Galatians 3: Are You Like the Galatians…Playing the Fool?

Class Outline:

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We all buy in at some point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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?

 

For most people, the only time they think of Jesus Christ is when they stub their toes or spill hot coffee on themselves or when their sports team does something stupid.  “Jesus Christ!” they shout, but they don’t know the Person.  At Barah Ministries we know the truth…Jesus Christ is God…and He proclaimed His Deity in John, Chapter 10, Verse 30…

 

JOHN 10:30

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) and God the Father are one (we are the exact same in essence and in nature).”

 

He’s either telling the truth or he’s lying.  Each person whom the Lord creates has to judge Jesus’ veracity for himself.  You have the free will to decide for yourself whom you want to save you…the Lord or yourself.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God…He is the Son of Man…He is the God-Man (100% God and 100% manunited in one Person)…He is the Sovereign God of the Universe…He is the Jewish Messiah…He is the Savior of the whole world.  In the spiritual realm, it’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know…and the key Person to know is the CHRIST…Jesus!  Do you have a relationship with Him?  Do you know Him?

 

At Barah Ministries, you get the opportunity to learn the Word of Godverse-by-versefrom God’s perspective, not from man’s perspective.  We are Christians with a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord.  In Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 15the apostle Paul encourages us believers to…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:15

Keep on being diligent to show yourselves approved by God the Father as  workmen…who do not need to be ashamed…accurately handling the Word of Truth.

 

If you’re a believer in Christ, you need to study the Word of God with a Pastor who is teaching the truth.  When you do, always compare what the Pastor is teaching with what the Word of God has to say, especially here at Barah Ministries.  This is one of your responsibilities as a Christian.

 

God’s enemy is Satan, whom God made ‘the ruler of this world’ for a finite period of time.  In Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verse 4, the Lord says of Satan…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4

…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.

 

Satan only wants a part of us…our will.  He deceives us…he causes us to suffer…and he convinces us to let him influence our will.  That’s when his insidious method of destruction is most powerful against us.  His influence perverts our spiritual lives and ruins everything precious to us.  Hear this…WE PERMIT HIM TO DESTROY US.  In Mark, Chapter 12, Verse 30, the Lord Jesus Christ gives us the remedy against Satan…LOVE.

 

MARK 12:30

“….and you shall love the Lord your God unconditionally…with ALL your

heart…and with ALL your soul…and with ALL your mind, and with ALL your strength.”

 

ALL is not some.  Do not give the devil a single opportunity.  Fix your eyes

on Jesus!

 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Like the Galatians…Playing the Fool?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

The stories told by false teachers are appealing to us…really intriguing…when we don't expose ourselves regularly to the truth.  Take the news for example.  When we don’t think about the truth of our own reality, we will believe the propagandized view of the world the news portrays which contends that our neighbors are all going to die…our kids are going to be run over by cars…our finances are doomed…our education system is corrupt…and our life is not safe…among other things.

 

Things happen, but is what you see on the news your reality?  Satan, his world system of thought, and the flesh inside of us are fear-mongers who seek to rob us of both freedom and serenity.  Their lies suck all the joy out of our lives…if we let them.

 

In today's lesson, we continue our study of Paul's letter to the Galatians in Chapter 3 to hear the next message he is sending to the churches he established in modern-day Turkey.  It's a letter to a group of believers in Christ who are being duped by false teachers.  And today we'll celebrate the Lord's Supper.  When you are saved, can you lose your salvation?  We'll see what God has to say about the matter.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  Christianity is not a toe-in-the-water experience.  As Mathew West says, Christianity requires us to be ALL IN.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

ALL IN

Matthew West

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

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

 

Father, it’s so easy to be fooled by smooth talkers with their slick stories…thank you for giving us the discernment to see through lies…thank you for providing us with the only way to salvation…a relationship with your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…thank you for giving us a guide…God the Holy Spirit…to mentor us…to teach us…to direct us with His voice down the narrow path that leads to absolute knowledge and the total serenity of the resurrection life…

 

…as you continue to teach us about false teachers and false teaching, help us to discard them from our lives.  Give us the spiritual eyes to see through their deception so we can live the life of freedom you intended for us.

