Colossians 1: Do You Know How to Pray?

Class Outline:

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Delivered by God and delivered through prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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.  Thanks for listening to this Bible lesson! 

 

Who Is Jesus Christ?   

 

At Barah Ministries we know this truth…JESUS CHRIST IS GOD.  He is the one and ONLY God.  The apostle John does a magnificent job of describing the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout his Gospel…like in John, Chapter 6, Verse 35…

 

JOHN 6:35

Jesus said to the people who had seen him feed five thousand men plus their families with five loaves of bread and two fishes, “I AM the bread of life…he who comes to Me will not hunger…and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

 

John, Chapter 6, Verse 38…

 

JOHN 6:38

For I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have come down from heaven (like living manna) … not to do My own will…but to do the will of God the Father who sent Me.

 

The Sovereign God of the universe, the Lord took on the form of a human being as Jesus…the Christ…the prophesied Jewish Messiah…and He made it possible for the people who were living at the time to see perfect God in perfect flesh.

 

 

 

Why Does Barah Ministries Exist?

 

At Barah Ministries you’ll learn the Word from God’s perspective and not from

human perspective.  God provides this ministry to give you a mental sanctuary…a refuge where you can learn supernatural truth that provides divine solutions for your human problems.  When your strength is not enough, and it NEVER IS, the Lord’s strength is perfect…in Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 28 the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 11:28

“Come to Me…all you who are weary and heavy-laden (by the burdens of the world)…and I will give you rest for your souls.”

 

Welcome to a place where you can BE…where you don’t have to DO as if your works could earn you salvation or serenity!

 

Why Do Christians Study the Word of God?

 

The apostle Peter tells us in Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verses 17 and 18…

 

SECOND PETER 3:17

Beloved (divinely loved believers in Christ) … be on your guard so that all of you (Christians) are not led astray by the error of unprincipled men (false teachers) … so you don’t fall from your steadfastness (the secure position we have as victors through Christ) …

 

We study the Bible so we are not tricked by false teachers and their false teaching!

 

SECOND PETER 3:18

…instead, keep on growing in the sphere of grace and in the knowledge of the One who is our Lord and Savior…Jesus…the Christ.  To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 

Who Is God’s Enemy?

 

Satan is God’s enemy…the one whom God made the ruler of this world in which we live.  He is called the devil…the accuser of the brethren…the serpent of old… the prince of the power of the air…and the one who is working in the sons of disobedience.  Believers in Christ are comforted, because as First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19 makes clear…

FIRST JOHN 5:19

We believers in Christ KNOW that we are possessions of God the Father…even

though we know that the whole world lies in the (deceptive) power of Satan…the evil one.

 

Your spiritual life is warfare, and your soul is the battleground.  Yet believers in

Christ are not fighting FOR the victory in this warfare.  Thanks to the Lord we are operating FROM victorious ground! 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Do You Know How to Pray?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

The apostle Paul did!  In today’s lesson, Paul gives believers in first century Colossae a primer on the things that ought to be part of the Christian’s prayers.  There is a lot for us to learn about praying today.  In addition, as we do every month, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

There are many ways to worship the Lord.  Music is one of the very best ways.  Psalm 96, Verses 1 and 2 say…

 

PSALM 96:1

Sing to the Lord a new song…sing to the Lord…all the earth.

 

PSALM 96:2

Sing to the Lord…praise His name…proclaim good tidings of His salvation (in song) every day.

 

Songs stimulate our emotions…and in our emotions we experience appreciation for the Lord, sometimes to the point of tears.  That’s why it’s a good idea not to consider the music ministry as a time to tune out.  Instead, it’s a time to FEEL the Lord.  Here’s a song from Houston native Tauren Wells, a singer-songwriter sharing one of his hits…WHEN WE PRAY.

 

 

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

WHEN WE PRAY

Tauren Wells 

 

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 a new and different and totally sufficient lifestyle… thank you for helping us to be willing to be unique in this copycat, politically correct world…thank you for showing us how to pray so that we can tap into Your divine power…

 

..as we learn today…give us spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding…open our eyes and our ears so we hear the truth of Your Word from God the Holy Spirit…help us to know in the depth of our souls the sacrifice Your Son made on our behalf to save us…help us to recognize false teachers and false teaching designed to harm us…and give us the courage to spread the good news of the gospel message to everyone we meet…one person at a time…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Do You Know How to Pray?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

Do you remember the prayers of your youth?  I do!

