(#450) Romans 13 - Wake Up and Smell the Coffee! Spiritually Speaking…

Class Outline:

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Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We make a difference by teaching the Word of God from God’s perspective, and not from man’s perspective. 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!  Spiritually Speaking…

 

God doesn’t have your back. 

 

He is your front guard, your rear guard, your sides guard, your top guard, and your bottom guard. The Lord Jesus Christ has you completely surrounded by His plan, His protection and His provision.  Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, Verse 8 says…

 

DEUTERONOMY 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…so not fear or be dismayed.”

 

If you want God to have your back onlyHe will…Isaiah, Chapter 52, Verse 12…

 

ISAIAH 52:12

And the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

 

Or how about one of the best translations of Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 31…

 

ROMANS 8:31

What then shall we say, face-to-face with all these things God provides? If God is for us believers in Christ, and of course He is, what does it matter who is against us?

 

Our God prepares us for the daily battles of this life by transforming our thinking with the Word of God. 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 in the bible 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 Hisname.

 

Welcome to a place where you can get to know God…get to know His Word… and where you can be comforted and protected in the sphere of His unconditional love for you.

 

If the truth were known, a lot of the time we sleepwalk through this life.  Yet God and His Word are always encouraging us…like in our next song.  Here’s the group All Sons & Daughters with their song WAKE UP!

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

WAKE UP

All Sons & Daughters

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for giving us life…a resurrection life…a life exceeding and abundantly beyond anything we could ever ask or think…thank you for sending Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for us…thank you for letting Jesus go to a Cross…shed His blood…and die for us…and thank you for raising Him from the dead just three days later to send a message to the whole world that He is God…

 

Help us to live as He did…ALL IN AND ALL OUT…and help us to awake from our sleepwalking so that we take full advantage of the vitality and the victory You have given us through our relationship with Christ… 

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s

name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!  Spiritually Speaking…

 

Today we transition into the final passage of Romans, Chapter 13.  Let’s listen again to the first two passages before we move on.  Here is the first passage of Romans Chapter 13…Verses 1 to 7…a Christian’s duties to the state…

 

ROMANS 13:1

Every BELIEVER IN CHRIST is to be in subjection to the civil authorities in power. For there is no civil authority in power except ones that were put in power by God the Father…and those civil authorities which exist in power are established by God the Father.

 

ROMANS 13:2 

Therefore whoever rebels against authority has rebelled against the ordinance of God…and they who have opposed the ordinance of God (are rebelling against God as well…and) they will receive (both divine and civil) condemnation upon themselves.

 

ROMANS 13:3 

For rulers (in authority) are not a cause of fear for those who have goodbehavior (for those who obey)…but rulers are a cause of fear for those whoindulge in evil (those who disobey). Do you want to have no fear of authority? Keep on doing what is good and you will have praise from theauthority…

 

ROMANS 13:4 

…for the authority is a minister of God (a diakonos…a deacon)…given as a grace gift to you for your own good. But if you keep on doing what is evil, be afraid…for the authority does not keep on bearing the sword (firearms and capital punishment) for nothing…for the authority is God’s ministering officer…an avenger…who brings wrath (punishment for wrongdoing) on the one who practices evil.

 

ROMANS 13:5 

Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection to authority…not only because of (the) wrath (wielded by those in authority…an external reason)…but also for your conscience’ sake (an internal reason…because your conscience is always imploring you to obey God).

 

ROMANS 13:6 

For because of authority you also pay taxes (literally…you pay tribute with taxes to authority) …for rulers in authority are servants of God…devoting themselves to this very service (to God…full time)…the service called ministering.

 

ROMANS 13:7 

Render to all authorities what is due them…tax to whom tax is due…custom to whom custom is due (a duty on imports)…respect to whom respect is due (regarding authority with awe)…honor to whom honor is due.

 

Here’s passage two of Romans, Chapter 13…Verses 8 to 10…a Christian’s duty to God and to others…when we embrace the life the Lord is calling us to, it is a lifestyle of love…

 

ROMANS 13:8 

Do not keep on owing anything to anyone except owing the debt you owe to (God to) love one another unconditionally…for he who loves his neighbor unconditionally has fulfilled the law.

