ROM-487-241006 - length: 74:15 - taught on Oct, 6 2024
Class Outline:
The gifted race of life.
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 these questions.
Heartbreak.
A feeling of overwhelming distress…of great sadness…of emotional suffering… especially when a relationship is over and you can’t seem to let it go for whatever reason...whether because of death or breakup or estrangement.
Heartbreak.
It’s a feeling we often have when dealing with family members. The distress?
Who wants to let go of relationships with family members? We are enculturated to believe that family is everything when the truth is some of the most toxicrelationships we have are with family members.
Heartbreak.
What does the Bible have to say about heartbreak…this genuine feeling… especially the heartbreak of dealing with family members? Mark, Chapter 6, Verses 1 to 6…
MARK 6:1 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, His hometown.
MARK 6:2 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
On the next Sabbath Jesus began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were amazed. They asked, “Where did He get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?”
MARK 6:3 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
Then the people of Jesus’ hometown scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.”They were deeply offended by Him and refused to believe in Him.
MARK 6:4 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
Then Jesus told His disciples, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in His own hometown and among His own relatives and His own family.”
MARK 6:5 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
And because of their unbelief, Jesus couldn’t do any miracles among them…except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
MARK 6:6 (NEW LIVING TRANSLATION)
And Jesus was amazed at their unbelief.
Heartbreak.
It’s an easy feeling to feel when you deal with relationships, especially relationships with family members. You just need to know that the Lord never intended for Christians to be punching bags…notin the world and certainly not among family members.
We come to Bible study to learn how to deal with many things, especially the heartbreak of relationships.
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.
In Isaiah, Chapter 41, Verse 10, God the Father encourages us when we are heartbroken or afraid…
ISAIAH 41:10
“Do not fear, for I am with you…do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you…surely I will help you…surely I will uphold you with My righteous right 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). Jesus Christ is God.
Jesus was no stranger to heartbreak according to Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 3, which says when we experience heartbreak…
HEBREWS 12:3
Keep on thinking about Jesus…who has endured the exact same hostility by sinners against Himself…so that you will not grow weary…fainting in your souls.
When your heart is broken, Jesus wants you to know that He has experienced the same thing and He has your back!
There is ONE AND ONLY ONE WAY to heaven. If you invest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…asking Him to save you…He will save you. When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you instantly have the resurrection life…eternal life…in His Name.
We worship GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. He is our Mentor and Teacher. He is a guide who is the rudder of a Christian’s life. He is fully God, equal in every way to God the Father and God the Son.He is a Person. He is not a “ghost” as some like to call Him.
The Holy Spirit is with you when you are being abused by family members. Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 1…
MATTHEW 4:1
Then Jesus was led up by God the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Satan was a member of God’s family who betrayed Him, yet God the Holy Spirit accompanied the Lord in the trial.
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 specializing in the impossible…a team always available to be called on for help in times of trouble.
What is Our Source of Truthat Barah Ministries?
The Bible is the Word of God, and as such it is our source of absolute truth. As Christians, the way we develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Godhead…the way we get to know God as a Person…is through studying the Word of God.
The Word of God makes it clear how to handle the heartbreakers in our lives…Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 5…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:1
Realize this…in the last days (in every generation) difficult times will come.
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:2
For men will be lovers of self…lovers of money…boastful…arrogant…revilers… disobedient to parents…ungrateful…unholy…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:3
…unloving…irreconcilable…malicious gossips…without self-control…brutal… haters of good…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:4
…treacherous…reckless…conceited…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:5
…holding to a superficial form of godliness (religion)…because they have denied
the power of real godliness…AVOID SUCH MEN AS THESE.
What is your source of truth? Your source of truth for eternal matters is not a small matter because it has huge eternal consequences.
The Bible is a supernatural work…breathed into human writers by God. It does not come from man…it comes directly from God…and the Bible provides the only source of absolute truthabout eternal things.
Since the Bible is the Lord’s exact thinking, and since God is right all the time, the Bible is right all the time. It contains no errors or contradictions. You can trust the Bible as your source of truth.
