ROM-181-160403 - length: 72:20 - taught on Apr, 3 2016
Class Outline:
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 STUDY
Does Everything REALLY Happen for a Reason?
A guy by the name of Tim Lawrence wrote a story about the expression… “everything happens for a reason.” Here’s what he has to say…
TIM LAWRENCE
On “Everything Happens for a Reason”
I’m listening to a man tell a story. A woman he knows was in a devastating car accident, and now she lives in a state of near-permanent pain. She is a paraplegic, and many of her hopes about the life she would live are stolen.
TIM LAWRENCE
On “Everything Happens for a Reason”
I’ve heard it a million times before, but it never stops shocking me…the man tells her that he thinks the tragedy has led to positive changes in her life. He utters the words that are nothing less than emotional, spiritual, and psychological abuse…“everything happens for a reason.”
TIM LAWRENCE
On “Everything Happens for a Reason”
He tells her this was something that had to happen in order for her to grow. But that’s the kind of bullshit that destroys lives. And it’s categorically untrue.
I agree.
We continue our study of the fourth passage of Romans, Chapter 8. We have studied the first two verses…now on to the next three…here’s the whole passage beginning at Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 26…
Romans 8:26
In the same way we groan within ourselves (Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 23), waiting eagerly for our adoption as adult sons…waiting eagerly for the redemption of our bodies…and waiting eagerly for the freedom of the glory of the children of God…just the way we groan…God the Holy the Spirit, who is called the “first fruits” of our salvation, groans, to help our weakness; for example, we do not know how to pray as we should…but God the Holy Spirit Himself personally intercedes for us in prayer with groanings too deep for words…
Romans 8:27
…and God the Father, who keeps on searching the hearts of all those who pray, knows what the mind of God the Holy Spirit is (through His groanings which cannot be uttered in words), because God the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints (for all believers in Christ) according to the will of God the Father.
Romans 8:28
And we know that God the Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love God the Father, to those who are called according to the Father’s purpose.
Romans 8:29
For those whom God the Father foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), so that the Lord would be the firstborn among many brethren…
Romans 8:30
…and these whom God the Father predestined, He also called; and these whom God the Father called, He also justified; and these whom God the Father justified, He also glorified.
Welcome to a place where you can learn exactly how God works things together for your good.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
BORN AGAIN
June Murphy
As we prepare our souls for worship, let’s enjoy June Murphy as she sings one of her own songs…a beautiful one…BORN AGAIN.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father WE KNOW that you are not concerned about allowing the gauntlet of suffering in our lives, because you work all things together for our good…because you have given us believer in Christ a supernatural life that is beyond all comprehension…and you have given us the victory in advance of the suffering, so we have no concerns…we thank you for the trials and tribulations you allow us to go through…
May the challenges you provide always have the perfect result you intend…may they always produce in us endurance…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name... Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE STUDY
Does Everything REALLY Happen for a Reason?
The thought that “everything happens for a reason” is one of my least favorite. When I looked for this expression in a bible search program, Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28 came up.
Romans 8:28
And we know that God the Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love God the Father, to those who are called according to the Father’s purpose.
The reason I’ve never liked the expression is because I see it as a personal attack on God. It’s as if God wants bad things to happen to you. He doesn’t. God has a purpose in everything that happens…that is true. But God is not the sponsor of everything that happens. Sometimes Satan is the sponsor. Sometimes you are the sponsor. And because God allows these things that you and Satan do to run their course, that does not turn him into the sponsor of all the things that happen to you.
God does want to make sure that all the things that happen to you are woven into a custom made tapestry that creates a picture of perfection with your life. It’s your job to let God make those things happen. So we’ll begin our study of Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28, and we’ll learn how God works all things together for good, after a few announcements.
BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS
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1:45P-3:00P
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NEXT WEEK!
The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration
April 10, 2016
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Next Deacon’s Meeting
April 30
7:30A-10:00A
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Coeur d’Alene Bible Conference
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August 5-6, 2016
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Evening Lesson Only
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September 16-17, 2016
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September 18
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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.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Trey DeSmet
March 30
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Heather Conway
March 31
TODAY’S BIBLE STUDY
Does Everything REALLY Happen for a Reason?
We continue our study of Romans Chapter 8 at Verse 28…one of the most misunderstood and mistranslated, yet important verses in the bible. It’s an especially important verse in the matter of shaping the mindset of a Christian as it relates to a relationship with God. Here’s The King James Bible Translation of Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28…the culprit for a lot of the confusion about this verse since the KJV is probably the most used translation of the bible…
Romans 8:28 (King James Translation)
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
People who are quoting this verse use it as a substitute for “everything happens for a reason” … they say, “well…all things work together for good.” So my question for you is this…do all things work together for good? Is that your experience of life? Well did God want bad things to happen to Job? Let’s take a look…Job, Chapter 1, beginning at Verse 1…
There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing (respecting and revering) God and turning away from evil.
That may seem like only a description of Job, but it is actually a description of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Seven sons and three daughters were born to him.
His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east.
So Job was married, he was a father, he was VERY rich, and he was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a great combination!
His sons used to hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.
These feasts were probably birthday parties, so that would mean there were at least seven of them a year…
When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate his children, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did this continually.
In other words, Job made it a habit to pray for his family. Let’s take a music break…and when we come back we’ll see what the Lord allowed to happen to Job and his family, and we’ll see Job’s reaction to it. Did all these things work together for good?