 

ROMANS 13:9 

For these are commandments…“You shall not commit adultery…you shall not murder…you shall not steal…you shall not covet” … and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this one, “You shall love your neighbor just as you love yourself…unconditionally.”

 

ROMANS 13:10 

Unconditional love does not keep on doing wrong to a neighbor…therefore when we demonstrate unconditional love for others it is the fullness of the Mosaic Law.

 

Love God.  Love each other.  Love yourself.  Love your enemy.  Here is the final passage…and the next passage we will study…Romans, Chapter 13…Verses 11 to 14…

 

ROMANS 13:11 

Do this…knowing the time…that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep…for now salvation is nearer to us believers in Christ than when we first believed.

 

ROMANS 13:12 

The night is almost gone…and the day is near.  Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

 

ROMANS 13:13 

Let us behave properly as in the day…not in carousing and drunkenness… not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality…not in strife and jealousy.

 

ROMANS 13:14 

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ…and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

 

This passage starts with an exhortation…Romans, Chapter 13, Verse 11…

 

ROMANS 13:11 

Do this (be in subjection to the governing authorities and have a lifestyle of unconditional love)…knowing the time (the season of the divine plan)… knowing that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep…for now salvation (our final deliverance to glorification by God) is nearer to us believers in Christ than it was when we first believed in Christ.

 

The word that describes the season of the divine plan is IMMINENT.

What does it mean when something is imminent?

 

IMMINENT

Something likely to occur at any moment…impending…something hanging over us

 

Imminent is like The Sword of Damocles…the end times of divine history are hanging over us.  The Romans philosopher Cicero told of a sword that hangs above the head of powerful people…The Sword of Damocles...it was a sword positioned over Damocles’ head…he was a flatterer in the court of the tyrant of Syracuse, Dionysius…and Damocles was seated at a banquet by Dionysius…and a razor sharp sword was suspended over his head by a single strand of camel hair to show Damocles the perilous nature of happiness.  The sword could drop at any minute, killing him…slicing his head in two parts.

 

God wants us to be as sober as Damocles…to be on the alert as if The Sword of Damocles were hanging over our head.  In other words we have a tendency to relax, and we miss the things that are really important in life…we ignore the preparation that is required to prepare for the storms of life…and only when disaster strikes do we pay attention. God wants us to  WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!  Spiritually speaking of course.  Now if you don’t like coffee…I’m sorry about that…then smell the bacon…or the eggs…or the toasting muffins or the wieners …of whatever else you like smelling…perhaps old gym socks…but WAKE UP!

 

Honestly, WAKE UP! is a message that I want to send to you every week.  WAKE UP!  But I don’t want to sound like a law-giving legalist.  Yet as I see it, this alertness is the thing that is at the core of Christianity…it’s a philosophy that says, “Dig a well before you are thirsty.”  It says, “Don’t wait for the horse to escape to close the barn door.”  WAKE UP! It means don't think you are getting away with things just because the sword hasn’t cut you into two pieces.

 

The Lord was always warning people, especially unbelievers, about what can happen when you’re sleepwalking…Luke, Chapter 12, Verses 54 to 56…

 

 

LUKE 12:54

And Jesus was also saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out that the rain shower comes.”

 

The Lord was pointing out the importance of discernment…the ability to see the meaning of the things right in front of you…He was pointing out that people have no difficulty at all discerning natural signs, like the weather…

 

LUKE 12:55 

“And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way.”

 

Then the Lord lowers the boom…

 

LUKE 12:56 

“You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky…but why do you not analyze this present time (the divine season)?”

 

What is the Lord saying? WAKE UP AND SMELL COFFEE…spiritually speaking of course!  Here was the promised Messiah, standing right in front of the Jews, His chosen people…and they didn’t even notice Him, even though He had fulfilled every single prediction about Himself.  God was making them an offer, and they were not prepared to receive the offer.

