GAL-12-231029 - length: 81:46 - taught on Oct, 29 2023
Class Outline:
Oudeis
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!
At Barah Ministries we worship a Triune Godhead.
The truth is there is One God who expresses Himself to mankind as three separate, distinct, co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal Persons…God the Father…God the Son… and God the Holy Spirit.
GOD THE FATHER is the author of the Triune Godhead’s plan for all creatures. Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 23 tells us that the earth, the universe, and creatures (angels and humans) were created…
ACTS 2:23a
…by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God the Father…
GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan…John, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 3…
JOHN 1:1
In the beginning (not really a beginning) was the Word (in Greek, ho logos…a reference to the Lord…God the Son)…and the Word (the Lord…God the Son) was with God the Father…and the Word (the Lord…God the Son) was God (a separate, distinct, co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternalPerson who is the same in essence as God the Father).
JOHN 1:2
He (the Lord…God the Son) existed in the beginning with God the Father.
JOHN 1:3
All things came into being through Him (the Lord…God the Son…the Creator)…and apart from Him, nothing came into being that has come into being.
GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is our Mentor and Teacher and He is the rudder of the Christian’s life. In John, Chapter 16, Verse 13 the Lord says…
JOHN 16:13
But when He…God the Holy Spirit of truth comes…He will guide you into all the truth…for He will not speak on His own initiative…but whatever He hearsHe will speak…and He will disclose to you what is to come.
Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 16…
ROMANS 8:16
God the Holy Spirit Himself testifies with our human spirit that we are children of God (the “born again ones”)...
To solve the problem of our separation from God caused by sin, God the Son took on human form to pay for our sins and to reconcile us to the Godhead. John, Chapter 1, Verse 14 describes what makes God the Son different…
JOHN 1:14a
And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (taking on the form of a human being as Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah)…and He lived among us (for 33 years)…
JOHN 1:14b
…and we (the apostles…as reported by the apostle John) saw His glory (with our own eyes)…glory…the glory of the only begotten (uniquely born) One from the source of God Father…full of grace and full of truth.
Colossians, Chapter 2 Verse 9 makes it clear that Jesus Christ is God…
COLOSSIANS 2:9
…in Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah)…all the fullness of Deity lives in
bodily form…
The Lord Jesus Christ is God and He is the Savior of the world.
As Christians and we have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the
entire Godhead through the study of His Word…the Bible. Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21 informs us…
SECOND PETER 1:20
…know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own private interpretation…
SECOND PETER 1:21
…for no prophecy of Scripture was ever made by an act of human will…but men carried along by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from the exact thinking of THE God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible is not just a book. So what is it? First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 16 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:16
…who has come to know the mind of the Lord? And who will instruct the Lord?
The Word of God is the mind of Christ….His exact thinking.Psalm 119, Verse 103…
PSALM 119:103
How sweet are Your words to my taste Lord! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Psalm 119, Verse 105…
PSALM 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119, Verse 72…
PSALM 119:72
The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
The Bible is the absolute truth. It has no inaccuracies or contradictions.
God has an enemy…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world’ for a finite period. First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19…
FIRST JOHN 5:19
We believers in Christ KNOW that we are of possessions of God the Father…and we also know that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (Satan).
One of the traps Satan sucks us 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.” We all know those sins.
Much worse are Satan’s traps that involve the sins of the spirit. The sin of legalism is a great example. It when people putting themselves above others. The older brother in the Prodigal Son story. in self-righteousness, flaunts how good he is compared to his brother for not engaging in “loose living.” His judging of his brother is a much worse sin in God’s eyes…the sin of pride…a sin of spirit…as opposed to lasciviousness which is “loose living.”
Satan readily sucks us into these sins, and we act as if there is nothing wrong with it. Let’s not be fooled as the Galatian believers were fooled!Instead, let’s let God handle our enemy.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What Do Christians Have to Do to Help God the Holy Spirit Perfect Them?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Nothing!
Undoubtedly, as Christians, you’ve heard of the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 22 and 23…
GALATIANS 5:22
But the fruit of God the Holy Spirit is unconditional love, joy, and peace (in
yourselves)…patience, kindness, and goodness (toward others)…
GALATIANS 5:23
…faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (in your relationship with God)…against such virtues there is no law.
