Colossians 1: What Impact is Your Ministry Having On the World?

Class Outline:

---

Let's open our spiritual gifts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.  We worship the one and ONLY true God.  The Bible affirms His Deity in Titus, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 14…

 

TITUS 2:11

For the gospel concerning the grace of God has appeared to all men (it has been made obvious to everyone)…bringing salvation to all men…

 

TITUS 2:12

…instructing believers in Christ to deny ungodliness and worldly desires…(we abandoned our old life desires and refuse to imitate the lives of unbelievers)… instead, we live self-controlled, righteous, and godly lives in the present (evil) age…

 

TITUS 2:13

…looking with absolute confidence for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior…the Lord…the Christ…Jesus…

 

TITUS 2:14

…who gave Himself as a sacrifice for us at the Cross…to redeem us from every lawless deed (paying for all of our sins)…and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession…a people zealous to do good deeds.

Only God could do such things for us.

 

Why Does Barah Ministries Exist?

 

At Barah Ministries you believers in Christ learn the Word from God’s perspective and not from man’s perspective.  God provides this ministry to give you believers a mental sanctuary…a refuge where you can learn supernatural truth that provides divine solutions for your human problems.  The Lord’s arms are wide open to unbelievers as well.  John, Chapter 6, Verse 37…

 

JOHN 6:37b

…and the ones who come to Me…to believe in Me…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will certainly not cast them out (into the outer darkness…the Lake of Fire).

 

God wants believers to study His Word and He wants unbelievers to respond positively to the gospel message.

 

Why Do Christians Study the Word of God?

 

We get to know the Lord Jesus Christ by studying the Bible which is His EXACT thinking revealed…and we develop our relationship with the Lord as we get to know His mind.  The Lord provides His thoughts to edify us.  Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17 say…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching…for reproof…for correction…for training in righteousness…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:17

…so that the man of God may be mature…totally equipped for every good work.

 

The Lord wants His believers to grow up spiritually by studying His thoughts.

 

Who Is God’s Enemy?

 

God has an enemy, Satan, whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’  Satan is the sponsor of false teachers…a group of charlatans…who use false teaching to deceive the whole world.  Instead of souring on false teachers, most people sour on God.  These false teachers are counterfeiters of truth just like Satan.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 13 to 15 says…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:13

For such men (false teachers) are counterfeit apostles…deceitful workers (liars)…disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:14

No wonder!  For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:15

Therefore, it is not surprising if Satan’s servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness…whose end will be according to their deeds.

 

In the end, the deception perpetrated by false teachers will be their undoing as they spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Impact is Your Ministry Having On the World?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

You’ve probably heard the term “go viral” when a message gains popularity as people share the message with friends, and their friends share the message with their friends, and the friend’s friends share the message until millions have seen or heard the message.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ made a simple command in Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 19 and 20 to eleven cowards…

 

MATTHEW 28:19

“Go…and disciple all the nations…baptizing them in the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit…”

 

MATTHEW 28:20

“…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…and lo, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am with you always…even to the end of the age.”

 

The gospel was the first message to go viral…the good news concerning the salvation offered free of charge by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Eleven men no more special than you and I…in fact, cowards who abandoned their Lord and leader at the time He needed them most…spread the message to the entire inhabited world…on foot and by mouth…not by use of the internet.  In today’s lesson, we’ll learn why the most powerful message in divine history isn’t going viral today.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

If the gospel message is to go viral today, it is by the means suggested by the artists of Hillsong Worship in their twenty-third album…No Other Name…LET IT START WITH ME.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

LET IT START WITH ME

Hillsong Worship

 

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 the “so great” salvation You orchestrated for all mankind through the sacrificial death Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, chose to endure so that all mankind could be saved…thank you for the resistance that message faces because of our enemy, Satan, his false teachers and their false teaching…thank you for using cowardly men to disseminate the gospel message… You let us know that it’s not special people who spread messages…it’s determined people who make a decision and then follow their decision with hard work…

 

Father, give us the courage to spread Your message of salvation today just like your eleven apostles did when Your Son was here on the earth…help us to not be ashamed of the gospel message of Christ…show us how to make the gospel message easy to hear…use the omnipotent power of God the Holy Spirit to convict the world in such a way that they are struck deep within their hearts by the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Impact is Your Ministry Having On the World?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

Speaking for myself, I can say not enough impact now, and not as much impact as it will have in the future.

