ROM-332-180401 - length: 85:52 - taught on Apr, 1 2018
Class Outline:
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.
Jesus Christ.
It’s a name we bandy about when we’re frustrated. Jesus Christ! He is described by the world as a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. Some describe Him as the central figure of Christianity. Others describe Him as the incarnation of God the Son…incarnation meaning a spirit being that has taken on human form. Still others see Jesus Christ as the awaited Messiah who was prophesied about in the Old Testament.
Jesus Christ.
Christians see Him as 100% God…that’s why we call Him the Lord…and 100% true humanity…a human being in every way that we are…in one person forever. To us, as believers, He is the uniquely born One…the Lord Jesus Christ…the Savior of the world…and the Sovereign God of the
Universe.
Since the bible describes itself as the mind of Christ…His exact thinking… maybe it’s a good idea to see what the bible has to say about Him. That is why we’ve gathered here today. We snuggle up to this Resurrection Day message, whether we are hearing it face-to-face or via the internet…whether live or recorded… whether we hear it today or in the future…to see if there is anything being communicated in this biblical message from God that is worthwhile for our lives.
Well if anyone asks you believers in Christ what the most significant thing about being a Christian is, you’d probably have many answers. I asked that question this week, and there were as many perplexed looks as there were varied answers. Today lends the answer. Perhaps the most important thing about being a Christian is that we are possessors, courtesy of our God, of the resurrection life…eternal life…and we’re happy to celebrate that life today.
Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 1 to 9 say this…
LUKE 24:1
But on the first day of the week (Sunday) at early dawn, the women came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared to preserve the body (of Jesus) from decay.
LUKE 24:2
And instead the women found the stone rolled away from the tomb…
LUKE 24:3
…but when they entered the tomb, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
LUKE 24:4
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men (angels) suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing…
LUKE 24:5
…and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek The Living One among the dead?”
LUKE 24:6
“(The angels said to the women) Jesus is not here…HE HAS RISEN. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee…”
LUKE 24:7
“…saying that the Son of Man (Jesus) must be delivered into the hands of sinful men (unbelievers)…and be crucified…and on the third day He would rise again (from the dead)?”
LUKE 24:8-9
And the women remembered Jesus’ words and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven (apostles…minus Judas Iscariot) and to all the rest (of the disciples of the Lord).
Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The way to the resurrection life is death. The Lord’s resurrection from the dead not only offers life, but also it offers freedom…freedom from condemnation… freedom from judgment. Today we celebrate the one thing that separates Jesus Christ from all the pretender ‘gods’…no one other than Jesus Christ has risen from the dead…and through Jesus only can we be saved…Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12…
ACTS 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (except the name of JESUS CHRIST).”
Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21 says…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21
God the Father made Jesus who knew no sin to BE sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in union with Him.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
The Resurrection: Unspeakable Pain Becomes Unimaginable Joy
Death…burial…resurrection from the dead.
Crucifixion is the most painful death in human history. Unspeakable pain.
Jesus gives us a glimpse into the pain from the Cross in Matthew, Chapter 27, Verse 46…
MATTHEW 27:46
About the ninth hour (about three o’clock in the afternoon) Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
From the sixth hour to the ninth hour…from about noon until three o’clock in the afternoon…darkness was over the land as Jesus hung from a Cross paying for the sins of all mankind. Today we will look at an interesting aspect of the death of Jesus Christ at the Cross…the unspeakable pain He experienced may not have only been physical.
The Lord’s burial was a period of silence. Imagine when Jesus Christ was in the grave…what must those days have been like for His apostles and His disciples, even if they remembered His words about the resurrection from the dead that would come on the third day? Shock comes to mind…grief as well…mind numbing shock…and paralyzing grief. Unspeakable pain. Matthew, Chapter 12, Verse 40…
MATTHEW 12:40
…for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man (Jesus) be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Then on the third day, RESURRECTION…Jesus Christ is raised from the dead…unimaginable joy. In Job, Chapter 19, Verse 25, he says…
“As for me (Job), I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last Jesus will take His stand on the earth.”
