Romans 1: Are You Good Enough in God's Eyes?

Class Outline:

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Remember feelings aren't facts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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?

 

After being beaten down by the world, it’s nice to have a refuge…a sanctuary…a retreat…where you can get away from the world…letting the truth of the Word of God relax you, refresh you, and renew you.  Welcome to this place of peace.  Thank you for listening to this lesson!

 

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.  We have a God with ALL the power.  It’s never a burden to remind you of what’s important to us believers.

 

GOD THE FATHER is the author of the Triune Godhead’s plan for all creatures.

The true character of a person surfaces most when we see how the person treats us when we are down.  God the Father is ALWAYS there for us believers in Christ, ESPECIALLYwhen we are down…in First Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 5the apostle says…

 

FIRST PETER 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who according to His great mercy has caused us believers in Christ to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…

 

FIRST PETER 1:4

…so that we may obtain an inheritance…which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away...an inheritance reserved in heaven just for us…

 

FIRST PETER 1:5

…forbelievers in Christ who are protected by the divine power of God the Father…through faith…for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

 

God the Father gives us His promises in a plan that provides for us, protects us, and pardons us.  He offers us the power of His Person and His presence in everything we do.

 

Even when we were His enemies…when we were separated from Him…when we were on the wrong side of a barrier that made it impossible for us to have a relationship with Him…God the Father gave us a way to escape from the sovereignty of sin.  He gave us His Son.

 

GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan.  His work on the Cross is a way of escape.  In an uncertain world, that blows us about with every wind in every direction, it’s nice to know we have a home base…a Person who is waiting with open arms to welcome us into His blessings at any time…someone we can count on.  Who is it we can count on?  Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verse 8 tells us it’s…

 

HEBREWS 13:8

Jesus Christ…He is the same yesterday…and today…and forever.

 

There is ONE AND ONLY ONE WAY to heaven.  You invest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, asking Him to save you.  Jesus is the Christ…the Jewish Messiah…and by believing in Him you instantly have 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.  Because all Church Age believers are indwelled by God the Holy Spirit…in fact, indwelled by the entire Trinity…the flesh is powerless over us, even when we give in to its temptations…Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 9….

 

ROMANS 8:9

…you believers in Christ are not in the flesh…you are in the Spirit…if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you (and it does).  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ (indwelling…and unbelievers don’t)…that one (the unbeliever...the unregenerate one) does not belong to Christ.

 

As a believer in Christ your body is a temple for the entire Godhead.

 

What is Our Source of Truth?

 

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

entire Godhead through the study of the Word of God…THE BIBLE.  Isaiah, Chapter 40, Verse 8 reminds us of the permanent impact of the Word of God…

 

ISAIAH 40:8

The grass withers…the flower fades…but the word of our God stands forever.

 

It’s important for every believer in Christ to fuel His life with divine power, and the Word of God ISthe fuel.  And we remember to search for God’s viewpoint when we study the Word so we are not burdened by man’s viewpoint, especially the viewpoint of those who teach as doctrines the precepts of men.In Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 28, the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 11:28

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will give you rest.”

 

MATTHEW 11:29

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…for I am gentle and humble in heart…and you will find rest for your souls.”

 

MATTHEW 11:30

“For My yoke is easy…and My burden is light.”

The Word of God and its truth relieve us of the burden of guilt, shame, disappointment, and heartache.  Embrace it!

 

Who is Our Enemy?

 

GOD HAS AN ENEMY…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world’ for a finite period.  He is the enemy of believers in Christ as well.

 

Throughout the countryand the world, it’s easy to buy "knock-offs” …cheap imitations…counterfeits of things expensive and valuable.  A COACH brand purse comes to mind.  There is probably no more counterfeited brand than COACH.

