ROM-468-240505 - length: 90:49 - taught on May, 5 2024
Class Outline:
Faith is the key to the door.
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, like…
Who is the God we worship?
What is our source of truth?
Who is our enemy?
We’re always happy to begin each lesson by answering those questions. But first, a different question that demands reflection…Where will you spend eternity?
We have many questions in our lifetimes, and there is no more important question to answer than this one…Where will you spend eternity?
There are only two answers. You will spend eternity in heaven, or you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire at the wrong end of the wrath of God the Father.
If you watch television or if you listen to the messages of Hollywood movies, there is no God…that’s the atheist viewpoint…or God is a mystery…that’s the viewpoint of a person too lazy to do research about God...and of course there is the thought that the mysteries of God can’t be known…that’s the viewpoint of agnostics. All claim that when you die, you cease to exist.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The soul, which is the essence of who you
are, once born…never dies. You get to choose where it spends eternity. It’s critical for you make the right choice. It’s even more critical that you are absolutely certain the right choice is going to happen. By the way…no choice is a choice…if you make no choice you’ll be in the Lake of Fire for all eternity.
Religion, Satan’s strategy against the human race, is not at all interested in giving you confidence concerning where you will spend eternity. Satan offers a “maybe so” if you do all the foolish things his religions suggest to save you.
Your salvation and your eternal security is provided by a just God. He wants you to be sure of your salvation.
Who is the God We Worship?
We worship a Triune Godhead. There is One God who reveals Himself to
mankind as three beings who are separate…distinct…co-equal…co-infinite…and 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 participates in providing you with eternal security. In John, Chapter 10, Verse 29, the Lord says…
JOHN 10:29
My Father…who has given believers in Christ as a permanent gift to Me, is greater than anyone…and absolutely no one can snatch believers in Christ by force out of God the Father’s hand.
GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan…taking on human form as Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah). He is the ONE AND ONLY WAY to heaven. In John, Chapter 10, Verse 28, the Lord says…
JOHN 10:28
…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch believers in Christ by force out of My hand.
When you invest your faith in the Lord Jesus…asking Him to save you…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…aGuide who is the rudder of a Christian’s life. Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 13 and 14 say…
EPHESIANS 1:13
In union with Jesus, you believers in Christ, after hearing the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in union with Christ through the baptism of God the Holy Spirit of promise…
EPHESIANS 1:14
…God the Holy Spirit…who is given to you by God the Father as a signature guarantee of full payment for your inheritance (we are co-heirs with Christ)…with a view to your redemption as God the Father’s own possession…to the praise of God the Father’s glory.
All three members of the Godhead guarantee your salvation once you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is Our Source of Truth?
It’s important to get to know Your God as a Person. As Christians, the way to develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the entire Godhead is through the study of the Word of God. The Bible IS the Word of God. Psalm 119, Verse 115 says…
PSALM119:115
You are near, O Lord…and all Your Word is truth.
The Bible is a supernatural work…breathed into human writers by God…and it is the ultimate source of absolute truth. At Barah Ministries, we teach the Bible from God’s perspective and not from man’s perspective because we refuse to teach as doctrinal truth the precepts of men.
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. Satan’s favorite tactic is to make us doubt God’s Word…Genesis, Chapter 3, Verse 1…
GENESIS 3:1
Now the serpent (Satan) was craftier than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.And Satan said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
Surely God said it…and He said even more…Genesis, Chapter 2, Verses 16 and 17…
GENESIS 2:16
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely…”
GENESIS 2:17
“…but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…for in the day that you eat from it…dying spiritually…you will surely die physically.”
Satan knew the truth and he turned it into a lie by omitting parts of the message. That’s why the Lord assures us in Proverbs, Chapter 3, Verses 5 and 6…
PROVERBS 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Jesus, and He will direct your path straight.