If the Lord Jesus Christ has not risen from the dead, He’d be just another dead guy, and our worship of Him would be meaningless. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made sure that His followers knew He was alive and not dead on the third day. Welcome to the celebration of unspeakable pain which turned to unimaginable joy, as we recount the resurrection from the dead of the Savior of the world.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
CELEBRATE JESUS
Various Artists
His victory over death is a victory for all, especially for those who believe…let’s listen to one of the favorite songs of the season… CELEBRATE JESUS.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…thank you for your glorious riches…especially for the wealth the whole world has available from a relationship with Your Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…thank you for sending Him to the earth in human form and for letting Him humiliate Himself to save us…and thank you most for sending Him to rescue us while we were ungodly, unrighteous, unbelieving sinners…
Help us to take advantage of the fact that His death has made all things new…help us to celebrate Jesus today as our Conqueror…our Victor…our Redeemer who purchased us from the slave market of sin…help us honor the One who reconciled us to You, Father…keep us focused on the life portion of this celebration and not on the death…seeing that the death, and the necessary passage through silence, led to a resurrection life that all those who believe in Christ will have for all eternity…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s
name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
The Resurrection: Unspeakable Pain Becomes Unimaginable Joy
Death…burial…resurrection from the dead.
Divine history began in unity…it began in perfection…a perfect God created the only thing He can create...perfection…perfect creatures. Job, Chapter 38, Verses 7 says it was a time…
…when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God (the bene ha elohim…the angelic creatures) shouted for joy…
In a grand chorus of praise, the angels cheered for the Lord as they witnessed His instant creation of the earth and the universe at the snap of a finger…the big bang…and as they looked on, it was a time of unimaginable joy. Quickly the joy turned to unspeakable pain…led by God’s enemy…Satan…all creatures rebelled against God…Ezekiel, Chapter 28, Verses 12 to 18…
EZEKIEL 28:12
“Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You (Satan) had the seal of perfection…you were full of wisdom and you were perfect in beauty.”
EZEKIEL 28:13
“You were in Eden, the garden of God…every precious stone was your covering…the ruby, the topaz and the diamond…the beryl, the onyx and the jasper…the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald…and the gold…the workmanship of your settings and sockets was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared.”
EZEKIEL 28:14
“You (Satan) were the anointed cherub who covers (the bodyguard-officer angel of the Lord), and I (the Lord God) placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God (in the third heaven)…you walked in the midst of the stones of fire (in the throne room of heaven).”
EZEKIEL 28:15
“You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.”
EZEKIEL 28:16
“By the abundance of your trade (the trafficking of slander against the
Lord) you (Satan) were internally filled with violence, and you sinned… therefore I (the Lord God) have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”
EZEKIEL 28:17
“Your heart was lifted up (in arrogance) because of your beauty…you corrupted your wisdom (your genius) by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground…I put you before kings, that they may see you.”
EZEKIEL 28:18
“By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade YOU PROFANED YOUR SANCTUARIES….”
The same exact thing happened in human history…because human history is an exact duplication of angelic history…a perfect man and a perfect woman profaned their sanctuary…Genesis, Chapter 3, Verses 6 and 7…
GENESIS 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate…and she gave also to her husband with her…and he ate.
GENESIS 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked…and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
The great cover up…an attempt at self-redemption…an attempt to do the impossible…an attempt to repair the breach…the futile attempt to heal the enmity between creatures and the Creator in human power. As a result of the breach, both in angelic history and human history, there was a separation. The unified group became two…in angelic history there are the elect angels and the fallen angels…in human history there are believers and unbelievers…and today you’ll get a chance to decide where you stand if you haven’t decided. You belong to one of the two groups. Hopefully you’ll learn the importance of taking a stand…the importance of taking the right stand in this conflict between creatures and the Creator.