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Like the Galatians…Playing the Fool?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

You’ve probably heard of Cuba Gooding Jr. who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor with his portrayal of Rod Tidwell, the Arizona Cardinals football player in the movie Jerry Maguire.  You may not know that his father, Cuba Gooding Sr. was the lead singer in one of the most popular and beloved R&B groups of the seventies…a group called The Main Ingredient.  One of their hits was the song Everybody Plays the Fool.  Here are some of the lyrics…

 

EVERYBODY PLAYS THE FOOL

The Main Ingredient

 

Okay, so your heart is broken

You sit around mopin’

Cryin’ and cryin’

You say you’re even thinkin’ about dyin’?

 

EVERYBODY PLAYS THE FOOL

The Main Ingredient

Well, before you do anything rash, dig this

Everybody plays the fool sometime…

There’s no exception to the rule

Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel

I aintlyin’…everybody plays the fool

 

So it is with the first-century Galatian believers in Christ!  We continue our study of Paul's letter to the churches in the Galatian region in Chapter 3.  We introduced this passage last week, and now we’ll see what Paul has to say in this next part of the letter.  Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 14…

 

GALATIANS 3:1

You foolish Galatians…who has bewitched you?  Before whose eyes was Jesus Christ publicly portrayed as crucified?

 

GALATIANS 3:2

This is the only thing I (Paul) want to find out from you…did you receive God the Holy Spirit by the works of the Mosaic Law or by hearing with faith?

 

GALATIANS 3:3

Are you so foolish? Having begun (your salvation) by (the baptism of) God the Holy Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

 

GALATIANS 3:4

Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

 

GALATIANS 3:5

So then, does God the Father who provides you with God the Holy Spirit and who works miracles among youdo it by the works of the Mosaic Law or by hearing with faith?

 

GALATIANS 3:6

Even so Abraham believed in the Lord, and it was reckoned to him (credited to his account) as righteousness.

 

GALATIANS 3:7

Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

 

 

GALATIANS 3:8

The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

 

GALATIANS 3:9

So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

 

GALATIANS 3:10

For those who are of the works of the Mosaic Law are under a curse…for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”

 

GALATIANS 3:11

That no one is justified by the Mosaic Law before God is evident…for, “The righteous man shall live by faith (in Christ alone).”

 

GALATIANS 3:12

However, the Mosaic Law is not of faith…on the contrary, “He who practices the Law shall live by the Law.”

 

GALATIANS 3:13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Mosaic Law…having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—

 

GALATIANS 3:14

(Christ did this)…so that in union with Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham

might come to the Gentiles so that we would receive the promise of God the Holy Spirit through faith.

 

Everybody plays the fool, and these Galatian believers were no exception to the rule.  As we learned last week, twenty-first-century believers are allowing themselves to be just as duped by false teachers and false teaching.  Let's study the passage.Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 1…

 

GALATIANS 3:1

You foolish Galatians…who has bewitched you?  Before whose eyes was Jesus Christ publicly portrayed as crucified?

 

Paul is asking, "Didn't I teach you accurately about Jesus Christ?  And now you’re

allowing liarsto teach you differently?"  Paul could have used two Greek words for fool, both of which are insulting.  He could have used RACCA which means an empty-headed idiot.  He could have used MOROS which means moron…another insult.  Instead, he was directed by God the Holy Spirit to use the Greek word ANOETOI which is a correction draped in unconditional love.  It's a word that refers to a person who can think but is not using it…it's someone irrational…acting without thinking…acting without wisdom.  That’s exactly what the Galatian believers were doing.

 

The question they failed to ask is, “Does a different gospel save us?”  The Judaizers, false teachers, introduced a new and improved, “more better” gospel than Paul offered.  Of course, there is only one gospel, not created by man but a gospel given by direct revelation from God.  This true gospel saves.

 

Next Paul asks a series of six rhetorical questions.  Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 2 to 5…

 

GALATIANS 3:2

This is the only thing I (Paul) want to find out from you…did you receive God the Holy Spirit by the works of the Mosaic Law or by hearing with faith?

 

GALATIANS 3:3

Are you so foolish? Having begun (your salvation) by (the baptism of) God the Holy Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

 

GALATIANS 3:4

Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

 

GALATIANS 3:5

So then, does God the Father who provides you with God the Holy Spirit…and He who works miracles among you…does He do it by the works of the Mosaic Law or by hearing with faith?