 

A CHILD’S PRAYER

    

     Now I lay me down to sleep

     I pray the Lord my soul to keep

     And if I die before I wake

     I pray the Lord my soul to take.

 

A CHILD’S PRAYER

 

     God bless Mommy

     And Daddy (wherever he is)

     And the puppy

     And everybody.  Amen

 

After a prayer like that, it’s easy to see what’s being communicated by God in Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 26…

 

ROMANS 8:26

…the Spirit helps our weakness in prayer…for we do not know how to pray as we should…so God the Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words...

 

We’re studying the apostle Paul’s letter to Colossians…a group of believers he would never meet…in a small town in the middle of nowhere…about a hundred miles inland from a city called Ephesus where Paul spent three years of his life establishing a church.  From a prison cell in Rome, at the prompting of his friend Epaphras…the Pastor of home-based churches in Colossae, in Laodicea and in Hierapolis…Paul is writing to deal with the problem of false teachers and their false teaching infiltrating the newly founded churches.

 

In verses one and two of chapter one, Paul establishes his authority as a man with a calling sent to the Colossians from God.  In verses three to five, Paul thanks the Colossian believers because Epaphras has assured him the believers in Colossae are reflecting the Christian Way of Living…with faith in God, hope in self, and unconditional love for other believers.  In verses six to eight, Paul expresses his confidence that these believers have heard an accurate version of the gospel message…the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ’s salvation offer.

 

In the next passage, Paul prays for the Colossian believers, and there is a lot to learn by noticing what Paul’s prays for…because Paul really knew how to pray.  Do you know how to pray?  Let’s examine the passage verse by verse… Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 9 to 14…

 

 

COLOSSIANS 1:9a

For this reason, also, since the day we heard the report of your unconditional love

in the Spirit, we (Paul and Timothy) have not stopped PRAYING (in intercession) for all of you Colossian believers…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:9b

…and we have not stopped ASKING (God) that all of you may be FILLED BY GOD WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FATHER’S WILL…with all the spiritual wisdom and spiritual understanding (that God the Holy Spirit gives) …

 

COLOSSIANS 1:10

…so that (as a result of God the Holy Spirit’s work in you) all of you will (have a lifestyle of purpose) … to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord…so as to please the Lord in all respects…so as to bear fruit in every good work…and to increase in the knowledge of God the Father…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:11a

…strengthened with ALL (divine, unlimited, enabling) POWER (from God the Holy Spirit)…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:11b

…from the source of His glorious might (divine omnipotence) … so you might have the greatest possible endurance and the greatest possible patience…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:12

…giving thanks with joy to God the Father…who has qualified us believers in Christ to have a share… (our own personal portion)… of the inheritance of the saints (the holy ones who are) in (union with the) Light (our amazing Lord).

 

COLOSSIANS 1:13

For God the Father rescued us believers in Christ from the domain of

darkness…and He transferred us to the kingdom of the Son God the Father loves (the Lord…Jesus)…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:14

…the Christ…in whom we have redemption…the forgiveness of sins.

 

Paul is praying…asking God to give both the Colossian believers and all believers in Christ…a different kind of life.  What does this kind of life look like?  Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 1 and 2 describe the Christian Way of Living this way…

 

EPHESIANS 1:1b

…to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…

 

EPHESIANS 1:2

…with all humility and gentleness…with patience…showing tolerance for one another in unconditional love…

 

Part of walking in a manner worthy of the Lord occurs when we are both effective and diligent in our prayer life.  What were the things Paul was praying for?  How do his prayers compare to your own?  How often do you pray for these things?

