Galatians 1: Are You Letting Liars Interfere with Getting to Know God?

Class Outline:

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Hero, victim or villain...the choice is yours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

I have a friend and a client who owns several companies that employ thousands of people.  He was born into a wealthy family, so he had always been, as he describes it, a “person of privilege.”  He asked me to fly out to see him.  He was working on an idea and he wanted my perspective.

 

He decided that he was going to take a one-year sabbatical, to go undercover, to see how “the other half” lives.  He wanted my opinion.  I didn't think it would make much of a difference, but I couldn’t fault his logic.  If the experience had an impact, it could have quite an effect on his leadership.  There was no way to talk him out of it, so I wished him well.

 

He decided to begin in a homeless community.  He moved in, and every day he spent time listening to the perspective of the community’s residents.  One evening he was talking to a former United States Marine who was now homeless.  He listened to the Marine’s story.

 

“I’m not into pity parties,” the Marine said.  “But to tell you truth, I never even imagined myself in this situation.  I’ve gotten used to it, but I can’t get over it that this is how I’ve ended up.  My biggest frustration is sleeping on the hard ground every night.  It’s painful.”

 

As my friend would listen to the stories, he would allow time to pass before he acted.  Three weeks after the conversation with the Marine, an air mattress was delivered to the Marine’s tent.  So it went.  After any conversation, my friend would do something to make the life of the person he talked to a little better.

 

Because he was a great listener, he became quite a hit with the ladies in the community.  They would flock to his tent just to hear his voice.  They loved how he used his words.  Unfortunately, the men in the community were quite jealous of the attention he got.  They vowed to teach him a lesson.

 

One night when my friend was asleep, six men sneaked into his tent and gave him a beating.  The men got carried away.  The beating was so severe that my friend died.

 

Shocking, isn’t it?

 

Not so much.  You may know someone who suffered a similar fate.  The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The One who is fully Godhumiliated Himself by taking on the form of a human.  Philippians, Chapter 2, Verse 8 communicates His fate…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:8

Being found in appearance as a man…the Lord (God the Son) humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…even death on a Cross.

 

The Lord was rejected by His own people…the Jews…and was murdered through a conspiracy among the religious leaders of His day.  He was the Lord Jesus Christ…100% God and 100% man who came to earth to save all creatures from their sins.  The jealous unbelievers…the alleged religious “leaders” … conspired to kill Him.  He wasn’t appreciated at all.  Isaiah, Chapter 53, Verse 3…

 

ISAIAH 53:3

He was despised and forsaken of men…a man of sorrows and a man acquainted with grief…and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised…and we did not esteem Him.

 

At Barah Ministries we come together as a community to learn about Him by studying His Word.  We aren’t interested in man’s interpretations of Him…we want to know His perspective.  That’s why we teach the Word of God for God’s perspective.  First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 16 asks…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:16

…who has known the mind of the Lord so well that he would be qualified to instruct Him?   But we believers in Christ have the mind of Christ (the Bible…the Word of God…the inerrant Canon of Scripture).

 

We know how God thinks when we study His Word, and it’s an absolute privilege that He lets us get to know Him through His Word.

 

God has an enemy, Satan, whom God made the “ruler of this world” for a period of time.  Satan sponsors all of the misinformation and all of the attacks against God, and he is happy to use anyone who falls for his schemes.  First Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 8 and 9 say…

 

FIRST PETER 5:8

Be of sober spirit…be on the alert! Your adversary…the devil…prowls around like a roaring lion…seeking someone to devour.

 

Satan loves destroying things, including you.

 

FIRST PETER 5:9

But resist him…standing firm in your faith (in Christ)…knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brethren (other believers in Christ) who are all over the world.

 

The Lord allows us to experience tribulation to strengthen us.  His training results in perseverance, character, and hope…the absolute confidence in this thought… Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 31…

 

ROMANS 8:31b

If God is for us believers in Christ, and He is, who can ever be successful against us?

 

NO ONE!