 

THE SIX RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

 

Who has bewitched you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?

 

Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

 

Are you so foolish?

 

THE SIX RHETORICAL QUESTIONS

 

Having begun by God the Holy Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

 

Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?

 

Does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

 

Being foolish in this case means being sucked in by false teachers.  Paul describes false teachers in Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 13 to 15…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:13

For such men are false apostles…deceitful workers…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 his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness…whose end will be according to what their wicked deeds deserve.

 

In one of his pastoral epistles, Paul warns his protégé in First Timothy, Chapter 4, Verse 16…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 4:16

Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching…persevere in these things (true teaching)…for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.

 

Christ is totally sufficient to save us.  Christianity is totally sufficient to give us a spiritual life.  An all-sufficient God with an all-sufficient plan doesn’t need human help in any way.  Satan, with his world system of thought and his internal deceptive agent…the flesh…has other plans for us.  He tells us lies…tell us sweet little lies as Fleetwood Mac would say.  We are saved by God.  Satan wants to believe that for salvation we are on our own, and after salvation, we must keep on perfecting ourselves…and ee believe him…yet he is a liar.

 

What Satan wants to do is shipwreck our faith.  First Timothy, Chapter 1, Verses 18 and 19…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 1:18

This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, by the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 1:19

…keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck regarding their faith.

 

The simple question is this…are we saved because we are good…or are we saved because we believe in Christ?  In Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 6 to 9, Paul illustrates…

 

GALATIANS 3:6

Even so Abraham believed in the Lord, and it was reckoned to him (credited to his account) as righteousness.

 

GALATIANS 3:7

Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham.

 

GALATIANS 3:8

The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

 

GALATIANS 3:9

So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer.

 

Faith in Christ…BELIEVE…provides salvation….not our works.  Does a different gospel save you?  Hardly.  Does a different sanctification free you?  Hardly.  As believers in Christ, we KNOW these things intellectually.  Do we LIVE these truths?  Hardly.  Abraham was justified by faith.  All believers in Christ imitate Abraham.  We believe a promise and we are saved.

 

Paul finished up this section of the letter with three really good reasons why it’s foolish to add anything to the perfect gospel from God.  Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 10 to 14…

 

GALATIANS 3:10

For those who are of the works of the Mosaic Law are under a curse…for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”

 

GALATIANS 3:11

That no one is justified by the Mosaic Law before God is evident…for, “The righteous man shall live by faith (in Christ alone).”

 

GALATIANS 3:12

However, the Mosaic Law is not of faith…on the contrary, “He who practices the Law shall live by the Law.”

 

GALATIANS 3:13

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Mosaic Law…having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—

 

GALATIANS 3:14

(Christ did this)…so that in union with Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham

might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of God the Holy Spirit through faith.

 

Reason one…if you rely on the law for salvation, you’re under a curse.  Reason two…no one is justified by the works of the law.  The righteous man shall live by faith in Christ alone. Reason three…someone did our redemption for us by becoming a curse for us…shall we reject a free gift?  Abraham didn’t.

 

So Christians have an easy choice.  Christianity is not performance-based.  It is grace-based.  Can you simply accept what a gracious God has done for you, both for salvation and sanctification?  Titus sums it up well…Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5 says…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved us believers in Christ…not based on 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…

 

So the moral of the story is…relax…be filled with joy…let God’s work on your behalf manifest in you…enjoy your freedom.

 

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

Are You Like the Galatians…Playing the Fool?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

God is always encouraging generosity.  Proverbs, Chapter 11, Verse 25 says…

 

PROVERBS 11:25

The generous person will be prosperous…and he who waterswill himself be watered.

 

Be generous.  Those you help with your contributionsreceive the gospel message implanted.  As the seeds of the gospel are watered by God the Holy Spirit, new believers gain confidence.  Knowing they are saved they gain the strength to withstand spiritual turmoil.  Let’s pray especially for our Christian brothers and sisters in the persecuted churches around the world.  May your generosity reach them with the tools they need to withstand the world through their relationship with Christ.

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

JOHN 1:5

The Light shines in the darknessand the darkness did not comprehend it.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Made You Secure for All Eternity

 

Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our deep, intimate, and loving personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  In this celebration, the Lord reminds us of the unity all believers in Christ possess…and He shares His body and His blood with us.  In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26

…as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as

you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord's Supper Celebration…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ's death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.