 

PAUL’S PRAYED THE COLOSSIANS ARE…

 

     Filled with knowledge by God

    

     Filled with Spiritual Wisdom

    

     Filled with Spiritual Understanding

 

Knowledgeable About the Will of God

 

PAUL’S PRAYED THE COLOSSIANS ARE…

 

     Living a Lifestyle of Purpose

 

     Living a Specific Manner of Life…Worthy

    

     Pleasing to the Lord in Every Way

 

PAUL’S PRAYED THE COLOSSIANS ARE…

 

     Bearing the Fruit of God the Holy Spirit

 

     Increasing in Knowledge of the Lord

 

     Strengthened by God’s Power (Not Our Human Power)

 

PAUL’S PRAYED THE COLOSSIANS ARE…

 

     Directed by God the Holy Spirit

 

     Enduring When Facing Trials

 

     Patient with All Circumstances

 

PAUL’S PRAYED THE COLOSSIANS ARE…

 

     Thankful to God

 

     Filled with Joy

 

     Living Like the Holy Ones We Are (Saints)

 

PAUL’S PRAYED THE COLOSSIANS ARE…

    

     Aware of Their Inheritance in union with Christ

 

     Providing Light in Satan’s Kingdom of Darkness

 

     Aware of God’s Forgiveness…the Full Pardon for Our Sins

 

How often are any of these things a part of your prayers?

 

This is a prayer life worthy of the Lord.  The greatest benefit of this lifestyle is that  GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES THE WORK.  It is the Spirit who is fully capable of changing us.

 

We abandon our works…we abandon guilt for our sordid past and we stop obsessing about our sins, reflecting incessantly on our mistakes…we get our eyes off people and we stop expecting things from people they could never deliver, even if they wanted to…and we learn to love ourselves unconditionally so we can have room in our hearts to love others unconditionally.  We notice when the enemy is inserting himself into our lives to steal and kill and destroy what is precious to us and we reject his overtures!

 

The Christian Way of Living is a journey, conducted on a road.  That’s why it is called a “walk.”  On the road of life, sometimes we walk…sometimes we are carried by God…and sometime we run.  Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 2 exhorts…

 

HEBREWS 12:2b

…let us believers in Christ run with endurance the race that is set before us…

 

What is Paul’s prayer for the Colossian believers?  What does Paul wish for believers in Christ today?  He wants us to remember Philippians, Chapter 1, Verse 6…

 

PHILIPPIANS 1:6

For I (Paul) am confident of this very thing…that God the Father…who began a good work in you…will keep on perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

The lifestyle God provides is attacked and perverted in Satan’s kingdom.  False teachers introduce seductive and destructive heresies to get us off track.  Unfortunately, often we adopt Satan’s worldly lifestyle, constructing a do-it-yourself life that sabotages our happiness. 

 

God’s will is the same for all his believers.  He wants to develop in us right thinking…resulting in a right lifestyle…reflective of the spiritual royalty that we are, as it says in First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 9…

 

FIRST PETER 2:9

…you believers in Christ are a chosen race…a race of king-priests…a set apart for privilege nation…a people formed for God’s own possession…so that you may proclaim the excellencies of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

 

So the next time you pray…pray for new things!  Realize that you have access to the exact same power through prayer that resurrected the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.  Get it…that your Christian lifestyle is like riding a bicycle downhill.  You don’t have to pedal furiously.  You let God do the work…you go along for the ride…simply saying yes to every good thing He teaches you in His word…and avoiding everything that is harmful to you.  Thus is the obedient life…a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called.

 

When we return, we’ll take the offering and then we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Take a five-minute break…

 

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Do You Know How to Pray?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

Often, as part of my prayers, I ask God the Holy Spirit to open your heart with a spirit of generosity.  Proverbs, Chapter 19, Verse 17 says…

 

PROVERBS 19:17

The one who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord…and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

 

May God the Holy Spirit give you a burning to desire to serve those who are spiritually bankrupt.  Your generosity is the means by which Barah Ministries can provide an accurate gospel message to be enjoyed all around the world.  Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 6:17

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches…but ti fix their hope on God…who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

 

 

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Keep On Doing This in Remembrance of Me

 

Let’s enjoy the Lord’s Supper Celebration.

 

There are people in your life who are no longer here on earth…they have “passed on” … they have died.  If they’re significant in your life, sweet memories remind you why they were meaningful when they were here.  Mom comes to mind…I have regular memories of her…and I still get choked up thiking about her.  We remember.

 

In the Lord’s Supper Celebration, we remember.  Why are believers in Christ obedient to the request from our Lord to celebrate this way?

 

The Lord’s Supper was established by the Lord on the night of His final meal

with His apostles…known as The Last Supper.  The meal was depicted in a mural by artist Leonardo da Vinci and it was described in the Gospel of John. 

 

DAVINCI PAINTING SLIDE

 

The meal was held during Passover…the Jewish celebration of their escape from four hundred years of captivity in Egypt.