MUSIC BREAK
THE REVELATION SONG
Phillips, Craig and Dean
TODAY’S BIBLE STUDY
Does Everything REALLY Happen for a Reason?
Welcome back! Continuing at Job, Chapter 1, Verse 6…
Now there was a day when the sons of God (the “beneha Elohim” … the angelic creatures) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”
Satan is the ruler of this world as highlighted in many places in the bible… John 16:11, First John 5:19, and John, Chapter 12, Verse 31 which says…
John 12:31
Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out (dethroned…sent into the outer darkness).
Job, Chapter 1, Verse 8…
The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
Job was not only a believer in Christ but he was an important one. The Lord called Job “my servant” which was a taunt to Satan…the Lord was telling Satan, “You rule the world but you don’t rule this guy!” Satan acknowledges the truth of what the Lord is saying with his own taunt…
Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear (respect) God for nothing?”
“Have You not made a hedge about him (a wall of fire) and a hedge about his house and a hedge around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”
In other words, Satan, being the distorting liar that he is, who perverts every single thing he touches, including our minds when we let him, is saying that Job only worships God because God blesses him and protects him. He is saying that Job does not worship out of love for God, but out of the transactions that Job gets that have made him wealthy and blessed him with kids (if that is a blessing). J Satan is saying, “everything happens for a reason” and Job is worshipping you “for a reason.” Satan continues…
“But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.”
In other words, Satan is saying that if God “touches” (takes away) Job’s children and his possessions, Job will “get mad at God.” We’ve seen that happen before in real life, haven’t we? We’ve seen the tantrum throwing, spoiled brat Christian who gets mad every time it becomes apparent that God isn’t a genie who comes popping out of a bottle to do a Christian’s bidding every time the bottle is rubbed three times.
Satan is attacking God’s integrity and ours. Satan is saying that if God doesn’t bless us, we won’t worship Him. So in essence, Satan is saying God has to buy worshippers with blessings. Job, Chapter 1, Verse 12…
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that Job has is in your power (Satan), only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
The Lord would not “put forth His hand on” Job…the Lord would not allow Satan to “put forth His hand on” Job…in other words, the Lord would not allow Satan to take Job’s life…but the Lord would allow Satan to take Job’s children and his wealth to demonstrate to Satan that he is not telling the truth. The Lord is saying to Satan, “I don’t think Job will react the way you think he will.” Job, Chapter 1, Verse 13…
Now on the day when Job’s sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house…
…a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were feeding beside them…”
“…and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While this servant was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Just like it happens now in Satan’s kingdom, God is blamed for everything when Satan is doing the work.
While this servant was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
While this servant was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house…”
“…and behold, a great wind (a tornado) came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped.
He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
Satan was wrong about Job.
So in this situation, was the Lord testing Job? Did “everything happen for a reason” in this situation? Many Christians see things that way when they go through trials. It’s as if an omniscient Lord, who know everything that is knowable, is in a quandary of confusion about what we can and can’t handle, so he has to regularly disrupt our lives to find out if we are faithful to Him.
“Everything happens for a reason!”
I have to agree with Tim Lawrence on this point…
TIM LAWRENCE
On “Everything Happens for a Reason”
…that’s the kind of bullshit that destroys lives. And it’s categorically untrue.
“Everything happens for a reason!” is a fatalistic viewpoint. Those who live the “everything happens for a reason!” point of view act as if there is an unknown, underlying order to life that determines how everything turns out…and that we all have to see how this unknown, underlying force is going to victimize us. People who think this way are looking for life’s hidden messages when life may not have any hidden messages.
Where is our choice in the things that happen to us?
What is Satan’s role in the things that happen to us?
If “everything happens for a reason” then our life is just a series of “karma” experiences…a series of “what goes around comes around” activities. What is karma?
Karma
From Hinduism and Buddhism, it’s an action we do that is seen as bringing upon ourselves inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation.
For example, if I give to the poor, karma says I’ll be blessed. If I steal from someone, karma says I’ll be punished. What goes around comes around. It’s just another of the Satan Claus themed Satanic messages to shape our thinking about God. If you’re good, God will bless you. If you’re bad, God will punish you. That is an attack against the integrity of God.
So I ask you another question…is karma true? Do people get what they deserve? Decidedly not! If we got what we deserved, all of us would be going to the Lake of Fire.
What is the lesson of Job, Chapter 1? God had no need to test Job. He knew everything about Job. Satan is the one who was testing Job. God allowed it. And what did all those looking on learn from Job? They learned that Job has character. Christians have character. Tribulation produces in us endurance. We are able to “take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’” to quote an old Timex watch ad.
We Christians don’t just worship God because He blesses us. We worship God because we want to worship Him. WE KNOW God…and we KNOW a lot about Him. WE KNOW that God will allow us to go through trials. WE KNOW God remains faithful to us during the trials…God doesn’t ever abandon us. WE KNOW that God will be fair to us during trials, and anything we lose, He will replace. WE KNOW who God is and what He promises. Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28…
Romans 8:28
And we know that God the Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love God the Father, to those who are called according to the Father’s purpose.
WE KNOW that God is the cause…and while some things He allows are just downright devastating to us, we always KNOW, as an established and irrevocable fact, that He will work them together for our good.
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
DESTINY
June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Thanks for coming!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for listening!
www.barahministries.com
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