 

Every week when I spell check a Bible lesson, I get an error when this question is checked…Why Does Barah Ministries Exist?  “Ministries” is plural.  Barah was created by God to have ministries…plural…many ministries.  It was not created to be a single ministry.  Yet, right now, that's what it is…a ministry.  The questions demanding your reflection are…

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

 

What is your ministry?

 

What impact is your ministry having on the world?

 

Today, we'll conclude our study of Colossians, Chapter 1.  The subject is ministry.  Here's a quick review of chapter one…

 

In Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 1 and 2, the apostle Paul introduces himself to a set of first-century believers in Christ he will never meet…the believers at Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis…home-based churches Pastored by one of Paul’s students… Epaphras.

 

In Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 5, Paul gives thanks for these believers based on what he has heard from Epaphras…that they are committed to the Christian Way of Living…a life of faith in God…a life of hope…absolute certainty of an amazing future to be spent face-to-face with the Lord in heaven…and a life of unconditional love for others even when others have faults.

In Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 6 to 8, Paul congratulates these believers for responding to the true gospel message, that faith invested in the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the ticket to eternal life.  Rather than facing the wrath of God the Father on their own, they decided to count on the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ who bore the wrath of God the Father for us by shedding His blood on 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 believers in Christ might die to the sovereignty of sin and live to the standard of absolute righteousness...for by His wounds we are healed.

 

In Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 9 to 14, Paul prays for these believers.  In doing so, Paul teaches us to pray for things that may not be in the content of our current prayers to God the Father…such as praying for the power to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord.

 

In Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 15 to 23, Paul gives a biography of the Preeminent One…our Lord…our Savior…the Jewish Messiah…the Christ...Jesus. His is the name above every other name.  In the future, there is a quite certain fact…revealed in Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 9 to 11…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:9

…God the Father highly exalted Jesus…and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:10

…so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow…of those who are in heaven and of those who are on earth and of those who are under the earth…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:11

…and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (He is God…He is Deity)…to the glory of God the Father.

 

The sign behind me allows you to practice.

 

In the final passage of the chapter, Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 24 to 29, Paul talks about his ministry.  Let’s take a look and let’s listen to what he has to say…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:24

Now I (Paul) rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…and in my flesh (the physical body), I do my share on behalf of Jesus’ body…which is the Church…in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:25

Of this church, I (Paul) was made a minister according to the stewardship from God the Father bestowed on me for your benefit…so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:26

…that is, preaching about the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations…a mystery that has now been manifested…being made clearly visible to God the Father’s saints…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:27

….to whom God the Father willed to make known what are the glorious riches of this previously hidden mystery…making it clear among the Gentiles…which is Christ indwelling you…which is hope…complete confidence of your future glory.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:28

We proclaim Him…admonishing every man…and teaching every man…with all spiritual wisdom…so that we may present every man who is in union with Christ (en Kritso Iesu) as complete (at a future time) before God the Father.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:29

For this purpose, also, I (Paul) labor…striving according to God the Father’s power…which mightily works within me.

 

Now let’s study the passage verse-by-verse.  What does the Lord mean when He says, “Take up your Cross and follow me” in Mark, Chapter 8, Verses 34 to 38…

 

MARK 8:34

Jesus summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If, for the sake of argument, anyone wants to come after Me as a follower of mine, he must lose sight of himself and his own interests (ego)…and at once he must take up his cross and carry it…and keep on following Me.”

 

 

MARK 8:35

“For whoever wishes to save his soul-life will lose it, but whoever loses his soul-life for My sake and for the gospel message’s sake will save it.”

 

MARK 8:36

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and to simultaneously forfeit his soul?”

 

MARK 8:37

“For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

 

MARK 8:38

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this generation that is adulterous and sinful, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when the Lord comes in the glory of His Father with the elect (holy) angels.”

 

You have a choice to make with your spiritual life…you can live a life of service, requiring sacrifice and suffering…or…you can live a life of comfort, pseudo-security and perceived safety.  At the moment of salvation, God gave you a ministry for the benefit of the body of Christ.  Are you living it?  The apostle Paul certainly did, and he shares the problems we experience when we live our ministry.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:24

Now I (Paul) REJOICE IN MY SUFFERINGS for your sake…and in my flesh (the physical body), I do my share on behalf of Jesus’ body…which is the Church (The Body of Christ)…in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

 

After hearing this verse, the first thought in the mind of a believer in Christ has to be, “Nothing is lacking in Christ’s Person or His works!”  So what exactly does Paul mean when he claims that he is “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions?”