At Barah Ministries, we teach the Bible from God’s perspective…not from man’s perspective…because we refuse to teach as doctrinal truth the very fallible precepts of men.
The best thing you can do for yourself EVERY DAY is to spend time reading, studying, and reflecting on God’s Word. Schedule time to study the Bible and let God’s Word set the direction for your day. The Bible changes your mind!
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.
As believers in Christ, we are children of the Almighty God. The scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day chose to be children of the devil according to the Lord in John, Chapter 8, Verse 44…
JOHN 8:44a
You scribes and Pharisees are of your father the devil…and you want to do the desires of your father…
In Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 13 the Lord describes the problem of being children of the devil…
MATTHEW 23:13
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees…you hypocrites…because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people…for you do not enter into the kingdom of heaven yourselves (you are children of hell)…nor do you allow those who are entering to go in (without opposition).”
As believers in Christ, we are grateful for being children of the Living God. The biggest enemy of believers in Christ is IGNORANCE OF THE ENEMY. Don’t be ignorant.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What About Israel and the Jews?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Has Jesus Christ rejected Israel and the Jews because they rejected their Messiah?
Paul anticipated the question after exiting the eight most amazing and compelling chapters of the New Testament…perhaps the most wonderful chapters in the whole Bible…the chapters that tell how to be saved by faith in Christ.
In the next three chapters of Paul’s letter to the believers in first-century Rome…Romans, Chapters 9 to 11…Paul tell of the future of Israel and the Jewish race.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!How does God want you to feel about yourself when you are heartbroken? He wants you to think what June Murphy sings in her song…I AM BEAUTIFUL.
MUSIC
OPENING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
I AM BEAUTIFUL
June Murphy
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank you for Israel…and thank you for the Jewish race…thank you for showing us Your affection for them both…in witnessing Your care for them we are seeing Your care for us as well…
…teach us about Your faithfulness to Your creatures in the coming chapters and let Your faithfulness edify us during trying times, especially times of heartbreak...
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What About Israel and the Jews?
LESSON PART ONE
How did you feel when you heard about Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel? For me…it was personal. I wanted to see Iran wiped off the face of the earth for their audacious stupidity. This is the feeling Christians must have for Israel and the Jews. They are our brothers.
The only Biblical writer of Scripture who was not Jewish is Luke. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself…our Savior…is Jewish…and as Christians, we are closely aligned with the Jews. Anti-Semitism is hatred of the Jews, a form of racism that is an abomination to the Lord (as are all forms of racism)…and is to be avoided by Christians.
Romans, Chapters 9, 10, and 11 answer the question, "How is the Lord dealing with Israel and the Jews today?" In a word?
Commitment.
Israel and the Jews are a testament to God’s faithfulness. The Lord spoke to the Jews through His Word according to First Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 24 and 25…
FIRST PETER 1:24
For, “All flesh is like grass…and all the flesh’s glory is like the flower of grass.
The grass withers and the flower falls off…”
FIRST PETER 1:25
“…but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word which was
preached to you.”
In His Word, the Lord revealed how special Israel and the Jews are to Him…
Psalm 147, Verses 19 and 20…
PSALM 147:19
The Lord declares His words to Jacob…and He declares His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
PSALM 147:20
The Lord has not dealt thus with any nation (as He has with Israel)… yet as for
His ordinances…Israel has not known them (they didn’t pay attention to the very words that revealed the identity of their Messiah). Praise the Lord!
What did the Lord say to Israel and the Jews when He was here on earth? A heartbroken lament…Luke, Chapter 13, Verses 34 and 35…
LUKE 13:34
O Jerusalem…Jerusalem…the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!
LUKE 13:35
Behold, your house is left to you desolate…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you…you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
During His time on earth, the Jews rejected the Messiah they had been promised…the One they learned about throughout Old Testament Scripture. It’s only natural for humans to think our amazing God would handle rejection the way we humans handle rejection…we reject back! The Lord did not. The Lord handled their rejection with unconditional love and faithfulness as witnessed by His work on the Cross on behalf of all of His creatures.