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Letting Liars Interfere with Getting to Know God?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

When false teachers want to put new ideas in your mind, their first step is to attack your previous teachers and their messages.  They want to erase the things you already know and replace those things with their teaching.  So it was in first-century Galatia as the Judaizers attacked the apostle Paul and the freedom provided by the accurate gospel message of salvation, so they could invite these new believers in Christ back into the slavery of Judaism and the Mosaic Law.  In today’s lesson, we’ll see how the apostle Paul defends both himself and the truth as we study Galatians, Chapter 1.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  If we want to live a life of freedom, we have to walk in the light.  In John, Chapter 8, Verse 12the Lord Jesus Christ…the light…makes a promise to all mankind…

 

JOHN 8:12

Jesus spoke to the scribes and the Pharisees, saying, “I am the Light of the world…the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

 

Here’s June Murphy to remind us, in her song, to WALK IN THE LIGHT.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

WALK IN THE LIGHT

June Murphy

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father…we thank you for so many things…we thank you for Your integrity as a Person….You are someone we can count on…we thank you for Your plan to save all mankind and for Your personal plan for each of us…we thank you for Your perfect provision…You always give us exactly what we need exactly when we need it…we thank you for Your protection from our enemies and your protection of our eternal security…we thank you for Your pardon…you forgive us for every sin we have ever committed…past, present, and future…we thank you for Your omnipresence…You are an ever-present help in times of trouble…and we thank you for promises which give us hope…the absolute confidence of a glorious future in union with Your Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ…

 

Father, it’s so easy to be deceived…especially here in Satan's kingdom…we ask You to give us the critical thinking skills needed to discern the truth…we ask You to fill our souls with truth as we study the Word of God…and we ask You to open our spiritual eyes and our spiritual ears so that we can discern lies when we see them and when we hear them…thank you for God the Holy Spirit who leads us into all the truth…help our walk in the light…help us live in a manner worthy of the calling to which You called us…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Letting Liars Interfere with Getting to Know God?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

A question to start our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians in Chapter 1…are you gullible?  What does it mean to be gullible?

 

GULLIBLE

Easily tricked by the things people say…being more than willing to believe everything one hears.

 

The word gullible describes most people.  If you tell a public lie about someone, about one-third of the people who hear the lie will believe it…NO MATTER WHAT.  If you understand this, then you know why the propaganda perpetrated by the media establishment is so effective.  People who watch the news adopt the viewpoint of the newsmakers without any verificationfrom evidence as to whether the viewpoint they are adopting is true.

 

Contrast this approach to the way a judge works in a court of law.  A plaintiff and a defendant come before the judge.  The plaintiff is accusing the defendant of some criminal act.  The defendant either committed the act or he didn’t.  It’s up to the judge to decide what is true.

 

The judge hears BOTH SIDES of the argument…EVALUATES THE EVIDENCE presented by both sides…and renders a verdict:  Guilty or Not Guilty.

 

Are you gullible?  Absolutely.  If someone comes to you and tells you something about another person, you are likely to believe it without questioning what you are being told, especially if you consider the person who is telling you the story to be credible.  Most people believe what they hear whether the source is credible or not.

 

In his first missionary journey to evangelize to the Gentiles, the apostle Paul went through a region in modern-day Turkey called Galatia.  Here is a map of Galatia during Paul’s day…

 

< FIRST-CENTURY MAP OF THE GALATIAN REGION>

 

Here is a map of modern-day Turkey.

 

 

While founding the churches in the Galatian region, the apostle Paul presented an accurate gospel message given to him directly from God, and the people in the region believed Paul and became Christians.  As soon as Paul left the region, a group of false teachers known as the Judaizers came in and presented a different gospel message…a lie spread by a group of false teachers…and the Galatian region believers believed...they swallowed the lie…hook, line and sinker.

 

Gullible.

 

The Galatian believers rejected the truth in favor of the Judaizer’s lies.  They went backward in their spiritual lives, from freedom back to slavery.  It’s exactly what happens to each of us every day of our lives!  All during the COVID pandemic, people would say, “Be safe.”  The pandemic has been over for nearly two years, and people are still saying, “Be safe.”  That's how easy it is to control the minds of people without critical thinking skills.

 

Let’s take a look at Galatians, Chapter 1.  It has three parts…the GREETING…the TONGUE-LASHING…and the TESTIMONY.  The Judaizerscame in to ask the Galatian believers, “Who is this Paul guy?  What is this gospel message he proposes?  You do nothing and you’re saved?  That’s preposterous!  He wasn’t even with the other apostles and you believe him?”  Paul goes to work on their lies.

