Romans 1: What is the Lord's Message to Christians in Romans Chapter 1?

Class Outline:

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The key is good news.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

OPENING AGENDA

 

You may be wondering some things about Barah Ministries…

 

Who is the God we worship?

What is our source of truth?

Who is our enemy?

 

Since the Bible is God's Word…the Lord's exact thinking…studying the Word of God helps Christians know the Lord intimately. Through His Word, we learn about His nature and His attributes, andwe come to understand His personal plan for each of us. Reminding you of the importance of a knowledge of God, a knowledge of His Word, and knowledge of His enemy is always a pleasure for me, And I'm happy to repeat it as we open every lesson. I hope you are as happy to hear it.

 

Who is the God We Worship?

 

We worship a Triune Godhead. 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.

He is a loving father who adores His children, and His children are those who have

committed to believing in His Son…Second Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verses 16 and Verse 18…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 6:16b

For we believers in Christ are the temple of the living God…just as God the Father said, "I will indwell believers in Christ and I will walk among them…and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 6:18

"And I (God the Father) will be a Father to youbelievers in Christ…and you shall be sons and daughters to Me…"

 

GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father's plan. God the Son is a provider…John, Chapter 1, Verse 12 says…

 

JOHN 1:12

…as many as received the invitation from Jesus to be saved…to them He gave the right to become children of God the Father…even to those who believe in Jesus' name…

 

There is ONE AND ONLY ONE WAY to heaven. You invest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…asking Him to save you…and Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…when you believe in Him…instantly givesyou the resurrection life…eternal life…in His name.

 

We worship GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. He is our Mentor and Teacher, a guide who is the rudder of a Christian's life. Isaiah, Chapter 11, Verses 1 and 2 describe a few attributes of God the Holy Spirit…

 

ISAIAH 11:1

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse (the shoot is the Lord Jesus Christ)…and a branch from his roots will bear fruit.

 

ISAIAH 11:2

God the Holy Spirit will rest on the Lord…the Spirit of wisdom…the Spirit of understanding…the Spirit of counsel…the Spirit of strength…and the Spirit of the knowledge and the respect of the Lord.

 

God the Holy Spirit has a wonderful, convicting ministry for unbelievers. He has

an even more powerful ministry to believers in Christ…sanctificationHe sets believers in Christapart for a set of privileges that stagger the imagination.

 

What is Our Source of Truth?

 

As Christians, we develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the

entire Godhead through the DAILY study of the Word of God…THE BIBLE.

What does Joshua, Chapter 1, Verse 8, have to say about the Word of God?

 

JOSHUA 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth…but you shall meditate on it day and night…so that you may be careful to do according to ALL that is written in it…for then you will make your way prosperous…and then you will have success.

 

Obedience to God and His Word is the prescription for success in this life.

 

Who is Our Enemy?

 

GOD HAS AN ENEMY…Satan…whom God made 'the ruler of this world' for a finite period, he is also the enemy of believers in Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ had terse words for the Pharisees who pretended to follow God,yet they were really following the direction of Satan John, Chapter 8, Verse 44…

 

JOHN 8:44

You Pharisees are of your father the devil…and you want to do the desires of your father (Satan) He was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his very nature…for he is a liar and he is the one who keeps on fathering of lies.

 

Look at some of Satan's titles…the devil…the deceiver…the evil one…the accuser of believers…the serpent…the father of the sons of disobedience…the one who fathers lies. Satan loves introducing his thinking into the minds of people, and Christians are his primary target. He seeks to paralyze the spiritual life of Christians by filling them with false concepts.

 

As Christians, our Father is God the Father. We are His children, So we don't listen to someone who is not our Father. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

What is the Lord Communicating to Christians in Romans Chapter 1?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Often, believers in Christ act like babies when they study the Word of God. They expect the Pastor to provide the lesson…to tell them what to think about the lesson…to tell them how to apply the lesson to their lives…as they sit passively by without a notepad and a pen to study the Word of God. They listen to Bible study on the run as if it is the same as a business podcast. This is not learning.