In Romans, Chapters 9, 10, and 11 Paul writes of how God deals with the past, the present, and the future of Israel and the Jews. During the current age…the Church Age…the Jews have been set aside but not forgotten.
The Church Age is the Age of the Gentiles. God selected the apostle Paul…a Jew…to evangelize to the Gentiles…the goy…people the Jews thought of as inferior because the Gentiles were not of the chosen nation (Israel) and the chosen race (the Jews).
What is a goy?
GOY
Someone who is not Jewish and who is ignorant of the Jewish race and the Jewish religion.
Should Church Age believers…today’s Christians…the Gentiles…the goy…be concerned with the Jews? Without question. The next few lessons inform our concern. Here’s what we’ll see in the next three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans.
In Romans Chapter 9, we’ll feel Paul’s heartbreak that His people have been set aside by God for a time for their rejection of their Messiah…the Lord Jesus Christ.
In Romans Chapter 10, Paul prays for the salvation of the members of the Jewish race who are not Abraham’s seed.
In Romans Chapter 11, Paul reveals the hope he sees in God’s perfect plan for Israel and the Jews despite their inadequacies.
For Church Age believers, we learn how we, as Gentiles, can help the Jews to see who their Messiah really is.
Let’s review the first passage in Romans Chapter 9, Verses 1 to 13…the New
American Standard Translation…
ROMANS 9:1
I (Paul) am telling the truth in Christ…I am not lying…my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit…
ROMANS 9:2
…that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart.
Heartbreak.
ROMANS 9:3
For I (Paul) could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the
sake of my brethren…my kinsmen according to the flesh (the Jews)…
ROMANS 9:4
…who are Israelites…to whom belongs the adoption as sons…and the glory…and the covenants…and the giving of the Mosaic Law…and the temple service…and the promises…
ROMANS 9:5
…whose are the fathers…and from whom is the Christ (the Jewish Messiah) according to the flesh…the One who is over all…the God who is blessed forever. Amen.
ROMANS 9:6
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel…
ROMANS 9:7
…nor are they all children of God because they are Abraham’s descendants…but the Word says to Abraham, “Through Isaac your descendants will be named.”
ROMANS 9:8
That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God (they are children of the devil)…but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants of Abraham.
ROMANS 9:9
For this is the word of promise: “At this time I (the Lord) will come…and Sarah (who was barren) shall have a son (Isaac).”
ROMANS 9:10
And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac (even though she was barren)…
ROMANS 9:11
…for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad… so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand…not because of works but because of Him who calls…
ROMANS 9:12
…it was said to Rebekah, “The older son will serve the younger son.”
ROMANS 9:13
Just as it is written (by God), “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll look at the first five verses of this passage.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK
NOBODY
Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What About Israel and the Jews?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “You can’t have a perfect day without doing something for someone who’ll never be able to repay you.” Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verse 16 reflects this sentiment…
HEBREWS 13:16
…do not neglect the doing of good and sharing…for with such sacrifices, God is pleased.
Our God is generous every second of every day. As believers in Christ, we choose
to reflect His grace.
When you give to Barah Ministries you make it possible for people all over the world to get spiritual food to feed their spiritual lives free of charge. Thank you for your generosity. God brings people to these messages.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
PSALM 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
OFFERING SONG
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU
Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON
What About Israel and the Jews?
LESSON PART TWO
In the first three verses of Romans, Chapter 9…Paul reveals his heartbreak for his Jewish brothers and sisters who reject their Messiah. Paul is Jewish, and he chose NOT to reject the Messiah…the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the hardest things for parents is to see their children suffer. Paul has a
similar grief as he watches his kinsmen, the Jews, suffer. Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 1…
ROMANS 9:1
I (Paul) am telling you the truth…I am in union with Christ on this…I am not lying to you…my conscience testifies along with me…I am filled with God the Holy Spirit and His enabling power as I speak on this matter…
Paul is being judicial at the beginning of this chapter and he calls on two witnesses
to affirm his veracity as is mandated in Deuteronomy, Chapter 19, Verses 15 and 16…
DEUTERONOMY 19:15
“You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness.”