 

Every month, we celebrate The Lord’s Supper to REMEMBER.  We

REMEMBER that we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, dependent on Him for our “so great” salvation…we REMEMBER that we believers in Christ are in union with Christ and we can't get out of our union with Him…we REMEMBER that the Lord loves us unconditionally…we REMEMBER that we are forgiven for every sin we commit, past, present, and future… and we REMEMBER that we have the Lord’s grace to help in times of trouble.

 

 

We look back to the Cross to REMEMBER how He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness…we look back to the Cross to REMEMBER the sacrifice of His shedding blood to cover our sins…we look back to REMEMBER the deliverance to the resurrection life He orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light.  In addition, we look forward in ANTICIPATION that the LordIS coming again.

 

What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?One of the most precious thingsthe Lord Jesus Christdid at the Cross is to make us eternally secure.

 

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, there was a moment in time when God the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry made you aware that you were a sinner and you needed a Savior.  You turned your eyes skyward with all the sincerity a spiritually dead person can muster, and you asked God to save you.  He did!  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.”

 

Now that you are saved, when you close your eyes in this life, you are going to heaven.  Wait…are you really?  Is it that simple?  As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, how secure is your relationship with God?  What is security?

 

SECURITY

An assurance…a guarantee…that something is safe

 

What is insecurity?

 

INSECURITY

Subject to fears…doubts…confusion…uneasiness…and uncertainty.

 

At the Cross the Lord Jesus Christ guaranteed a believer in Christ’s eternal

security.  What is eternal security?

 

ETERNAL SECURITY

The biblical truth is that once a person places confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, and once this person is placed into union with Christ through the baptism of God the Holy Spirit, this person can never do anything to lose this salvation because Godguarantees He will protect the salvation He provided.

 

John, Chapter 10, Verse 28…

 

JOHN 10:28

…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ…the Sovereign God of the Universe) give eternal life to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

 

Our God is not a God of fears…doubts…confusion…uneasiness…and uncertainty.  First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verse 33…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:33

…for God is not a God of confusion…

 

Who introduces doubt into our thoughts?  Satan, the enemy of God is the sponsor of fears, doubts, confusion, uneasiness, and uncertainty.  He sponsors false teachers who say there is no eternal security.  They want to rob you of your freedom and God’s peace.  These false teachers contend that God is conditional.  Here’s an example…

 

WHY ETERNAL SECURITY IS NOT A BIBLICAL DOCTRINE

by Philip A. Matthews

 

The promises of God are all conditional. That is, God’s promised benefits are given to people as they meet the conditions stated or implied within that promise.

 

WHY ETERNAL SECURITY IS NOT A BIBLICAL DOCTRINE

by Philip A. Matthews

 

In other words, God’s promises have strings attached. God does not make

blanket promises that apply to everybody in every place for every time. His promises are for specific people who meet specific conditions and qualifications for the specific benefits promised.

 

This is a person who hasn’t got the slightest idea who God is.  It’s a classic example of a person who is looking at God from the human viewpoint.  He is likely an unbeliever.  He thinks God is like humans…conditional.  God is NOT like us.  He is unconditional, immutable (never changing), and ALWAYS faithful.  There is not enough room here to prove all the different ways that God is those three things, but a sample of what the Bible has to say about your eternal security is to give you comfort that you are saved once and for all time.

 

The Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ’s exact thinking, is our guide to learn about eternal security.  First John, Chapter 5, Verses 11 and 12…

 

FIRST JOHN 5:11

And the testimony is this…that God the Father has given us believers in Christ eternal life (the resurrection life)…and this life is (secure) in union with His Son.

 

FIRST JOHN 5:12a

He who has (a relationship with God) the Son…(He who is union with God

the Son…all believers in Christ) has the resurrection life (eternal life)…

 

What is eternal life?  It’s a life with no beginning and no ending.  It’s you, as a believer in Christ, sharing the life of God because you are in union with Christ.  It’s a promise that you will receive a resurrection body in the future.

