Colossians 3: How You Treat People Matters

Class Outline:

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Have a heart and honor your relationships.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

Why did God create Barah Ministries?  It’s a spiritual home for Christians who want a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the ONE AND ONLY GOD, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.Jesus is a person…He’s not a thing…He’s not a concept…and we worship Him because He is the Sovereign God of the Universe.  There is no one like Him.In Deuteronomy, Chapter 4, Verse 35 the Jews were reminded of this irrevocable fact…

 

DEUTERONOMY 4:35

To you (the Jewish race) your deliverance was shown to you through experience so that you might know that the Lord is your God…and there is no other God besides Him.

 

Our Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, didn’t deliver the Jews only…He delivers ALL MANKIND with His work at the Cross!

 

Why do we study the Word?  The Lord wants you to learn the Word of God verse-by-verse so that you operate from His perspective and not from the world’s perspective…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verses 17 and 18…

 

SECOND PETER 3:17

Beloved (divinely loved believers in Christ)…be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men (false teachers) so as to fall from your steadfastness (your victory as a believer in Christ)…

 

 

SECOND PETER 3:18

…instead…grow in the sphere of grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

We study to get to know the Lord,and as we do we place our confidence in Him.

 

God has an enemy…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’  One of the traps Satan sucks believers into are sins of the flesh like sexual immorality.  We call to mind the prodigal son who was accused by his older brother of “loose living.”Much worse are Satan’s traps that suck us into the sin of legalism where people put themselves above others as the older brother did in the prodigal son parable.  He was much worse than the younger brother.  First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19 says…

 

FIRST JOHN 5:19

We believers in Christ know that we are possessions of God the Father…yet we also know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (Satan).

 

We can choose not to be sucked into Satan’s deceptions.  As we fill our souls with the Word of God…the Lord’s exact thinking…we are sober and on the alert for the schemes of the devil.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How You Treat People Matters

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

One of Satan's favorite targets is the family.  If he can take down a husband, a wife, and the family simultaneously, it’s a three-for-one destruction.  Satan is always looking to disrupt family unity and his success rateis pretty good.  We willingly allow him to destroy us.

 

In today’s lesson, the apostle Paul has sound advice for the Colossian believers concerning God’s hierarchy of authority.  And as we do every month, we'll celebrate the Lord’s Supper and gain insight into the Lord’s forgiveness.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Exodus, Chapter 8, Verse 10 tells the true story about our God…

 

EXODUS 8:10

“May all be done according to your Word…that everyone may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.”

 

Here’s Lenny LeBlanc to say the same thing in a beautiful song…Lord, THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Lenny LeBlanc

 

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 providing the way to salvation through Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ…thank you for teaching us how to treat each other…thank you for giving us hope in a dark and hopeless world through the study of the light that is Your Word…

 

…help us to learn and to be edified by Your instruction in today’s lesson…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How You Treat People Matters

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

Christ considers families to be a priority.   How the members of families treat each other matters to God.In Satan’s kingdom, the family is ALWAYS under attack. Satan hates unity.  The divorce rate has skyrocketed. Single-parent homes are the norm. Unfaithfulness in marriage is rampant.“One-night stands” are promoted by Hollywood.Children are spoiled, unhappy, undisciplined, rebellious, and out of control. Parents are at their wit’s end. Many parents just leave their children to their own devices because forcing them to comply is too tiring, too upsetting. and too much work.

 

In today’s passage, the apostle Paul gives Colossian believers food for thought about the family…Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 18 to 25 and Colossians, Chapter 4, Verse 1…let’s listen…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:18

Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:19

Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:20

Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:21

Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so they will not lose heart.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:22

Slaves…in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:23

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:24

…knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:25

For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

 

COLOSSIANS 4:1

Masters, grant your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

What are the Christ-centered principles of family operation?  Let’s study the passage verse-by-verse starting at Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 18…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:18

Wives…voluntarily submit yourselves to your own husbands…as is fitting in honoring the Lord

 

A friend thanked me for spiritual guidance.  “Rory, you asked me to marry a woman who would submit.  I did.  Now she submits bills, “honey-do” lists, and vacation requests.  You’re a spiritual genius.”  😊

 

Submission is part of being human…it is an orientation to authority, which God created to preserve order and to avoid chaos…husbands submit to the Lord…wives submit to husbands…children submit to parents…slaves submit to masters…and in each of these relationships, there are always those who resist submitting.