Well, the flesh produces fruit as well! In today’s lesson, as we look at the final passage of Galatians, Chapter 5. First, we’ll take a look at the dilemma of the Christian Way of Living.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!
Most Christians have the false hope that one day they’ll be independent. The truth is Christianity is TOTAL dependence on God for everything. When Christians realize they are not able to be perfect through their own works…it can be a bit depressing. Christians desperately wish they could do things that are pleasing to God and they find they NEVER can accomplish what they set out to do in their own power.
Fortunately for Christians, God made them righteous at the moment of their salvation. Christians are perfect in God’s eyes. So in all the moments when Christians realize their total dependence on God’s power…in all the times Christians make mistakes, God reminds them in Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 1…
ROMANS 8:1
There is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS.
Let’s remember that as we partake in today’s lesson. Christians are in union with Christ…and as June Murphy sings…IN CHRIST NO MORE CONDEMNATION!
MUSIC
OPENING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
IN CHRIST NO MORE CONDEMNATION
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, thank you for making Your plan for mankind so practical, and so simple, and so useable and so easy to execute…as You knew before You created us all, there would be false teachers who would introduce destructive heresies with their false teaching to rob us of our freedom to enjoy the perfection of Your plan for us…thank you for the Word of God which keeps us on the path of freedom and joy…thank you for sending God the Holy Spirit as our Mentor and Teacher to keep on leading us into all the truth…
…Father, help us to change our lives as we listen to the lesson today…as we are reminded to live our lives in Your power and not in our own…let the changes we make as a result of this lesson give us the freedom and joy and love You intended when you introduced Your plan to us believers in Your Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…help us to follow God the Holy Spirit and to let Him do the work in our lives…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What Do Christians Have to Do to Help God the Holy Spirit Perfect Them?
LESSON PART ONE
We continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. As we move into Chapter 5, Paul is shifting from the theological to the practical in his instruction. As you’ll remember, the people in the churches Paul established in the Galatian region, which is modern-day Turkey, are believers in Christ. They are SAVED…they have the salvation of the Lord…they heard the gospel message and they believed it…for SALVATION, they invested their faith in Christ alone to be saved. There is only one requirement to be saved…Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (at a single moment in time)…and you will be
saved by God (forever…once and for all time)…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
Simple! The simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ!
As soon as the Galatian believers were saved, false teachers who were emissaries of Satan, the ruler of this world, infiltrated the churches to disrupt their freedom. In Second Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 1, the apostle Peter reminds us that these same things are happening to this day…
SECOND PETER 2:1
But false prophets also arose among the people…just as there will also be false teachers among you who will secretly introduce destructive heresies (false teaching) even denying the Master (the Lord Jesus Christ) who bought them (to earth…their Creator)…bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
In the last lesson, we studied the first fifteen verses of Galatians, Chapter 5. Stirring you up by way of reminder, here’s the passage we studied…
GALATIANS 5:1
It was for freedom that Christ set us free…therefore, keep on standing firm in freedom and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
The main message of Paul’s letter to the Galatians is this verse…he encourages believers to keep on residing in freedom, and not to be so foolish as to be bewitched and sucked into slavery again by false teachers who claim you are saved by grace, and then after salvation you must return to works to REALLY be saved. This heresy is pervasive in the church even to this day.
GALATIANS 5:2
Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you.
GALATIANS 5:3
And I (Paul) testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.
Paul says to those who attempt to change Christianity into legalism…
GALATIANS 5:4
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law…
you have fallen from grace.
GALATIANS 5:5
For we believers in Christ…through God the Holy Spirit…by faith…are waiting for the hope (the absolute confidence) of (our imputed) righteousness.
GALATIANS 5:6
For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything (it has no value at all…especially in the matter of salvation)…but faith working through unconditional love means everything.
GALATIANS 5:7
You Galatian believers were running well…WHO hindered you from obeying the truth of the Word?
GALATIANS 5:8
This persuasion of the Judaizersdid not come from the Lord who calls you.
GALATIANS 5:9
A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
GALATIANS 5:10
I (Paul) have confidence in those of you in union with the Lord…that you will adopt no other view (other than the true view of the Word of God)…but the one who is disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.
GALATIANS 5:11
But I (Paul), believers in Christ, if I still preach circumcision (as I am being accused of by the Judaizers), why am I still persecuted by them? Then the stumbling block of the Cross has been abolished.