 

THE GREETING

 

Galatians, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 5…

 

GALATIANS 1:1

Paul, an apostle sent from God (not sent from men…nor through the agency of man…but through Jesus Christ and God the Fatherwho raised Jesus from the dead)…

 

GALATIANS 1:2

…and from all the brethren (believers in Christ) who are with me…to the churches of the Galatian region…

 

GALATIANS 1:3

…grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

GALATIANS 1:4

…(the Christ…the Jewish Messiah) who gave Himself (up as a substitute) for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age…according to the will of our God and Father…

 

GALATIANS 1:5

…(the Father) to whom belongs the glory forevermore. Amen!

 

Paul is off to a peaceful start.  Then, all hell breaks loose!

 

THE TONGUE LASHING

 

Galatians, Chapter 1, Verses 6 to 10…

 

GALATIANS 1:6

I (Paul) am amazed (I’m astonished…I’m in shock) that you Galatian believers are so quickly deserting the God who called you by the grace of the Christ…for a different gospel…

 

GALATIANS 1:7

…(a “gospel”) which is really not another gospel at all (because there is only oneTRUE gospel)…only there are some (people among you) who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.

 

Perverts pushing perversion.  Satan and his minions are perverts.  They are slave masters.  They want to rob you of your freedom and call you back to slavery.

 

Our God is a God of freedom.  He gives us will…the freedom of choice…and he allows us to use our choice as we see fit.  The slave masters…the legalists… bombard our psyches with “you gottas” … telling us that if we don’t follow their man-made rules, we can’t possibly consider ourselves to be saved.

 

What is the false teaching of the Judaizers?  You need to be Jewish to be saved…you need to have a kosher table (you need to follow a set of rituals)…you need to be circumcised…you have work to do…you have to earn God’s favor…you gotta…you gotta…you gotta.  Free people LOVE to be slaves.  People LOVE the do-do life.  People LOVE doing things to please God, things that can never please God.  Paulis flipped out.  Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 8…

 

GALATIANS 1:8

But even if we…or an angel from heaven…should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you in the past…he is to be accursed (he should be eternally condemned in the Lake of Fire)!

 

Paul then says, “ I don’t believe you heard me!”  Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 9…

 

GALATIANS 1:9

As we have said before…so I say again now…if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received from me,…he is to be accursed (he should be eternally condemned in the Lake of Fire)!

 

Paul then asks the rhetorical question…Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 10…

 

GALATIANS 1:10

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or am I seeking the favor of God?  Am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, and I’m not, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

 

There’s the problem for most Christians.  They are much more interested in the approval of men thanin the approval of God.  It’s easy to be sucked into this foolish way of living.  This letter from the apostle Paul addresses the disease of legalism…the perversion of the truth with lies.

 

Christianity and the law don’t mix.  Christianity and sin don’t mix.

 

I have vegan friends.  I invited them over for dinner, and out of concern for their protein intake, I put eggs in a dish I made for them.  If you add eggs to a vegan dish, is it still vegan?  Absolutely NOT!

 

If you add sin or the law to Christianity, it is no longer Christianity.  None of the things the Judaizers propose are necessary for salvation.  Salvation comes from faith alone in Christ alone by God’s grace alone.  Yet people see this offer from God as too easy, and they always want to help God.  There are going to be a lot of people in the Lake of Fire who added things to salvation that destroyed their chance for salvation.  Examine yourselves to make sure you are in the faith alone!

 

When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll see what else Paul has to say to the Galatian believers in this first chapter of his letter.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Donna Summers and the Musical Youth

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Letting Liars Interfere with Getting to Know God?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

Often, as part of my prayers,I ask God the Holy Spirit to open your hearts 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 desire to serve those who are spiritually bankrupt.  Your generosity is how Barah Ministries can providean 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

 

EPHESIANS 4:3

…be diligent to preserve the unity of God the Holy Spirit in the bond of peace.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Letting Liars Interfere with Getting to Know God?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

When people desert the gospel message, they are deserting God.  It is a form of treason.  What is treason?

 

TREASON

The offense of attempting to overthrow a government or to kill aSovereign or the Sovereign’s family.

 

When people abandon the truth, they kill their relationship with God.  They make themselves enemies of God.  They put up their dukes to fight with God.  They turn to imperfect men for answers while simultaneously turning away from a perfect God.  It happens so often todaythat when it happens it is no longer a surprise.  People love legalism because it makes them feel superior to other people.

 

The Judaizers question Paul as a teacher and question his teachings, so Paul has to

get his Galatian churches straight on who he is and on where his authority to teach

comes from.  Paul continues in Galatians, Chapter 1, Verses 12 to 24.