 

Meals are a time when families to come together.  The Lord’s wants His family of Church Age believers to come together while remembering Him.  What do you remember about the Lord during this special time?

 

The Lord commanded His apostles, “DO THIS (Lord’s Supper) IN MEMORY OF ME.”  The Lord suggested frequency…“KEEP ON DOING THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.”  So we keep on celebrating 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 on our behalf as our sin substitute.  This spiritual meal is a deep, intimate and personal expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

During this celebration, the Lord reminds us what His body and His blood did for us to provide an eternal future of spiritual nourishment.  In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul reminds us, on behalf of the Lord…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26a

…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…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26b

…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death…until He comes again at the second coming.

 

Today we remember that the Lord REDEEMED us.  Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 13 and 14 say…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:13

For God the Father rescued us believers in Christ from the domain of

darkness…and He transferred us to the kingdom of the Son the Father loves (the Lord…Jesus) …

 

COLOSSIANS 1:14

…the Christ…in whom we have REDEMPTION…the forgiveness of sins.

 

There are a lot of Biblical terms you hear on a regular basis…but do you really stop to ask yourself what they mean? Do you wonder how they apply to your life today?  The word REDEEM is such a term.  You probably think of redeeming a coupon at a grocery store to get a discount.  What does redeem mean in the spiritual life?  Simply put, redemption is one of the many things the Lord did for you at the Cross.

 

You came to earth as a spiritual slave in a state of slavery to sin.  You were born “in Adam” … spiritually dead.  If you are spiritually dead at the moment of your physical death, you spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ made it possible for you to be redeemed.  What does REDEEM mean?

 

REDEEM
To release from slavery…to be freed by a ransom payment

 

When you are a slave, someone or something owns you.  For example, the Lord says anyone who commits sins is a slave to sin in John, Chapter 8, Verse 34…

 

JOHN 8:34

“Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you…everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.”

 

When a slave is freed, someone pays for the release from slavery.  Who is released from slavery to sin?  US believers in Christ!  Who released us from slavery to sin?  The Person of the Lord Jesus Christ!  What was the ransom payment?  The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, shed for us at the Cross. 

 

What did the Lord redeem us from?  Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 7 to 10…

 

EPHESIANS 1:7

Through Christ…WE BELIEVERS…WHO ARE IN UNION WITH CHRIST… HAVE redemption (we are REDEEMED by the Lord) … through Jesus’s blood… the forgiveness of OUR sins…according to the riches of God the Father’s grace…

 

EPHESIANS 1:8

…which grace the Father lavished on US believers in Christ. In all wisdom and insight…

 

EPHESIANS 1:9

…God the Father made known to US believers in Christ the mystery of the Father’s will, according to His good pleasure which the Father set forth in Jesus…

 

EPHESIANS 1:10

…regarding God the Father’s plan for the fullness of the times…to bring all things together in Christ (under His leadership) … things in the heavens and things on the earth.

 

He redeemed us from our past, the factual guilt that we were born “in Adam.”   We are now “in Christ,” freed from spiritual death and from the futility of the old man way of life.  He redeemed us from our present state…the feelings of guilt because we still commit sins.  He redeemed us for our assured future when the Lord will free us from EVERYTHING else defective in us…the flesh…disease…misery… sorrow…and tears.

 

What redeemed us?  The Lord’s work at the Cross.  This is what we remember at

the Lord’s Supper.  We celebrate as a family, the body of Christ…we celebrate the Person of the Lord…we celebrate the work of the Lord…and we are grateful for all He continues to do for us, including our redemption.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Enjoying the Elements

 

Bread and wine.  The Lord gave us these things to remember Him.  We will enjoy the elements together in a few moments as we listen to The Lord’s Supper Song.

 

Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28 tells us the reason the Lord wants us to celebrate this meal together…

 

MATTHEW 26:26

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

 

MATTHEW 26:28

“…for this is My blood…the blood of a new covenant…My blood…poured out for whosoever…for the forgiveness of their sins.”

 

…we celebrate to remember.  Jesus Christ died for us as our sin substitute…Jesus Christ is risen from the dead to prove His Deity…Jesus Christ will come again to gather us unto Himself.  We celebrate, and we are grateful. 