We don’t trust Satan…we listen to the Lord.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Righteousness From God is the Prized Possession of Christians
LESSON INTRODUCTION
After the almost depressing message of Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18 to Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 20, it would be easy to feel that we have no hope. The final passage of study in Romans Chapter 3 assures us that God the father has provided hope for all creatures by sending His Son to die a sacrificial death for us. In today’s lesson we experience the graciousness of our God toward sinners…a God who credits to all who want it His own righteousness.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music! It is not God’s wish that His creatures live under condemnation. John, Chapter 3, Verses 17 tells us what God did for us…
JOHN 3:17
For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord) into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
June Murphy reminds us in song what those of us who believe in Christ experience through faith alone…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…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 the flesh 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 blood so 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
Righteousness From God is the Prized Possession of Christians
LESSON PART ONE
You’ll remember the indictment and arraignment of the whole human race…
The Indictment Against the Whole Human Race
(Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18 to Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 20)
…specifically the fourteen-count indictment in Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 10 to 18 which paints all of us as guilty and helpless sinners…
ROMANS 3:10
…as it is written, (1) “THERE IS NO CREATURE WHO IS RIGHTEOUS BEFOREGOD…NOT EVEN ONE…”
ROMANS 3:11
(2) “THERE IS NO CREATURE WHO UNDERSTANDS GOD (OR ANY DIVINE
THING)…(3) THERE NO CREATURE WHO SEEKS FOR A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD…”
ROMANS 3:12
(4) “ALL CREATURES HAVE TURNED ASIDE FROM GOD…(5) TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS…(6) THERE IS NO CREATURE WHO DOES GOOD…THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”
ROMANS 3:13
(7) “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE…(8) WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP ON DECEIVING…(9) THE POISON OF ASPS (snakes) IS UNDER THEIR LIPS…”
ROMANS 3:14
(10) “THEIR MOUTHS ARE FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS…”
ROMANS 3:15
(11) “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD…”
ROMANS 3:16
(12) “DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS…”
ROMANS 3:17
(13) “AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.”
ROMANS 3:18
(14) “THERE IS NO RESPECT FOR GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”
Every person who comes to earth, whether they choose to be immoral, moral, or religious…is NOT “basically a good person.” All are sinners and need a Savior. In the final passage of Romans, Chapter 3, we hear the hope the Lord offers to sinnersin Verses 21 to 31…
ROMANS 3:21
BUT NOW…apart from the Law…the righteousness that comes from God has been manifested…being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets…
ROMANS 3:22
…even the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ for all
those who believe…for there is no distinction…
ROMANS 3:23
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
ROMANS 3:24
…being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus…
ROMANS 3:25
…whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness because in the forbearance of God, He passed over the sins previously committed…
ROMANS 3:26
…for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
ROMANS 3:27
Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
ROMANS 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
ROMANS 3:29
Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also…
ROMANS 3:30
…since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is One.
ROMANS 3:31
Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.
Paul’s letter to the Romans is the foundational book of Biblical Christianity. Why?
Because in this letter, Paul outlines the most important truth in the life of every
person who comes to earth…the truth of the gospel message…the Lord’s salvation offer to every member of the huma race. Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 15 to 18…
ROMANS 1:15
So, for my part, I (Paul) am eager to preach the gospel as a minster from God to all of you who are in Rome.
ROMANS 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of God…for the gospel of God is powered by God the Father’s divine omnipotence…providing salvation to EVERYONE who believes in Christ for salvation…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 from God the Father is revealed…from faith in the Lord for salvation to 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 the Lord).”
Why bother putting your faith in Christ’s work on your behalf at the Cross?
ROMANS 1:18
For the wrath of God the Father is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against allunrighteousness of unbelieverswho suppress the truth of the gospelby their unrighteousness…
The passage we study today to conclude Romans Chapter 3 reveals thedoctrine of“justification by faith” separated completely from the false doctrine of “justification by works”through following the Law or throughperforming religious rituals.
What is justification?
JUSTIFICATION
The legal declaration of possessing the righteousness required for our salvation. By it, those who believe in Christ have right standingbefore God. It is not a righteousness we perform through works…it’s a free gift from a gracious God who credits His own righteousness to us when we place our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
JUSTIFICATION
From this moment on we live as a new creation, declared righteous by God, as if we had never sinned.From this moment on, in the eyes of God, we have the exact same standing before Him as does the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is faith?
