Romans 5: What Gifts Does God Give You Along with Justification by Faith

Class Outline:

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Much more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 these questions after a short, thought provoking introduction.

 

One of the worst things we do as believers in Christ is to rehash the past.  We carry around years and years of hurts and never get over them…never let them go.  We keep looking over our shoulders wondering how we can fix the past.  We can’t.  We obsess about our mistakes.

 

Psychologists call this phenomenon“carrying emotional baggage.” …reconsidering over and over theunresolved traumas of our lives that have not been put into perspective.  This PRACTICE is detrimentalto mental well-being and it destroys genuine relationships, perhaps healthy ones.Often we reason that if past relationships are awful, all future relationships will be the same.

 

God wants us to give Him the emotional baggage.  He wants us to slam all our cares on His back because He cares for us…which means God considers our problems to be His responsibility.  He promises to work all things together for our good.  His approach to the past is highlighted by the apostle Paul in Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 13 and 14…He wants us to keep on…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:13b

…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:14

…and to press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of Godthe Father for those in union with Christ Jesus.

 

It’s wise to follow the Lord’s advice.  This is the kind of wisdom we get in Bible study.  This is one of the many reasons we bother to learn the Lord’s thinking through Bible study.  Well…

 

Who is the God We Worshipat 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.

Got emotional baggage?  Luckily God the Father is a cleansing agent who can rid you of the burdens of the past…First John, Chapter 1, Verse 7…

 

FIRST JOHN 1:7

…if (3) we walk in the Light as God the Father Himself is in the Light (maybe we will and maybe we won’t…we have a choice)…we have fellowship with one another…and the blood of Jesus…God the Father’s Son…cleanses us from all sin.

 

God the Father is willing and able to get rid of the pain of the past for you.

 

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.  Got emotional baggage?  The Lord can wash it away…Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved believers in Christ…not on the basis of deeds which

we have done in self-righteousness…but according to His mercy (not giving us the wrath of God the Father that sin deserves)…by the WASHING of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…

 

If the Lord can save us, can He handle your emotional baggage?  OBVI!  We are cleansed by means of the Lord’s regeneration and we are made completely

new, so we never have to be burdened again by our past.  The Lord is able and willing to help.

 

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.  Got emotional baggage?  If God the Holy Spirit can gives us a new birth…a new start…a great eternal future…washing us once and for all with the water of the Word…He can certainly handle emotional baggage…John, Chapter 3, Verse 5…

 

JOHN 3:5

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God the Father.”

 

God the Holy Spirit is able and willing to wash away yourspiritual deadness… He can certainly wash away your emotional pain.

 

In God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, believers in Christ have a power team that is always on their side…a team who specializes in the impossible.  Are you calling on them for help in times of trouble?

 

What is Our Source of Truthat Barah Ministries?

 

It’s important to get to know 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.

 

Got emotional baggage?  Then you are carrying around filth that stains your life and robs you of joy.  In James, Chapter 1, Verse 22, He recommends that we…

 

JAMES 1:22

…put aside all filthiness…and all that remains of wickedness…and in humility receive the Word of God implanted, which is able to save your souls.

 

The Word of God gives us perspective so we know how to hold the hurts of the past.  The scars don’t go away but the misery can.

 

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 Enemyat 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.

 

Satan is a trash talker.  He loves to remind you of your mistakes.If you are not letting go of emotional baggage then likely you are listening to Satan, you’re influenced by his world system of deception, and you’re hearing loudly the flesh inside of you,more than you are listening to God and His Word.

 

Satan is a deceiver who wants you to think you can correct the past by reflecting on it obsessively.  In Second Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 3 Paul warns us about Satan’s effectiveness at deception…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 11:3

But I (Paul) am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

 

In Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verse 18he reminds us…

 

ISAIAH 43:18

“Do not call to mind the former things or ponder things of the past.”