 

Marriage is a team sport…it’s complementary and cooperative.  Like in basketball, each player plays his position.  You certainly don’t want the center to bring the ball up the court, and you don’t want midget point guards in the post.  You don’t want wives usurping the role of the husband, and you don’t want husbands playing the role intended for wives.

 

Submission in marriage is a problem for many women.  They have been led to believe that submission is weak.  The truth?Submission is voluntary, and there’s nothing wrong with being a vice president in a marriage relationship.  Respecting your husband and submitting to your husband does not make you inferior.  If you think so, YOU have the problem.

 

Submission is what women do to bosses, to traffic lights, to laws, and even to the TSA when they go through airports.  But the suggestion that a woman be in submission to the lifelong partner she chooses suddenly raises the hair on the back of her neck?  Satan is behind this rebellion. It is his greatest malady.  He was not happy in submission to his Lord.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ had no problem being in submission to God the Father when He was on earth.  The perfect description of submission is Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 5 to 8…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:5

Keep on having this attitude in yourselves which was also the attitude in the

Christ…Jesus…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:6

…who, although He always existed…the same in essence as God the Father (Deity)…did not regard equality with God the Father as a thing to be seized and held…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:7

…instead, He emptied Himself (depriving Himself of the rightful function of Deity)…taking the form of a bond-servant…and being made in the likeness of men.

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:8

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a Cross.

 

Submission in marriage is the voluntary willingness to put yourself under the authority of another.  Women love being led.  However, husbands are imperfect.  Ladies, can you submit to an imperfect person?

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 19…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:19

Husbands, love your wives unconditionally…and do not be embittered against them.

 

Unconditional love is a ONE-WAY love.  It requires nothing of the object of love.  Unconditional love is service based…husbands are commanded to serve their wives.  This sacrifice, like all sacrifices, always earns a set of scars.

 

Husbands who demand one-sided, unquestioning obedience from a wife is not fit to run a household.  They are tyrants.  Great husbands don’t make unilateral decisions.  A husband who doesn’t understand the value of a wife’s input in every decision doesn’t understand life or the Lord.  After all, doesn’t the Lord request that we voluntarily believe in Him rather than being forced to believe?

 

One way love is not reciprocal.  It is sacrificial.  It does not require a positive response.  The lover loves because he wants to love.

 

Sacrificial love is not harsh…thus the verse’s comment on bitterness.  Tantrum

throwers are harsh.  When they don’t get their one-sided way, they throw a fit.  Many men are children in men’s bodies.  The opposite of being embittered is to be loving.  Loving a wife means ALWAYS including her interests in every decision.

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 20…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:20

Children, be obedient to your parents in all things…for this is well-pleasing to the Lord.

 

Translation?  Kids…shut up and do what you’re told!  😊.

 

Children are asked to voluntarily follow the successful pattern suggested by God between the Lord and His creatures…obedience.  The father guides children, but children only benefit from the guidance when they obey.  Many children establish a pattern of disobedience from a young age, and then as adults they continue to ruin their lives in disobedience to laws and to anything that works.  Fathers are encouraged not to provoke rebellion in their children.

 

Since most children today grow up in single-parent households, mothers are not off the hook in the matter of raising children.  Mothers who teach their children to disobey or disrespect their fathers are guilty of ruining their children.

 

A final thought for parents…teach obedience.  You are not your children’s friend…you’re their guide.  Proverbs 22, Verse 6…

 

PROVERBS 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go…even when he is old, he will not depart from it.

 

Proverbs 13, Verse 1…

 

PROVERBS 13:1

A wise son accepts his father’s discipline…but a (son who is a rebellious) scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

 

Children should heed the warning in Proverbs 12, Verse 15…

 

PROVERBS 12:15

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…but a wise man listens to advice.

Parenting is a lot more than rules and reprimands and punishment.  Once your children are adults, parents must butt out of their lives.

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 21…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:21

Fathers, do not exasperate (embitter) your children so that they will not lose heart.

 

Fathers are further encouraged not to irritate their children to the point of discouragement, causing the children to give up on wanting to learn and wanting to follow.

