Specials - The Lessons of Sabbatical for You and Me

SPEC-68-230115 - length: 90:56 - taught on Jan, 15 2023

Class Outline:


Rest & Relationship: The Real R & R

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If you’re in the resident congregation turn off your electronic devices and put them away. Let this be a place where you aren’t distracted by the world.

 

Welcome To  BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!  

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Welcome to this Bible lesson!  

 

Who is Jesus Christ?  

 

At Barah Ministries we know this truth…JESUS CHRIST IS GOD.  We worship the one and ONLY true God.  Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 9 and

10 affirm that He is God…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:9 (Wuest)

For in Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah) … there is permanently and continuously at home all the fullness of absolute Deity living in bodily form…

 

COLOSSIANS 2:10

…and you believers in Christ are in union with Him…filled with a state of fullness…and Jesus is the head…over all rulers…and over all authority…

 

He is God the Son…that’s why we call Him Lord…He is fully God…100% Deity.  He is Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…so He is fully human like you and me…100% true humanity.  These two separate natures…God and human…are combined in one Person, making Him the unique individual of the universe, and the One and only One worthy of our worship.

 

 

 

Why does Barah Ministries exist?

 

This ministry is provided by God for your benefit so that you might have a sanctuary…a safe refuge in which to learn.  Learning God’s Word gives you God’s perspective on life so you don’t have to operate as the rest of the world does, from a flawed human perspective.  In Romans, Chapter 12,

Verse 2 the Lord warns us…

 

ROMANS 12:2a 

And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you) ... instead, keep on being transformed by God the Holy Spirit through the renewing of your mind (as you study the Word of God) ...

 

ROMANS 12:2b 

...so that you may see clearly, through the testing of experience, what the will of God is...and the will of God is that which is good for you, and that which is acceptable to Him, and that which is perfect in result.

 

Why do Christians study the Word of God?

 

By studying the Word of God, we allow God’s truth to shape our reality instead of letting the world’s lies shape our reality.  In Proverbs, Chapter 4,

Verses 1 and 2, Solomon exhorts us…

 

PROVERBS 4:1

Hear…O sons and daughters…the instruction of a father…and give attention that you may gain understanding…

 

PROVERBS 4:2 

…for I give you sound teaching…do not abandon my instruction.

 

Generation after generation, the Word of God provides the truth to anyone who wants to hear it…instruction directly from God.

 

Who is God’s enemy?

 

Completely lost on most people in the world today is the reality that God has an enemy.  In grace, God allowed Satan, His enemy, to be ‘the ruler of this world.’  In John, Chapter 12, Verse 31, the Lord says…

 

JOHN 12:31

“Now judgment is upon this world (a judgment because of the Cross…the Lord’s strategic victory over Satan) … now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out (dethroned from the rulership of the earth at a future time).”

 

Because we believers in Christ live in Satan's kingdom, we know an undeniable truth, revealed in Revelation, Chapter 12, Verse 9…

 

REVELATION 12:9

(God’s enemy is) … the serpent of old…who is called the devil and

Satan…the one who DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD…

 

Satan is a liar.  He deceives all of us.  How is Satan deceiving you?  Which of his deceptions are you allowing to rule your life?

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lessons of Sabbatical for You and Me

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

A sabbatical rest is similar to the weekly Jewish celebration of Shabbat…it's a time to stop working…a time for rest.  In Genesis, Chapter 2, Verses 2 and 3, God was the first to take a sabbatical rest…

 

GENESIS 2:2

By the seventh day, God completed His work which He had done…and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

 

GENESIS 2:3 

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (setting it apart) … because on the seventh day, God rested from all His work which He had created and made.

 

In today’s lesson, we’ll explore things to be learned from a sabbatical rest.

 

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

If we believers in Christ know we are filled up with all the fullness of our God…then we know His unconditional love, His forgiveness, and His grace offer us everything we need.  Here’s Chris Tomlin singing praises to the Lord in his song YOUR GRACE IS ENOUGH.