 

It’s even more painful if you don’t put the past in perspective.  You can’t change the past.  In God’s plan for you, the past is there for your education and edification…it is not there to haunt you.  Let God handle your emotional baggage…He’s expert at it.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Gifts Does God Give You Along with Justification by Faith?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

We have many gifts from God because of our justification by faith.  As we move into the study of Romans, Chapter 5we’ll learn a few of God’s many gifts for His children.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  There’s nothing better for believers in Christ than knowing we’reGod’s friend.  In James, Chapter 2, Verses 22 and 23, the Lord’s half-brother said…

 

JAMES 2:22

With Abraham…his faith in the Lord was working with his works (when he offered Isaac as asacrifice)…and as a result of the works…his faith was perfected…

 

JAMES 2:23

…and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God…and it was CREDITED to him as righteousness.”  And Abraham was called the FRIEND OF GOD.

 

As believers in Christ, you are friends of God as well…God the Father…God the Son…and God the Holy Spirit love you more than you think about.  You may forget it at times, but here’s Larnelle Harris to remind you in song…you’ve got FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

Larnelle Harris

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father thank you for being willing to do anything for us…thank you for declaring us legally righteous for believing in Your Son…thank you for the sacrifice You made by sending Your Son to bear the wrath for sin so we would not have to…what an amazing sacrifice Your Son made to provide us with the possibility of a “so great” salvation…

 

…as we listen to the lesson today…as we learn a few of the gifts You have granted us because of justification by faith…speak into our lives…speak into our pain… and let Your goodness wash over us…help us to feel comforted daily by the power You have…a power that You are able and willing to use for our benefit…remind us that we are right with You as we press forward in Your plan…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Gifts Does God Give You Along with Justification by Faith?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

Wecontinue our studyof Paul’s letter to the first century believers in Christ at Rome in Chapter 5.  The chapter divides neatly into two passages…with passage one being verses one to elevenand passage two being verses twelve to twenty-one.

 

Today we’ll tackle the first passage.  Let’s hear the New American Standard translation of the passage and then we’ll study it verse-by-verse.Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 11…

 

ROMANS 5:1

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ…

 

ROMANS 5:2

…through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand…and we exult in hope of the glory of God the Father.

 

 

ROMANS 5:3

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance…

 

ROMANS 5:4

…and perseverance brings about proven character…and proven character brings about hope…

 

ROMANS 5:5

…and hope does not disappoint…because the unconditional love of God the Father has been poured out within our hearts through God the Holy Spirit who was given to us as a pledge of our inheritance.

 

ROMANS 5:6

For while we were still helpless…at the right time Christ died for the ungodly ones…(unbelievers).

 

ROMANS 5:7

For one will hardly die for a righteous man…though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

 

ROMANS 5:8

But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward us…in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers) Christ died as a substitute for us.

 

ROMANS 5:9

Much more then, having now been justified by Jesus’s blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God the Father through Him.

 

ROMANS 5:10

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God the Father through the death of His Son…and we were…much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His resurrection life.

 

ROMANS 5:11

And not only this, but we also exult in God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

 

The focus of this first passage is on the benefits that God gives believers in Christ who are justified by faith.

 

You’ll rememberthe indictment of the whole human race in Romans, Chapters 1 to 3.  Whether you are moral, immoral or religious, you’re not good enough to get to heaven on your own.  You’re not good enough to do anything about your sin problem.  When you accept this truth, when you grasp this bad news…that you were born physically alive and spiritually dead…and spiritual death has consequences…you knowyou are a sinner in God’s eyes and you need a Savior.  That’s a big step in your growth as a human being.

 

You may choose to do nothing about your situation…which is tragic…or you may choose to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  This is the most important decision you’ll make in this life.

 

At the end of Romans, Chapter 3 through Romans, Chapter 4…we learn what the Lord Jesus Christ did about our sin problem.  Because of His work at the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ is able to offer the whole human race the righteousness of God…free of charge…as an admission ticket to heaven.  We learn through Abraham’s example in Chapter 4 that Abraham believed the Lord’s offer and it was credited to his account as righteousness.  You have the same opportunity.

 

Imagine yourself in a courtroom on the day of sentencing.  You’ve committed a heinous crime…you are guilty…everyone knows you’re guilty…and today is the day your fate is sealed.  As the judge begins to read the sentence, a hush falls over the courtroom.  Everyone is eager to hear you get exactly what you deserve…the death penalty.