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 22…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:22

Slaves, in all things, obey those who are your earthly masters…not only when their eye is on you, as do those who merely please men…but with sincerity of heart, simultaneously respecting your heavenly master…the Lord.

 

Slaves were under a legally binding contract in the ancient world, most of the time ones they entered into voluntarily.  During the legally binding period, they were possessions of their masters just as Christians are possessions of Christ.  We’d be hard-pressed to say being a bond-servant of Christ (a doulos-a slave) is a negative thing.  So it was with household slaves.  It was not oppressive or damaging to the slaves when handled well.  In the matter of treatment, both slaves and masters are exhorted to be honorable toward each other.

 

Slaves are encouraged not to be phony and two-faced…having one relationship on the surface while harboring resentment toward their masters underneath (as Satan did with the Lord).Slaves…who are you when no one is looking?  What’s your motivation?  In Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 5 and 6, the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 6:5

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites…for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”

 

MATTHEW 6:6

“But you…when you pray…go into your inner room…close your door…and pray

to your Father…and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

 

Effectiveness in the spiritual realm occurs from the inside out.

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 23 and 24…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:23

(Slaves)…whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:24

…knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward (the fair compensation) of the (spiritual) inheritance. It is the Lord…the Christ…whom you serve.

 

Obviously, Paul has Christian slaves in mind.  Slaves not only work for the Lord but also their human masters.  Slaves are to do their work with all their hearts, all their minds, all their souls, and all their strength.  They are to work from the inner being.  They are not to be coin-operated, paycheck players.  They are to put their hearts into their work…to operate with passion…creativity…and innovation.  Slaves are to avoid focusing on outward appearance.

 

Slaves may not be able to count on an inheritance while they are on earth, but they can count on an inheritance in heaven as believers in Christ.

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 25…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:25

For the slave who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality.

 

God is not One to play favorites…Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 28…

 

GALATIANS 3:28

(With God)…there is neither Jew nor Greek (no racial distinction)…there is neither slave nor free man (no social distinction)…there is neither male nor female (no gender distinction)…for you believers in Christ are all one (in unity because you are) in union with Christ Jesus.

 

In God’s family, every person is equal and valued.  All of us will receive an

objective and impartial hearing before the Lord on Judgment Day.

 

Colossians, Chapter 4, Verse 1…

 

COLOSSIANS 4:1

Masters…grant to your slaves both justice and fairness…knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

 

Masters are commanded to be impartial and fair in their dealings with slaves.  Their sacrifice will encounter scars.  For those masters who want to be treated fairly by their Master the Lord, they would do well to imitate the Lord in His fair dealings with His creatures.  The Lord is completely fair, completely just, completely loving, and completely forgiving.  Masters must do the same.

 

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

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How You Treat People Matters

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

King David asks an interesting question in Psalm 116, Verse 12…

 

PSALM 116:12

What shall I give to the Lord in repayment for all His goodness toward me?

 

What can we, mere humans, give to the Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Sufficient God?  The Lord wants us to give the things He gifts to us…our time…our talent…and our treasure…for the benefit of others.  The offering is the treasure part…it’s your chance to redirect the funds God has given to you to help others.  Give with an abundance mentality!  Whatever you give the Lord will multiply to others AND back to you.  Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.

 

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:10

Now I (Paul) exhort youfellow believers in Christ…by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…that you all agree…and that there be no rivalries among you…instead that you be made complete…in the same mind and in the same purpose.

 

OFFERING SONG

WALKING FREE

Micah Tyler

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

The Lord Wants Us to Forgive Ourselves as He Has Forgiven Us

 

Welcome to the Lord’s Supper Celebration!  As we remember the Lord, let’s relax and let’s enjoy the memories of things the Lord has done for us, especially His work on the Cross.In John, Chapter 6, Verse 51 the Lord reminds His believers…

 

JOHN 6:51

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the living bread that came down out of heaven (this is Jesus announcing He is Deity) … if anyone chooses to eat of this bread…he will live forever…and the bread I will give for the resurrection life of the world is My flesh.”

 

He is not only the bread that makes possible the resurrection life…He is soul refreshment as well.  Remember what He told the woman at the well in John, Chapter 4, Verses 13 and 14?

