ROM-471-240526 - length: 97:09 - taught on May, 26 2024
Class Outline:
Belief in the invisble is a secret weapon.
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 answering those questions.
As believers in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we have demonstrated our faith by putting our trust in the Lord. We have followed the example of Abraham. For all who have faith, the Lord has a reward. For example, Israel is rewarded because of Abraham’s faith. Israel has a bright future according to the Lord…Isaiah, Chapter 49, Verses 22 and 23…
ISAIAH 49:22
Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will lift up My hand to the nations and set up My standard to the peoples…and they will bring your sons (O Israel) in their bosom, and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.”
ISAIAH 49:23
“Kings will be your guardians…and their princesses your nurses. They will bow down to you with their faces to the earth and lick the dust of your feet…and you will know that I am the Lord…for those who wait for Me with hope will not be put toshame.”
These promises of the Lord will be fulfilled. As believers in Christ, we come to Bible study to hear God’s promises so that we feel the power we have inside of us through the indwelling Trinity.
Who is the God We Worship at Barah Ministries?
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…
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.
The foundation of God the Father’s plan is LOVE…unconditional love for each and every one of us. Let that sink in. God the Father loves you unconditionally. His unconditional love is affirmed by the Lord in John, Chapter 14, Verse 21…
JOHN 14:21c
…the one who loves Me unconditionally will be loved unconditionally by My Father…
Thank you Father for the demonstration of Your love by sending Your Son to die for us.
GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan…taking on human form as Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah). Believing in Him is the ONE AND ONLY WAY to heaven.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves us so much that He makes us shine for all to see…Philippians, Chapter 2, Verses 14 and 15…
PHILIPPIANS 2:14
Do all things without grumbling or disputing (believers in Christ)…
PHILIPPIANS 2:15
…so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocentchildren of God the Father who are above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation…among thesewicked ones you appear as lights in the world…
When you invest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…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…the Guide who is the rudder of a Christian’s life.
God the Holy Spirit proves His unconditional love for believers in Christ with His sealing ministry…His signature guarantee that we are both saved and eternally secure… Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 30…
EPHESIANS 4:30
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of Godby whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
God the Holy Spirit is the Guide of the sanctification portion of our lives…the part of our lives between salvation and our entrance into heaven for all eternity.
In God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit…believers in Christ have a power team on their side…a team that specializes in the impossible. Are you calling on them for help in times of trouble?
What is Our Source of Truth at Barah Ministries?
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.
The Word of God has many edifying things to tell us! For example, it proclaims the Lord’s power to cleanse us from all unrighteousness…just as the Lord told His disciples on the night He was betrayed…John, Chapter 15, Verse 3…
JOHN 15:3
You (eleven disciples of Mine) are already clean (through your saving faith) because of the Word which I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you (the gospel message…which you believed).
The Word of God illuminates the path of righteousness. As Christians, we don’t
follow the world’s example of running around like chickens with their heads cut
off. EVERY DAY…we set aside time in our schedules to study the Word of God and to interact with God through prayer in a sanctuary of our choosing where no one can get to us. These can be the most peaceful hours of every day.
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 at Barah Ministries?
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. Even though Satan hates us, we won’t have to put up with him and his influence forever. John, Chapter 12, Verse 31 says…
JOHN 12:31
Now there is a judgment upon this world…and the ruler of this world will be cast out (into the outer darkness…the Lake of Fire).
Satan is a defeated enemy who will be vanquished from our presence at a future time. We can’t wait!
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Faith…the Greatest Power in the World
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Human power is no power apart from faith. Faith is placing your confidence in the object of your faith. For Christians, the object of our faith is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The object of our faith is God the Father, who delivered over His Son as a sin substitute for us. The object of our faith is God the Holy Spirit who gives us enabling power…much more powerful than human power.
The racial Jews had faith in Moses and the Mosaic Law. They did not have faith in their Messiah…Jesus…the Christ. The spiritual Jews in the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph…four generations of believers…had faith in Jehovah Elohim…the Lord…the Son of God…and it was credited to them as righteousness.
In today’s lesson, we’ll continue our examination of justification by faith as we look at some Old Testament examples of people with saving faith.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!The power of faith for believers in Christ is surrender. When we turn over our lives and our fate to the Lord, we have confident assurance that He will come through for us. If God is for us, and He is, who can ever be successful against us? Here’s Elevation Worship to request in song something we already have…they say GIVE ME FAITH.