 

Instead, the judge says, “The defendant is not guilty…case dismissed.”Wait what?  The judge continues… “Mr. Defendant…another man has decided to take your place…he will be put to death because he wants you to go free.”  There is outrage in the courtroom.  All are certain justice has not been done.

 

When you take advantage of the Lord’s offer to die for you…His willingness to incur God the Father’s wrath, the death penalty, on your behalf so you won’t have to bear it yourself for all eternity…you are justified by faith.  What is justification?

 

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.

 

In Romans, Chapter 5 the Lord outlines the benefits that accrue to your account because of what the Lord did for you at the Cross.  What gifts does God give you along with your justification by faith?MUCH MORE is a quick way to say it!

 

This first passage of Romans, Chapter 5 has three parts.  We’ll see God’s peace in verses one to five…His love in verses six to eight…and his assurances in verses nine to eleven.  But there is MUCH MORE!  Let’s take a look.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 1…

 

ROMANS 5:1

Therefore…having been justified on the principle of faith in the past (aorist tense in Greek means justification is an established and irrevocable fact)…we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having peace with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

God’s first gift to us is PEACE.  This is not the peace of Godwhich surpasses all comprehension that Paul is talking about in Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 7.  This is a peace treaty…the kind of peace that is forged when a war is over.

 

Enmity is the word that characterizes our relationship with God the Father before Christ went to the Cross.  Enmity is a strong animosity…a feeling of hatred between God and mankind…because of sin.  Sin is the target of God the Father’s wrath, and He was not pleased at all with mankind.

 

Now that the Lord Jesus Christ has paved the way for the peace treaty with the sacrifice of His blood at the Cross, there is no more enmity between God and man.  God says, “There was a problem you couldn’t fix…so I fixed it.  Now, for all who trust Me and My Son, there is peace.  I have nothing against you.”  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 13 to 15…

 

EPHESIANS 2:13

But now…in union with Christ Jesus…you believers in Christ…who formerly were far off have been brought near to God by the blood of Christ.

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our peace…who made both groups (Jews and

Gentiles) into one group…and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall (enmity)…

 

EPHESIANS 2:15

…by abolishing in His flesh the enmity…which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances…so that in Himself He might make the two groups into one new man…thus establishing peace…

 

PEACE!  Wow…wow…wow!  God has nothing against you believers in Christ.

Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 2…

 

ROMANS 5:2

…and through our union with Christ also we believers in Christ have obtained our direct access to a Person of privileged rank…God the Father…who placed us into this sphere of grace…a sphere in which we presently stand…and through our union with Christ also we keep on exulting in the future hope of the glory of God.

 

The next gift is DIRECT ACCESS.  When we have a relationship with God, we can go to Him to converse with Him in prayer with no need for an intermediary.  In this life there are barriers to keep an insignificant person away from a significant person.  (A PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE WITH POLICE ESCORT>. There is no such barrier with God…Hebrews, chapter 4, Verse 16 encourages us…

 

HEBREWS 4:16

Therefore, let us believers in Christ keep on drawing near with confidence to the throne of grace…so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Our Divine Dad sits on a throne in heaven waiting at all times to welcome us with open arms!
 

The next gift is a SPHERE OF GRACE.  We are placed into a protective “spiritual geodesic dome,” and in it there is an atmosphere of unconditional love, forgiveness, and freedom.

 

 

We are no longer in bondage to sin and we are no longer deluded into thinking

keeping the law is somehow pleasing to God…Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…

ROMANS 6:14

For sin shall not any longer be a sovereign master over you believers in Christ… for you are not under law…you are under grace.

 

After these three gifts alone, we are so happy we exalt!  But there is MUCH MORE!  When God’s generosity settles into our consciousness…there is nothing else to do but worship, exalt, and praise our God.

 

The next gift is GLORY.  We have a promise that we are fellow heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This means we have an amazing future.  In John, Chapter 17, Verse 22, the Lord says to His Father…

 

JOHN 17:22a

The glory which You (God the Father) have given Me…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have given to believers in Christ…

 

Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 4…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:4

When Christ, who is our resurrection life, is revealed…then you believers in Christ also will berevealed with Him in glory.