 

JOHN 4:13

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Everyone who keeps on drinking of the water in this well (the world’s water) will thirst again…”

 

JOHN 4:14

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

 

The Lord wants us to remember Him…to keep Him top of mind…so He asks us to

keep on celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and to keep on calling to mind all He did for us at the Cross.  Memories incite gratitude in our hearts, and gratitude is a weapon against God’s enemy, Satan.

 

If you ask almost anyone what Jesus did that is significant, even the unschooled will say, “Jesus died for our sins.”  But do they know what that means?  It means death is the penalty for sin.  Either you will die for your sins, or someone has to die for your sins in your place.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says that from the moment of your physical birth…

 

EPHESIANS 2:1

…you were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…

 

Jesus went to the Cross to forgive your sins.  Here’s the story of how the Lord handled one woman’s sins…Luke, Chapter 7, Verses 41 to 50…

 

LUKE 7:41

The Lord said to Simon the Pharisee (a legalistic unbeliever), “A moneylender had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii and the other owed fifty denarii.”

 

A denarius was a day’s wage for a common laborer.

 

LUKE 7:42

“When the debtors were unable to repay, the moneylender graciously forgave them both the debt. So which of them will love the moneylender more?”

 

LUKE 7:43

Simon the Pharisee said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged correctly.”

 

LUKE 7:44

Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon the Pharisee, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house…you gave Me no water to wash My feet (a custom)…but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.”

 

LUKE 7:45

“You gave Me no kiss (a customary greeting)…but she…since the time I came in…has not ceased to kiss My feet.”

 

LUKE 7:46

“You did not anoint My head with oil (a custom)…but she anointed My feet with perfume.”

 

Simon’s approach was no way to treat a guest.

 

LUKE 7:47

"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven…for she loved much…but he who is forgiven little loves little.”

 

LUKE 7:48

Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins have been forgiven.”

 

LUKE 7:49

Those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?”

 

He’s the God-Man…the Lord…Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah)!  100% God and 100% Man in one Person forever.

 

LUKE 7:50

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you…go into peace with your God.”

 

The woman’s faith alone allowed the Lord to save her…not her gift of expensive perfume…not her tears…not her sincerity…simply her faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  She believed in Him.  He had forgiven her sins at the Cross.

 

All of us come to earth spiritually bankrupt and unable to pay for our own sins in a way that satisfies God.  Your guilty feelings don’t pay for your sins. Your penance doesn’t pay for your sins.  Your phony proclamations don’t pay for your sins … “I feel really bad.”

 

FORGIVENESS is a free gift from the graciousness of God.  The Lord Jesus Christ paid for your sins at the Cross.  Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 7 and 8…

 

ROMANS 4:7

“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN… AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.”

 

ROMANS 4:8

“BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.”

 

Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verse 25…

 

ISAIAH 43:25

“I (the Lord)…even I…am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake…and I will not remember your sins.”

 

Hebrews, Chapter 8, Verse 12…

 

HEBREWS 8:12

“For I (the Lord) will be merciful to their iniquities…and I will remember their sins no more.”

 

His body bore the wrath of God the Father against sin.  His blood covered our sins.

His death on the Cross ushered in a new covenant…a covenant of grace, not law.  Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…

 

ROMANS 6:14

For sin shall no longer be a sovereign master over you believers in Christ…for you are not under law…but you are under grace.

 

What the Lord is wondering is this…“Why when I have forgiven every sin you have ever committed…past, present and future…why…when I refuse to remember your sins…do you spend so much of your time fretting about your sins and doing things you think will make Me feel better about your sinning?”

 

Remember…what the Lord did at the Cross is forgive you.  He did the only thing that is satisfactory to God the Father for the payment of your sins…He shed His own blood on the Cross to pay for the sins of the whole world.  First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2…

 

FIRST JOHN 2:1

My little children (believers in Christ)…I (John) am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, and of course we do, we have an Advocate with God the Father…Jesus…the Christ…the ONLY righteous One…

 

 

FIRST JOHN 2:2

…and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the propitiation for our sins (the only perfectly satisfactory payment for sins in the eyes of God the Father)…and not for our sins only as believers in Christ…but also for the sins of the whole world.

 

Can you get off your own back about sins?  Can you accept what the Lord did on your behalf?  Can you relax, knowing that you make mistakes, and someone more powerful than you…the Lord…covered them?