DEUTERONOMY 19:16
“The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
Paul asks his readers to understand that his heartbreak over the plight of Israel and the Jews is a fact….and he uses the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit as witnesses to affirm that he is telling the truth. Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 2 and 3…
ROMANS 9:2
…and I (Paul) tell you that I keep on having great and sorrow and an incessant and haunting grief in my heart (for them…I am heartbroken).
ROMANS 9:3a
For if I could (and I know it is not possible)…I would wish that I myself were accursed (made an anathema by God…sent to the Lake of Fire as a substitute for my Jewish brethren if they could be saved)…
ROMANS 9:3b
…and that I willingly would be separated by God from my union with the Christ (the Jewish Messiah)…if I could…for the sake of my brethren (the Jews who are unbelievers)…who are my “kinsmen according to the flesh…”
Paul, in modern times, would be singing a song by Prince…“I Would Die 4 You!”
Paul is saying to God, “I’d be willing to be lost…to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, if Israel and the Jews could be saved by my sacrifice.” That’s love!
Once the apostle Paul became a believer in Christ he became a punching bag for the Jews. He was rejected by his own people, just as the Lord was…Acts, Chapter 21, Verses 27 and 28…
ACTS 21:27
When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing Paul in
the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him…
ACTS 21:28
…crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and against the Mosaic Law and against this place (Israel)…and besides he has even brought Greeks (Gentiles…the goy) into the temple and has defiled this holy place.’”
If you can’t destroy people by legitimate means…lie on them. It’s the same thing we see in today’s presidential campaignpropaganda. Lies everywhere we look.
Paul’s love is the same love Moses expressed for the Jewish people in prayer in Exodus, Chapter 32, Verses 32 and 33…
EXODUS 32:32
But now…if You will Lord…forgive their sin (of worshiping an object…a
molten calf)—and if not, please blot me out from Your book (the Book of Life) which You have written!”
EXODUS 32:33
The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me (by not believing in Me) …I will blot him out of My book.
Who are the people for whom Paul is heartbroken? Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 4 and 5…
ROMANS 9:4a
…my kinsmen who are Israelites (the Jews…the people of the nation of Israel)…to whom belongs a status easily identifiable by these gifts…national adoption as sons…and to whom belongs the glory (God’s presence among the Jewish people)…and to whom belongs the covenants (a series of provisions made only for Israel and the Jews)…
ROMANS 9:4b
…and to whom belongs the giving of the Mosaic Law (a nation placed in charge of the oracles of God)…and to whom belongs the temple service (He made the Jews a kingdom of priests and gave them THE way to worship)…and to whom belongs the promises (made to the Jewish race)…
ROMANS 9:5a
…my kinsmen who are of the lineage of the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob)…and my kinsmen from whose lineage comes the greatest gift of all, the Christ (a Jew who came to the nation of Israel)…the One who became flesh and tabernacled among us…the Messiah…
ROMANS 9:5b
…the One who is Sovereign over all…THE God (100% Deity and 100% true humanity in one Person forever)…the blessed One…who EXISTS forever (the Lord Jesus Christ).Amen!
Despite the unfaithfulness of the Jews…the rejection of their Messiah…from God’s love, the Jews were given eight gifts…
Gift 1
DIVINE NATIONAL ADOPTION AS SONS
Exodus, Chapter 4, Verse 22…
EXODUS 4:22
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.’”
Deuteronomy, Chapter 7, Verse 6…
DEUTERONOMY 7:6
For you (the Jews) are a holy people to the Lord your God…the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
The Jews were chosen out ones for an absolute and eternal election…in Isaiah, Chapter 66, Verse 22 the Lord gave this message to the Jews…
ISAIAH 66:22
“For just as the new heavens and the new earth which I make will endure before Me,” declares the Lord, “So your offspring and your name will endure.”