God the Father had the only solution…the perfect solution…to repair the breach between Creator and creatures…John, Chapter 1, Verse 14…
JOHN 1:14
And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (true humanity…Jesus Christ), and tabernacled among us, and we beheld His glory…glory as of the uniquely born One from God the Father, full of grace and full of truth.
Yet for Israel and The Jewish Race…seeing was not believing…even though they could see The Jewish Messiah, the Savior of the world…they rejected Him.
So why would the Lord come to earth and tabernacle among us? Why would He humiliate Himself by taking on human form? Surely He could have arranged a better solution. Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 15 tells us why…
HEBREWS 4:15
For we do not have a High Priest (in Jesus Christ) who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have a High Priest who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
No creature can ever say, “Jesus…you don’t know what I’m going through!” He does. He lived what we are going through.
Death…burial…resurrection from the dead.
God the Father’s answer to the breach was the provision of a sacrifice…His Son. The Lord Jesus Christ would come to earth…live a sinless life…and then die on a Cross to become the ONLY perfectly satisfactory payment for the sins of the whole world in the eyes of God the Father. First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2…
FIRST JOHN 2:1
My little children, I (the apostle John…the one that Jesus loved) am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, and of course we do, we have an Advocate with God the Father…Jesus Christ the ONLY righteous One…
FIRST JOHN 2:2
…and Jesus Christ Himself is the propitiation for our sins (as believers in Christ)…and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world (unbelievers as well).
The Lord’s death on the Cross took the sin issue off the table for all creatures.
The character of a person can be best determined by how he treats his enemies. As I studied for this Resurrection Day lesson, I did what I do as I study for any lesson…I asked God the Holy Spirit questions. And the question I asked stunned even me…“Does God care about unbelievers? If He does, what’s the proof?”
The Spirit directed my mind to this passage…Matthew, Chapter 27, Verses 45 and 46…
MATTHEW 27:45
Now from the sixth hour (noon) darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour (three o’clock in the afternoon).
MATTHEW 27:46
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Does Jesus Christ care about unbelievers? Does He understand what unbelievers will go through? For three hours on the Cross…the Lord experienced what unbelievers will experience for all eternity…the WRATH of God the Father. All those who reject a relationship with God the Father’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, will incur wrath. It’s pretty simple. Believers in Christ have chosen to let the Lord experience the wrath of His Father on our behalf. Unbelievers prefer to take matters into their own hands. They have rejected the Lord as their sin substitute, choosing instead to bear the wrath of God the Father themselves. Big mistake! Yet the Lord Jesus Christ continues to love unbelievers unconditionally. He definitely knows what they are going through, because He went through it Himself for three hours on the Cross. Unspeakable pain. He comes out of the three hours of wrath saying the same thing that unbelievers will say for all eternity…“My God,
My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
After this torture, the Lord remembered that He is a Son…Luke, Chapter 23, Verse 46…
LUKE 23:46
And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last.”
Jesus remembered that He is His father’s Son. Jesus also realized that death is necessary for the harvest…John, Chapter 12, Verse 24…
JOHN 12:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone…but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross has produced a wealth of fruit from those who believe on His Name. He is the firstfruits of a harvest of many who will be resurrected from the dead.
Let’s take a music break…here’s Don Francisco with HE’S ALIVE...take a moment to listen to the song and then we’ll take our break.
MUSIC BREAK
HE’S ALIVE
Don Francisco
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
The Resurrection: Unspeakable Pain Becomes Unimaginable Joy
Giving to the God who has given funds to you is the first priority of a believer in Christ. Paying Him from your firstfruits is His preference. As you cast your bread on the water, you know God’s promise that He will return it to you ten, twenty, thirty, even a hundredfold. That’s a promise from the Sovereign of the Universe. Here’s Deacon Denny Goodall with today’s offering message.
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
JAMES 5:7-8
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.//You too be patient…strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
OFFERING VERSE
ISAIAH 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 wait for Him.
OFFERING
FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE
Dave McClure, Instrumental
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
The Resurrection: Unspeakable Pain Becomes Unimaginable Joy
Welcome back!