FAITH
A free gift from a gracious God which we can express by placing our confidence in the object of our faith for salvation…the Lord Jesus Christ. When we use our faith to believe in Christ, we are counting on the Lord to save us. At that moment, through faith alone in Christ, He gives us His righteousness, our admission ticket to heaven.
When you were ungodly…unrighteous…helpless…and hopeless…incapable of saving yourself…completely unable to keep the Mosaic Law…completely unable to keep the Ten Commandments…in a straitjacket of sin that you could not wiggle your way out of…the Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven, taking on human form, to introduce another principle entirely…THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD through grace!
The words BUT NOW in Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 21 are a breath of fresh air for anyone studying Romans, Chapters 1 to 3. For since we cannot save ourselves as sinners (as ungodly…unrighteous unbelievers) … our God introduces a way out of our predicament. The Lord Jesus Christ is THE DOOR, and by accepting the gift of His work on the Cross, we walk through THE DOOR into a life of light and green pastures.
Let’s look verse-by-verse at the messages in Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 21 to 31…
ROMANS 3:21a
BUT NOW…apart from law…another principle entirely…THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD (+R)…which has been made clearly visible by God through the convicting ministry of God the Holy Spirit…
ROMANS 3:21b
…and in addition, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD has
been witnessed to by Moses, both in the Mosaic Lawand in the sacrificial
offerings…and THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD has been witnessed to by the Old Testament Prophets in direct statements…
Expressing faith in Christ is not a “work” on your part. Just because you express your faith in Christ, your faith does not create your righteousness. Seeing your faith as a request, God does the saving for you so that you have nothing to brag about in the matter of saving yourself. God gives you righteousness AFTER you express your faith in Christ and NOT because of it. Genesis, Chapter 15, Verse 6 says…
GENESIS 15:6
Abraham believed in the Lord (with his gift of faith expressed)…and THE LORDcredited Abraham’s account with absolute righteousness.
Saved!
Being racially Jewish does not save you. If you are Jewish and you want to be saved by God, you must follow in the footsteps of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…for all three of them believed in the Lord (God the Son)…and the Lord credited righteousness to their account…the requirement for salvation. He is willing to do the same for everyone.
In the spiritual life, YOUR WORKS DON’T WORK. Following the Law does not work, mainly because you can't follow the Law and you don't follow the Law. You are a Lawbreaker.
Jesus is eager tohelp the Lawbreaker…the“guilty” person…by declaring him“not guilty.” Romans Chapter 3, Verse 22…
ROMANS 3:22
…THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD IS a righteousness that comes through the principle of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not through the principle of faith in yourselves for righteousness…and that free gift is available for WHOSOEVER believes…for there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles…
God doesn’t demand righteousness from a sinner for salvation, because God would not demand from us something we can’t deliver. He credits righteousness to
sinners while they are still ungodly…notice Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
ROMANS 5:8
But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unbelieving…while we were unrighteous…while we were ungodly ones)…the Lord Jesus Christ died as a sin substitute for us.
When we exercise our faith, we are trusting God to do everything for us. We are counting on what He has DONE and not on what we can do. So what happens when we have faith in Christ alone for salvation? He changes our identity…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21
God the Father made Jesus…who knew no sin…to BE sin on our behalf…so that we might become the righteousness of God in union with Him.
As believers in Christ, our old self which was in union with Adam has been crucified at the Cross and has died. In its place, God has made us a new creation, and our new identity is that we are THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN UNION WITH CHRIST. There is nothing more amazing than this…there is no bigger gift than this…and we have the gift for all eternity and no one can ever take it away from us.
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…
ROMANS 3:23
…for all creatures have sinned in the past when Adam sinned and all creatures keep on sinning…and all creatures keep on falling short of the glory of God in the present…
Whether you realize it or not…you keep on sinning after salvation. It does not make you a sinner, for a sinner is an unbeliever. Believers in Christ are saints. Continuous sinning alerts you to your dependence on God, and there’s no one you would want to depend on more than Him.Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 24…
ROMANS 3:24
…yet all believers in Christ keep on being justified by God the Father as a gift
(free of charge) from His grace through redemption which is a result of being in union with Christ Jesus…
If you think you had righteousness…and then lost it…and you have to work to get it back…you completely miss the point of where salvation comes from. We are saved because we are the righteousness that comes from God. He saves us. He changes us. And He changes us when we are ungodly. We don’t do a single thing to facilitate that change. Christ’s work on our behalf at the Cross, through His shed blood, makes the change possible.