 

As our good friend June Murphy might advise, we have to know, reckon, and yield. We study the Word of God to know it…we reckon…that is, we think about what we learned…and then we apply what we learned to our own lives. We participate in our learning. The Godhead installs God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The enabling power of God, the Holy Spirit, can be used to understand the Word of God as the Spirit leads us into all the truth.

 

In today's lesson, let's reflect on what God is teaching us in Romans, Chapter 1. As we reflect, let's remember to do this for every spiritual lesson we learn, and not just on special occasions.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let's hear some music. Because Christians live in Satan's kingdom, it always seems to us that unbelievers prosper. Christians suffer tribulation after tribulation, while unbelievers seem to skate. If we experience a thousand tribulations, each of which devastates us, we need to know that there will be one future event that makes it all worth it Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 9 to 11…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:9

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

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:10

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

 

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:11

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

 

Jesus Christ is "the Man!"  Let's hear June Murphy tell us about Him in her song COME SEE A MAN.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let's Sing the Lord's Praises

 

COME SEE A MAN

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 being loving and forgiving and righteous and just…thank you for your patience toward your children as God the Holy Spirit advances us to spiritual maturity…thank you for God the Holy Spirit's ministry to unbelievers, inviting them to the free gift of eternal life…thank you for your Son, our Lord, and Savior Jesus Christ who made the ultimate sacrifice and paid the ultimate price voluntarily so we could have a relationship with You…

 

…give us insights into the messages You are sending us in Paul's letter to the Romans…put in our hearts a burning desire to see everyone in our periphery saved by providing them with the gospel message…help us to keep the value of our "so great" salvation always at the top of mind, never taking it for granted…

 

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

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

What is the Lord Communicating to Christians in Romans Chapter 1?

 

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

We've completed our study of the first chapter of Paul's letter to the Romans. What was the Lord communicating to Christians in the first chapter? If you personalize that question, you might say to yourself, "What is the Lord teaching me through the apostle Paul in Romans Chapter 1?" You might also ask, "How does the Lord want me to apply this learning to my life?"

 

It's important as you study the Word of God to know what God is telling you. Since His messages to you through Scripture are personal, no Pastor…no person…can tell you what you ought to learn. Let's use this lesson for reflection. Let's see if you can hear the voice of the Lord communicating to you through your thoughts as you reflect on the messages of this first chapter.

 

After a short greeting where Paul introduces his credentials to the Roman believers, and after an affirmation of how proud he is of the work they are doing to spread the gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the whole inhabited world, Paul gives the main message of the letter…Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 16 and 17…

 

ROMANS 1:16

For I (Paul) am not ashamed of the gospel of God the Father…for the gospel is the power of God the Father for salvation to everyone who believes…to the Jew first (chronologically)…and also to the Greek (us Gentiles).

 

ROMANS 1:17

For in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the righteousness of God the Father is revealed…from faith in the Lord for salvationto faith in the Lord for all things… as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN (any believer in Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (by placing his confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation)."

 

The gospel message is good news for the sinner, and all of us are sinners from the moment of our physical birth. At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ solved the sin problem so that those sinners who request salvation can become saints. The Lord's message to us believers: As saints…as believers in Christ…we are NEVER to be ashamed to share the gospel message with sinners regardless of their reaction to it. Their reaction is their business, not yours. Their physical birth is bad news…the Lord's salvation message is the good news.