 

Filling up Christ's afflictions involves taking the gospel message to people, telling them about how the Lord allowed Himself to be afflicted on their behalf, and being afflicted yourself…getting rejected as you share the gospel message…many times by your own family members.

 

When you take God’s gospel message to people you will suffer.  People have been turned off by religion and they’ll hear your message as religious.  God uses your good work to show His afflictions through your afflictions.  He suffered as He spread this gospel message.  When people see you suffering as you spread the gospel message, they’re seeing the same afflictions the Lord experienced.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll continue our verse-by-verse study of the last passage of Colossians, Chapter 1.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Impact is Your Ministry Having On the World?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

When we give the gospel message to unbelievers and they gift us by listening attentively, it is one of the most gratifying experiences in life.  The gift of listening is the gift of intimacy.

 

When you give to Barah Ministries, you make it possible for us to give the gospel message to people all over the world through the internet.  People are listening!

 

Thank you for supporting this ministry with your generosity.  Your unselfish giving is a reflection of our God, and it gives people around the world a chance to respond positively to a life-giving gospel message…the salvation offer of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

HEBREWS 13:16

And do not neglect doing good and sharing…for with such sacrifices, God is pleased.

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Impact is Your Ministry Having On the World?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 24…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:24

Now I (Paul) REJOICE IN MY SUFFERINGS for your sake…and in my flesh (the physical body), I do my share on behalf of Jesus’ body…which is the Church (The Body of Christ)…in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

 

What is lacking in Christ’s afflictions?  You and your ministry!  In Satan's kingdom, the Lord’s gospel message is perverted by false teachers with their false teaching.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 3 and 4…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:3

And even if our gospel message is veiled…and it is…it is veiled to those who are perishing (unbelievers)…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4

…in whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God (instead they stay in the darkness).

 

The Lord wants His believers in Christ to take the Lord’s afflictions to people and to fill up the fullness by making the truth obvious to those we care about.  But there is a cost…suffering.  False teachers and their false teaching are ALWAYS in our way…just like in Colossae.

 

What is lacking?  Our presentation of the gospel message.  What is filling up?  It’s us…living our ministry on behalf of Christ.  What do we do?  We proclaim how the Lord allowed Himself to be afflicted on behalf of the whole world.  We take the gospel message to the ends of the earth…one person at a time.  For this, we will suffer.

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 25…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:25

Of this church, I (Paul) was made a minister according to the stewardship from God the Father bestowed on me for your benefit…so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God…

 

Paul isn’t just talking about himself…he is describing every believer in Christ.  We are ministers…sent from God.  We’re given a ministry, and we are stewards from God into whose care the gospel message is placed.  God wants us to take the Word of God to the nations…calling them to faith in Christ.  When we preach the gospel message, we offer people hope.  In the world…as unbelievers…they have no hope according to First Thessalonians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:13

But we do not want you to be uninformed…brethren…about those who are asleep (physically dead) so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 26…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:26

…preaching about the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations…a mystery that has now been manifested (made clearly visible) to God the Father’s saints…

 

If you are a believer in Christ you are a saint…you are a set apart, privileged one…and one of God’s privileges to you is your ministry.  Now that the mystery is clear to you as a saint…you are to spread the news to the whole world.

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 27…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:27

…saints to whom God the Father willed to make known what are the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles…which is Christ indwelling you…the hope (absolute confidence) of your future glory.

 

The Bible calls the present age in divine history The Church Age.  It is known in

theological circles as the dispensation of the mystery…the dispensation of the

Gentiles…dispensations are divine time periods.

 

In biblical terminology, a mystery is something not known until it is revealed by God at the proper time.  The mystery God the Father is pleased to introduce to Church Age saints is a promise of an unspeakably amazing future.  The mystery of the Church Age is CHRIST INDWELLING YOU.  In fact, the whole Trinity is indwelling you Church Age believers.  Your body is a temple housing the entire Godhead.  What is it that your ministry can’t accomplish with that group inside of you?

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 28…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:28

We proclaim Him…admonishing every man…and teaching every man…with all spiritual wisdom…so that we may present every man who is in union with Christ (en Kritso Iesu) as complete before God the Father.

