares your soul to receive refreshment, let’s turn the cares of our lives over to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our God…the living Word…the Light of the World…the Savior of the Universe and the Savior of everyone in the world…and let’s prepare to hear the Lord’s exact thinking through the written Word.  We begin by worshipping the Lord in song.  The opening song is HE IS EXALTED.

 

HE IS EXALTED

 

He is exalted, the King is exalted on High, and I will Praise Him

He is exalted, forever exalted and I will Praise His Name

He is the Lord, forever His truth shall reign

Heaven and Earth, rejoice in His holy name

He is exalted; the King is exalted on High

 

HE IS EXALTED

 

He is exalted, the King is exalted on High, and I will Praise Him

He is exalted, forever exalted and I will Praise His Name

He is the Lord, forever His truth shall reign

Heaven and Earth, rejoice in His holy name

He is exalted; the King is exalted on High

 

 

HE IS EXALTED

 

He is the Lord, forever His truth shall reign

Heaven and Earth, rejoice in His holy name

He is exalted; the King is exalted on High

He is exalted; the King is exalted on High

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful Heavenly Father for the privilege of studying the absolute

truth...the Word of God…

 

Help us to see You as You are…help us to have confidence in You…help us to partake of Your grace and peace and truth as we study Your Word today…

 

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

 

TODAY’S STUDY

Romans 1: Only God Gives Full Assurance

 

To the resident members of Barah Ministries and to the soon-to-be resident members of this ministry…to all those who listen to Barah Ministries lessons who are currently dispersed far and wide throughout the world…and to all of our welcome guests who pass within earshot of this ministry from time to time…grace and peace to you from the Sovereign of the universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am praying for you, and I hope our God is, in the souls of those of you who believe in Him, illuminating full assurance, so that as in Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 2 and 3…you are…

 

COL 2:2-3

…attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is (the mystery of), Christ Himself (indwelling you),in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

 

It is my genuine and full assurance that knowledge and wisdom are

being poured out into you every time you hear the Word of God, and that

God is strengthening you when you leave here by reminding you of what

you have learned when you are under pressure. Hebrews, Chapter 3, Verse 14…encourages you to…

 

HEB 3:14

…hold (on) fast (to) the beginning of our (full) assurance (and stand) firm until the end…

 

I pray that you never give up hope, no matter how bleak the circumstances of your life appear.  I pray that you may count on God’s Person, and not just on His Word…as in Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verses 22 and 23…

 

HEB 10:22

…let us (believers in Christ) draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

 

HEB 10:23

Let us hold fast (to) the confession of our hope without wavering, for He (the Lord Jesus Christ) who promised is faithful…

 

Now by wishing you full assurance, my fellow believers in Christ, I’m sure you know that I am calling on our God to strengthen your faith.  Faith IS full assurance…Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 1 says…

 

HEB 11:1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

 

Do you notice your expression of faith?  I do.  I am convinced that our God keeps His promises.  Matthew, Chapter 21, Verse 22 says…

 

MAT 21:22

“And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

 

I believe that with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind

and with all my strength.  These are not words to me.  I join with the father of the Jews, Abraham, who expressed His faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation…Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 20 and 21, which says…

 

ROM 4:20

…yet, with respect to the promise of God, he (Abraham) did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God…

 

ROM 4:21

…and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.

 

I have experienced the truth of God’s promises over and over again, in virtually every circumstance, and therefore I am fully assured…I have faith.

 

John, Chapter 15, Verses 16 and 17…

 

JOH 15:16

“You did not choose Me but I (the Lord Jesus Christ) chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of (God) the Father in My name He may give to you.”

 

JOH 15:17

“This I command (request of) you, that you love one another (unconditionally).”

 

And so I wish for you congregation members far and wide…for you listeners far and wide, the full assurance of faith and the warmth of God’s unconditional love.  Grace and peace be with you.

 

Let’s continue with our passage of study…turn in your bibles to Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

ROM 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…

 

ROM 1:19

…because that which is known about God is evident within those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness; for God made knowledge of Himself evident to them.