 

What does this mean?  It means believers in Christ don’t fear judgement day…we don’t fear meeting the Lord…we don’t fear it that He will soon appear on the sky to come for us…we know we have a future appointment with Him and we look forward to it…we accept the peace He orchestrated for us…we have a bright future.  So recapping the gifts in Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 1 and 2…

 

ROMANS 5:1

Therefore…having been justified on the principle of faith in the past (aorist tense in Greek means justification is an established and irrevocable fact)…we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having PEACE with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

ROMANS 5:2

…and through our union with Christ also we believers in Christ have obtained our DIRECT ACCESS to a Person of privileged rank, God the Father, who placed us into this SPHERE OF GRACE, a sphere in which we presently stand…and through our union with Christ also we keep on exulting in the future hope of the GLORY of God.

 

Notice…the things God gifts us with are gifted in the past.  God does everything in past tense.  His work is finished…His gifts are finished.Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 3…

 

ROMANS 5:3

And we not only exult in all these things (from our past…righteousness and justification by faith…in our present…peace, direct access, and a sphere of grace…in our future…glory)…but we also exult in our tribulations that are given to us by God the Father…knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance…

 

The next gift is TRIBULATION.  Maybe you don’t think of tribulation as a gift, but it is.  Tribulation is pressure.  The parent who doesn’t put kids under pressure is not worthy of being a parent.  Pressure has a result.  The Lord allowed the apostle Paul to undergo pressure…here was Paul’s reaction to it…Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 8 and 9…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:8

…we are afflicted in every way…but not crushed…we are perplexed…but not despairing…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:9

…we are persecuted…but not forsaken…we are struck down…but not destroyed…

 

God is not interest in His believers being SOFT!    God gives us tribulation and then He takes us through it…He teaches us with it…and He delivers us from it.  Truly, He shapes us with tribulation because tribulation has an amazing result…Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 3 to 5…

 

ROMANS 5:3c

…knowing that tribulation brings about PERSEVERANCE…

 

ROMANS 5:4

…and perseverance brings about PROVEN CHARACTER…and proven character brings about HOPE…

 

 

ROMANS 5:5

…and hope does not disappoint…because the unconditional love of God the Father

has been poured out within our hearts through God the Holy Spirit who was given to us by God the Father as a pledge of our inheritance.

 

The gift of TRIBULATION produces…

 

PERSEVERANCE (also known as endurance)

PROVEN CHARACTER

HOPE

 

What is better than gifts that produce God’s result?  Amazing!  Tribulation is God’s way of transforming us.  In the face of tribulation…years of it…He is teaching us to press on…to endure…which builds character.  What is proven character?  It’s integrity.  It’s the ability to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin.’

There is joy in suffering through tribulation because we know Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28 is true…

 

ROMANS 8:28

And we believers in Christ know that God the Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love God the Father, to those who are called according to the Father’s purpose.

 

Another of God’s gifts is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  God keeps on pouring His unconditional love into us.  First John, Chapter 4, Verse 10…

 

FIRST JOHN 4:10

…this is unconditional love…not that we loved God unconditionally…but that He loved us unconditionally…and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

 

We’ll learn more about unconditional love in the second section of this passage… but think for a moment…the Lord gives us a relationship with His Father…the Lord gives us God the Holy Spirit as a guide into all the truth…and the Lord gives us Himself…He’s available for an intimate relationship that saves.

 

That’s quite a list of gifts.  After the breakwe’ll take the offering and then we’ll continue with part two of this three part passage in Romans, Chapter 5.  Take a five-minute break.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

ALL GOOD GIFTS

Telly Leung

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Gifts Does God Give You Along with Justification by Faith?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

Often, as part of my prayers,I ask God the Holy Spirit to open your hearts with a spirit of generosity.  Proverbs, Chapter 19, Verse 17 says…

 

PROVERBS 19:17

The one who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord…and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.

 

May God the Holy Spirit give you a burning to desire to serve those who are spiritually bankrupt.  Your generosity is the means by which Barah Ministries can providean accurate gospel message to be enjoyed all around the world.

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

HEBREWS 12:3

Keep on thinking of such a Person…Jesus Christ…who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself…so that you will not grow weary…fainting in your souls.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Gifts Does God Give You Along with Justification by Faith?