MUSIC
OPENING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
GIVE ME FAITH
Elevation Worship
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you for the gift of faith…thank you for showing us examples of believers who have endured suffering in the face of faith who have persevered through their trust in you…
…as we learn from the lesson today, emblazon the confidence of faith on our hearts…sear the assurance of faith into our minds…activate the power of faith in our experience so that we always trust in You, regardless of how the outcome looks to everyone else…help us to expect victory…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Faith…the Greatest Power in the World
LESSON PART ONE
We continue our study of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans. We are examining the second passage of Chapter 4, Verses 18 to 25.
Here’s the passage in the New Living Translation…
ROMANS 4:18
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he
would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have (as many as the stars of the sky and as many as the grains of sand on the seashore)!”
ROMANS 4:19
And Abraham’s faith did not waver, even thoughat about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as sexually dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.
ROMANS 4:20
Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise (of giving him a child from his own loins…Isaac). In fact, Abraham’s faith grew stronger, and this faith brought glory to God.
ROMANS 4:21
Abraham was fully convinced that God can do whatever He promised.
ROMANS 4:22
And because of Abraham’s FAITH, God counted him as righteous.
ROMANS 4:23
And when God counted Abraham as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit.
ROMANS 4:24
It was recordedfor our benefit, too, assuring us that God the Father will also count us as righteous if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ…this God and Father who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
ROMANS 4:25
Jesus was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to the resurrection life to make us right with God.
From Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 20 through Romans Chapter 5…and even beyond…we are learning that our justification comes by faith. What is justification by faith? Simply stated it is…
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
The process by which God declares the guilty to be not guilty, legally considering them to be right with Him because He credits His own righteousness to them.
New Testament believers aren’t the only set of believers with faith. There are a host of believers in Christ in the Old Testament who provide us with examples of the power of faith. God the Holy Spirit directs us to take a look at Hebrews, Chapter 11 to see examples of faith in the Old Testament saints.
The chapter gives us both a description of faith and the demonstration of faith through these believers…people you will meet one day. Let’s begin our study of this power chapter in the letter to the Hebrews.
Faith.
What is it? How does it work? Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 1 and 2…
HEBREWS 11:1
Now faith is full assurance…giving substance to things we hope for…faith is the proof of things when they are not yet seen.
When your faith is expressed, you already have the thing you asked for. Faith goes beyond human power. By investing our faith in the Lord we are sure of things. In hope, we have absolute confidence that we already have the things He promises because of our faith.
We think of heaven…and we hear in the Word of God that we will one day be absent from the body and at home face-to-face with the Lord. In faith, we are confident this is an absolute future event in the lives of believers in Christ which we possess right now. We are completely confident that because we have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ we are no longer EVER to be at the wrong end of the wrath of God. Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 7…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:7
…we believers in Christ walk by faith and not by sight…
Mark, Chapter 11, Verses 22 to 24…
MARK 11:22
And Jesus said to the disciples, “Keep on having faith in God.”
MARK 11:23
“Truly I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.”
MARK 11:24
“Therefore I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, all things for which you pray and ask…believe that already you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
The Lord says that with faith, and no doubting, we have the things we want the moment we ask for them. We believers in Christ have absolute confidence that God has the power to do whatever He wants to do…and He is absolutely faithful to deliver everything He promises. Even when we don’t see it, we know it will happen.
Unbelief is a sin. Doubting, distrusting, and unbelief KILL faith. Faith is not a feeling…faith does not require a sign. Hebrews, Chapter 16, Verse 4…
HEBREWS 16:4a
…an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign…
With faith in the Lord, we are sure of everything He says.
HEBREWS 11:2
For by faith the people of the Old Testament…saints…had witnesses borne to them through their faith.
The witness comes through the conscience…on the inside of us. First John,
Chapter 5, Verse 10 says…
FIRST JOHN 5:10
The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself…the one who does not believe God the Father has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God the Father has given concerning His Son.
As believers in Christ, we know how faith works. God makes promises in the Word of God which is the mind of Christ. We hear the promises…we trust the God who makes the promises…we believe the promises…we act on the promises regardless of appearances (the thought that we are weak for trusting God)…or circumstances (when we want seems impossible)…or consequences (being frightened by the unknown).
Now let’s look at the demonstration of faith in the Old Testament saints…Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 3 and following…
HEBREWS 11:3
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by a spoken word from God…so that what is seen (the visible universe) was not made out of visible things.