Death…burial…resurrection from the dead.
God the Holy Spirit was Jesus Christ’s caretaker through the crucifixion, as God the Father orchestrated the Lord’s death on the Cross as payment for the sins of the world. Unspeakable pain. Simultaneously, God the Holy Spirit was orchestrating hope. Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 13…
ROMANS 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord’s death on the Cross provided hope. Colossians, Chapter 2, Verse 15…
COLOSSIANS 2:15
When God the Father had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Jesus Christ.
When our enemies threaten us…Satan…the world system of thought…the flesh…while their temptations and accusations are loud, we must remember that our enemies have no bullets in the gun they point at us. They have been disarmed. We have been given God the Holy Spirit as a pledge of our inheritance. Listen and enjoy the hope that has been set before us as a result of the Lord’s death on a Cross…Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 23…
EPHESIANS 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…
EPHESIANS 1:4
…just as God the Father chose us believers in Christ to be in union with Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In unconditional love…
EPHESIANS 1:5
God the Father predestined us believers in Christ to adoption as adult sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…
EPHESIANS 1:6
…to the praise of the glory of God the Father’s grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved (the Lord Jesus Christ).
EPHESIANS 1:7
In union with Jesus Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace…
EPHESIANS 1:8
…which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight…
EPHESIANS 1:9
…God the Father made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in union with Christ…
EPHESIANS 1:10
…with a view to a dispensation (The Church Age) suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In union with Christ…
EPHESIANS 1:11
…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to God the Father’s purpose, who works all things after the counsel of His will…
EPHESIANS 1:12
…to the end that we who were the first to hope in union with Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
EPHESIANS 1:13
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in union with Him with the Holy Spirit of promise…
EPHESIANS 1:14
…who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
EPHESIANS 1:15
For this reason I (Paul) too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you believers at Ephesus, and your unconditional love for all the saints…
EPHESIANS 1:16
…do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers…
EPHESIANS 1:17
…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
EPHESIANS 1:18
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know
what is the hope of His calling…what are the glorious riches of His inheritance in the saints…
EPHESIANS 1:19
…and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might…
EPHESIANS 1:20
…which God the Father brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…
EPHESIANS 1:21
…FAR ABOVE ALL RULE AND AUTHORITY AND POWER AND DOMINION…and far above every name that is named…not only in this age but also in the one to come.
EPHESIANS 1:22
And God the Father put all things in subjection under Christ’s feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church…
EPHESIANS 1:23
…which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
What a list! And for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, the same power that raised Christ from the dead is now available to us on demand…how can we ever be depressed or discouraged as believers when we have such a powerful force behind us?
It’s easy to see why we might be discouraged…suffering…the deaths that occur through suffering are tough to take. Yet we must always be encouraged by this day, knowing that in God’s plan, these little deaths are followed by life. As His final act, after His resurrection from the dead, the Lord made Himself visible to His believers so they would know that He is very much alive. Luke, Chapter 24, Verses 13 to 49…
LUKE 24:13
And behold, two of the disciples were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.
LUKE 24:14
And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place (the crucifixion of the Lord).
LUKE 24:15
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached them and began traveling with them.
LUKE 24:16
But their eyes were prevented by God the Father from recognizing Jesus.
LUKE 24:17
And Jesus said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad.
LUKE 24:18
One of the disciples, named Cleopas, answered and said to Jesus, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who is unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”
LUKE 24:19
And Jesus said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people…”
LUKE 24:20
“…and how the chief priests of the Sanhedrin and our rulers (Pilate, Herod,
and the Roman Authorities) delivered Him to the sentence of death, and
crucified Him.”
LUKE 24:21
“But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.”
They were looking for the redemption of Israel…the Lord Jesus Christ redeemed all mankind instead. The Lord is a bigger thinker!
LUKE 24:22
“But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb
early in the morning…”
LUKE 24:23
“…and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.”
LUKE 24:24
“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said…but they did not see Jesus.”