 

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 the bread, 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 sins.”

 

We celebrate to remember.  Jesus Christ died 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.  Jesus forgives us once and for all time through His work on the Cross.  We celebrate and we are grateful.  Are you willing to forgive yourself?

 

Enjoy the elements as we listen to Larnelle Harris remind us that we have friends in the heavens in his song FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES.

 

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG

 

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Larnelle Harris

 

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 either 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

 

The Lord Jesus Christ gave you a powerful weapon and a perfect gift from the moment of your physical birth…CHOICE.  You get to choose the life you want to live.  The life you are living right now is the sum of all the decisions you have made so far.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ, the Sovereign God of the Universe and the Savior of all mankind says there are only two choices for your eternal future…either heaven (the small gate and the narrow way) or the Lake of Fire (the wide gate and the broad way)…described in Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 13 and 14…

 

MATTHEW 7:13

“Enter through the narrow gate…for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction…and there are many who enter through the wide gate.”

 

MATTHEW 7:14

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to the resurrection life…and there are few who find the small gate.”

 

Which road will you choose for your eternal life?

 

Those who are on the broad way that leads to destruction may think there is salvation in numbers, yet it is not true.  Believing what everyone else believes does not save you.  Placing your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ saves you.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is 100% God…that’s why we call Him Lord…and He is 100% Man…true humanity like you and me…that’s why we call HimJesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah).  Jesus says HE is the small gate, which makes Him your guide to heaven…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.”

 

God the Father’s plan for your life is simple…BELIEVE in His Son and it isyour ticket to eternal life.  Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…

 

ACTS 16:31

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

 

Those on the broad way that leads to destruction place their confidence in liars.  The Lord Jesus Christ warns about them in Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 15…

 

MATTHEW 7:15

“Beware of the false prophets (false teachers) … who come to you in sheep’s clothing (appearing harmless)…who inwardly are ravenous wolves (out to destroy your eternal future).”

 

As ravenous wolves, false teachers want to rip to shreds your chance for a great eternity by deceiving you with a false gospel message.  Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verse 12 illuminates the issue…

 

PROVERBS 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man (saving yourself by thinking good deeds will earn your salvation)…but its end is the way of death (the second death in the Lake of Fire).

 

The Lord Jesus Christ offers the true gospel message and an invitation to be saved 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.”

 

RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT…RIGHT NOW…you can tell God the Father that you are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation, and that is the moment of eternal life for you.

 

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…

 

God’s enemy, Satan, is the sponsor of false teachers, false teaching, and a false gospel message.  You have to be able to discern the difference between God’s truth and Satan’s lies…John, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…

 

JOHN 8:31

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word (the Word of God from a true teacher), then you are truly disciples of Mine…”

 

JOHN 8:32

“…and you will know the truth (the true gospel message)…and the truth will make you free.”

 

Another warning for those who choose the broad way is Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 21 to 23…

 

MATTHEW 7:21

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven (by obeying the gospel message) will enter heaven.”

 

MATTHEW 7:22

“Many will say to Me on that day (of judgment), ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name…and in Your name did we not cast out demons…and in Your name did we not perform many miracles?’”

 

MATTHEW 7:23

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you…depart from Me (into the Lake of Fire)…you who practice (a lifestyle of) lawlessness.’”

 

Don’t wait until it’s too late to consider what road you are on!  Mark, Chapter 1, Verse 15 says…

 

MARK 1:15

“The time is fulfilled…and the kingdom of God is at hand…so repent

(changeyour mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ)…and believe in HIS gospel message.”

 

The will of God the Father is that you believe in His Son so you can have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Those who choose the narrow way have decided that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the ONLY ticket to heaven.  Get yourself on the narrow way that leads to eternal life in heaven right this minute.

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

The group MercyMe says in a song I CAN ONLY IMAGINE…I say in response, "Oh no you can’t!"  Heaven is beyond our wildest dreams.  Let’s enjoy the music.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

I CAN ONLY IMAGE

MercyMe

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty Father…

 

Thank you for being our friend in the heavens…thank you for Your spiritual wisdom that gives us spiritual eyes and spiritual ears…thank you for reminding us how to edify our families by listening to Your true teaching while rejecting false teaching…

 

…as we go back into the world, encourage us to keep on arming ourselves with truth…

 

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