(#039) 1 Corinthians 8 - At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Taught Us that DONE is a Lot Better Than DO

Class Outline:

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There's no "do do" to be done in God's plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  I echo the apostle Paul’s greeting from Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 2…

 

EPHESIANS 1:2

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 1…  

 

JOHN 1:1

In the beginning was the Word (the Lord…God the Son)…and the Word was with God the Father…and the Word (the Lord…God the Son) was Himself God.

 

As the Lord He is 100% Deity… a member of the Triune Godhead…He is God the Son.  He is also 100% human just like you and me, and His name is Jesus Christ.  Colossians, Chapter 2, Verse 9 says…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:9

…in Jesus Christ all the fullness of Deity dwells in human body form…  

 

John, Chapter 1, Verse 14… 

 

JOHN 1:14

And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (truly human as Jesus

Christ)…and He lived among us…and we saw His glory…glory as from the uniquely born One from the source of God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Sovereign God of the Universe…He is the Savior of the whole world…and He is the Jewish Messiah.  

 

As those who make Barah Ministries our spiritual home, we are Christians.    Being a Christian means we believe in the DEITY of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with Him because Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.  The Lord Jesus Christ is a Person.  He is not a “thing” … and He is not a concept.  Just as we do with anyone whom we love, we spend time getting to know the Lord.  Since the Bible is His exact thinking, we come together to learn His mind through the study of His Word.  First Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21…

 

FIRST PETER 1:20

…know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own private interpretation…

 

FIRST PETER 1:21

…for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men carried along by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from (the exact thinking) of  THE God (the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

God has an enemy, Satan, “the ruler of this world.” John, Chapter 12, Verse 31…

 

JOHN 12:31

Now judgment is upon this world…now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be dethroned…(a future event).

 

Satan is a liar who deceives the whole world, including you.  He doesn’t want you to get to know God, and he interferes with your chance to know Him.  The Word of God is the truth that keeps us aware of Satan’s insidious deceptions.  

 

As believers in Christ…in union with Christ…we have the victory over

Satan through our Lord, who has overcome the world.  John, Chapter 16,

Verse 33…

 

JOHN 16:33

“These things I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you believers in Christ, so that in union with Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation…but take courage…I have overcome the world.”

 

Because of union with Christ we share in His victory.  Welcome to our study!

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Taught Us that DONE is a Lot  Better Than DO

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Those of you who know me know for sure that parenting my sons is one of the proudest accomplishments of my life.  It was totally enjoyable from start to finish.  Yet there is one thing I hated about parenting, and I don’t mind admitting it to you today.  Most kids are always trying to prove themselves to their parents.  They crave parental approval.  No wait…they are DESPERATE for parental approval!  My sons are no exception to the rule.  They are desperate for my approval and I’ve always found that to be a bit mind-boggling.  

 

Why?  Because there has never been a time in my son’s lives when they didn’t have my approval.  Sure…I’ve been mad at them.  That’s normal.  I’ve said mean things to them.  That’s normal.  But I have always been on their side.  There is nothing they have ever done that has disappointed me.  For those of you who know them, there are quite a few things that would be easy to be disappointed about if I had a mind to do it.

 

I'm convinced after studying for today’s lesson that this striving for parental approval is Satan-inspired.  He encourages us all to strive for the Lord’s approval when we already have it.  The Lord’s approval of us is demonstrated at the Cross.  

 

In today’s lesson, we’ll remember our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by

celebrating The Lord’s Supper, and we’ll learn that His work at the Cross

taught us the valuable lesson that DONE is a lot better than DO.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

In Biblical numerology, ten is the number of perfection.  Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13 is the perfect ten-word verse…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

We underestimate the power of these words.  In his song, SAME POWER, Jeremy Camp explains.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

SAME POWER

Jeremy Camp

 

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 making Your salvation and Your sanctification so easy…we don’t have to work to please You…thank you for making heaven so easy…there is no work we can do to get ourselves to heaven…our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Your Son, did all the work for us at the Cross so that we can be saved…and God the Holy Spirit does all the work of sanctification so we can walk in a lifestyle worthy of the calling to which you called us, as He conforms us to the image of Your Son…