Now that we are changed ones, we are in union with the Risen Christ. When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll hear more about what the righteousness gift from God has done for us.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK
NOBODY
Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Righteousness From God is the Prized Possession of Christians
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 are you willing to give to the God who gave His Son’s life for you?
Giving is a form of worship. Giving expresses your faith in God. Giving communicates your gratitude to God for all He does for you.
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. Don’t worry about the amount you give. 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 3:2
Set your mind and its longings on things above…not on things that are on earth.
OFFERING SONG
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Righteousness From God is the Prized Possession of Christians
LESSON PART TWO
Welcome back!So here is the ground we have covered…Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 21 to 24…
ROMANS 3:21a
BUT NOW…apart from law…another principle entirely…THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD (+R) …which has been made clearly visible by God through the convicting ministry of God the Holy Spirit…
ROMANS 3:21b
…and in addition, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD has
been witnessed to by Moses, both in the Mosaic Law and in the sacrificial
offerings…and THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD has been witnessed to by the Old Testament Prophets in direct statements…
ROMANS 3:22
…THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GIFT THAT COMES FROM GOD IS a righteousness that comes through the principle of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not through the principle of faith in yourselves for righteousness…and that free gift is available for WHOSOEVER believes…for there is no distinction between Jews and Gentiles…
ROMANS 3:23
…for all creatures have sinned in the past when Adam sinned and all creatures keep on sinning…and all creatures keep on falling short of the glory of God in the present…
ROMANS 3:24
…yet all believers in Christ keep on being justified by God the Father as a gift
(free of charge) from His grace through redemption which is a result of being in union with Christ Jesus…
Continuing at Verse 25…
ROMANS 3:25
…the Jesus whom God the Father displayed publicly as a propitiationthrough a sacrifice of His bloodfor the benefit of all who have faith. This was to demonstrate God the Father's righteousness because in the forbearance of God the Father, He passed over the sins previously committed…
The sacrifice the Lord made at the Cross was propitiatory. First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2 say…
FIRST JOHN 2:1
My little children, I (John) am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, and of course we do, we have an Advocate with God the Father…Jesus Christ the ONLY righteous One…
FIRST JOHN 2:2
…and Jesus Christ Himself is the PROPITIATION for our sins…and not for our sins only (as believers in Christ) … but also for the sins of the whole world (for unbelievers as well).
Christ is a sacrifice for EVERYONE, even for those who refuse to take advantage of His work at the Cross. What is propitiation?
PROPITIATION
A satisfactory payment in the eyes of God the Father for the sins of all mankind.
The only sacrifice acceptable to God the Father for sin is the shed blood of Christ at the Cross.
Most people…and I do mean most…find it almost impossible to accept that when they sin they cannot approach a holy God. Knowing this…the repugnance of sin…God the Father sent His Son to be a sin substitute…and to shed His blood to
cleanse us from sin so that those who believe in the Son can reside in the Father’s
presence. What a gift!
Sin deserves condemnation. Condemnation is the wrath of God the Father. Those who sin deserve His wrath. Through propitiation, the burden of sin lands on a substitute, our Lord Jesus Christ. He volunteered to go to the Cross to pay for our sins.
In God’s plan, no sin goes unpunished. Yet the punishment for our sins was placed on the back of the Lord Jesus Christ. He incurred the wrath of God the Father in payment for our sins. And now, especially for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who place our confidence in Him for our salvation, the enmity between God and us has been removed. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 9…
ROMANS 5:9
…having now been justified by the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood…we believers in Christ shall be saved from the wrath of God the Father through our union with Christ.
Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 1…
ROMANS 8:1
Therefore (all these things at the end of ROMANS 7 being the case, we need to remember that...) there is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS.
Continuing at Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 26…
ROMANS 3:26
…for the demonstration, I say, of God the Father’s righteousness at the present time, so that God the Father would be seen as just and as the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ.