 

THE TESTIMONY OF ONE WITH AUTHORITY

 

GALATIANS 1:11

I (Paul) would have you know, brethren (Galatian believers in Christ)…that the gospel which was preached by me is not a gospel that originates from a man (a human being is NOT the source of this gospel message).

 

GALATIANS 1:12

For I neither received this gospel message from man…nor was I taught this gospel message by a man…but I received this gospel message through a revelation directly from Jesus Christ.

 

Paul is asking, “How do you like me now?”  Paul invites the Galatian believers to listen to a message from God or to be deceived by a message from men…the Judaizers.  Next, Paul slams the idea home with a bit of personal biography.

 

GALATIANS 1:13

For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism (a religion)…how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it…

 

GALATIANS 1:14

…and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen…(men who were my age)…being even more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

 

The old Paul was taking all his instruction from men…and was intent on wiping out the Christian church.  He sought out men, women, and children who were Christians to kill them or to have them killed.  Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 15 and following…

 

GALATIANS 1:15

But when God the Father…who had set me apart…even from my mother’s womb…the Father who called me through His grace…

 

GALATIANS 1:16

…was pleased to reveal His Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) in me so that I might

preach Him among the Gentiles…I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood (human beings)…

 

GALATIANS 1:17

…nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me…but I went away to Arabia (to study with the Lord alone)…and returned once more to Damascus.

 

Paul returned to Damascus where he was headed when the Lord knocked him off of his high horse.  Acts, Chapter 9, Verses 1 to 6…

 

ACTS 9:1

Now Saul of Tarsus (Paul), still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest…

 

ACTS 9:2

…and asked for letters from the high priest to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way (Christians)…both men and women…he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (to be killed).

 

ACTS 9:3

As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him…

 

ACTS 9:4

…and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

 

ACTS 9:5

And Paul said, “Who are You, Lord?” And the Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting…”

 

ACTS 9:6

“…but get up and enter the city…and it will be told you what you must do.”

 

Paulis the replacement apostle for Judas Iscariot…Paul is God’s choice for replacement…he is not the replacement proposed by men.  The Lord took the worst person of all time and turned him into the best believer in Christ of all time.

 

Charles Dickens’ opening words in his book The Tale of Two Citiesare an accurate description of the two parts of Paul’s life.  It was the best of times…it was the worst of times.  God always saves the best for last.  The first part of Paul’s life was evil...it was the worst of times.  The second part of Paul’s life was amazing....it was the best of times.  Paul continues in Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 18.  After his time with the Lord in Arabia where he received revelation and instruction, he followed the Lord’s direction and went to Jerusalem to meet two important people in God’s plan…Peter…the apostle assigned to the Jews…and the Lord’s half-brother James.

 

GALATIANS 1:18

Then three years later (after my time in Arabia) I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas (Simon Peter) and I stayed with him for fifteen days.

 

GALATIANS 1:19

But I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord’s half-brother.

 

GALATIANS 1:20

(Now in what I am writing to you, I assure you before God that I am not lying.)

 

GALATIANS 1:21

Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia (my home town).

 

Syria is the home of Damascus.  Paul went back to minister to the very Christians he wanted to kill.  Then he went home to tell his family members about what Christ had done for him.  Since all Pharisees were required to be married, Paul likely lost his wife when he went home.  Galatians, Chapter 1, Verse 22…

 

GALATIANS 1:22

I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea which were in union with Christ…

 

GALATIANS 1:23

…but they kept hearing, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.”

 

GALATIANS 1:24

And they were glorifying God the Father because of me.

 

Are you gullible?  The Galatians believers chose the path of gullibility.

Unfortunately for them, the gospel message does not come from humans.  Many Christians want to humanize the Lord instead of honoring Him as Deity so they pervert the gospel message, turning it into a works-based system.  Titus warns us against this in Titus, Chapter 3, Verses 5 to 7…

 

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…

 

TITUS 3:6

…whom the Lord poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior…

 

TITUS 3:7

…so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

 

Freedom demands responsibility.  Many prefer slavery because they don’t like being responsible.  God offers freedom…freedom from the power of sin…freedom from death…freedom from the fear of death…freedom from the judgment of God…freedom from the yoke of spiritual ignorance…freedom from darkness.