 

MUSIC-OPENING SONG

Singing the Lord’s Praises

 

YOUR GRACE IS ENOUGH

Chris Tomlin

 

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 reminding us believers in Christ that there is no reason to be discouraged by things going on in the world…everything happening here has passed through Your Sovereign decision process, and You allow all these things for our benefit…thank you for reminding us that we already have the victory in everything we do through Your amazing Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who paid a very personal price to provide us with the victory…remind us, through the lessons of the Word of God, to tap into the supernatural power provided by God the Holy Spirit in every single thing we do…help us to see life with spiritual eyes as we take in Your Word in today’s lesson…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ's name...Amen.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON The Lessons of Sabbatical for You and Me

 

What are the lessons of sabbatical?  Let’s explore five lessons.

 

 

LESSON ONE  

Sabbatical is a Rest…Not an End

 

What is a sabbatical?

 

SABBATICAL

A period of paid leave granted to a teacher for study or travel, traditionally one year for every seven years worked.

 

Right at the beginning of sabbatical, three people provided financial gifts that made it obvious this ministry was to continue operation.  Notice…God made sure the gifts were given BEFORE the sabbatical began, before they were needed, to leave no doubt that God’s ministry, Barah Ministries, would continue.

 

From November 28, 2021, to January 14, 2023, God pressed pause on this ministry, but not on the Pastor.  There was work to be done on the Pastor, even amidst the rest.  

 

Rest is overrated…but it is necessary because it’s a chance to relax and recharge.  In Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verses 1 and 2, the Lord encourages all of us to rest…

 

HEBREWS 4:1

Therefore…let us believers in Christ fear…if we are to fear anything…that while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.

 

HEBREWS 4:2 

For indeed we believers in Christ have had the good news of the gospel message preached to us, just as unbelievers heard also…but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

 

Sabbatical rest offers perspective.  

 

At the beginning of sabbatical, my eyes were on people…on all the hurts I have experienced over the years while teaching the Word of God.  God the Holy Spirit dealt with the problem quickly.  He kept giving me the thought, “Sheep are going to be sheep.”  In other words, we’d all love it if people would act differently than they do…differently than we expect…but they don’t.  People hurt us, especially those we let close.  There is no need to be surprised.

 

Then God the Holy Spirit led me to an intense study of the four gospels:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Whenever you think people are doing you wrong, just study the gospels.  No matter what our perfect Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did, the scribes and the Pharisees found a way to reject their Messiah and to inflict pain on Him.  A slave is not greater than his master.  If they persecuted Him, they will persecute us.  The hurts I have experienced in my twenty-four years of teaching and in nearly sixty-eight years of life are NOTHING when compared with the hurts Jesus Christ experienced during His time on earth.  Therefore, rest.

 

The sabbatical rest was a time to focus on the spiritual life…and to come at life in a new way...using this amazing gift. The Lord gave you rest, too!  What did you learn during rest?

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lesson for You

 

When do you intentionally schedule rest from the rigors of the world?

 

What are you learning during the restful times?

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lesson for You

 

How did you choose to feed your spiritual life during your sabbatical?  

 

What insights did you experience concerning your life?

 

When at rest, we have no choice but to depend on God.  God proved Himself dependable in 2022.  He taught me that a life of run-run-run is not as fulfilling as a life of rest-rest-rest.  When we rest as Christians, we KNOW, through our faith in God, without a single doubt or reservation, that God has everything covered in our lives.

 

LESSON TWO

Barah Ministries is God’s Ministry

 

In eternity past, the Lord Jesus Christ’s creation, Barah Ministries, was born.  The Lord decided the name of His ministry…where His ministry would be located…He selected a Pastor whom He would place at the head of His ministry…He funded His ministry…and He decided who would benefit from His ministry and brought them together.  All of these things were done before the world was created, as we learn in Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 6…

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us believers in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…for those of us in union with Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 1:4 

…just as God the Father chose us believers to be in union with Christ before the foundation of the world…that we would be holy and blameless before the Father.

 

EPHESIANS 1:5

In unconditional love, God the Father predestined us believers in Christ to adoption as adult sons through Jesus Christ to Himself…according to the kind intention of God the Father’s 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 divinely loved one…our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

On January 8, 2008, in Tucson, Arizona the Pastor of Barah Ministries was ordained and made manifest to the world.  But God began preparing His Pastor for work at a dining room table in the summer of 1999.  Barah Ministries has been made manifest by God to the world for nearly twenty- four years…almost a quarter of a century.