 

Satan is a counterfeiter, too.  He wants people to purchase a counterfeit Christ, a counterfeit gospel message, counterfeit Scripture, a counterfeit God the Holy Spirit…and he wants people to listen to and learn from counterfeit teachers who use their false teaching to communicate lies so close to truth as to be believable.  Don’t be fooled!  Satan’s relentless fathering of lies will never stop.  Acts, Chapter 13, Verses 6 to 10 say this…

 

ACTS 13:6b

…the believers in Christ found a magician…a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus…

 

ACTS 13:7

…who was with the proconsul…Sergius Paulus…who was a man of intelligence. Paulus summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the Word of God.

 

ACTS 13:8

But Elymas…this Bar-Jesus…the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing Barnabas and Saul seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.

 

…as all counterfeiters do…

 

ACTS 13:9

But Saul…who was also known as Paul…who was filled with God the Holy Spirit…fixed his gaze on Elymas…

 

 

 

ACTS 13:10

…and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud…you son of the devil…you enemy of all righteousness…will you ever stoptrying to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?”

 

This is the perfect description of Satan and his false teachers.  Will they ever stop?  The answer is NO, of course.  Satan won’t ever change, nor will his false teachers change.  Resist Satan and his emissaries…and be steadfast…clinging to your faith.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Good Enough in God’s Eyes?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

So often, life feels like a game of “crab in a barrel.”  As one crab seeks to crawl out of the barrel, another crab will grab him and pull him back in.  So it is with some people, who see it as their job to put us down and to proclaim they are better than us.

 

As we move into Romans, Chapter 2, the Lord has a message to the self-righteous crowd.  “You may think you are ‘basically a good person,’ but you’re not.  We look forward to hearing what the Word of God has to say about this.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  Sometimes believers in Christ are affected by the condemnation of the flesh…the part of us that’s always reminding us how broken we are…how imperfect we are…how unable we are to live up to the standards God has set for His children.  We know most of the time we fall well short of the glory of God.  At that moment, when we are down, the flesh tells us, “You’re not good enough.”

 

The flesh wants us to think we’re not good enough to accomplish anything we set out to do.  Thankfully, God has a much different viewpoint.  In John, Chapter 16, Verse 33 the Lord reassures His believers…

 

JOHN 16:33

“These things I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you believers in Christ…so

that in union with Me you may have peace.  In the world you have tribulation…but

take courage…I have overcome the world.”

 

As a believer in Christ, are you good enough for God?  June Murphy answers the question in song…MY CROSS MADE YOU GOOD ENOUGH.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

MY CROSS MADE YOU GOOD ENOUGH

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…You left the flesh in believers in Christ after our salvation…and the flesh hates us…it is always offering up temptations…it prompts us to rebel against You…it seeks to ruin us…and quite often we listen to the temptations and give in to them…and when theflesh succeeds in getting us to sin, it pelts our emotions with accusations that cause us to be down on ourselves…and when we are down on ourselves, we start thinking that You, Father, feel the same way about us…when we are down on ourselves, we drift away from You and Your Word and from truth that because of our union with Christ, You see us as perfect…

 

…thank you for the constant reminders that the flesh has no power over us…thank you for the reminder that You are the most powerful Being in the universe…thank you for the reminder that nothing happens to us that does not pass through Your hands for approval…thank you for working all things together for our good…thank you when tribulation draws us closer to you…

 

…as God the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and our hearts and our ears to the spiritual truths in today’s lesson, help us feel gratitude toward Your generosity in sending Your Son to a Cross to die for us…in asking Your Son to pay for our sins with His bloodso we could be good enough in Your eyes…help us to persevere in Satan’s kingdom as we move forward one step at a time against the enemy’s tornado of abuse…remind us that Your power can accomplish anything and that You are for us…NEVER against us…comfort us by reminding us that we are in Your Almighty hand…because we believers in Christ are Your children…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Good Enough in God’s Eyes?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

God is constantly bringing both people and situations into our lives to teach us.  A while back, before the COVID pandemic, members of Barah Ministries would visit the Veteran’s Hospital here in Phoenix once a month to evangelize to people who wanted to listen to us.