GALATIANS 5:12
I wish that the Judaizers who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves (emasculate themselves during circumcision)…
GALATIANS 5:13
For you believers in Christ were called to freedom…only do not turn your freedom
into an opportunity for the flesh…but through unconditional love serve one another.
GALATIANS 5:14
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor unconditionally as you love yourself…unconditionally.”
GALATIANS 5:15
But if you bite and devour one another…take care that you are not consumed by
one another.
Let’s introduce today’s passage of study…Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 16 to 26…
GALATIANS 5:16
But I (Paul) say (to you Galatian believers in Christ and to all believers in Christ)…walk by the Spirit, and you will not (not no way…not no how…OUK…the strongest negative in the Greek language) carry out the desire of the flesh.
GALATIANS 5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit sets its desire against the flesh…for these two are in opposition to one another…so that you may not do the things that you please.
GALATIANS 5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, and all believers in Christ are, you are not under the Law.
GALATIANS 5:19
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, and sensuality…
GALATIANS 5:20
…idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions…
GALATIANS 5:21
…envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
GALATIANS 5:22
But the fruit of God the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace (in yourselves)…patience, kindness, goodness (toward others)…
GALATIANS 5:23
…faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (in your relationship with God)…against such virtues there is no law.
GALATIANS 5:24
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
GALATIANS 5:25
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
GALATIANS 5:26
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
This final passage of Galatians, Chapter 5 divides neatly into four parts…today we’ll study the first part and in the coming weeks we will study the other parts. The four parts are Verses 16 to 18…Verses 19 to 21…Verses 22 and 23…and Verses 24 to 26.
As we look at the verses in part one, I want you to think about trains! First, let’s hear the verses in part one again…Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 16 to 18…
GALATIANS 5:16
But I (Paul) say…walk by the (power of) God the Holy Spirit…and you believers in Christ will not (no way…not no how…OUK!) carry out the desire (lusts) of the flesh.
GALATIANS 5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against God the Holy Spirit…and God the Holy Spirit sets His desire against the flesh…for these are in opposition to one another…and this is why you believers in Christ may not do the things you please.
GALATIANS 5:18
But if you believers in Christ are led by God the Holy Spirit…and of course you are…you are not (no way, not no how…OUK!) under the Mosaic Law.
The Christian dilemma! A question for you…where do you get your power from in the Christian Way of Living? Don’t struggle…there are only two choices…you get your power from yourself through human effort…or you get your power from God the Holy Spirit!
So back to the train analogy. Here’s the way most believers in Christ run their Christian lives…with their own power…which the Bible calls works. Here’s what a railroad hand car looks like…
<1 RAILROAD HAND CAR SLIDE>
…here are people working a hand car to make it go…if you have never experienced this, it’s HARD WORK!
<2 RAILROAD HAND CAR WITH PEOPLE SLIDE>
That’s what false teachers recommend. You are SAVED BY GRACE…with no works required on your part…and then once you’re saved, YOU take over and become responsible for your SANCTIFICATION through working hard. Or, you begin to doubt your salvation because you did nothing to help it occur!
You are encouraged by false teachers to work to impress God. You eat their propaganda up! You make a failing effort to “be a good person” and you create a phony lifestyle that you think is impressive to God.
It’s a trap that EVERY Christian falls into…only some choose to live in this deception forever, never realizing the freedom and the joy of getting power from God.Remember Paul’s admonition to believers in Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 3…
GALATIANS 3:3
(Galatians believers and believers today)…are you so foolish? Having begun your salvationby the baptism ofGod the HolySpirit, are you now being perfected (during SANCTIFICATION) by the flesh?
Absolutely NOT! OUK! Not no way…not no how! Again…where do you believers in Christ get your power in the Christian Way of Living? You can do it yourself as the false teachers suggest…WORKS…propelling your Christian life as if you are on a railroadhandcar…
<2 RAILROAD HAND CAR WITH PEOPLE SLIDE>
…or, you can see yourself as the caboose of a train…
<3 RAILROAD CABOOSE SLIDE>
…and get your power from the locomotive…the engine of the train.
<4 RAILROAD ENGINE SLIDE>
Picture the caboose. It goes nowhere without the engine. The caboose never tries to propel itself. It simply waits to be hooked up to the engine of the train, and it goes where the engine goes. The caboose is DEPENDENT on the engine for locomotion.