The Hebrew word Barah…God spoke the universe into existence from nothing. You may have heard this word before. 😊 If the earth and the universe were spoken into existence from nothing, can Darwin’s idea about evolution be anything but a theory? We think NOT!
Faith knows as truth the things God says in His Word. Faith has fruit as we will see in the lives of five people. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 4…
HEBREWS 11:4
By faith ABEL offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…through which sacrifice Abel gave evidence that he was righteous before God…God approved of his gifts…and through the sacrifice…though Abel is dead…he keeps on speaking through his example of faith.
Abel brought an animal sacrifice…a lamb…when he came to worship God…it was the offering of the blood of an animal as a substitute for a sinner. Cain brought crops to God....not death, but life…an arrogance of approach that was displeasing to God. First John, Chapter 3, Verse 12 in the New Living Translation says…
FIRST JOHN 3:12 (NLT)
We must not be like Cain…who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did Cain kill Abel?Because Cain had been doing what was evil…and his brother Abel had been doing what was righteous.
Abel was the first martyr.
Abel was acceptable to God…he was saved…he was righteous because of faith in poured-out blood…just as we are righteous because of the poured-out blood of Christ. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 5 and 6…
HEBREWS 11:5
By faith ENOCH was taken up to heaven by God so that he would not see death… and Enoch was not found…because God took him up…for Enoch obtained the witness that before his being taken up from earth to heaven, he was well-pleasing to God (he was righteous by means of faith).
HEBREWS 11:6
And without faith…it is impossible to please God at all…for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The Lord rewards those who express faith in Christ for righteousness. God makes it clear to us through Abraham’s example that faith is the only ground on which to stand with God. Genesis, Chapter 15, Verse 6…
GENESIS 15:6
Abraham believed in the Lord (his gift of faith expressed)…and THE LORD CREDITED Abraham’s account with absolute righteousness (the admission ticket to heaven).
Enoch was rapturedby God via an exit resurrection, just as many of us may be fortunate enough to be one day. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 7…
HEBREWS 11:7
By faith NOAH…being divinely warned by God (through direct revelation) about
things not yet seen (a coming flood)…in reverence prepared an ark for the salvation of his household…by which faith Noah condemned the world…and Noah became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
Everyone thought Noah was nuts. They ignored his witness as he built the ark. They busied themselves with meaningless activity, just as we do today, not knowing that the day of the Lord would come like a thief in the night to those who didn’t expect it because of their lack of study of the Word of God. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 8…
HEBREWS 11:8
By faith ABRAHAM, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance…and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
That’s faith.
God makes the promise. Abraham thinks he already has what God has promised. And Abraham goes out…fully expecting…with full assurance…that what God says will happen.
Faith.
Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 9 and 10…
HEBREWS 11:9
By faith Abraham lived as an alien in the land of promise…as in a foreign land… dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob…co-heirs of the same promise…
HEBREWS 11:10
…for Abraham was looking for the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God(the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21).
Abraham did not have a perfect score with God. We know about Haggar and Ishmael and his crisis of confidence in God. But what do we see from men and women of faith? We see those the world considers weak become great because of their faith in the One who is the object of their faith…the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Often believers suffer, yet God delivers them.
God doesn't deliver on our time frame…but he ALWAYS delivers. In faith, we can wait. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 11 and 12…
HEBREWS 11:11
By faith…even SARAH herself received the ability to conceive…even beyond the
proper time of life (and even though she was barren) since she considered the God
who had promised to be faithful.
HEBREWS 11:12
Therefore, there was born even of one man, and him as good as sexually dead at that, as many descendants as the stars of heaven in number, and innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore (through the line of Isaac).
Abel…Enoch…Noah…Abraham…Sarah. All of these who were blessed were weak. The Lord came through for them all because the Lord specializes in the impossible.
When we return from the break we’ll take the offering and then we’ll continue our study of faith with more from the letter to the Hebrews.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK
NOBODY
Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Faith…the Greatest Power in the World
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
Nike has it right about athletics…JUST DO IT! At Barah Ministries, we have this thought about generosity…JUST GIVE IT! In Proverbs 3, Verse 9 the Lord says…
PROVERBS 3:9
Honor the Lord from your wealth…and from the first fruits of all your produce…
The Lord doesn’t need us to give…He wants you to WANT TO give. Don’t ever underestimate the power of your giving. Of course, Satan, the enemy of God influences you to be reluctant to give. “What are they going to do with the money?” “Why are they always asking for money?”