 

On one occasion there were six veterans sitting around a table when I came into the meeting room, and they asked me to join them because they wanted my opinion.  As you know, my opinion and .40 will get you a cup of Starbucks coffee.  I agreed to sit with them and I was eager to hear what they had to say.

 

They asked me to turn in my Bible to First Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verses 9 and 10.  I read the verses aloud…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 6:9

Or do you not know that the unrighteouswill not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived…neither fornicators…nor idolaters…nor adulterers…nor effeminate (males sexually penetrated by males) … norhomosexuals (those who penetrate effeminate males)…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 6:10

…nor thieves…nor the greedy…nor drunkards…nor revilers…nor swindlers…will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

After reading the verses to them they asked, “Can homosexuals go to heaven?”  My answer was immediate.  “Yes!  People who commit the sin of homosexuality can be saved and they can go to heaven if they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

They turned away from me in disgust.  One of them said, “You are absolutely

wrong about that!  It says right here in the Bible they will not go to heaven…they will NOT inherit the kingdom of God.”I said to them, “Okay…let’s assume you are right.  Let’s assume you understand these two verses completely.  Why did you stop with one sin in the list of sins?  It says here that homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of God.  Have any of you ever engaged in homosexuality?”  There were NO’s all around the table.

 

Then I asked, “Have any of you ever had pre-marital sex which the Bible calls fornication?”  Silence.  I continued, “It says in these verses that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of God.So, if you have had pre-marital sex…sex outside of the marriage relationship, according to your logic you can’t inherit the kingdom of God either.”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever committed adultery?”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever placed someone or something ahead of God, which is called idolatry?”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever stolen anything?”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever let greed take over your thinking?”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever been drunk?”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever insulted anyone, which the Bible calls reviling?”  Silence.  “Have any of you ever tricked someone and cheated them out of their money which the Bible calls swindling?”  Silence.

 

I finished up, “By the way, did you notice the verse is referring to those who are unrighteous…that is…to unbelievers?  Believers in Christ are righteous.  If you are a believer in Christ these verses are not directed to you.”  Silence.  “The sins list is referring to the lifestyle of unbelievers.  Let’s not forget, though, that the Lord paid for every sin of every one of His creatures, past…present…and future.  So sins aren’t the issue.   Unbelief is the issue.  Those who reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ trade a relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe for a lifestyle of sins…thus the list.

 

The next month, when we came back to visit, one of the people among the six told me that the ringleader said the reason I didn’t agree with his assessment of the verses is because I am homosexual.”  Beautiful.

 

We continue our study of Paul’s letter to the Romans in Chapter 2.  Today’s lesson will introduce the chapter, and then in the next two or three lessons we’ll learn what the Lord is saying to us verse by verse.

 

As you have heard if you’re following along in the lessons, the first three chapters of Romans are an indictment of the whole human race.  All have sinned and all have fallen short of the glory of God.  No creature is righteous, not even one.  Some people don't believe that because they are self-righteous.

 

Romans, Chapter 1 indicts the immoral sinners (a sinner is an unbeliever) who lived in first-century Rome.  The term “lascivious” refers to the lifestyle of these people.  But since I don’t want you scurrying to the dictionary, let’s just call the people being addressed in Romans, Chapter 1 the immoral sinners.  They are unbelievers who LOVE doing the wrong thing.

 

There was another group of people in first-century Rome, just as there are people among us today, who see immoral conduct, and just because they don’t participate in that set of sins, they think they are better than others.  They think of themselves as “basically good people.”  I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say they are “basically good people.”  It’s always a warning sign.  It’s time to run.  It's amazing that people all over the world use the exact same expression…“I’m basically a good person.”

 

This group of unbelievers are moral sinners.  Quite often, this group of unbelievers is involved in a religion.  They judge others while excusing themselves.They are the spiritual brothers and sisters of the Pharisees!