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lessons for You

This ministry was designed specifically for you.  The Lord had YOU in mind by name and invited you to be a part of His ministry.  He gave you this ministry as a gift.  How you treat the gift of this ministry matters to God.

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lesson for You

 

What makes this ministry special to you?

 

What do you want to give to this ministry?

 

What do you want to get from this ministry? 

 

Too often, I have wanted to speed up the pace of this ministry.  Slow learner that I am, I now know that I do not control the pace of this ministry.  I wanted to force things.  God gave us a piece of land on which we can build a church.  We have architectural drawings.  We can build as soon as we have the money.  God has yet to give us the money.  But He gave us the land in 2011.  

 

God is much better at planning than we are, and He is infinitely patient.  He is assembling the people He knows will follow His instructions…and there is a core of people here who are more than willing to build an edifice to the glory of God when God’s timing is right.

 

So God made it clear that rest is a critical part of our spiritual journey.  He also made it clear that Barah Ministries is His ministry, and He knows the plans He has for us.  We wait and watch to see His glory unfolding in us.

 

When we return from the break, we'll learn three other very important lessons of sabbatical.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON The Lessons of Sabbatical for You and for Me

 

Christians are to follow the Lord’s example in everything, especially in giving.  John, Chapter 3, Verse 16 says…

 

JOHN 3:16

“God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He GAVE His uniquely born Son…

 

What’s the best time for Christians to give?  There must never be a time when we don’t give.  Everything we have comes from God.  When we give, we are simply redirecting the resources God has given us to His purposes.  

 

Giving expresses your faith in God.  You don’t worry about the amount you give because in faith, you know God will return it to you abundantly.  Let your giving rival God’s giving and watch what flows to your life.  Give something…give anything…give now…and keep on giving.

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:7

Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart…not grudgingly or under compulsion…for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

OFFERING SONG

GRATITUDE

Brandon Lake

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lessons of Sabbatical for You and Me

 

The best lesson of sabbatical concerns our relationship with Christ.  

 

LESSON THREE

Christ

When the Lord Jesus Christ is the subject, the lessons are innumerable.

 

At the beginning of sabbatical, I remember feeling completely helpless and totally powerless.  I hate feeling that way.  I could hear God the Holy Spirit rubbing His hands together and saying, “Now I have you where I want you!” 

He surfaced calming verses in my soul, like Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 2… 

 

HEBREWS 12:2

(We Christians are to be) … fixing our eyes on Jesus…the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…who instead of the joy then present in Him as Deity…chose to endure the Cross…despising its shame…and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God the Father.

 

Eyes off of people…eyes on God.  When this transformation happens in our lives, we become aware of an ever-present reality for Christians…

Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

 

You heard it right…ALL things.  How often do your limiting thoughts sabotage what you are capable of?

 

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we are reminded of who we are in union with Christ…Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 10…

 

EPHESIANS 2:10

As believers in Christ, we are God the Father’s workmanship…created to be in union with Christ Jesus and designed for good works…which good works God the Father prepared beforehand (in eternity past) so that we would create a lifestyle with them.

 

Our Lord has big plans for each of us.  Will we let Him achieve what He wants to achieve in our lives?  Or do we have a better idea? 

 

At rest, we learn to stop looking in the rear-view mirror of life.  We stop trying to fix things we regret that we can do nothing about.  Philippians,

Chapter 3, Verses 12 to 14…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:12a

Not that I (Paul) have already obtained it (knowing the Lord intimately…knowing the power of His resurrection…experiencing the fellowship of His sufferings…being conformed to His death) …

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:12b

…not that I have already been made spiritually mature by God…but I press on to lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:13

Brethren (believers in Christ), I (Paul) do not regard myself as having laid hold of spiritual maturity yet…but one thing I do…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:14

…I keep on pursuing (through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit) the goal for the prize of the upward call of God the Father for those of us in union with Christ Jesus.

 

God the Holy Spirit was reminding me that the Lord Jesus Christ works in me and through me to accomplish His purpose here on earth.  Our lives seldom look like we think they should.  

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lesson for You

 

What does the Lord want FOR those of us in union with Him?

 

What does the Lord want FROM those of us in union with Him?

 

How much scheduled time do you set aside each week to nurture your relationship with God?

 

True wealth comes from our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Supernatural power comes from our study of the Word of God.  Thus lesson four.