 

What are believers to do with their ministry?  We do what Paul did.  We proclaim Christ…we admonish everyone…we teach everyone…and we grow in spiritual wisdom by doing so.  What does it mean to admonish?

 

ADMONISH

To advise…or to counsel against something

 

In our ministry, we are ambassadors for Christ…representing our Sovereign God in a foreign kingdom, Satan’s kingdom here on planet earth.  As ambassadors we admonish unbelievers…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 20…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:20

Therefore, we believers in Christ are ambassadors for Christ…as though God the Father were making an appeal through us (because He is)…we beg you, unbelievers, on behalf of Christ…be reconciled to God.

 

Our ministry message is simple…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.”

 

Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 29…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:29

For this purpose, also, I (Paul) labor…striving according to God the Father’s power…which mightily works within me.

 

What is Paul’s purpose that has him working so hard and suffering so much?  It’s labor for the Lord…it’s striving to use God’s power to accomplish the Lord’s work, spreading the gospel message to a lost and dying world.

 

Let’s conclude with Kenneth Wuest’s translation of the passage…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 24 to 29…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:24 (Wuest Translation)

I (Paul) now am rejoicing in my sufferings on your behalf…and for my part, I am filling up the things lacking regarding the afflictions of the Christ…in my flesh…for the sake of the Lord’s Body which is the Church…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:25 (Wuest Translation)

…of which church I became a servant according to the stewardship of God the Father which was given to me for you…that I may fulfill the Word of God…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:26 (Wuest Translation)

…preaching the mystery which has been kept hidden from the ages and from the generations of the past…but now is made clearly known to His saints…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:27 (Wuest Translation)

…to which saints God the Father desired to make known in an experiential way what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles…which is Christ indwelling you…the hope of the glory…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:28 (Wuest Translation)

…whom we are constantly announcing…admonishing every man…and instructing every man…in every spiritual wisdom…. so that we may present every man in union with Christ Jesus as spiritually mature before God the Father…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:29 (Wuest Translation)

…and to that end also I am constantly laboring to the point of exhaustion…

engaging in a contest…in which I am controlled by God the Father’s energy

which operates in me in divine power.

 

Most people sit around all weekend doing nothing, bored out of their minds.   Some are quite productive on the weekends.  Billionaire Bill Gates says…

 

BILL GATES QUOTE

Just in terms of the allocation of time resources, religion is not very efficient. There’s a lot more I could be doing on a Sunday morning.

 

Like Bill Gates, people prefer the “comfort” of doing nothing on the weekends over the discomfort of listening to and concentrating on the Word of God to see what life is from God's perspective…or the discomfort of setting aside a few hours to spread the gospel message to others we know.

 

Can you imagine what it will be like to be Barah Ministries…plural?  I can.

 

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 or confused 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

 

How would it be to know there is someone who loves you so much that their love for you is almost unspeakable, yet you don’t know who they are and you aren’t interested in meeting them?  That may be your situation because the Creator of the universe created you, and He loves you unconditionally, and you may not have a relationship with Him.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…

 

JOHN 1:3

All things came into being through the Lord, God the Son…and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being (including you).

 

You can have a relationship with your Creator, and He is looking for you!  Luke, Chapter 15, Verses 4 to 7…

 

LUKE 15:4

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine sheep in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost (a reference to an unbeliever) until he finds it?”

 

LUKE 15:5

“When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.”

 

LUKE 15:6

“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

 

LUKE 15:7

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons (believers in Christ) who need no repentance.”

 

The bad news is that God is looking for you…and you DEFINITELY are not looking for Him!  Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 11 and 12 say…

 

ROMANS 3:11

No creature understands God or any divine thing…no creature seeks a relationship with God…

 

ROMANS 3:12

…all creatures have turned aside from God…together they have become useless… no creature does good…there is not even one.

 

All of us were born in a state of unrighteousness…physically alive and spiritually dead…as ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers.

 

It’s not your fault you were born this way, but it is your circumstance.

 

In First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22, the Bible says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a

For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…

 

But in the face of this bad news, there’s good news!  The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ, provides a way for you to be saved!  The good news is preached in what God calls the gospel message.

 

God has a personal salvation plan for every unbeliever.  Let’s see what happened when the gospel message was preached in a prison in first-century Rome…Acts, Chapter 16, Verses 25 to 34…

 

ACTS 16:25

…about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God from their jail cells, and the other prisoners were listening to them…

 

ACTS 16:26

…and suddenly there came a great earthquake…so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken…and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.