 

We saw this malady in three different passages in our last lesson…The Pharisee and the Tax Collector passage in Luke, Chapter 18, Verses 9 to 14…The Prodigal Son passage in Luke, Chapter 15, Verses 11 to 32…and in the woman caught in the act of adultery passage in John, Chapter 8, Verses 3 to 11.

 

In all three passages, we are introduced to moral sinners who think they are better than everyone else.  They are legalists…they are the, “I would NEVER!” people…who claim purity, but behind the scenes they are doing the very things they condemn.  They are first-class phonies.  They are hypocrites.  They are the people who live in glass houses who are throwing stones.

 

Let's take a look and let's have a listen to the first passage in Romans, Chapter 2…Verses 1 to 16…

 

ROMANS 2:1

Therefore, you have no excuse, every one of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself…for you who judge practice the same things.

 

God says you’re not basically good people at all.  You sin a different way!

 

ROMANS 2:2

And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

 

ROMANS 2:3

But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things…and then you do the same yourself…do you suppose that you will escape the judgment of God?

 

ROMANS 2:4

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

 

ROMANS 2:5

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and in the day of the revelation and the righteous judgment of God…

 

ROMANS 2:6

…the God who will render to each person according to his deeds…

 

What are the two groups?

 

ROMANS 2:7

…those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality…eternal life…

 

ROMANS 2:8

…but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and indignation.

 

ROMANS 2:9

There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first (chronologically) and also of the Greek (Gentiles)…

 

 

ROMANS 2:10

…but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first (chronologically) and also of the Greek (Gentiles)…

 

ROMANS 2:11

For there is no partiality with God.

 

Amen?

 

ROMANS 2:12

For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law…and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law…

 

ROMANS 2:13

…for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

 

ROMANS 2:14

For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law…these…not having the Law, are a law unto themselves…

 

ROMANS 2:15

…in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them…

 

ROMANS 2:16

…on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

 

What do you make of that?

 

When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll see what the second passage of Romans, Chapter 2 has to say.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Good Enough in God’s Eyes?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

When we give the gospel message to unbelievers, they give tous by listening attentively.  It’s one of the most gratifying experiences in life when an unbeliever really wants to hear the gospel message.  The gift of listening is the gift of intimacy.  Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 8 exhorts…

 

LUKE 8:8

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear what God the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches.”

 

When you give to Barah Ministries, you make it possible for us to give the gospel message to people all over the world through the internet.  People are listening!

 

Thank you for supporting this ministry with your generosity.  Your unselfish giving is a reflection of our God, and it gives people around the world a chance to respond positively to an eternal life-giving gospel message…the salvation offer of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

MATTHEW 6:34

“…do not worry about tomorrow…for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Are You Good Enough in God’s Eyes?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Welcome back!

 

Isn't it interesting there are always people who want us to know we’re not good enough?  Yet they forget they are not good enough either.  Isaiah, Chapter 64, Verse 6 reminds EVERYONE that a do-it-yourself righteousness is worse than immorality…

 

ISAIAH 64:6

For ALL OF US have become like one who is unclean (woman who is menstruating)…and all our self-righteous deeds are like a filthy garment (a used tampon…something absolutely repugnant)…and all of us wither like a leaf…and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

 

ALL OF US!  We are ALL born physically alive (created by our amazing God)… we are ALL born spiritually dead (doomed to the Lake of Fire)…we are ALL born separated from God…we are ALL born on the wrong side of a barrier…we are ALL born helpless…hopeless…and powerless to do anything about the situation.

 

Perhaps we calm ourselves by ignoring the truth about ourselves, instead creating our own reality.  Yet God has a holy standard…righteousness…and none of us are good enough to create, in our own power, the righteousness demanded by God.