 

ROM 1:20

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divinity, have been clearly seen by all mankind, being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe, so that all mankind, especially those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness are without excuse in the matter of knowing there is a God.

 

Know this…Jesus Christ is God!

 

ROM 1:21

For even though those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness knew there is a God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him for creating them, but instead they engaged in futile speculations about God, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

ROM 1:22

Professing to be wise, those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness became fools…

 

ROM 1:23

…andthey exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for idols in many forms…they worshipped corruptible man…they worshipped birds…they worshipped four-footed animals…they worshipped crawling creatures.

 

Let’s take a deeper look at this passage…beginning at Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…let’s see how Paul’s letter to the Romans, like an octopus, has tentacles that lead us in many directions, all of them right back into the truth of the Word of God…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

ROM 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness…

 

What are the deeds for which unbelievers are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, when they meet the Lord Jesus Christ face-to-face?  Among the deeds are…

 

UNGODLINESS

A direct disregard for God’s Person

 

UNRIGHTEOUSNESS
A direct disregard for God’s laws

 

SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH

Rejecting the clear truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior, and keeping this truth that you know away from others

 

We know there are unbelievers on the earth.  We know there are unbelievers in our periphery, even in our families.  It is easy for us to see them, and it is easy for us to think that somehow we are special because we, as believers in Christ, are on the other side of the salvation fence.  God prefers that we not  forget where we came from.  John Donne says it this way…

 

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

John Donne

 

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.  And therefore never send to know for whom the (funeral) bell tolls…it tolls for thee.”

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 3 say it this way…

 

EPH 2:1

And you were (spiritually) dead in your trespasses and sins…

 

EPH 2:2

…in which (spiritual death) you formerly walked (as a lifestyle) according to the course (curriculum) of this world, according to the (direction of the) prince of the power of the air (Satan, the ruler of planet earth), (according to the direction) of the (same) spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

 

EPH 2:3

Among them (the sons of disobedience) we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and (indulging in the desires) of the mind, and (we too) were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest (were children of wrath).

 

We must apply the learning available in the book of Romans to self.  We must not sit in judgment of unbelievers, because to do so is to completely miss the point of how we became saved (it is not of ourselves, but by a free gift from God).  So remember, with God, there is no distinction in His mind between His creatures.  He does not love some more than others.  He loves all unconditionally.  Romans, Chapter 2, Verse 11…

 

ROM 2:11

For there is no partiality with God.

 

God has unconditional love for all His creatures.  Those who practice self-righteousness…who want to know something others don’t know…who like to think they have an upper hand…easily forget that in the plan of God, that is impossible.  Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 21 and 22…

 

GAL 3:21

Is the (Mosaic) Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if (for the sake of argument) a law (like the Mosaic Law for example) had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on (keeping the) law.

 

GAL 3:22

But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise (of salvation) by faith (alone) in (the Lord) Jesus Christ (alone) might be given to those who believe (that Christ is the ONLY way to salvation).

 

Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 2 to 4…

 

ROM 8:2

For the law of the (Holy) Spirit of life (which is given to you by God through

faith)in (union with) Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of (the) sin (nature) and (from the law) of (spiritual) death.

 

ROM 8:3

For what the (Mosaic) Law could not do (which is to save you), weak as(the Mosaic Law) was through the flesh, God (the Father) did (do…by His grace you have been saved): sending His own Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) in the likeness of sinful flesh (as true humanity) and as an offering for sin, (and the Lord Jesus Christ successfully) condemned sin in the flesh…

 

ROM 8:4

…so that the requirement of the (Mosaic) Law (righteousness) might be fulfilled in us (as a free gift), (us believers in Christ) who do not walk (in a lifestyle) according to the flesh (which was crucified by Christ at the Cross) but (who walk) according to the (instruction of the indwelling God the Holy) Spirit.

 

The self-righteous don’t think they need God…but those of us who realize how weak we are…how weak we were before salvation…are grateful all the more for the ONLY way to be saved…thorough God the Father’s amazing grace in sacrificing His Son.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 19…

 

ROM 1:19

…because that which is known about God is evident within those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness; for God made knowledge of Himself evident to them.