Propitiation describessomething that appeases God the Father in such a way that those who sin do not incur His wrath. The Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross not only removed the stain of sin…it also removed the personal offense of sin…the repugnance of sin. Now God the Father has nothing against us believers in Christ.
Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 13 and 14…
COLOSSIANS 2:13
When you were spiritually dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh…God the Father made you spiritually alive together with Christ (you who are born again)…having forgiven us all our transgressions…
COLOSSIANS 2:14
…having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us… which was hostile to us…and God the Father has taken the debt out of the way… having nailed it to the Cross.
For unbelievers, God the Father is willing to withhold His judgment until the proper time…giving every unbeliever chance after chance after chance to choose a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who reject a relationship with Christ…WRATH.
Unbelievers are masochists. They would rather have the wrath of God fall on them rather than have Christ take the wrath of God the Father in their place. Is there any wonder why unbelievers will be weeping and gnashing their teeth in the Lake of Fire when they realize the eternal consequences of the rejection of a free gift as powerful as this one…Christ’s work at the Cross?
ROMANS 3:27
Where then is Jewish boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
When you do work, you can boast. Salvation is only attained without works…so boasting of any kind by man is excluded. Simply put, God gives something (salvation)…to anyone who wants it…for nothing. In Satan’s kingdom, the idea that you can get something for nothing is loudly rejected. Yet in the spiritual life, something for nothing is the only way to heaven.
When believers place their faith in Christ, it is not only for salvation…it is for everything. Believers…what do you want? Count on Christ to give it to you. That’s faith placed in the right object. So why is boasting excluded? Why do the Jews have no right to declare themselves special because they are the chosen ones of God? In Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 28, Paul explains…
ROMANS 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified (declared legally righteous) by faith in Christ alone apart from works of the Law.
ROMANS 3:29
Or is God the God of the Jews only (who had the Law)? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, He is the God of Gentiles also…
ROMANS 3:30
…since indeed it is One God…God the Father…who will justify (declaring them to be legally righteous) both the circumcised and the uncircumcised bythe principle of faith in Christ alone.
ROMANS 3:31
Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law through faith.
Sin always deserves a just punishment. Thanks be to God the Father that He sent His Son to pay the penalty that ought to have been given to us. Hebrews, Chapter 2, Verse 9 says…
HEBREWS 2:9
But we do see the Lord…who was made for a little while lower than the angels… namely, Jesus…because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor… so that by the grace of God the Father, Jesus might taste death for the benefit of everyone.
Whenever we regret that we are not perfect…whenever we regret that we keep on sinning after salvation…we have not really adjusted to the fact that we have no hope of being righteous through our own ability. We hope that one day we will be righteous based on our own merit. NEVER! This will never happen. It is only when we relax…when we accept what God has done for us as sinners…and we take full advantage of His gift of righteousness…that we can truly understand what
Christianity is…the most amazing gift ever given.
Let’s close with the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION of Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 21 to 31…
ROMANS 3:21
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the Law…as was promised in the writings of Moses and the Prophets long ago.
ROMANS 3:22
We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who he is.
ROMANS 3:23
For everyone has sinned…we ALL keep on falling short of God’s glorious standards.
ROMANS 3:24
Yet God the Father…in his grace…freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
ROMANS 3:25
For God the Father presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life…shedding his blood for all of us. This sacrifice shows that God the Father was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past…
ROMANS 3:26
…for God the Father was looking ahead and including all of us in what He would do in this present time. God the Father did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for He Himself is both fair and just…and He makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus Christ.
ROMANS 3:27
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.
ROMANS 3:28
So we are made right with God…justified…through faith in Christ and not by obeying the law.
ROMANS 3:29
After all, is God the Father the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is!
ROMANS 3:30
There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself ONLY BY
FAITH…whether they are Jews or Gentiles.
ROMANS 3:31
So if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the Law? Of course not (don’t be silly)! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the Law.
Thanks be to God the Father for the gift of His Son.
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
When food manufacturers noticed your fast-paced, mobile lifestyle they created INSTANT food…instant coffee…instant oatmeal…instant potatoes…and instant gravy were among their initial culinary creations. Most of them were awful!