 

The self-righteous legalist can be heard to say, “I’m not that kind of person” … or

“I would never do that!”  They’re lying.  That’s what the first passage of Romans, Chapter 2 says.  Here’s the second passage…Romans, Chapter 2, Verses 17 to 29…

 

ROMANS 2:17

But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God…

 

ROMANS 2:18

…and know His will and approve the essential things, being instructed out of the Law…

 

ROMANS 2:19

…and you are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind…a light to those who are in darkness…

 

ROMANS 2:20

a corrector of the foolish…a teacher of the immature…having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth…

 

ROMANS 2:21

…you, therefore, who teach another…do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal…do you steal?

 

ROMANS 2:22

You who say that one should not commit adultery…do you commit adultery? You

who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

 

ROMANS 2:23

You who boast in the Law…through your breaking the Law…do you dishonor God?

 

ROMANS 2:24

For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” … just as it is written.

 

ROMANS 2:25

For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law…but if you are a transgressor of the Law (and all of us are)…your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

 

ROMANS 2:26

So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law…will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

 

ROMANS 2:27

And he who is physically uncircumcised…if he keeps the Law…will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

 

ROMANS 2:28

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly…nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

 

ROMANS 2:29

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly…and circumcision is that which is of the heart…by the Spirit…not by the letter of the Law…and his praise is not from men…but from God.

 

In our next lesson, we’ll begin dissecting this chapter on moral sinning…an indictment of “basically good people” and people who hide in a religion, counting on the religion for their righteousness.  Are you good enough in God’s eyes?  If you believe in Christ you are…so don’t forget it.  Trust God.  Don’t trust your feelings.

 

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

 

How would it be to know there is someone who loves you so much that their love for you is almost unspeakable, yet you don’t know who they are and you aren’t interested in meeting them?  That may be your situation!  The Creator of the entire universe created you…He loves you unconditionally… and you may not have a relationship with Him.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…

 

JOHN 1:3

All things came into being through the Lord, God the Son (He is the Creator)…and apart from the Lord, nothing came into being that has come into being (including you).

 

You can have a relationship with your Creator!  And guess what…He is looking for you!  Luke, Chapter 15, Verses 4 to 7…

 

LUKE 15:4

“What man among youif he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them

does not leave the ninety-nine sheep in the open pasture and go after the

one which is lost (a reference to an unbeliever) until he finds it?”

 

LUKE 15:5

“When he has found the lost sheep, he lays it on his shoulders, and he rejoices!”

 

LUKE 15:6

“And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

 

LUKE 15:7

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner (an unbeliever) who repents (who chooses to have a relationship with Christ)…than over ninety-nine righteous persons (believers in Christ) who need no repentance.”

 

The bad news?  While God is looking for you, you’re DEFINITELY not looking for Him!  Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 11 and 12 say…

 

ROMANS 3:11

No creature understands God or any divine thing…no creature seeks a relationship with God…

 

ROMANS 3:12

…all creatures have turned aside from God…together they have become useless…no creature does good…there is not even one.

 

All of us were born in a state of unrighteousness.  We were born physically alive and spiritually dead as ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers.

 

It’s not your fault you were born this way, but it is your circumstance.

 

Who says so?  The Lord says so in His Word…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a

For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…

 

But in the face of this bad news, there’s good news!  The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ, provides a way for you to be saved!  The good news is called the gospel message.  The Lord has a personal salvation plan to lead every unbeliever to salvation!

 

Let’s see what happened when the gospel message was preached in a prison in first-century Rome…Acts, Chapter 16, Verses 25 to 34…

 

ACTS 16:25

…about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God from their jail cells, and the other prisoners were listening to them…

 

ACTS 16:26

…and suddenly there came a great earthquake…so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken…and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.

 

ACTS 16:27

When the jailer…a prison guard…awoke and saw the prison doors opened…he drew his sword and was about to kill himself…supposing that the prisoners had escaped.