 

Therefore God is justified when He directs His wrath, because He is patient toward His creatures…we saw this in Genesis, Chapter 6.  With a flood, our God wiped out evil from the face of the earth, the evil that attempted to make it impossible for God in true humanity as the Lord Jesus Christ to come to the earth to save all mankind.  Evil always tries…evil always fails…our God always has the victory.  First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 57 and 58 say…

 

1CO 15:57

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

 

 

1CO 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.

 

Take a five- minute break.

 

BREAK

Voice of Truth

When I Think About Home

 

Welcome back.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…

 

ROM 1:20

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divinity, have been clearly seen by all mankind, being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe, so that all mankind, especially those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness are without excuse in the matter of knowing there is a God.

 

Turn to Psalm 97, Verse 6…

 

PSA 97:6

The heavens declare His (the Lord Jesus Christ’s) righteousness, and all the peoples have seen His glory.

 

PSA 97:7

Let all those be ashamed who serve graven images, who boast themselves of idols; Worship Him, (even) all you (false) gods (idols).

 

Men know about God if they want to know…because the star spangled

heavens proclaim His glory.  Why does the atheist scream, in times of trouble and in times of pleasure, “Oh my God” if there is no God?  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 21…

 

ROM 1:21

For even though those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness knew there is a God through experience, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him for creating them, but instead they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

You’re reminded, in Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 17…

 

EPH 4:17

…walk no longer just as the Gentiles (unbelievers) also walk, in the futility of their mind…

 

Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 22…

 

ROM 1:22

Professing to be wise, those practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness became fools…

 

Don’t forget where you came from…when we realize our connectedness to others, as John Donne reminded us of, we will cherish the sharing of the gospel of God all the more.  Paul didn't forget where he came from.  Turn to Acts, Chapter 17, Verse 22…

 

ACT 17:22

So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus (a tribunal in ancient Greece) and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects.”

 

ACT 17:23

“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship (idols), I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this (God) I (will) proclaim (introduce) to you.”

 

ACT 17:24

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands…”

 

ACT 17:25

“…nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things…”

 

ACT 17:26

“…and He made from one man (Adam) every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation…”

 

ACT 17:27

“…that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us…”

 

ACT 17:28

“…for in Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’”

 

ACT 17:29

“Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.”

 

ACT 17:30

“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God (the Father) is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent (change their minds about the Lord Jesus Christ)…”

 

ACT 17:31

“…because He (God the Father) has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man (Jesus Christ) whom He has appointed (to be the Righteous Judge), having furnished proof to all men by raising Him (Jesus Christ) from the dead (in resurrection).”

 

ACT 17:32

Now when they (the members of the tribunal) heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you again concerning this.”

 

ACT 17:33

So Paul went out of their midst.

 

ACT 17:34

But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius

the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

 

Those who practice ungodliness, and unrighteousness, and who suppress the truth can take heart…Luke, Chapter19, Verse 10 says…

 

LUK 19:10

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

 

The Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be saved right now…

 

2CO 6:1

And working together with Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), we also urge you not to receive the grace of God (the Father) in vain —

 

2CO 6:2

…for He says, “AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.” Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”

 

Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 23…

 

ROM 1:23

…and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man, and in the form of birds, and in the form of four-footed animals and in the form of crawling creatures.

 

Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…

 

2PE 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise (of salvation), as some count slowness (as some accuse Him of), but (instead the Lord) is patient toward you (unbelievers), not wishing for any (of His creatures) to perish but for all (of His creatures) to come to repentance (a change of mind about the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

If you make anything or anyone your idol, let it be the Lord Jesus Christ

who is the ONLY one worthy of worship.  Put your faith in Him if you want

full assurance.

CLOSING
The Promises of the Lord Jesus Christ

 

PRO 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him (Jesus), And He will make your paths straight.

 

DEU 31:8

The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed

 

ISA 30:18

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

 

CLOSING SONG

I Surrender All

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

THANKS

INTERCESSION

PETITION

 

And we pray that You continue to shape the messages from this pulpit that are an accurate reflection of Your unconditional love, Your person, Your thinking, Your work, and Your essence...we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s name, Amen.

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

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