 

In the final passage of Romans, Chapter 1, the Lord addresses the immoralitygoing on in Rome. Most unbelieving Roman citizens of the day were engaged in practices that could only be perpetrated by people who were unrestrained in their approach to living. Paul communicates to the saints at Rome at least twenty-one sins that were prevalent in the culture…practices the Lord would call unholy, ungodly, and unrighteous…things that believers in Christ are no longer capable of because God has given us His righteousness at the moment of salvation To be sure, believers in Christ sin after salvation, but we are not unholy, ungodly, and unrighteous God made us different  Let's look at Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 32…

 

ROMANS 1:18

For the WRATH OF GOD THE FATHER is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness of unbelievers who suppress the truth of the gospel in unrighteousness…

 

ROMANS 1:19

…because that which is known about God the Father is evident within unbelievers who practice ungodliness and unrighteousness…for God the Father makes the knowledge of God very plain to unbelievers.

 

ROMANS 1:20a

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ's invisible 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(who practice ungodliness andunrighteousness) are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.

 

ROMANS 1:21

For even though unbelievers KNEW God…they did not honor Him as God nor give Him thanks…instead, they became futile in their speculations…and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

ROMANS 1:22

Professing to be wise…unbelievers became fools…

 

ROMANS 1:23

…and unbelieversexchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images to worship…in the form of corruptible man…in the form of birds…in the form of four-footed animals…and in the form of crawling creatures.

 

ROMANS 1:24

Therefore, God the Father gave unbelievers over…in the lusts of their hearts…to

impurity…so that their bodies would be dishonored among them…making their sins clearly visible.

 

ROMANS 1:25

For unbelievers exchanged the truth about God for a lie…and they worshiped and served created things rather than worshipping and serving the Creator…the One who is Blessed forever Amen.

 

ROMANS 1:26

For this reason…the worship of created things rather than the Creator…GOD GAVE THEM OVER to shameful passions…for their women exchanged the natural sexualfunction (with men) for a sexual function which is unnatural(homosexuality)…

 

ROMANS 1:27

…and in the same way, the men abandoned the natural function of sex with women and burned in their desire toward one another…men with men committing indecent sexualacts (homosexuality) and receiving in their own persons the compensation for their error (something visible to the eyes of all).

 

ROMANS 1:28

And just as unbelievers did not see fit to acknowledge there is aGod any longer (atheism)…GOD GAVE THEM OVER to a depraved mind…allowing them to practice those things which are not proper…

 

ROMANS 1:29

…and unbelievers became filled with all unrighteousness, such as wickedness, greed, and evil…they were full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice…they are gossips…

 

ROMANS 1:30

…they are slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil,

and disobedient to their parents…

 

ROMANS 1:31

…they are without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful…

 

ROMANS 1:32

…and although THEY KNOW the ordinances of God…that those who practice such things are worthy of the sentence of death…they not only do these things…they also give hearty approval to others who practice the same things.

 

In the last lesson, you were asked to consider if you are the target of God's wrath. If you are not an unbeliever, the answer is NO. If you are an unbeliever, the answer is still NO. God reserves His wrath for sin.

 

Unfortunately, because unbelievers reject a relationship with Jesus Christ and His work on the Cross on their behalf, shedding His blood to pay for their sins…they are choosing to accept the wrath of God because they choose to pay for their own sins. They want nothing to do with the gracious God who is offering them the free gift of salvation.

 

So, we learned that God the Father reserves His wrath for sin. When an unbeliever closes his eyes in this life, which all will, his sin is the target of God's wrath. As we will learn in Romans, Chapter 3, the Lord also reveals His righteousness to those who accept a relationship with Him.  Wrath or righteousness: It's your choice. There is only one intelligent choice.

 

Let's reflect on Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 16 and 17.

 

ROMANS 1:16

For I (Paul) am not ashamed of the gospel of God the Father…for the gospel is the power of God the Father for salvation to everyone who believes…to the Jew first (chronologically)…and also to the Greek (the Gentiles).

 

ROMANS 1:17

For in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the righteousness of God the Father is revealed…from faith in the Lord for salvationto faith in the Lord for all things… as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN (any believer in Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (by placing his confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation)."