When you give to Barah Ministries you change lives. You may not get to know how you make a difference while you are here on earth, but God knows the impact you make and will share it with you when you get to heaven.
So give as if someone’s life depends on it…because it does!
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
PROVERBS 12:22
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord…but those who deal faithfully are His delight.
OFFERING SONG
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
Faith…the Greatest Power in the World
LESSON PART TWO
Welcome back!
Continuing at Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 13…
HEBREWS 11:13a
All these Old Testament saints died in faith (believing the promises of God)…without receiving the promises (because they had not yet come)…
HEBREWS 11:13b
…but having seen them (in the mind’s eye through faith)…having welcomed the promises from afar…and they confessed they were strangers and exiles on the earth (they were in this world but not of this world).
A promise is only as good as the One who promises…in this case the Sovereign God of the Universe is the promissory maker. He is easy to believe. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 14…
HEBREWS 11:14
For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own (a fatherland).
HEBREWS 11:15
And indeed, if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had the opportunity to return.
HEBREWS 11:16
But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God…for He has prepared a city for them (the New Jerusalem).
HEBREWS 11:17
By faith, when he was tested, Abraham offered up Isaac (to die)…and as the one who had received the promises…Abraham was offering up his only begotten son…
When Abraham demonstrated his faith, the Lord considered the act of offering Isaac as done even without Abraham’s doing. In the meantime, Abraham reflected on two things…Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 18 and 19…
HEBREWS 11:18
…it was Abraham to whom it was said (and he remembered it), “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.”
Abraham believed this promise to be true, that Isaac would be a father of those coming in the future as well, so it was no problem following God’s instructions even if it meant sacrificing Isaac.
Faith!
Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 19 t0 22…
HEBREWS 11:19 (NLT)
Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God would be able to bring him back to life again from the dead. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.
Abraham reckoned that if the Lord had allowed the offering up of his son, the Lord can raise people from the dead. We demonstrate our faith in God most when we surrender to his will. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 20…
HEBREWS 11:20
By faith, Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even regarding things to come.
HEBREWS 11:21
By faith Jacob…as he was dying…blessed each of the sons of Joseph and he worshiped…leaning on the top of his staff.
HEBREWS 11:22
By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones (as to where they should be buried).
Joseph was treated horribly by his family. He didn’t let it sour him on God’s promises. Instead, his faith in the Lord grew stronger. Faith GROWS! Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 23 to 29…
HEBREWS 11:23
By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child…and they were not afraid of the king’s edict (that every Jewish male baby should be killed).
Moses’s parents were believers in the Lord.
HEBREWS 11:24
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter…
Moses was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter, and he could have easily chosen the soft, entitled life. Moses had the right values and used them to make right decisions.
HEBREWS 11:25
…choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin…
HEBREWS 11:26
…considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt… for he was looking to the reward (the compensation that would come from God).
The “pleasures of sin” is a reference to life on “easy street.” Moses knew that compensation from man was not as significant as compensation from his God.
Moses wanted the Lord’s approval.
HEBREWS 11:27
By faith Moses left Egypt…not fearing the wrath of the king…for he endured, as if seeing Him who is unseen.
HEBREWS 11:28
By faith Moses kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood…so that He who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
Moses was not without faults. He didn’t have a perfect score in his spiritual life. But he still got an “A” in his spiritual life. Here are more examples of faith…
HEBREWS 11:29
By faith the Jews held captive in Egyptpassed through the Red Sea as though they were passing through dry land…and the Egyptians, when they attempted it, were drowned.
Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verses 30 and 31…
HEBREWS 11:30
By faith, the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days.
In the conquest of Jericho, a city that was alleged to be impenetrable, Jacob and his men walked around the city blowing the horn of faith…and the walls came tumbling down…the power of God at work. Their faith at work.
HEBREWS 11:31
By faith, Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.
We hear that Rahab is a prostitute…when you hear that do you think you are better than she is? Do you think she is one from whose ancestry the Messiah should be born? Well, Jesus was born from her lineage!
All of these believers acted on faith, not feelings. As believers in Christ, we must not shrink back from the challenges the Lord gives us. Instead, we use the spiritual gift with which we have been entrusted to obey the Lord.
The Bible has many more stories to tell about the Old Testament saints. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 32 to 39…
HEBREWS 11:32
And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David (who slayed a lion and a bear as a shepherd boy), Samuel, and the prophets…
HEBREWS 11:33
…who by faith conquered kingdoms…performed acts of righteousness…obtained promises…shut the mouths of lions (for Daniel)…
HEBREWS 11:34
…quenched the power of fire…escaped the edge of the sword…from weakness were made strong…became mighty in war…put foreign armies to flight.