 

Does your eternal security count on you, or does it count on the God who is

faithful to preserve your security?  James, Chapter 1, Verse 17…

 

JAMES 1:17

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above…coming down from God the Father of the heavenly lights…with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

 

God doesn’t change.  Once God does a thing it is DONE!

 

What is God’s plan for your eternal security?  Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 29 and 30…

 

ROMANS 8:29

For those whom God the Father foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son (the Lord Jesus Christ)…so that the Lord would be the firstborn among many brethren...

 

ROMANS 8:30

...and these whom God the Father predestined, He also called…and these whom God the Father called, He also justified…and these whom God the Father justified, He also glorified.

 

Foreknown, predestined, conformed, called, justified, glorified.  God doesn’t just want us to BE secure…He wants us to FEEL secure as well… Philippians, Chapter 1, Verse 6…

 

PHILIPPIANS 1:6

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

 

God would never dream of letting His children go…Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 16…

 

ROMANS 8:16

The Holy Spirit Himself testifies with our human spirit that we are children of God (the “born again ones”)...

 

God protects us from losing our way…Jude, Chapter 1, Verse 24…

 

JUDE 1:24

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling…and who is able to make you stand in the presence of His glory…blameless…with great joy…

 

God sticks with us even when we turn our backs on Him…Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 13…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:11

It is a trustworthy statement…for if we believers in Christ died with Him (at the Cross…and we did)…we will also live with Him (in heaven)…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:12

If we endure, and of course we will, we will also reign with Him (in the Millennium)…if we disown Him (as unbelievers do), and of course it happens, He also will disown us (it’s not a good idea to be an unbeliever)…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:13

If we are faithless…and we are…He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself (because we are in union with Him…married to Him…God works with flawed people…and He will never let us go).

 

John, Chapter 6, Verses 35 to 40…

 

JOHN 6:35

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life…he who comes to Me will not hunger…and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

 

JOHN 6:36

But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.

 

JOHN 6:37

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me…and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

 

JOHN 6:38

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of God the Father who sent Me.

 

JOHN 6:39

This is the will of God the Father who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

 

JOHN 6:40

For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

 

First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verses 23 and 24…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:23

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely (just like He saved you entirely)…and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:24

Faithful is He who calls you (to salvation)…and He also will bring your salvation to pass.

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verses 8 and 9…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:8

… (The Lord)…who will also confirm you to the end (your salvation is

secure…confirming you as) blameless (free from condemnation and accusation) in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:9

God the Father is faithful (even when we are faithless)… the Father through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Jeremiah, Chapter 32, Verse 40…

 

JEREMIAH 32:40

I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from

them, to do them good…and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.

 

We’re eternally secure because a faithful God makes us that way.

 

THE LORD'S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Enjoying the Lord's Supper 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.

 

Obeying our Lord’s command, we keep on celebrating Christ regularly…we eat bread to remember who He is as a PERSON…we drink wine to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made to deliver us from sovereignty to sin.  We remember with gratitude what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done to save us.  Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16…

 

LUKE 22:14

When the hour came (and His crucifixion was set for the next day)…Jesus reclined at the table…and the apostles reclined with Him.

 

RECLINING AT THE TABLE SLIDE

 

LUKE 22:15-16

And Jesus said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer…for I say to you, I shall not eat it again until all that it means is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

 

Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 19 to 23…

 

LUKE 22:19

And when Jesus had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body, which is being broken for you…keep on doing this in remembrance of Me."

 

LUKE 22:20

And in the same way, Jesus took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This

cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant in My blood."

 

Jesus continued the celebration, pointing out that He has an enemy…

 

LUKE 22:21

"But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table."

 

LUKE 22:22

"For indeed, the Son of Man is going (back to the Father) as it has been

determined…but woe tothat man by whom He is betrayed!"

 

LUKE 22:23

And the apostles began to debate among themselves which one of them it was who was going to do this.

 

As believers in Christ, we have chosen not to betray our Lord.  Instead, we choose to obey our Lord with this celebration.  Let’s keep on eating this bread…let’s keep on drinking this cup…and let’s do both to REMEMBER the Lord.  Let this celebration encourage our hearts and our minds, filling us with awe and reverence, and gratitude.  Let’s keep onbeing transformed by the Lord's life…His death…His burial…His resurrection from the dead…His ascension to God the Father…His seating at the Majesty's right hand… and by the nourishment we get from His Word, which feeds our souls.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

The Lord has you right where He wants you.  Maybe you feel inadequate…maybe you don’t feel like you’re good enough…maybe you think you are a disappointment to God because you make mistakes…Isaiah, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

ISAIAH 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be made as white as snow…though they are red like crimson, they will be cleansed like white wool.”