 

We remember that the Lord loves us unconditionally…He forgives us completely for every sin…He ALWAYS treats us with grace…ALWAYS giving us blessings we could never deserve.  Thank you, Lord for making it possible, through the Cross, for every single one of Your creatures to be saved and to be blessed.  Thank you for all of your gifts.

 

Enjoy the elements as you listen to Telly Leung remind us where our spiritual gifts come from.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG

 

ALL GOOD GIFTS

Telly Leung

 

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 is undecided 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

 

God gave you an amazing gift from the moment of birth…VOLITION…the ability to choose.  You have the power of free will…the power of choice…you can make your own decisions.    

 

What do you choose to believe about God?

 

There are many beliefs about God.  A belief is an opinion or a conviction or a confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable.  Yet everything with God is provable!  There is no need for blind faith with God!  He reveals Himself in ways that make sense to human beings, which means He reveals Himself in ways that makes sense to YOU!  If He didn’t, what kind of God would He be?  What would make Him worthy of our worship?  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 says…

 

ROMANS 1:20a

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’s invisible attributes…His eternal power…and His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…

 

ROMANS 1:20b

…being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe…so that all mankind, especially unbelievers, are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.

 

Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs.  He knows there is a BIG difference between beliefs and truth.  Only when our beliefs and the truth are the same are our beliefs significant.  Satan hates truth.  Why?  He can’t handle the truth!  Do you choose to believe Satan or do you choose to believe God?

 

What many people believe is that they can impress God so much He will let them into heaven because of good deeds and religious practices.  They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they “give back” to the community.  Yet none of these good deeds, while admirable, are good enough to get them into heaven.

 

The Bible, God’s manual for your life, tells a completely different story about your works.  Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5 says…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved us believers in Christ…not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness…but according to His mercy (not giving us the wrath of God that sin deserves)…by the washing of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…

 

The Bible directs all mankind to let God do the saving!

 

You would never want to put the burden of your salvation on your own back.  Your good deeds won’t get you into heaven, but God’s plan can!  The ONE way… the ONLY way to get to heaven is through placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation…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 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.”

 

The apostle Paul describes the amazing Jewish Messiah…Jesus…the Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

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

 

When you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God…when you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven…these are much more than beliefs… it’s 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 by God (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone) resulting in salvation.

 

It’s wise to let God save you, because once God does something, it can’t be undone.  God 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.”

 

Rejecting a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has consequences…Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…

 

 

 

MATTHEW 13:40

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

 

MATTHEW 13:41

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

 

Make the most important choice of your life!  Do what is suggested in 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.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord…who took on human form as Jesus Christ) into the world to judge the world…but God the Father sent God 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!  Why bother working for your salvation with good deeds when it’s a free gift?  Let the Lord Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross “give back” to you!

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

We pray as individuals…we pray as a congregation…as the Royal Family of God.

We pray for ourselves…we pray for others…we pray for our enemies.  When we feel our prayers are inadequate, we remember that prayers are divine and we have a Helper…the Spirit…as we pray.  Here’s June Murphy reminding us how to pray in her song…WE PRAY TO THE FATHER.

 

CLOSING SONG

WE PRAY TO THE FATHER

June Murphy

 

DOXOLOGY

Words of Praise to Our Lord

 

Let us offer words of praise to our Lord…words designed to be encouragement for you…

 

ROMANS 15:5

Now may the God who gives endurance and encouragement grant that all of you be of the same mind with one another (to think the exact same way…operating in harmony) according to your union with Christ Jesus…

 

ROMANS 15:6

…so that with one accord you believers in Christ may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

ROMANS 15:7

Therefore, keep on accepting one another…and keep on receiving one another… just as Christ also keeps on accepting us all in unconditional love…to the glory of God the Father.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for helping us to understand a life of freedom…a lifestyle free from guilt…the life of grace and peace you keep on calling us to…

 

…as we go forward into the unknown challenges of the coming week…help us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling…help us to reflect Your gifts of faith, hope and love in such a way that people are curious enough to ask what makes us so relaxed and confident and happy…help us gravitate to a lifestyle of purpose…give us the courage to speak of You and Your Spirit and Your Son as the only hope in this lost and dying world of darkness…show us how to be pleasing to You…know us and give us the desires of our hearts…make us wise…protect our health…fill us with joy and sufficiency…cause everyone and everything dear to us to flourish…

 

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

 

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