As believers in Christ, our faith has a legacy of victory. Yet not all believers are delivered in the way we might like…
HEBREWS 11:35
Women received back their dead by resurrection…and others were tortured…not accepting their release…so that they might obtain a better resurrection…
HEBREWS 11:36
…and others experienced mockings and scourgings…yes, also chains and imprisonment.
HEBREWS 11:37
They were stoned…they were sawn in two…they were tempted…they were put to death with the sword…they went about in sheepskins…in goatskins (camouflage)…being destitute…afflicted…ill-treated…
HEBREWS 11:38
…(men of whom the world was not worthy)…wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
HEBREWS 11:39
And all these Old Testament saints, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised…
As current day believers in Christ, we have to acknowledge we are not going back to the times when the Word of God was honored. We are not going back to the times when people loved truth and trusted Pastors. What is the world’s attitude toward true Christians? The world is armed against us. We must expect to experience the same rejection the Lord experienced.
Yet faith in Christ is always victorious. By faith, we count on Him.
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
If you don’t yet have a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God considers you to be a spiritually dead sinner who needs a Savior. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
ROMANS 3:23
…all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10 says…
ROMANS 3:10
…it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a
…all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human being) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
Your condition at physical birth IS NOT YOUR FAULT, but it is your circumstance.
By your own choice, you have a chance to be precious in God’s sight…Psalm 116, Verse 15 says…
PSALM 116:15
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His godly ones (His saints…believers in Christ).
The fact that GOD WANTS YOU is a great thing to know, especially as you get older, because no one gets out of this life alive. What’s going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life? Will you go to heaven or will you go to hell?
God has an enemy…Satan…the ruler of this world…and he creates counterfeit lifestyles to blind your mind called RELIGIONS that are designed to mislead you into thinking you’re saved when you’re not. Roman Catholicism is one of those counterfeits. Here is an excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church…
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (Paragraph 2010)
Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can MERIT FOR OURSELVES AND FOR OTHERS the graces needed for our sanctification…for the attainment of eternal life.
Satan wants you to think you can work your way to heaven, earning your own salvation. Also, he wants you to think you can pray for the salvation of others after they have died. He’s lying. You can’t. Hebrews, Chapter 9, Verse 27 says…
HEBREWS 9:27
…it is appointed for men to die once…and after this comes judgment…
The Lord provides you with the Bible to illuminate the path to heaven…John, Chapter 20, Verse 31 says…
JOHN 20:31
…these things written in the Bible have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ…(the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God…the Lord…who took on human form)…and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life (eternal life) in Hisname.
The Bible contains the Lord’s exact thinking. It is your “owner’s manual”
for life. The good news is the Lord Jesus Christ did something about your sin problem. He has a plan for your salvation because He doesn’t want anyone to go to The Lake of Fire…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 for all to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
So, how can you get to heaven? RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW,
you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment 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.”
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 apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation)… and I am the truth (through the Word of God)…and I am the resurrection 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 (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…
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can’t do a thing
to get to heaven on your own. It’s your confirmation that being “a good person” does not get you to heaven. It’s wiser 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 tells you that you can lose your salvation, they are lying to you.
Many people in the world think they don’t need a Savior because they are “basically good people.” These people are like those who defend themselves in a lawsuit. The joke in the legal community is anyone who represents himself in a lawsuit has a fool for a client. Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12 says…
ACTS 4:12
“…there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ).”
Reject a relationship with Christ? In Matthew, Chapter 25, Verse 30, the Lord shares the consequences…
MATTHEW 25:30
“Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness (the Lake of Fire)… and in
that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
So, heed the warning and accept the invitation in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36
“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection 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.”
You can join me and a host of your believer friends in heaven when you close your eyes in this life! Choose it now!
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! After this lesson, you are encouraged to realize the power your faith can unleash because of your confidence is in the Lord. Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 7 says…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:7
…for we believers walk by faith, not by sight—
Here is Keith And Kristyn Getty to sing this sentiment…we walk BY FAITH.
MUSIC
CLOSING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
BY FAITH
Keith and Kristyn Getty
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for the gift of faith…may we take heed of the lesson of Romans, Chapter 4…help us to recognize that when we express our faith in You, we already have what we want even though we have not seen it yet…
…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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