This message is for you if you want an INSTANT relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You may be wondering what's going to happen to you the INSTANT you close your eyes in this life. There is an INSTANT answer to your curiosity, and the Lord Jesus Christ guarantees that in an INSTANT you can become a child of God.
You may not know your unfortunate circumstance at the moment of your physical birth. It’s called spiritual death. You were born physically alive and spiritually dead as an ungodly, unrighteous unbeliever.
It’s not your fault, but it IS your circumstance.
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 being who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
Because Adam was appointed by God as the federal head of the human race, his first sin was credited to the account of all human creatures, resulting in spiritual death. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12…
ROMANS 5:12
Therefore…just as through one man, Adam…sin entered into the world… and spiritual death entered the world through his sin…so spiritual death spread to all men…because all men were considered by God to have sinned when Adam sinned.
In addition, just so you don’t have Adam to blame, you commit personal sins. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
ROMANS 3:23
…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Adam’s sin credited to you plus your personal sins create an insurmountable barrier between you and God.
Despite this unfortunate circumstance, there is good news from God that INSTANTLY frees you from the negative effects of sin, from spiritual death, and from the kingdom of darkness into which you were born. You're invited to be born again…the spiritual birth…into a spiritual life in God’s kingdom of light where sin is no longer sovereign over you. The Lord Jesus Christ offers you a “so great” salvation, and it is His will that you accept the free gift He made possible for you at the Cross. Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…
SECOND PETER 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of...instead, He is patient toward unbelievers…NOT WISHING FOR ANY TO PERISH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE…but wishing for all unbelievers to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
If you end up in the Lake of Fire the INSTANT after your physical death, it will not be because the Lord wants you there. It will be your choice.
So, how can you get to heaven in an INSTANT when you close your eyes in this life? By obeying God’s plan for your salvation! RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can be saved in an INSTANT. You can tell God the Father you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the INSTANT of eternal life for you. 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.”
To BELIEVE means to accept God’s word for what it takes to be saved. God says the ONE WAY…the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6
Jesus said to the doubting apostleThomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel message in 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.”
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 (the apostle Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4
…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
The Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved that He is Deity, and it qualified Him to save you.
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can’t do a thing
to get to heaven on your own. You can’t buy your way into heaven…you can’t “good deed” your way into heaven…you can’t “be a good person” and get to heaven. You can only get to heaven by accepting the INSTANT gift of salvation from a God who loves you so unconditionally that He sent His Son to die for you on a Cross to pay your way into heaven. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…
ROMANS 5:8
God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankindin that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers), Christ died a sacrificial deathfor us.
God has an enemy, Satan, who deceives the whole world, including you, with a strategy to exploit human beings…RELIGION. The religions of the world deceive you into thinking that you can work your way to heaven…that you can work to please God. No religious ritual has ever been good enough to get you to heaven.
It’s wise to let God save you because once God does something, He 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.”
You can’t lose your salvation. If anyone says you can, they’re lying to you.
There is no reason to be uncertain about what happens at the moment of your physical death. 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 right at that moment (IN AN INSTANT) …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.”
When you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible makes it clear there is a consequence. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…
MATTHEW 13:40
…just as tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
MATTHEW 13:41
The Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they
will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who
practice 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 (for all eternity).
Believers in Christ have a different fate.Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 43…
MATTHEW 13:43
Then the righteous…(believers in Christ)…will shine forth as the sun shines in the kingdom of their God and Father.
What’s your choice? Are you for or against Christ?
A relationship with the Lord does not require blind faith. In fact, there is no such thing as blind faith. For the wise, faith is invested after an examination. You have faith as a gift from God, and you can place your confidence in the object of your faith. To place your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to let Him save you is a delicious move. You can reject a relationship with Christ, or you can make an INSTANT choice for Christ, and the result…your salvation…stands finished forever. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 44 encourages us…
MATTHEW 13:44
He who has ears…let him (really) hear (these things).
Some INSTANT things are quite tasty! Take a moment right now to wrap your mind around the only INSTANT thing that lasts forever…a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! Christianity teaches us total surrender. Chris Tomlin sings about it in his song LORD, I NEED YOU.
MUSIC
CLOSING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
LORD, I NEED YOU
Chris Tomlin
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 a lost 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
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DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
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