 

LESSON FOUR

The Word of God

John, Chapter 15, Verse 7 says…

 

JOHN 15:7

“If you believers in Christ abide in Me (maybe you will and maybe you won’t…you have a choice) … and My words abide in you…ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”

 

How often do we count on human power rather than counting on God’s power?  Powerlessness is good for the Christian.

 

Sabbatical was a time to get deep into the Word of God.  Now when I study the Word of God, I see His Person…His Plan…His Provision…His Protection…His Pardon…His Presence…and His Promises popping off the page.

 

I did an in-depth study of fourteen of the twenty-seven New Testament books.  Now when I look at a letter in the New Testament, I know it from what God has taught.

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lesson for You

 

How much time do you schedule each day to study and to reflect on the Word of God?

 

How often do you let the cares of the world distract your study?

 

What is the benefit of filling your soul with the truth?

 

We are gifted by God with 112 waking hours every week.  If you study with

Barah Ministries every week, you invest two of those hours.  For the other 110 hours, you are under the influence of Satan and his world system of deception that talks to you through the flesh resident in your body.  Isn’t it time to gift more of your time to your relationship with God?

 

The funniest part of sabbatical as it relates to the Word of God was Satan’s constant attack on my already finished salvation.  He wanted me to doubt that I am saved.  With Satan, during rest there is no rest.  We believers in Christ are saved, and there is nothing Satan can do about it.

The best lesson of sabbatical was the development of a prayer life.

 

LESSON FIVE

Prayer

 

I prayed more this year than I have I my whole life.  I saw many prayers answered by our faithful God.  In Matthew, Chapter 21, Verse 22 the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 21:22

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

 

You’ll see it when you believe it!  What is prayer?

 

PRAYER 

 

It’s a conversation with God

 

The servants of God have the RIGHT to ask the Master for help.  Prayer involves drawing near to the throne of grace with confidence.  In prayer we express…

 

IN PRAYER WE EXPRESS…

 

Gratitude Toward God

 

Intercession for Others

 

Petition for Self

 

Protection from Enemies

 

My enemies have to be prospering because I prayed mightily for them in the last year.

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

The Lesson for You

 

How’s your prayer life?

 

How much time do you schedule to be alone with God?

 

I appreciate this ministry and I appreciate you.  Thanks for sticking around during the sabbatical.  Thanks for your financial support which was just enough to keep the ministry afloat.  I’m looking forward to seeing what God has in store for all of us in the coming year.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race

 

The closing moments of today’s lesson are dedicated to anyone, anywhere, who has not decided about having a relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We want you to know that…

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

When food manufacturers noticed your fast-paced, mobile lifestyle, they came up with INSTANT food…instant coffee…instant oatmeal…instant potatoes…instant "TV" dinners…and instant gravy was among their initial culinary creations.  Most of them were awful!

 

This message is for those of you who want an INSTANT relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…for those of you who may be wondering what’s going to happen the INSTANT you close your eyes in this life.  There is an INSTANT answer to your curiosity, and the Lord guarantees that in an INSTANT you can become a child of God.

 

You may not know your unfortunate circumstance at the moment of physical birth…unrighteousness.  You were born physically alive and spiritually dead as an ungodly, unrighteous unbeliever.  It’s not your fault, but it IS your circumstance.  First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a

For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human being who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire… Because Adam was appointed by God as the head of the human race, his first sin was credited to the account of all human creatures, resulting in spiritual death.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12…

 

ROMANS 5:12 

Therefore…just as through one man, Adam…sin entered into the world… and spiritual death entered the world through his sin…so spiritual death spread to all men…because all men were considered by God to have sinned when Adam sinned.

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…

 

ROMANS 3:23

…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10 says…

 

ROMANS 3:10

…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous (at physical birth) … not even one…”

 

Despite this unfortunate circumstance, there is good news from God that INSTANTLY frees you from sin, from spiritual death, and from the kingdom of darkness into which you were born.  You're invited to be born again…the spiritual birth…into a spiritual life in God’s kingdom of light…where sin is no longer sovereign over you.   The Lord Jesus Christ offers you a “so great” salvation, and it is His will that you accept the free gift He made possible for you at the Cross.  Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse

9 says…

 

SECOND PETER 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of...instead, He is patient toward unbelievers…NOT WISHING FOR ANYONE TO PERISH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE…but wishing for all to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

If you end up in the Lake of Fire the INSTANT after your physical death, it will not be because the Lord wants you there.  It will be your choice.