 

Father, help us to love others as You love us….give us the courage to invite people to Your “so great” salvation…help us to communicate to others that Your unconditional love and Your grace and Your forgiveness are free gifts for whosoever believes in Your Son, our Lord…Jesus Christ…

 

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

name...Amen.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Taught Us that DONE is a Lot  Better Than DO

 

Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ in The Christian Way of Living.  The Lord demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with His believers by creating a way to keep on sharing His body and His blood with us, just as He did with His apostles on the night before His death.  Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16… 

 

LUKE 22:14

When the hour had come (and His crucifixion was near) … the Lord Jesus Christ reclined at the Passover table…and the apostles reclined with Him.

 

LUKE 22:15 

And the Lord said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer … ”

 

LUKE 22:16 

“…for I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you that I shall never again eat this

Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God the Father.”

 

In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26

…as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.

 

The Lord’s Supper Celebration is a time when the resident members of this congregation join hands through the miles with our non-resident members, and we demonstrate our unity by remembering our Lord together.  This is a celebration for which we set aside time.  We don’t do it on the move.  

 

During the Lord’s Supper Celebration, Jesus wants His believers to look

back to the Cross for a moment.  He wants us to REMEMBER how He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness.  He wants us to REMEMBER the sacrifice of shedding His blood to cover our sins.  He wants us to REMEMBER the deliverance to the resurrection life He orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light.  Most of all, the Lord wants His believers to look forward with ANTICIPATION that He is coming again.   

 

As believers in Christ, when we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, we ask ourselves in reflection, “What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?”   This month we acknowledge that at the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ taught us that DONE is a lot better than DO.

 

You've heard the expression, “What Would Jesus Do?”  You may have seen a bracelet or a tee-shirt with the letters WWJD.  Believe it or not, the whole WWJD movement began in the 1800s, spurred by a Charles Sheldon book entitled, “In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do?” Undoubtedly it is the Satan-inspired insinuation that all Christians should be “Christ-like” … something we aren’t of course and never will be…the belief that Christians must ALWAYS demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus through their actions.  

 

Satan, the enemy of God, promotes the DO lifestyle.  Why?  Because with anything God has DONE, Satan wants us to think that he has a better idea.  Revelation, Chapter 12, Verse 9…

 

REVELATION 12:9a

And the great dragon was thrown down…the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan…WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD…

 

All of us are exposed regularly to His deceptions.  Satan’s strategy to gain an advantage over mankind is called RELIGION…and at its core, religion is the DO lifestyle.  It is the attempt to impress God and to earn a place in heaven through good works.  Anyone who has tried this DO lifestyle knows that it never works.  The apostle Paul, a former Pharisee, was the master of the DO life…and here’s what he says about it in Romans, Chapter 7, Verses 15 and 19 after his choice to become a Christian…

 

ROMANS 7:15

For what I (Paul) am doing, I do not understand…for I am not practicing what I would like to do…but I am DOING the very thing I hate.

 

ROMANS 7:19

For the good that I want to do, I do not do…but I practice the very evil that I do not want to do.

 

The religious life is a pretend life.  Religious people pretend to please God but deep inside they know they just don’t.  The Lord Jesus Christ has a better suggestion.  The DONE life.  

 

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ taught us that DONE is better than DO.  One of the seven things the Lord Jesus Christ said as He hung from the Cross is the Greek word “TETELESTAI!”  It is well translated, “It is finished” … but the Bible is to be interpreted in the time it was written, and at the time the Bible was written, TETELESTAI was a term stamped on business documents.  Its meaning?  THE DEBT IS PAID IN FULL.  Done!  Christ paid our sin debt in full at the Cross.  First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 24…

 

FIRST PETER 2:24

…and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the Cross…so that we might die to the sovereignty of sin and so that we might live to the righteousness of the resurrection life…for by Jesus’ wounds you were healed.