That’s the Christian Way of Living! You are DEPENDENT on God the Holy Spirit for locomotion. But you don’t like that because you want to help! Well God doesn’t need our help. He didn’t need our help to save us, and He certainly doesn’t need our help to perfect us.
What are the problems in your life? You wish your family saw how wonderful you are…you wish your spouse would see the sacrifices you make for your family… you wish your kids valued you…you wish your boss listened to you…you wish your boss would give you a raise…you wish your health was better. Whatever the issue, what is typical is we want to work out our problems in our own power. The result? We fail miserably…incessantly…to resolve our problems. Can you fix cancer in your own power?
If Christians simply realized that God wants to work out all our problems for us…that God considers the resolution of our problems to be His responsibility… that God seeks to work all things together for our good as it says in Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28…we would simply rest in His power. We’d be the caboose, and we’d let Him be the engine.
On a practical level…what does that look like? Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 16…
GALATIANS 5:16
But I (Paul) say…walk by the (power of) God the Holy Spirit…and you believers in
Christ will not (no way…not no how…OUK!) carry out the desire (lusts) of the
flesh.
WALK BY MEANS OF THE SPIRIT!
Create a lifestyle of dependence on the power of God the Holy Spirit. Hand your problems over to Him…get out of the way…and watch Him work!God the Holy Spirit exists to work out your problems for you. Will you let Him? How hard is it to just cooperate with God the Holy Spirit? It’s not hard at all. It’s as hard as hooking up your caboose to an engine.
As Christians, we already have the victory in this life. What is the strategy for victory? It’s called SANCTIFICATION. We keep in step with God the Holy Spirit and we benefit as He succeeds at the job of conforming us to the image of God the Son.
What did God the Holy Spirit do for Mary of Magdala (known as Mary Magdalene)…or for Matthew…or for Peter…or for Paul? He turned a prostitute into a great woman of God…He turned Matthew, a thief who was betraying fellow Jews, into a spiritual benefactor…He turned Peter, a “Benedict Arnold” traitorbetrayer into the leader of the apostles…He turned Paul, the biggest murderer of all time into the best believer in Christ of all time. What could He do for you if you would let Him?
Of course, your real problem is the spiritual war being waged against your soul. Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
GALATIANS 5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against God the Holy Spirit…and God the Holy Spirit sets His desire against the flesh…for these two are in opposition to one another…so that you believers in Christ may not do the things that you please.
This is the unseen conflict going on inside of every Christian! You have a soul…from the moment of salvation you have a human spirit…and since your physical birth you have had the flesh resident inside of you.
The flesh is more powerful than you. It is antagonistic to everything in your life. It hates you, it hates God, and it is not tamable. Fortunately, you have God the Holy Spirit to do battle with the flesh, and it is hardly an issue of who will win the battle. The problem comes when you think you need to help in the battle. False
teachers use false teaching to get you to engage in a battle you cannot win.
When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll continue our verse-by-verse study of Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 16 to 18.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK
NOBODY
Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What Do Christians Have to Do to Help God the Holy Spirit Perfect Them?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
Christians are to follow the Lord’s example in everything, especially in giving. John, Chapter 3, Verse 16 says…
JOHN 3:16
“God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He GAVE His uniquely born Son…
What’s the best time for Christians to give? There must never be a time when we don’t give. Everything we have comes from God. When we give, we are simply redirecting the resources God has given us to His purposes.
Giving expresses your faith in God. You don’t worry about the amount you give because in faith, you know God will return it to you abundantly. Let your giving rival God’s giving and watch what flows to your life. Give something…give anything…give now…and keep on giving.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
COLOSSIANS 3:23-24
Whatever you do…do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men…knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
OFFERING SONG
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What Do Christians Have to Do to Help God the Holy Spirit Perfect Them?
LESSON PART TWO
Welcome back! Let’s remind ourselves of the Christian dilemma…Galatians, Chapter 5, Verses 16 to 18…
GALATIANS 5:16
But I (Paul) say…walk by the (power of) God the Holy Spirit…and you believers in Christ will not (no way…not no how…OUK!) carry out the desire (the lusts) of the flesh.
GALATIANS 5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against God the Holy Spirit…and God the Holy Spirit sets His desire against the flesh…for these are in opposition to one another…and this is why you believers in Christ may not do the things you please.