 

Allowing prisoners to escape carried a penalty of instant execution for prison guards!  He was going to do it himself…

 

ACTS 16:28

But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying to the guard, “Do not harm yourself…for we are all here!”

 

ACTS 16:29

And the jailer called for the lights to be turned on and he rushed in…and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas…

 

ACTS 16:30

…and after the prison guard brought Paul and Silas out, he said, “Sirs… what must I do to be saved?”

 

The guard had been listening to the spiritual songs Paul and Silas were singing.

 

ACTS 16:31

And Paul and Silas said, “BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

BELIEVE!  Simply take God’s Word for what it takes to be saved!  There are no works of any kind necessary to be saved…it is simply you using the gift of faith given to you by God, placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation…and the Lord gifts you with the ticket to eternal life.

 

How did our jailer friend get saved?  In a crisis, he recognized He needed a Savior.  He asked someone who knew what it took to be saved.  Believers in Christ presented the accurate gospel message.  The jailer did what was suggested…and he was saved.

 

Who is this God who saves you?  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

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

 

The Lord’s shed blood on the Cross paid your way so you can be saved!

 

Don’t wait for a crisis to be saved!  Do it now!

 

The news goes from bad to worse if you choose not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 20 say this…

 

ROMANS 1:18

For the wrath of God the Father is revealed from heaven against all

ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of unbelievers who

suppress the truth by their unrighteousness…

 

 

ROMANS 1:19

…because that which is known about God the Father is evident inside of them…for God the Father made it evident to them from inside of them.

 

 

ROMANS 1:20

For since the creation of the world the Lord’s invisible attributes…the Lord’s eternal power…and the Lord’s divine nature…His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…being understood even through what has been made in nature…the Lord’s creative work…so that all mankind is without excuse before the Lord.

 

God makes Himself clearly visible in ways that make sense to human beings…both from the inside of them and the outside of them.

 

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

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life (eternal life) right at that

moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

The Lake of Fire is a real place, and you don't have to live there for all eternity.  A sixty-second decision can change your eternal destiny.

 

Remember what Paul and Silas said to the jail guardin Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 and following…

 

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.”

 

ACTS 16:32

And Paul and Silas spoke the Word of the Lord (the gospel message…the good news of Jesus Christ’s salvation offer) to the jailer…together with all the people who were in his house.

 

 

 

ACTS 16:33

And the jailer took Paul and Silas that very hour of the night and washed their wounds…and immediately the jailer was baptized (by God the Holy Spirit)…he and all his household who also believed…(and all of thembelieved).

 

ACTS 16:34

And the jailer brought Paul and Silas into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed inthe Lord Jesus Christwith his whole household.

 

Wouldn’t you like to spend all eternity in heaven?  Don’t miss your opportunity!  Take advantage of the good news of the gospel message right NOW!  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you WILL be saved!

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  Who do you trust?  The apostle Paul makes it clear that we are not to trust ourselves in Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 3…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:3

…for we believers in Christ are the true circumcision…we who worship through the power of God the Holy Spirit and who glory in union with Christ Jesus…and we put no confidence in the flesh…

 

Lauren Daigle tells us who to trust in song…she says we are to TRUST IN YOU Lord…

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

TRUST IN YOU

Lauren Daigle

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for keeping us get in touch with who we really are…the tests, the trials, and the tribulations you allow in our lives make it clear to us that we are not good enough in our own power…yet in Your hands…and in union with Your Son…through the guidance of God the Holy Spirit, we can bear fruit and display it to alost and dying world…

 

…as we go forth into the week, help us to not take advantage of Your grace to do evil…help us keep on presenting our bodies to You as a living and Holy sacrifice ready to do all that You would have us do…

 

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

 

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Please make it a habit to listen to the announcements.  They are posted separately.  Keep current on the things going on in Barah Ministries.

 

DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE

 

We’ll continue in the next 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!

 

www.barahministries.com