Gift 2
THE SHEKINAH GLORY
God’s presence was manifest to the Jews…as a pillar of cloud by day and as fire by night to guide their journey out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the desert wilderness, and was permanently installed in the Tabernacle. Exodus, Chapter 25, Verse 8…
EXODUS 25:8
Let the sons of Israel construct a sanctuary for Me…that I (the Lord…God the Son) may dwell among them.
What is said of the holy place in the Tabernacle? Exodus, Chapter 5, Verse 14…
EXODUS 5:14c
…the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.
Gift 3
THE COVENANTS
God’s promises to the Jewish race…The Abrahamic Covenant…The Davidic Covenant…the PalestinianCovenant …the New Covenant (with Israel and Judah). The Lord says this about the new covenant to come…Acts, Chapter 15, Verses 13 to 18…
ACTS 15:13
After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me.”
ACTS 15:14
“Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.”
ACTS 15:15
With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written…
ACTS 15:16
“After these things, I (the Lord) will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen…and I will rebuild its ruins…and I will restore it…”
ACTS 15:17
So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord…and all the Gentiles who are called
by My name…”
ACTS 15:18
…thus says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.
Hitler rejected this idea and sought to create his own superior race…inspired by Satan…the great counterfeiter. All racial hatred is born on the wings of a hatred of the Jews.
The token of circumcision is a reminder of the covenants to the Jews…all Jewish males are circumcised eight days after their birth…Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 15 to 18
GALATIANS 3:15
Brethren, I (Paul) speak in a human analogy…even though it is only man's analogy…when a man makes a covenant (a contract)…and it has been ratified (confirmed by expressing consent and he signs it)…no one can set it aside and no one can add new conditions to it.
GALATIANS 3:16
Now the promises of God were spoken directly to Abraham and to his seed…God
does not say, “And to seeds” as if referring to many…rather God refers to one… “Andto your seed” … and that seed is the Christ (the Jewish Messiah).
GALATIANS 3:17
What I (Paul) am saying is this…the Mosaic Law…which came four hundred and thirty years after God’s promise to Abraham, does not invalidate a covenant (a spoken contract) previously ratified by God with Abraham so as to nullify the promises God made to Abraham.
GALATIANS 3:18
For if, for the sake of argument, the spiritual inheritance of the Jews is based on
keeping Mosaic Law (by works…and it isn’t)…it is no longer based on a promise
from God (in which we have faith)…the truth is God has granted salvation to
Abraham by means of a promise (faith in Christ alone).
Israel and the Jews failed God but God refuses to fail them.
Gift 4
CUSTODIANSHIP OF THE MOSAIC LAW
Every writer of Scripture but Luke is a Jew. All the prophets are Jews. Why? Romans, Chapter 3, verse 2…
ROMANS 3:2b
…the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
Gift 5
THE TEMPLE WORSHIP SERVICES
The Jews were taught how to worship the Lord.
Gift 6
THE SALVATION PROMISE
A justification began with Abraham in Genesis, Chapter 15, Verse 6…
GENESIS 15:6
Then Abraham believed in the Lord…and the Lord credited it to Abraham’s account as righteousness (the admission ticket to heaven).
Gift 7
THE FATHERS
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, David, Samuel, and the rest of the Old Testament Prophets…Peter, James, and John among the New Testament Apostles…
Gift 8
THE MESSIAH
The Lord Jesus…the Christ…tabernacled among His People the Jews…John, Chapter 1, Verse 14…
JOHN 1:14
And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (as Jesus…the Christ…the
Jewish Messiah) and dwelt among us…and we saw His glory…the glory of the only begotten One from the source of God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.
Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 1 chronicles the Lord’s lineage…
MATTHEW 1:1
The record of the genealogy of Jesus…the Jewish Messiah…the son of David…the son of Abraham…
So what happens to people when they are given everything? Unlike dogs, human beings will defecate in their own cages. Romans, Chapter 9 is the story of a nation and a people that have fouled their own cages. We’ll continue our study of the first passage of Romans Chapter 9 in the next lesson.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The next ten minutes 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
The Lord Jesus Christ gave you a powerful weapon and a perfect gift from the moment of your physical birth…CHOICE. You get to choose the life you want to live. The life you are living right now is the sum of all the decisions you have made so far.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Sovereign God of the Universe and the Savior of all mankind says there are only two choices for your eternal future…either heaven (the small gate and the narrow way) or the Lake of Fire (the wide gate and the broad way) … described in Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 13 and 14…
MATTHEW 7:13
“Enter through the narrow gate…for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction…and there are many who enter through the wide gate (into the Lake of Fire).”
MATTHEW 7:14
“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to the resurrection life (into heaven)…and there are FEW who find the small gate.”
MOST PEOPLE CHOOSE THE BROAD WAY according to the Lord. Which road will you choose for your eternal life? You have the chance to be the eternal hero of your own life by making the right choice.
Those who are on the broad way that leads to destruction believe there is safety in numbers. It is not true. Believing what everyone else believes does not save you. Learning the truth saves you. Place your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ and He will save you.
The Lord Jesus Christ is 100% God…that’s why we call Him Lord…and He is 100% Man…true humanity like you and me…that’s why we call Him Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah). Jesus says HE is the small gate, which makes Him your guide to heaven, In 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 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.”
God the Father’s plan for your life is simple…BELIEVE in His Son and it is your ticket to eternal life. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…
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.”
Those on the broad way that leads to destruction place their confidence in liars. The Lord Jesus Christ warns about them in Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 15…
MATTHEW 7:15
“Beware of the false prophets (false teachers) … who come to you in sheep’s clothing (appearing harmless)… who inwardly are ravenous wolves (out to destroy your eternal future).”
As ravenous wolves, false teachers want to choose to follow a false gospel message. Proverbs, Chapter 14, Verse 12 illuminates the issue…
PROVERBS 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man (saving yourself by thinking good
deeds will earn your salvation)…but its end is the way of death (the second death in the Lake of Fire).
The Lord Jesus Christ offers the true gospel message and an invitation to be saved in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36
“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life (eternal life) right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT…RIGHT NOW…you can tell God the Father that you are believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation, and that is the moment of eternal life for you.
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…
God’s enemy…Satan…is the sponsor of false teachers, false teaching, and a
false gospel message. You have to be able to discern the difference between
God’s truth and Satan’s lies…John, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…
JOHN 8:31
So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My
word (the Word of God from a true teacher), then you are truly disciples of Mine…”
JOHN 8:32
“…and you will know the truth (the true gospel message)…and the truth will make you free.”
Another warning for those who choose the broad way is Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 21 to 23…
MATTHEW 7:21
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven (by obeying the gospel message) will enter heaven.”
MATTHEW 7:22
“Many will say to Me on that day (of judgment), ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name…and in Your name did we not cast out demons…and in Your name did we not perform many miracles?’”
MATTHEW 7:23
“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you…depart from Me (into the Lake of Fire) …you who kept on practicing (a lifestyle of) lawlessness.’”
Don’t wait until it’s too late to consider what road you are on! Mark, Chapter 1, Verse 15 says…
MARK 1:15
“The time is fulfilled…and the kingdom of God is at hand…so repent
(changeyour mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ)…and believe in HIS gospel message.”
The will of God the Father is that you believe in His Son so you can have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who choose the narrow way have decided that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone is the ONLY ticket to heaven. Get yourself on the narrow way that leads to eternal life in heaven right this minute.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! Sometimes the only way around the fire of heartbreak is to go through it. According to Jon Foreman, Jesus is THE CURE FOR THE PAIN.
MUSIC
CLOSING SONG
Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
THE CURE FOR THE PAIN
Jon Foreman
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for showing us Your faithfulness to the Jews…even though what they did is heartbreaking, You stuck with them by keeping Your promises…great is Your faithfulness…it gives us hope that we have the same faithfulness, especially when we know that as Gentiles, we make worse mistakes than the Jews…
…teach us to appreciate Your goodness…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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