 

Salvation

 

Life

 

Addiction

 

When we return from our five-minute break, we’ll see some of the more potent warnings from a loving God…

 

BREAK

Five Minutes

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!  Spiritually Speaking…

 

When we are fully awake, our eyes will be fixed firmly on Jesus…not on people…not on things…not on self…on Jesus…the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…here is Sarah Reeves to help us remember…she says, “God…you know RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME!

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME

Sarah Reeves

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee!  Spiritually Speaking…

 

Welcome back!  The final passage of Romans, Chapter 13...starting at Verse 11…

 

ROMANS 13:11 

Do this (be in subjection to the governing authorities and have a lifestyle of unconditional love)…knowing the time (the season of the divine plan)… knowing that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep…for now salvation (our final deliverance to glorification by God) is nearer to us believers in Christ than it was when we first believed in Christ.

 

Are you sleepwalking through this life?  Well when it is time to wake up, we seldom go from asleep to awake.  There is a transition time.  We go from Asleep to Aware to Awake.  We’re lucky if we wake up…yet often when we do wake up, we spend much too much time in Aware.

 

 

When a thief wants to burglarize your home, what they are counting on more than anything is catching you by surprise…First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verse 2…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:2

For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord (the imminency of His return) will come just like a thief in the night….

 

There is no spiritual surprise for believers in Christ who are studying the

Word of God…we are completely aware of what’s next…that doesn’t mean we are awake…often we sleepwalk through life…it is not God’s preference that we sleepwalk through the resurrection life…Matthew, Chapter 24, Verse 42…

 

MATTHEW 24:42

 “Therefore be on the alert…for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

 

The Lord encourages us to be alert…to keep watch…

 

<911>

 

The Lord uses a story to warn Israel about the coming of the Millennium, and the misery associated with it…but in the story he tells about ten virgins, there is plenty for all of us to learn about preparation…Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 1 to 13…

 

MATTHEW 25:1

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”

 

In the wedding customs of Jesus’ day, the bridegroom would return from the house of his bride in a procession leading to his own home to celebrate a wedding banquet.  Quite often, virgins attended these banquets…probably hoping that the “marriage bug” would rub off on the single guys at the wedding feast.  Preparation was required of the virgins as they waited for the groom.

 

MATTHEW 25:2 

“Five of the virgins were foolish…and five of the virgins were prudent (well prepared).”

 

MATTHEW 25:3 

“For when the foolish virgins took their lamps…they took no oil with them…”

 

MATTHEW 25:4 

“…but the prudent virgins took oil in flasks along with their lamps.”

 

Proper prior planning prevents (piss) poor productions!

 

MATTHEW 25:5 

“Now while the bridegroom was delaying (he was late)…the virgins all got drowsy and fell sleep.”

 

MATTHEW 25:6 

“But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”

 

MATTHEW 25: 7 

“Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.”

 

When we trim out lamps we make an adjustment in the wick so the flame will burn brighter.  It allows us to see.  But if there is no oil in the lamp there will be no light.  As I see it, an LED flashlight would have been a better call…but what do I know?  J

 

MATTHEW 25:8 

“The foolish virgins said to the prudent virgins, ‘Give us some of your oil… for our lamps are going out.’”

 

Unprepared people always call on the help of prepared people.

 

 

MATTHEW 25:9 

“But the prudent virgins answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and for you too… go instead to the dealers and buy some more oil for yourselves.’” 

 

Smart move…don’t reward the foolish virgins for being foolish.

 

MATTHEW 25:10 

“And while the foolish virgins were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came…and those virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast…and the door was shut.” 

 

Ruh Roh!

 

MATTHEW 25:11 

“Later the foolish virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up the door for us.’” 

 

MATTHEW 25:12 

“But the lord answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’” 

 

The foolish virgins hadn’t met the groom at the door when he came.  They were away getting oil so he hadn’t met them.  The Lord finishes His thought…

 

MATTHEW 25:13 

“Be on the alert then…for you do not know the day nor the hour (when I come again).”