 

In a polytheistic culture in Rome, most people believed the myth that you merely passed on to the afterlife with no impending judgment. The stories about what happens in the afterlife didn't really sound so bad. They ignored the fact that there is an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Godwho is loving and just…who gives us a chance…but who will not compromise His integrity. Now you know what is meant by Satan blinding the minds of unbelievers. He keeps on fathering lies that there is no judgment. The Bible paints a different picture Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

ROMANS 1:18

For the WRATH OF GOD THE FATHER is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness of unbelievers who suppress the truth of the gospel in unrighteousness…

 

Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 10 says…

 

HEBREWS 4:10

…there is no creature hidden from the Lord's sight…but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of the Lord with whom we have much to do.

 

The mythology of the day in Rome promised a different fate. If there is no judgment…if there is no hell…as many religions and religious people want us to believe…some of whom you are related to…then there is no need to be saved.

The infamous lie Everyone is saved no matter what because a loving God would never be unfair enough to send one of His creatures to the Lake of Fire. The Bible paints a different picture Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 19 and 20…

 

ROMANS 1:19

…that which is known about God the Father is evident within unbelievers who practice ungodliness and unrighteousness…for God the Father makes the knowledge of Himself (and the entire Godhead) very plain to unbelievers.

 

ROMANS 1:20a

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ's invisible 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(who practice ungodliness andunrighteousness) are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.

 

The lie What if a person didn't know about Jesus? These verses say everyone on the planet knows, feels, and experiences the presence of God. Many ignore Him.  Most reject Him. The unbeliever speculates, "Yeah, but what about a little baby who has never heard of Jesus Christ?"  "Yeah, but what about a child who dies three days after he is born?" These are the questions the unbeliever knows the answer to if he assumes God is fair. A fair God would never let a baby who had never heard the gospel message go to the Lake of Fire. That's a ridiculous thought.

 

For those who are old enough to understand, there is no way not to know of the existence of God because God declares Himself. God introduces Himself to us

from outside of us and from inside of us. Some of the most brilliantly intellectual people in the world get inside their own head and create speculations about God rather than getting to know Him.

 

How does God make us aware of Himself from the outside of us? He communicates through things that make us feel completely helpless… earthquakes…tsunamis…hurricanes…tornados. Unbelievers say these things are caused by "Mother Nature"or"the Universe"as a way to ignore God. They credit supernatural phenomena to anameless, faceless entity. Nope, It's God, and they know it.

 

Since God makes Himself known to everyone, unbelievers stand indicted…Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 21 to 23…

 

ROMANS 1:21

For even though unbelievers KNEW God…they did not honor Him as God nor give Him thanks (ingratitude)…instead, they became futile in their speculations…and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

ROMANS 1:22

Professing to be wise…unbelievers became fools…

 

ROMANS 1:23

…and unbelieversexchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images to worship…in the form of corruptible man…in the form of birds…in the form of four-footed animals…and in the form of crawling creatures.

There are even deductive ways to know God's Design demands a designer.

The conscience…the ability to know right from wrong…something we learned when we were two years old…infers that there is righteousness and evil.

 

The Big Bang Theory is proposed as a way the universe came into existence. How did this THEORY come into existence? You'll get a kick out of this. This startling idea first appeared in scientific form in 1931 in a paper by Georges Lemaître, a Belgian cosmologist and Catholic priest. The theory, accepted by nearly all astronomers today, was a radical departure from scientific orthodoxy in the 1930s Beautiful.

 

Isn't it funny how sexy lies are, and how easily they are adopted and spread? Wouldn't it be great if the world found the gospel message to be as sexy as the Big Bang theory?

 

If the Big Bang theory were true, though, who set off the Big Bang? I do not doubt that the creation of the universe, which the Lord spoke into existence, made noise, and since the angels were there to witness it, I do not doubt that the wily serpent was thinking about how he would deceive the whole world about creation.

 

Fortunately, we have God, the Holy Spirit, who is responsible for leading everyone to the truth. Are you listening?