 

Birds were meant to fly, yet many birds prefer cages.  The Galatian believers in Christ preferred the prison of cages, so they listened to the Judaizers instead of continuing to listen to Paul.  As we continue our study of this letter, we will continue to see Paul unleash his passion for his Galatian churches.

 

Adding things to a perfect gospel message is heresy.  Does it sound reasonable that you get everything for doing nothing?  To humans this seems ridiculous.  To a perfect God, it’s a routine day at the office.  He does everything for us and we receive the benefits.

 

The Christian Way of Living is not a set of rules.  It’s a relationship.  Between now and the next lesson, please read the entire letter to the Galatians.  It’s just six chapters.  Take note of what the apostle Paul is communicating to people who have abandoned their freedom.  Then ask yourself, “Where am I abandoning freedom in my own life?  Where am I allowing myself to be a slave?”

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

The closing moments of our lesson today could be the ten most important minutes of your life.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

There is a Person at the center of Christianity…Jesus Christ.  He is the most important Being in the universe…He is the Sovereign God...He is the preeminent God…He is the ONE and ONLY God.  He created you…He loves you unconditionally…and He wants a relationship with you.  That’s good news for you!

 

The bad news is that you were born with a problem.  From the moment of your physical birth, God considered you a sinner.  Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…

 

ROMANS 3:10

…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 3:23

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

 

These verses are a formal accusation from God about YOU…an indictment.

 

It’s not your fault that you’re a sinner from physical birth, but it is your circumstance.

 

Unfortunately, being a sinner has a penalty.  Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 6:23

For the payment earned for being a sinner is both spiritual death and

physical death…

 

As a sinner, you commit personal sins.  God requires perfection for you to get into

heaven.  Those who sin don’t meet God’s perfect standards.  Trying to make up for your sins by “being a good person” or by trying to work your way into heaven with imperfect deedsdoesn’t impress God at all.

 

This gospel message is the good news concerning what the Lord did to fix the bad news for sinners.  Jesus Christ paid a price with His blood on a Cross so that sinners can be saved.  Responding to His gospel message is the chance to have a personal relationship with Jesus.  Here’s what the Lord said to a self-righteous Pharisee, Nicodemus, in John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 3:3

“Truly, truly, I say to you, Nicodemus…unless you are BORN AGAIN (the spiritual birth)…you cannot see the kingdom of God the Father in heaven.”

 

Fortunately for you, God the Father wants you in heaven.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…

 

ROMANS 5:8

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

 

Who is this God who saves you?  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christin 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…

 

Absolute righteousness is the admission ticket to heaven.  It is the key to eternal life…the resurrection life…and it is yours FREE OF CHARGE…RIGHT NOW…if you want it.  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 to 11 say this…

 

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you

believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be saved…

 

ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (choosing faith in Christ alone)…resulting in salvation.

 

ROMANS 10:11

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

 

So, accept the invitation and heed the warning of John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection 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.”

 

There is a hell…a very real place…and it is described this way in the Bible… Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 41 to 43…

 

MATTHEW 13:41

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

 

MATTHEW 13:42

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

 

MATTHEW 13:43

Then the righteous (believers in Christ) will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father…

 

For those without a relationship with Christ, He’ll just ask them to step to the left and to take the “HELLIVATOR” … just press down.

Getting to heaven is easy…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.”

 

Sinners need a Savior.  That Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.  Believe in Him and you will be saved!

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  There is nothing worse than working and working and working and paying and paying and paying only to have all the work and all the paying not make one bit of difference.  That’s how it is for those who want to work to earn their salvation.  It’s pointless.  BUT NOW, there is this provision from God called grace!  The only way to get to heaven is by grace alone…by faith alone…in Christ alone.  Here is Kings Kaleidoscope to remind us of the power of GRACE ALONE.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

GRACE ALONE

Kings Kaleidoscope

 

DOXOLOGY

 

PROVERBS 3:5-6

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

 

DEUTERONOMY 31:8

“For the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…He will be with you…He will not fail you or forsake you…so do not fear or be dismayed.”

 

ISAIAH 30:18

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

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

 

FIRST PETER 5:6-7

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

 

God considers your problems to be His responsibility.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for sending the apostle Paul to remind us to use discernment in this life…to not accept everything we hear…to pick the right teachers…to examine the evidence before deciding…let us see Your hand in everything we do as you point out the pitfalls and the traps being laid for us in Satan’s kingdom…

 

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

 

DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE

 

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Immediately Following the Lesson

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?

 

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KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD!

 

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