LUKE 24:25
And Jesus said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”
The disciples had the Old Testament predictions in writing…they should have understood clearly what had happened.
LUKE 24:26
“Was it not necessary for the Christ (the Messiah) to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”
LUKE 24:27
Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, Jesus explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
LUKE 24:28
And they approached the village where they were going, and Jesus acted as though He were going farther.
LUKE 24:29
But they urged Jesus, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So Jesus went in to stay with them.
LUKE 24:30
When Jesus had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.
LUKE 24:31
Then their eyes were opened by God the Father and they recognized Jesus…
and He vanished from their sight.
LUKE 24:32
They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He
was speaking to us on the road…while He was explaining the Scriptures to
us?”
LUKE 24:33
And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven apostles and those who were with them…
LUKE 24:34
…saying, “The Lord has really risen from the dead and has appeared to Simon (Peter).”
LUKE 24:35
They began to relate their experiences on the road and how Jesus was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
LUKE 24:36
While they were telling these things, Jesus Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
LUKE 24:37
But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.
LUKE 24:38
And Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”
LUKE 24:39
See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself…touch Me and see…for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
LUKE 24:40
And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
LUKE 24:41
While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
Unspeakable joy…HE HAS RISEN…just as He said.
LUKE 24:42
They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish…
LUKE 24:43
…and He took it and ate it before them.
A resurrection body with flesh and bones…a resurrection body that is recognizable to friends…a resurrection body that eats! Yes! We have a lot to look forward to…
LUKE 24:44
Now Jesus said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
LUKE 24:45
Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…
It is written…
LUKE 24:46
…and Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ (the Messiah) would suffer and rise again from the dead on the third day…”
LUKE 24:47
“…and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
LUKE 24:48
“You are witnesses of these things.”
LUKE 24:49
“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you…but
you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Death…burial…resurrection from the dead.
It is JESUS we celebrate today. His death gave us unspeakable pain, until we understood that His death brought forth the resurrection life… unimaginable joy. We have an amazing reason to celebrate today.
GOD WANTS YOU!
Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
The closing moments of our study are for 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 an afterlife, how can you get to heaven?
Many people have beliefs about God. A belief is an opinion…or a conviction…or a confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable. Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs because there is a big difference between a belief and the truth. Only when your beliefs and the truth are the same is it significant. Satan hates the truth. He can’t handle the truth. He loves beliefs.
So 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? What is truth?
Many people believe they can earn their way into heaven by doing good deeds. They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they are actively involved in community projects…they generously donate their time, talent, and treasure to charitable organizations…they “give back”… you’ve heard people use that term countless times. People who “give back” usually are convinced they are better than most people. They think they are so good, that after they die God will reward them by letting them into heaven for their good deeds.
Unfortunately, in the bible they find a completely different story. Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…
TITUS 3:5
The Lord Jesus Christ saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness, but according to His mercy…by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 8 and 9…
EPHESIANS 2:8
For by God’s grace you have been saved through faith (in Christ for salvation)…and that grace and that faith and that salvation are not from the source of yourselves…it is the gift of God….
EPHESIANS 2:9
…therefore, being saved is not as a result of works (deeds you have done in self-righteousness)…so that no one may boast (about saving himself).
One thing you would never want to do is to put the burden of your salvation on your own back. So how do you get to heaven? In John, Chapter 14, Verse 6, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself says there is only one way to get to heaven…
JOHN 14:6
Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation), and I am the truth (through the Word of God), and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”
When we choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God, it is much more than a belief…it is the absolute truth. So how do you get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life? Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10…
ROMANS 10:9
…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead… you will be saved…
ROMANS 10:10
…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone)…resulting in salvation.
Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…
ACTS 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
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.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
JOHN 3:17
For God the Father did not send God the Son into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
Take the free gift of eternal life right now! There’s no time to waste! God wants you. Join me in heaven!
Here’s June Murphy to sing about t our redeemer.
CLOSING SONG
REDEEMER
June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION
Thanks for coming!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for listening!
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