 

 In other words…WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! … spiritually speaking!  In baseball, when a runner is “picked off of a base,” he is said to be caught napping…he is caught not paying attention.  Are you paying attention to the things in your life that are vital but not urgent?

 

 

 

Last year Barah moved from asleep to aware.  This year, will we move from aware to awake?  The Lord tells us, in Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verses 14 to 18…

 

EPHESIANS 5:14

 “Awake, sleeper (a believer in Christ)…and rise from among the dead ones…and Christ will shine on you.”

 

EPHESIANS 5:15

“Therefore be careful how you walk (see to the lifestyle you construct)…and have a lifestyle, not like the ones the unwise run… but like the ones the wise

run…”

 

EPHESIANS 5:16 

“…making the most of your time…because the days are evil.”

 

The Lord wants you to be care-full…full of care about the lifestyle you construct.

 

EPHESIANS 5:17 

“So then do not be foolish…but understand what the will of the Lord is... (wisdom)”

 

EPHESIANS 5:18 

“And do not get drunk with wine (abstain from it)…for that is dissipation… but keep on being filled with the Spirit…”

 

As believers in Christ we can construct a lifestyle of dissipation…or we can follow God the Holy Spirit’s promptings.  The good news is that when we decide to stop sleepwalking we have a lot to look forward to…First Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 6 to 10…

 

FIRST PETER 5:6

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time…

 

FIRST PETER 5:7 

…casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

 

FIRST PETER 5:8 

Be of sober spirit…be on the alert! Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

 

FIRST PETER 5:9

But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

 

FIRST PETER 5:10 

After you have suffered for a little while…the God of all grace…who called

you to His eternal glory in union with Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm,

strengthen and establish you.

 

Which of the three little pigs are you?  Are you building a life of straw and sticks or are you building a house of bricks? The Lord implores you to wake up…to prepare before the time is necessary.  I implore you to bring your friends to the Word of God so the next crisis in their lives isn’t a calamity…instead it’s calm.

 

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. 

 

Is religion the way?

 

Many people believe that religious rituals are their ticket into heaven. They embrace religious beliefs that tell them how to live a spiritual life. The religion claims there is a God, or there are many gods…but the religion does not tell you how to have a personal relationship with the gods. And, despite all of your religious rituals, your religion does not guarantee that following those rituals will get you into heaven.

 

In John, Chapter 4, Verses 13 and 14, the Lord Jesus Christ is talking to a woman at a well…a Samaritan woman whom the Jews wanted nothing to do with…after a brief conversation, the Lord says to her…

 

JOHN 4:13

“Everyone who drinks of the water in this well will thirst again…”

 

JOHN 4:14 

“…but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him (the water of the Word of God) shall never thirst…but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

 

It is the Lord’s will for you to come to heaven to live with Him when you close your eyes in this life. First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3

This is 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 for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

The truth of how to get to heaven is this simple…as simple as a nine-word conversation with God…Luke, Chapter 23, Verses 42 and 43…

 

LUKE 23:42

And a thief being crucified next to Jesus was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

 

LUKE 23:43 

And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you…today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

 

Or if you prefer…it’s a five word conversation with God the Father… “Father…I believe in Christ.” Simply believe…and that is the moment of eternal life for you.  

 

Now once the Lord saves you, no matter how hard you try, you cannot lose your salvation…John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…

 

JOHN 10:28

“…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ, and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

 

Anyone who tells you that you can lose your salvation is lying to you. On the other hand, if you reject the relationship offer of this God who does not want you to perish, He will honor your rejection…Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 49 and 50…

 

MATTHEW 13:49

So it will be at the end of the age…the angels will come forth and take out the wicked (unbelievers) from among the righteous (believers in Christ)...

 

MATTHEW 13:50 

…and will throw the wicked into the furnace of fire…and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

So follow the advice of 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.”

 

Here’s June Murphy to sing one of the first songs she wrote and produced…it’s a reminder to believers in Christ to take full advantage of our relationship with God…the song is called LIGHT OF FELLOWSHIP.

 

CLOSING SONG

LIGHT OF FELLOWSHIP

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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