GALATIANS 5:18
But if you believers in Christ are led by God the Holy Spirit…and of course you are…you are not (no way, not no how…OUK!) under the Mosaic Law.
We left off at Verse 17.
GALATIANS 5:17
For the flesh sets its desire against God the Holy Spirit…and God the Holy Spirit sets His desire against the flesh…for these are in opposition to one another…and this is why you believers in Christ may not do the things you please.
If you have ever taken martial arts, you know you will often beasked to spar withyour instructor. The problem? Your instructor, by necessity, is WAY BETTER THANK YOU! And a great instructor’s goal is to dominate you…to put you into submission…to show you how inferior you are so you will be motivated to improve…or…so you will quit!
That’s the Christian dilemma. The flesh wants you to abandon the Christian Way of Living. The flesh wants to dominate you. The flesh wants to put you into submission to its rebellion. God the Holy Spirit wants to improve you.
From the moment you became a believer in Christ you were made into a new creation by God…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in union with Christ…and all believers in Christ are…there is a new creation…the old man things passed away (they died)…behold new things have come.
Once we are believers in Christ, we want to do the right things…but we fall short again and again and again. It can be quite discouraging. One of the best believers of all time, the apostle Paul, explains his Christian dilemma…Romans, Chapter 7, Verses 15 to 25…
ROMANS 7:15
For what I (Paul) am doing (in the outer game of my life…the one everyone sees)…I do not understand…for I am not practicing (in my outer game) what I would like to do…but I am doing the very thing I hate (to do…I am not living the REAL inner game…the spiritual inner game…which is what I want to do…so as to reflect it outwardly).
ROMANS 7:16
But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, and I do, I agree with the Mosaic Law, confessing that the Mosaic Law is good (it is holy…it is righteous…it is from God).
There’s nothing wrong with God’s laws…
ROMANS 7:17
So now (my insight is)…no longer am I (Paul) the one doing the sinning, but the flesh indwelling me is doing the sinning.
Paul is not abdicating responsibility…he is becoming aware of his dependence on
God to do the work.
ROMANS 7:18
For I (Paul) know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…for the willingness to do good…the wish to do good…is present in me…but the actual doing of the good is not present in me.
ROMANS 7:19
For the good that I want to do I do not do…but I PRACTICE the very evil that I do not want to do.
ROMANS 7:20
But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it…but the flesh which indwells me is doing it.
ROMANS 7:21
I find then the principle that evil is present in me…the one who wants to do good.
ROMANS 7:22
For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man…
ROMANS 7:23
…but I see a different law in the members of my body…waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my flesh.
ROMANS 7:24
Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
ROMANS 7:25
Thanks be to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord (who delivered us from the body of this death through His work on the Cross)! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God…but on the other hand with my flesh I am serving the law of sin.
Following God and letting Him do the work in your Christian life is easy according to God…in Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 30, the Lord says…
MATTHEW11:30
“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Freedom is a yoke…but so is slavery! As a new creation, Christians want to please God…the old self that has died…the flesh…doesn’t want to please God.
God the Holy Spirit helps Christians do impossible things the flesh does not want us to do…like overlooking mistreatment and offenses…not holding grudges…
having lust-free days…making things about others instead of about self.
When you think you can do these things yourself and you don’t, you ought to realize that God can do these things when you can’t or won’t.
The flesh is the Greek word sarx…it refers to meat in the marketplace…it’s a metaphor for the nature of man which is animal-like and sinful and rebellious. Ishmael…the son of Abraham who was an unbeliever…was described in the Bible as a “wild donkey of a man,” led by animal promptings and passions without moral consideration. People who allow themselves to be led by the flesh cannot differentiate between prompt and passion. They simply react without thinking.
Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 18…
GALATIANS 5:18
But if you believers in Christ are led by God the Holy Spirit…and of course you are…you are not (no way…not no how…OUK!) under the Mosaic Law.
If you are led by God the Holy Spirit you are not foolish enough to think you can keep every one of the 613 rules that are part of the Mosaic Law. And when you realize your complete incompetence at keeping the Mosaic Law, you would do well to depend on God the Holy Spirit to do the perfecting for you.
You can take a religious approach to Christianity…legalism…attempting to follow rituals and rules without ever being successful…living in a powerless, dead religion that has no ability to help you…or…you can take a spiritual approach to your Christian life and count on a relationship with God instead of counting on following rules.