 

God makes us aware of Himself from the inside according to Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, Verse 11…

 

ECCLESIASTES 3:11

He has made everything appropriate in its timeHe has also set eternity in their heart, yet no one can imagine the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

 

All mankind is intimately aware of God's presence. Revelation, Chapter 3, Verse 20 confirms it…

 

REVELATION 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door of your souland I keep on knocking…if (3) anyone hears My voice and opens the door (by choice)…I will rush in to dine with him and he will dine with Me.

 

Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 7 and 8…

 

MATTHEW 7:7

Ask and it will be given to you…seek and you will find…knock and it will be opened to you.

 

MATTHEW 7:8

For everyone who asks receives…and he who seeks finds…and to him who knocks it will be opened.

 

Are you looking for the God who reveals Himself to you inside and out? Most aren’t Psalm 14, Verse 1…

 

PSALM 14:1

The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt…they have committed abominable deeds…no creature does good."

 

Yet God wants you to know him.

 

What do smart people think about God? Here's Bill Gates…

 

BILL GATES

 

"I'm not somebody who goes to church regularly. The specific elements of Christianity are not something I'm a huge believer in."

 

He's a Roman Catholic. Here's billionaire Warren Buffet…

 

WARREN BUFFET

"I am an agnostic. I don't know whether there is a God or not. Maybe when I die, I will find out…but right now,I don't know."

 

Brilliant…and sad. These smart, hard-working men know everything about money and nothing about God.

 

Speaking of money, when we return from the break,we'll take the offering, and then we'll continue hearing insights from our study of Romans, Chapter 1.

 

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

What is the Lord Communicating to Christians in Romans Chapter 1?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

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 to desire to serve those who are spiritually bankrupt. Your generosity is the means by which Barah Ministries can providean accurate gospel message to be enjoyed free of charge 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

 

PSALM 34:18

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON

What is the Lord Communicating to Christians in Romans Chapter 1?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Welcome back. What's the worst thing God does to people who choose a life of depravity and immorality? Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 24 to 28…

 

ROMANS 1:24

Therefore, God the Father gave unbelievers over…in the lusts of their hearts…to

impurity…so that their bodies would be dishonored among them…making their sins clearly visible.

 

ROMANS 1:25

For unbelievers exchanged the truth about God for a lie…and they worshiped and served created things rather than worshipping and serving the Creator…the One who is Blessed forever Amen.

 

ROMANS 1:26

For this reason…the worship of created things rather than worship of the Creator…GOD GAVE THEM OVER to shameful passions…for their women exchanged the natural sexualfunction with men for a sexual function which is unnatural (homosexuality)…

 

ROMANS 1:27

…and in the same way, the men abandoned the natural function of sex with women and burned in their desire toward one another…men with men committing indecent sexualacts (homosexuality) and receiving in their own persons the compensation for their error (something visible to the eyes of all).

 

ROMANS 1:28

And just as unbelievers did not see fit to acknowledge there is aGod any longer (atheism)…GOD GAVE THEM OVER to a depraved mind…allowing them to practice those things which are not proper…

 

Chilling words…GOD GAVE THEM OVER…to their own lusts…to degrading passions…to a depraved mind. Immorality Unbelievers want to believe if they say something is okay, then it's okay. They have a complete disregard for what God has to say about a matter. They gravitate toward teachers who agree with them…Second Timothy, Chapter 4, Verses 3 and 4…

 

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 4:3

For the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine…but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 4:4

…and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

 

That's first-century Rome in a nutshell.

 

Here's a list of famous atheists…Woody Allen…Kevin Bacon…Mel Brooks… Richard Burton…Clint Eastwood…Katherine Hepburn…Marilyn Monroe… Britney Spears…Linda Ronstadt, there are more. What is an atheist?

 

ATHEIST

Someone who chooses to reject that there is a God, even though they KNOW there is a God.