 

Salvation is finished…it is DONE…it is paid in full.  The Lord Jesus Christ incurred the wrath of God the Father for three dark hours on the Cross, to pay for every sin we would ever commit, past present, and future.  As a result, we can have the free gift of eternal life by placing our faith in the work Christ has done on our behalf.  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 

…so being saved is not as a result of your works (deeds you have done in self-righteousness) … so that no one may boast (about saving himself).

 

As believers in Christ, we don’t ask, “What Would Jesus Do?”  NO!  Instead, we reflect on what Jesus has DONE…and what He has done is give us salvation through His grace as a free gift.  We…

 

GRACE

 

Gain

Righteousness

At 

Christ’s

Expense

 

When we return from our five-minute break, we’ll take the offering and then we’ll continue our celebration of The Lord’s Supper.  

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Taught Us that DONE is a Lot  Better Than DO

 

Deacon Denny Goodall is on vacation with his family this week in San Diego.  So, I’ll be taking the offering.  Thanks in advance for your generosity.  We need it, and we appreciate it! 

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

David Bauer, Instrumental

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Taught Us that DONE is a Lot  Better Than DO

 

Welcome back!

 

The Grace Life (DONE) is the lifestyle that the Lord Jesus Christ offers to mankind.  God does all the work and mankind gets the benefit.  

 

The Works Life (DO) is the lifestyle that Satan, the enemy of God offers to mankind.  A man works to please God, and his effort is absolutely futile.  It produces no benefit.

 

To really know what Christians believe as opposed to what religions believe, you have to check the doctrines of each and do a comparison.  What you’ll find is that just because Christianity and religions use the same terms doesn’t mean the terms have the same meanings.  To discern error, you must get behind the term to the real meaning.  I guarantee you this…religions are sophisticated enough to hide the lie deep inside the truth.  Finding the error…finding the smoking gun of a religion…is a frustrating pursuit, even for those well trained to do so.

 

THE DO LIFE

 

Here’s a look at a few of the doctrines of three religions…Romans Catholicism, Islam, and Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints).  As you look at these verses, notice the work that is involved in an attempt to impress God.  Notice the viewpoints about God.  First, excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)…

 

Romans Catholicism 

 

CCC 2027

Moved by the Holy Spirit, WE CAN MERIT FOR OURSELVES and for others (by praying for the dead) all the graces needed to attain eternal life.

 

 

CCC 1129

The Roman Catholic Church affirms that for its believers the sacraments of the New Covenant ARE NECESSARY FOR SALVATION.

 

Islam

 

Excerpts from the Qu’ran, the sacred book of Islam…

 

SURAH 5:9

Allah has promised those who BELIEVE AND DO RIGHTEOUS DEEDS that for them there is forgiveness and great reward.

 

QU’RAN 23:102

And those whose scales are heavy WITH GOOD DEEDS…it is they who are successful.

 

QU’RAN 23:103

But those whose scales are light…WITHOUT GOOD DEEDS…those are the ones who have lost their souls, being in Hell, abiding eternally.

 

The Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints - Mormons

 

ALMA 5:27

Have you walked, KEEPING YOURSELVES BLAMELESS before God? Could you say, if you were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that you have been sufficiently humble?

 

DOCTRINES AND COVENANTS 130:22

The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s body…the Son 

also…but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.

 

MORMON ARTICLES OF FAITH 1:2 

We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

 

Mormons believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Creator of the World.  However, Mormons hold the unique belief that God the Father and Jesus Christ are two distinct beings.

What does the Bible have to say about the religious?  In Matthew, Chapter 15, Verses 7 to 9 the Lord has this to say about the religious Pharisees…

 

MATTHEW 15:7

“You hypocrites!  Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you…”

 

MATTHEW 15:8 

‘These people honor Me with their lips…but their heart is far away from Me.’”

 

MATTHEW 15:9

“‘But in vain do they worship Me…teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’”

 

Satan, the enemy of God, wants to deceive us into believing that our human accomplishments, our works, are equal to God's standard for absolute righteousness as the admission ticket into heaven.  Satan is absolutely wrong about it, and he knows it.  He is a liar, and he is the one who keeps on fathering these lies.