You can’t merit your own salvation….nor do you have the discipline to impress God with your works. So why bother? The Lord’s plan for you and His love for you sets you free from this nonsense with a relationship. Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 1…
HEBREWS 4:1
Therefore, if we believers in Christ fear anything, let us fear if while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.
The Lord is calling you believers in Christ to freedom. Will you come?Will you walk by means of the power of the locomotive…God the Holy Spirit? Will you realize that He and ONLY He can keep you from carrying out the desire of the flesh? Will you simply be the caboose and let God the Holy Spirit provide the power for your life? Or do you want to follow the lying false teachers and their false teaching and use human power for your life? Do you want to “figure everything out” for yourself? Or would you rather keep on investing your faith in God, knowing He has your best interests in mind?
Unfortunately…most Christians are completely duped. Don’t be one of them. We’ll continue our study of this passage in the next lesson.
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
God gave you an amazing gift from the moment of birth…VOLITION…the ability to choose. You have the power of free will…the power of choice…you can make your own decisions. Freedom…what a concept!
What do you choose to believe about God?
There are many beliefs about God. A belief is an opinion, a conviction, or confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable. Yet everything with God is provable! There is no need for blind faith in God! He reveals Himself in ways that make sense to human beings, which means He reveals Himself in ways that make sense to YOU! If He didn't, what kind of God would He be? What would make Him worthy of our worship? Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 says…
ROMANS 1:20a
For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’sinvisible attributes…His eternal power…and His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…
ROMANS 1:20b
…being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe…so that all mankind, especially unbelievers, are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.
Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs. He knows there is a BIG difference between beliefs and truth. Only when our beliefs and the truth are the same are our beliefs significant. Satan hates truth. Why? He can’t handle the truth! Do you choose to believe Satan or do you choose what God says is true?
What many people believe is that they can impress God so much He will let them into heaven because of good deeds and religious practices. They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they “give back” to the community. Yet none of these good deeds, while admirable, are good enough to get them into heaven.
The Bible, God’s manual for your life, tells a completely different story about your works. Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5 says…
TITUS 3:5
The Lord Jesus Christ saved us believers in Christ…not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness…but according to His mercy (not giving us the wrath of God that sin deserves)…by the washing of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
The Bible directs all mankind to let God do the saving!
You would never want to put the burden of your salvation on your own back. Your good deeds won’t get you into heaven, but God’s plan can! The ONE way… the ONLY way to get to heaven is through placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation…John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6
Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation)…and I am the truth (through the Word of God)…and I am the resurrection life (eternal life)…and no one comes to God the Father in heavenbut through believing in Me.”
The apostle Paul describes Jesus…the amazing Jewish Messiah…the Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3
For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4
…and He was buried…and He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
When you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God…when you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven…these are much more than beliefs… it’s the absolute truth! So how do you get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life? Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10 say…
ROMANS 10:9
…if you confesswith your mouth…Jesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be saved…
ROMANS 10:10
…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness by God (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone)resulting in salvation.
It’s wise to let God save you, because once God does something, it can’t be undone because God never changes His mind. John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…
JOHN 10:28
“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ, and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
Rejecting a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has consequences…Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…
MATTHEW 13:40
So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
MATTHEW 13:41
The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who commit lawlessness (unbelievers)…
MATTHEW 13:42
…and the elect angels will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (The Lake of
Fire)…and in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Make the most important choice of your life! Do what is suggested in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31
“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
JOHN 3:17
For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord…who took on human form as Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah) into the world to judge the world…but God the Father sent God the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
Take the free gift of eternal life right now! There’s no time to waste! God wants you! Why bother working for your salvation with good deeds when it’s a free gift? Let the Lord Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross “give back” to you!
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music!
God is never disappointed with His creatures. He loves us unconditionally despite our decision not to depend on Him too heavily. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 10 Says…
EPHESIANS 2:10
…we believers in Christ are God the Father’s workmanship…created to be in union with Christ Jesus for good works…which good works God the Father prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Here’s June Murphy to express this lack of disappointment our God has toward His creatures in her song…I CAN’T DISAPPOINT YOU.
MUSIC
CLOSING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
I CAN’T DISAPPOINT YOU
June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for helpingus see how futile it is to propel our lives in our won power…help us taking the easy way out by counting on you…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
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