 

So, how can you get to heaven in an INSTANT when you close your eyes in this life?  By obeying God’s plan for your salvation!  RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can be saved in an INSTANT.  You can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the

INSTANT of eternal life for you.  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.”

 

To BELIEVE means to take God’s word for it regarding what it takes to be saved…and God says the ONE WAY…the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.  John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said to the doubting apostle Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel message in the Word of God) … and I am the resurrection life (eternal life) … and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”

 

Who is this God who saves you?  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4… 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (the apostle Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Scriptures…

 

The Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved that He is Deity, and it qualified Him to save you.

 

Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can’t do a thing to get to heaven on your own.  You can’t buy your way into heaven…you can’t “good deed” your way into heaven…you can’t “be a good person” and get to heaven.  You can only get to heaven by accepting the INSTANT gift of salvation from a God who loves you so unconditionally that He sent His

Son to die for you on a Cross to pay your way into heaven.  Romans,

Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…

 

ROMANS 5:8

God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind…in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly, unbelievers), Christ died a sacrificial death for us.

 

God has an enemy, Satan, who deceives the whole world, including you, with a strategy to exploit human beings…RELIGION.  The religions of the world deceive you into thinking that you can work your way to heaven…that you can work to please God.  No religious ritual has ever been good enough to do anything except waste your time.  Religious rituals absolutely won't get you to heaven.  They just make you look stupid.

 

It’s wise to let God save you because once God does something, He never changes His mind.  John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…

 

JOHN 10:28

“…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.”

 

You can’t lose your salvation.  If anyone says you can, they are lying to you.  There is no reason to be uncertain about what happens at the moment of your physical death. So, heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment (IN AN INSTANT) … 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.”

 

When you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible makes it clear there is a consequence.  Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…

 

MATTHEW 13:40

…just as tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

MATTHEW 13:41

The Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who practice lawlessness (unbelievers)…

 

MATTHEW 13:42

and the elect angels will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (The Lake of Fire) … and in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Believers in Christ have a different fate. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 43…

 

MATTHEW 13:43

Then the righteous (believers in Christ) will shine forth as the sun shines in the kingdom of their God and Father.

 

What’s your choice?  Are you for or against Christ?  

 

A relationship with the Lord does not require blind faith.  There is no such thing as blind faith.  For the wise, faith is always invested after an examination.  You have faith as a gift from God, and you can place your confidence in the object of your faith.  To place your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to let Him save you is a delicious move.  You can reject a relationship with Christ, or you can make an INSTANT choice for Christ, and the result…your salvation…stands finished forever.  Matthew, Chapter

13, Verse 44 encourages us…

 

MATTHEW 13:44

He who has ears…let him (really) hear (these things).

 

Some things that happen in an INSTANT are quite tasty!  

 

Take a moment right now to wrap your mind around the only INSTANT thing that lasts forever…a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

If you are a Christian, you are God’s property according to John, Chapter 1,

Verse 12…

 

JOHN 1:12 (Wuest)

But whosoever receives salvation from Him…to these He gave the legal right to become children of God (the born-again ones from God)…a gift to all those who place their trust in His name…

 

Here's June Murphy singing the truth about our status in union with Christ in her song YOU OWN ME.

 

MUSIC-CLOSING SONG

Singing the Lord’s Praises

 

YOU OWN ME

June Murphy

 

DOXOLOGY

Words of Praise to Our Lord

 

Let us praise our Lord…

 

PROVERBS 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ 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 do 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 those who wait for Him.

 

 

 

 

FIRST PETER 5:6-7

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…that He may promote you…in due time……slamming all your cares on His back… because He cares for you.

 

God considers your problems to be His responsibility.  

 

Let’s close in prayer.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…thank you for making the year of our Lord 2022 a time for sabbatical rest…thank you for all the lessons you taught us during this time…especially the lesson of how much You and Your Word propel our lives…as we go forth into Satan’s kingdom, help us to call the lessons You teach us easily to mind, and let Your perspective guide every one of our decisions…

 

…we ask this through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name…Amen!

 

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