 

THE DONE LIFE

 

What does God say through the Bible about how to be saved?  Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 1 to 3…

 

ROMANS 4:1 

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found in the matter of salvation?

 

ROMANS 4:2 

For if, for the sake of argument, Abraham was justified by his works, he has something to boast about before men…but not before God.

 

ROMANS 4:3 

For what does the Old Testament Scripture say (in Genesis, Chapter 15,

Verse 6)? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED IN GOD THE SON...JEHOVAH ELOHIM...AND HIS FAITH WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

 

It was Abraham’s faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, as the Lord was revealed to Abraham, that saved Abraham.  Before his choice to be a Christian, Abraham, the father of the Jewish Race, was a Muslim… he and his family worshipped the moon god.

 

It is not our works that save us…it is God's grace.  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 (your) works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.

 

There are no works of any kind necessary to be saved…it is simply faith, expressed in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, that is the ticket to eternal life.  Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 4…

 

ROMANS 4:4 

Now to the one who works for salvation, his payment is not paid as if it were a gracious favor from God…but his payment is paid because it is what he is due...it is paid to him as what he has earned because of his work.

 

To gain admission to heaven, we need to be as righteous as God.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21

God the Father made Him who knew no sin (the Lord Jesus Christ) to be a sin substitute on our behalf…so that we might become the righteousness of God in union with Him.

 

At the moment we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, His righteousness is credited to our account.  As a result of the Lord’s work on the Cross, through His grace we become as righteous, as holy, and as blameless as He is as a free gift.  We don’t have to strive for salvation.  We simply ask for it and we get it because our salvation was DONE at the Cross.  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 to 11…

 

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 (choosing faith in Christ alone) … resulting in salvation.

 

ROMANS 10:11

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will not be disappointed.”

 

To be fair to every religion, you can’t know the depth of the religion without studying it.  A few verses excerpted here and there don’t tell the whole story.  But the one thing you’ll find as you get deeper and deeper into the study of any religion is that God is disappointed with you, and you have to DO work to please Him.  As you get deeper and deeper into Christianity, you learn that you can’t please God…therefore you have to count on what God has DONE for you.

 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any problems with a free gift, given in grace.  As we look back to the Cross, we see the picture of grace, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has DONE for us what we could never DO.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Enjoying the Lord’s Supper Elements

 

Let’s remember Jesus in the way He told us to remember Him.  Obeying our Lord’s command, we keep on celebrating the Christ and His Cross regularly.  We eat to remember who He is as a PERSON.  We drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made to deliver us.  We remember with gratitude what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done to save us.  Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…

 

MATTHEW 26:26

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body (which is being broken for you).”

 

MATTHEW 26:27

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, Jesus gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you…”

 

MATTHEW 26:28 

"…for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

Let’s listen to the Lord.  Let’s keep on eating this bread…let’s keep on drinking this cup…let’s do both to remember Him.  Let’s keep on being transformed by His life…His death… His burial…His resurrection from the dead…and His Word.  

 

SONG INTRO

 

James, Chapter 1, Verse 17 says…

 

JAMES 1:17

Every good thing that is given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from God the Father…the One in control of the heavenly lights…with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

 

Let’s enjoy the elements as we listen to the Lord’s Supper song…ALL GOOD GIFTS.

 

LORD’S SUPPER SONG

ALL GOOD GIFTS

Godspell

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with a song from June Murphy’s most recent collection of songs which Amazon’s Alexa knows about…here’s a perfect summary of today’s lesson in song…YOU CAN’T UNDO THE CROSS.

 

CLOSING SONG

YOU CAN’T UNDO THE CROSS

June Murphy

 

PROVERBS 3:5-6

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

 

DEUTERONOMY 31:8

“For 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.”

 

ISAIAH 30:18

The Lord longs to be gracious to you…He waits on high to have compassion

on you…for the Lord is a God of justice…blessed are all those who wait for Him.

 

FIRST PETER 5:6-7

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time…//…slamming all your cares on His back, because He cares for you (God considers your problems to be His responsibility).

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

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Thanks for listening!

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