LESSON PART TWO

 

Welcome back!

 

Well, if it isn’t apparent to you yet in our study of Romans, God loves sinners...

helpless, hopeless, ungodly, unrighteous, unbelieving sinners.

 

Let’s consider relationships for a moment.The best way to know if someone is on your side is to evaluate how they treat you when you are at your worst.  Whatmakes you special if you treat people well only when they are pleasing? The test of proven character is how people treat you when they find out you are human…when you make mistakes.

 

When you meet someone for the first time, you don’t really know if they are on

your side or not.  You give them your trust as a gift, and see what they do with it.

Eventually they reveal who they are, and when they do…BELIEVE THEM.

 

You will have people in your life who reveal they are on your side and they want a relationship with you.  The truest relationships are the ones who are there through thick and thin…no matter what.

 

You will have people in your life who reveal they want to use you.  The transactional userswill stay in your life as long as you provide.  When you stop providing, they will throw you away like a used edamame pea pod and they’ll move on to the next person to use.

 

So what’s God’s relationship approach?  Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 6 to 8 make it clear…

 

ROMANS 5:6

For while we were still helpless (wallowing in slavery to our sins)…at the right time the Lord Jesus Christ died for the ungodly (for unbelieving, unrighteous… sinners).

 

The Lord died for us when we were spiritually bankrupt.  The indictment of the whole human race in Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 10 to 18 make it clear the Lord died for us when we were at our worst.

 

From a human point of view, what the Lord did for us makes absolutely no sense.

We wouldn’t choose to die for our enemies!  We wouldn’t send a son to be slaughtered as a stand-in for the worst among us.  In fact, there probably isn’t one of us who would send our son to die for anything.  Paul puts a fine point on this idea in Verse 7…

 

ROMANS 5:7

For one will hardly die for a righteous man…though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.

 

Probably not though…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, ungodly, unrighteous sinners)…the Lord Jesus Christ died for us (in our place).

 

This is another of God’s gifts…UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.  The truest test of unconditional love is how someone treats you when you are at your worst.  The Lord is the standard for great treatment and true relationship.   He loves us no matter what.

 

The ones who use you and leave you were NEVER with you.  Proverbs 23, Verse 7 says…

 

PROVERBS 23:7

For as a selfish person thinks within himself, so he is.He says to you, “Eat and drink!” But his heart is not with you.

 

God is simply not this way.  He gives and give and givesand requires nothing of you.  His UNCONDITIONAL LOVE is a one-way love.  He knows you’re weak…He wants to help…all you have to do is trust Him and you are flooded with His gifts.

 

Finally, the gift of ASSURANCE.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 9 to 11…

 

ROMANS 5:9

MUCH MORE then…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 that is to come…through our union with Christ.

Our sins are paid for with Christ’s blood and now we have the gift of ASSURANCE that we will never be at the wrong end of the wrath of God the Father.

 

ROMANS 5:10

For if, for the sake of argument…while we were the enemies of God the Fatherwe were reconciled to the Father through the death of His Son…MUCH MORE… having been reconciled…we shall be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ’s life.

 

God gives us the gift of FRIENDSHIP…we are no longer enemies.

 

There is a debating technique, described in Latin as an a fortiori argument.  It contends that if a stronger argument is true, a lesser argument is obviously true.  In verses nine and ten, Paul uses the method, and he uses MUCH MORE to illustrate.

 

In Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 9 Paul argues that if the stronger thing has happened that we are saved by the shedding of Christ’s blood at the Cross…then the lesser thing must be MUCH MORE TRUE…that we are protected from the wrath of God.

 

In Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 10 Paul argues that if the stronger thing has happened that we were reconciled when we were God’s enemies…then the lesser thing must be MUCH MORE TRUE…that we are saved by the gift of the RESURRECTION LIFE.

 

Finishing up in Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 11…

 

ROMANS 5:11

And not only this…we believers in Christ also exult in God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christthrough whom we have now received the reconciliation.

 

God gives us the gift of RECONCILIATION.  The barrier between God and man is removed.  God has brought together parties that were hotile to each other, thus establishing peace.