 

God invites imperfect people into His loving arms…Crystal Lewis says COME JUST AS YOU ARE!

 

LORD’S SUPPER SONG

COME JUST AS YOU ARE

Crystal Lewis

 

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!

He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The Savior of the whole world is Jesus Christ and He wants everyone to be saved…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 say…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3

This is what is good and acceptable in the sight of the God who is our Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:4

…who desires for all men to be saved and who wants all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

Here are seven things for every unbeliever to consider when investigating a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

POINT 1

There is a God, and He is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth

 

The first four words of the bible confirm His existence…Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1…

 

GENESIS 1:1a

In the beginning, GOD…

 

It’s a reference to God the Son.  The Lord isn’t shy about telling you who He is…Joel, Chapter 2, Verse 27…

 

JOEL 2:27b

I am the Lord your God…and there is no other god…

 

God the Son is the Creator…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…

 

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.

 

POINT 2

The CreatorCreated You

 

You are one of God’s creatures and He had a purpose in mind when He created you.  Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 26…

 

GENESIS 1:26

Then God the Father said, “Let Us (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) make man in Our image…according to Our likeness…”

 

You are a spiritual being, and as such, you require a spiritual life.

 

POINT 3

God Has a Plan for All Mankind

 

God is organized…Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 23 tells us that the earth and the universe were created…

 

ACTS 2:23a

…by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God the Father…

 

God made all of His decisions in eternity past and we watch them unfold every

day.  His plan is designed for your benefit.

 

POINT 4

God Has a Personal Plan for You

 

Because God created you, God knows you intimately.  He knows you by name, and He knows you better than you know yourself!  Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 30 says…

 

MATTHEW 10:30

“…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

 

God custom-made you and He custom-made a life designed specifically for you.

 

POINT 5

God Reveals Himself in Ways That Make Sense to Human Beings

 

God wants you to know Him.  He is not hiding from you.  He is not hard to get to know…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 says…

 

ROMANS 1:20

…since the creation of the world…the Lord’s invisible attributes…His eternal power…and His DEITY…keep on being clearly seen by everyone…being understood even through what has been made (as reflected in nature)…so that all mankind is without excuse (in knowing of the existence of the Lord).

 

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

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

 

POINT 6

God’s Enemy, SATAN, Does Not Want You to Know God

 

Satan does everything he can to keep you ignorant about God.  Are you aware of the ways Satan is lying to you about the Lord?

 

If you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll live with Satan for all eternity.  Revelation, Chapter 20, Verse 10…

 

REVELATION 20:10

And the devil who deceived unbelievers was thrown into the Lake of Fire and brimstone…where the beast and the false prophet are also…and all of them will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

 

You DO NOT want to live for all eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

POINT 7

You Owe God a Hearing

 

Since God created you, at least you need to consider His salvation offer.  He has placed a desire inside of you to know Him.  He sends this message from the outside so you can know Him.  He has you surrounded!  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, Verse 11…

 

ECCLESIASTES 3:11a

The Lord has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set a desire for a knowledge of eternity in everyone’s heart…

 

Do you spend ANY of your time getting to know the Lord?  There is nothing more important for you in this life than a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…

 

JOHN 1:12

But whosoever acceptsa relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ…to them the Lord

gives the right to become children of God the Father…even to those who believe

in Jesus Christ’s name…

 

Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…

 

ACTS 16:31

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

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 offers an invitation and a warning…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has 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.”

 

Consider these things and then get to know the Lord…TODAY!  Do it now!

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

 

Let’s close with music!  If what June Murphy says in her song GOD’S PROPERTY, why would we ever listen to anyone else?

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

GOD’S PROPERTY

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for your mercy…providing everything we need to be saved…thank you for your grace…providing everything we need to live the Christian Life…

 

…keep us free from the lies of our enemies…

 

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

 

DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE

 

Join us Live or on Zoom

Immediately Following the Lesson

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?

 

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pastor@barahministries.com

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com