 

ACTS 16:27

When the jailer…a prison guard…awoke and saw the prison doors opened…he drew his sword and was about to kill himself…supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

 

Allowing prisoners to escape carried a penalty of instant execution for prison guards!  He was going to do it himself…

 

ACTS 16:28

But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying to the guard, “Do not harm yourself…for we are all here!”

 

ACTS 16:29

And the jailer called for the lights to be turned on and he rushed in…and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas…

 

ACTS 16:30

…and after the prison guard brought Paul and Silas out, he said, “Sirs… what must I do to be saved?”

 

Obviously, the guard had been listening to the spiritual songs Paul and Silas were singing.

ACTS 16:31

And Paul and Silas said, “BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

BELIEVE!  Simply take God’s Word for what it takes to be saved!  There are no works of any kind necessary to be saved…it is simply you using the gift of faith given to you by God, placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation…that’s the ticket to eternal life.

 

How did our jailer friend get saved?  In a crisis, he recognized He needed a Savior.  He asked someone who knew what it took to be saved.  Believers in Christ presented the accurate gospel message.  The jailer did what was suggested.  He was saved.

 

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

 

Don’t wait for a crisis to be saved!  Do it now!  The news goes from bad to worse if you choose not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 20 say this…

 

ROMANS 1:18

For the wrath of God the Father is revealed from heaven against all

ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of unbelievers who

suppress the truth by their unrighteousness…

 

ROMANS 1:19

…because that which is known about God the Father is evident inside of them…for God the Father made it evident to them from inside of them.

 

ROMANS 1:20

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible attributes…God’s eternal power…and God’s divine nature…His Deity… have been clearly seen by all mankind…being understood even through what has been made in nature…God’s creative work…so that all mankind is without excuse before God.

 

God makes Himself clearly visible in ways that make sense to human beings… both from the inside of them and the outside of them.  So, accept the invitation and heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life (eternal life) right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

Remember what Paul and Silas said to the jail guard, in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 and following…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

ACTS 16:32

And Paul and Silas spoke the Word of the Lord (the gospel message…the good news of Jesus Christ’s salvation offer) to the jailer…together with all the people who were in his house.

 

ACTS 16:33

And the jailer took Paul and Silas that very hour of the night and washed their wounds…and immediately the jailer was baptized (by God the Holy Spirit)…he and all his household who also believed…(and all of them did).

 

ACTS 16:34

And the jailer brought Paul and Silas into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in the Lord Jesus Christ with his whole household.

 

Wouldn’t you like to spend all eternity in heaven?  Don’t miss your opportunity… take advantage of the good news of the gospel message right NOW!

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

It’s amazing how persuasive and pervasive the false gospel messages of the religions of the world become…false messages go viral, too.  One lady said, “The reason I am poor is that I disappointed the gods in a previous life.  I must work harder.”  A man said, “Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, Buddhism…it’s all the same.”  A monk said, “I hope the good I do in this life outweighs the bad.”

 

Religion, the false gospel that good works “might” get you to heaven, is designed to turn people off to God…to make people indifferent or antagonistic to God… because people know deep down inside that they aren’t “basically good people.”  So they become slaves to religion, trying their hardest to please God, and when it’s apparent they can’t, they give up on God instead of giving up on religion.

 

Here’s June Murphy to remind you that the Lord Jesus Christ is CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM.

 

CLOSING SONG

CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM

June Murphy

 

DOXOLOGY

Words of Praise to Our Lord

 

Let us offer words of praise to our Lord…

 

PSALM 95:6

Come!  Let us worship and bow down…let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

 

PSALM 95:7

For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture…and we are the sheep of His hand.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:58

Therefore…divinely loved ones…be steadfast…be immovable…and keep on abounding in the work of the Lord always…knowing that your labor is not in vain in union with the Lord.

 

 

ROMANS 15:13

Now may the God and Father of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing… so that you will abound in hope by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for reminding us that as believers in Christ we have a spiritual gift…a gift you designed so that we would give it away…thank you for reminding us that all believers have an obligation, because of your command, to spread the gosple message to every person we can…thank you for providing the resources to make communicating the gospel message easy…

 

…encourage us to stop the busy-ness of our lives regularly to help those around us to secure their eternal future…

 

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

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com