 

Let’s see how the New Living Translation handles this passage…

 

 

ROMANS 5:1

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

 

ROMANS 5:2

Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

 

ROMANS 5:3

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

 

ROMANS 5:4

And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

 

ROMANS 5:5

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us…unconditionally…because he has given us God the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.

 

ROMANS 5:6

When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.

 

ROMANS 5:7

Now, most people would not be willing to die for a righteous person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.

 

ROMANS 5:8

But God the Father showed his great unconditional love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

 

ROMANS 5:9

And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God the Father’s wrath.

 

 

ROMANS 5:10

For since our friendship with God the Father was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son.

 

ROMANS 5:11

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God the Father because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God the Father.

 

So what are the myriad of gifts God give us because of our justification by faith?  That will be a great thing for you to review this week.  Rest in it.  Reflect on it.  You are special to God as believers in Christ.  You are in the MUCH MORE care of the Lord.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

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

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

God gave you an amazing gift from the moment of birth…VOLITION…the ability to choose.  You have the power of free will…the power of choice… you can make your own decisions.

 

What do you choose to believe about God?

 

There are many beliefs about God…opinions or convictions or confidence in the existence of something that doesn’t seem provable.  Yet everything with God is provable!  There is no need for blind faith with God!  He reveals Himself in ways that make sense to human beings, which means He reveals Himself in ways that makes sense to YOU!  If He didn’t, what kind of God would He be?  What would make Him worthy of our worship?  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 says…

 

 

ROMANS 1:20a

For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’sinvisible attributes…His eternal power…and His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…

 

ROMANS 1:20b

…being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe…so that all mankind, especially unbelievers, are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved believers in Christ…not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness…but according to His mercy (not giving us the wrath of God that sin deserves)…by the washing of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…

 

The Bible directs all mankind to let God do the saving!  You would never want to put the burden of your salvation on your own back.  Your good deeds won’t get you into heaven.

 

God’s plan can get you to heaven!  The ONE way…the ONLY way to get to heaven is through placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation… John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation)… and I am the truth (through the Word of God)…and I am the resurrection life (eternal life)…and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”

 

The apostle Paul describes the amazing Jewish Messiah…Jesus…the Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

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

 

When you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God…when you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven…these are much more than beliefs…this is the absolute truth!  So how do you get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life?  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10…

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confesswith your mouthJesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be saved…

 

ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believesresulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness by God (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone)resulting in salvation.

 

It’s wise to let God save you, because once God does something, it can’t be undone because God never changes His mind.  John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…

 

JOHN 10:28

“…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ, and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Rejecting a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has consequences… Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…

 

MATTHEW 13:40

So just as weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

 

MATTHEW 13:41

The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who commit lawlessness (unbelievers)…

 

MATTHEW 13:42

…and the elect angels will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (The Lake ofFire)…and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 

Yes…there is a hell…and if you end up there it will have been because of your choice.  It is NOT God’s will that you spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.So make the most important choice of your life!  Do what is suggested in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord…who took on human form as Jesus Christ) into the world to judge the world…but God the Father sent God the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.

 

Take the free gift of eternal life right now!  There’s no time to waste!  God wants you!  Why bother working for your salvation with good deeds when it’s a free gift?  Let the Lord Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross “give back” to you!

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  The Lord’s half-brother James reminds us of another irrevocable fact in James, Chapter 1, Verses 2 to 4…he says…

 

JAMES 1:2

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials…

 

JAMES 1:3

…knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

 

JAMES 1:4

And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

 

Here’s June Murphy to remind us that when God give us tribulation, one of His many gifts to us, it’s for our benefit…in her song COUNT IT ALL JOY.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

COUNT IT ALL JOY

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for your amazing gifts…help us to relax…remind us under pressure that you’re there for us…let us live in an enemy kingdom knowing that we have a peace treaty with You…that we live in the sphere of Your grace…that we have direct access to You…that You love us…that You forgive us…that You freed us from sin and the Law…and that we have absolute confidence…hope…that You will lead us to share Your glory in our very certain future because we are friends of God and reconciled to You…

 

…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 and coming up in Barah Ministries.

 

DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE

 

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KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

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