 

Life is futile when you are estranged from God. Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verse 12 says…

 

PROVERBS 14:12

There is a way which seems right to a man…but its end is the way of death.

 

Instead of worshipping God, unbelievers worship sinning. What are the things they worship Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 29 to 31…

 

ROMANS 1:29

…and unbelievers became filled with all unrighteousness, such as wickedness, greed, and evil…they were full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice…they are gossips…

 

ROMANS 1:30

…they are slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, and disobedient to their parents…

 

ROMANS 1:31

…they are without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful…

 

The list of sins does not keep people from heaven. Being estranged from God is what keeps you from heaven. Rejecting a relationship with Jesus Christ keeps you from heaven. Yet even in the face of all these sins, the Lord still waits with open arms and welcomes anyone who is still breathing into a relationship with Him.

 

Getting to heaven when you close your eyes in this life is as simple as a nine-word conversation with God the Father…like the one in Luke, Chapter 23, Verses 42 and 43…

 

LUKE 23:42

And a thief being crucified next to Jesus was saying, "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!"

 

LUKE 23:43

And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you…today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

 

A nine-word conversation with God can get you to heaven…Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

 

Unbelievers say to God, "I don't want to be with you in heaven." God gives them a Burger King response… "Okay…have it your way…YOU RULE!"

 

What is God teaching us in Romans, Chapter 1: You're a sinner. You need a Savior. Your Savior has a free gift for you…eternal life. You have two choices…  heaven or the lake of fire. Whatever you choose, God accepts.

 

It is our duty as Christians to make appeals to those we love and those we don't by presenting the accurate gospel message to them. Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 20…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:20

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

 

In Romans, Chapter 2, we will move from God's message to the immoral to God's message to the moral legalist who thinks he is better than everyone else.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

The closing moments of this lesson could be the ten most important minutes of your life. You'll be introduced to the good news concerning how you can spend all eternity in heaven when you close your eyes in this life. We want you to know that…

 

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.

 

What do you choose to believe about God?

 

There are many beliefs about God…opinions or convictions, or confidence in the existence of something that doesn'tseem probable, 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.

 

The problem is Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs. He knows there's a BIG difference between beliefs and truth. Only when our beliefs and the truth are the same are our beliefs significant. Satan hates truth. Do you choose to believe Satan's lies, or do you choose to believe God's truth?

 

The Bible is a manual provided by God as a strategy for your life. When we live under the suggestions of God's Word, we have a high-impact life. When we listen to Satan and his false teachers, we struggle.

 

Many people believe they can impress God so much He will let them into heaven because of their good deeds and religious practices. They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they "give back" to the community. While admirable, none of these deeds are good enough to get you into heaven according to Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved 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…

 

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.

 

God's plan can get you to heaven. 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 heaven but through believing in Me."

 

The apostle Paul describes the amazing Jewish Messiah…Jesus…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…this is 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…

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confesswith your mouthJesus 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 believesresulting 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 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.

 

Yes…there is a hell…and if you end up there, it will have been because of your choice. It is NOT God's will that you spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

So, 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 Christ) 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'sa free gift? Let the Lord Jesus Christ's work on the Cross "give back" to you!

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let's close with music. Let's face it: We're not used to being loved. When someone loves us like we want to be loved, we can't even see it most of the time. Instead, we gravitate to those who despise us and work as hard as we can to get them to like us. They don't. They won't. So, is it any wonder why we have such a hard time understanding a God who loves us in spiteour many imperfections?

 

Christians…we have to change our thinking. We have to be willing to be loved as God loves us…because when Lenny LeBlanc talks about our God in song, he says THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let's Sing the Lord's Praises

 

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Lenny LeBlanc

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for your generosity and patience toward your creatures…teach us how to love You…how to love ourselves…and how to love others, especially unbelievers…so much…that we tell them all about Your Son and what He is willing to do for them…

 

…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 ZoomImmediately Following the Lesson

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

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