Romans 9: Spiritual Jews Illustrate the Power of Choice

Class Outline:

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Decisions decide our destiny.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Choice.

 

Your life in the spiritual realm comes down to a simple choice.  Are you for or against a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ?

 

Christianity is not a religion…it’s a relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe and the Creator of the world…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 1:3

All things came into being through the Lord (God the Son)…and apart fromHim, nothing came into being that has come into being.

 

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 He lived among us…and we saw His glory (with our own eyes) … the glory of the only begotten One from God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.

 

We come to Bible study to learn how to make the choice to be saved…and once we are saved, to learn what we did.

 

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.

God the Father made one of the greatest choices of all time…He chose to send His Son to save us…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…

 

ROMANS 5:8

God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankindin that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers), Christ died a sacrificial deathfor us.

 

GOD 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 chose to die so anyone could be saved…in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 the Lord warns you and invites you to make a great choice…

 

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.”

 

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.

 

God the Holy Spirit invites believers in Christ to a choice…Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verse 18…

 

EPHESIANS 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine…for that is dissipation…but keep on being filled with the Spirit…

 

Believers in Christ can be full of themselves or they can be filled with God the Holy Spirit.

 

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 you can call 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, studying the Word of God is the way we develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Godhead…the way we get to know God as a Person.

 

Believers in Christ have a choice to be influenced by Satan’s world system of thought and its propaganda…the choice that produced bondage…or the choice to be influenced by the Word of God…the choice that produces growth.  Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 18…

 

SECOND PETER 3:18

…keep on growing in the sphere of grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (through the study of the Word of God). To the Lord be the glory…both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 

What is your source of truth?  Your source of truth for eternal matters is not an insignificant thing because it has eternal consequences.

 

The Bible is a supernatural work…breathed into human writers by God.  It does

not come from man.  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 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.

 

You can choose to embrace Satan’s way of thinking or you can reject his way of thinking which the Lord recommends in James, Chapter 4, Verse 7…

 

JAMES 4:7

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

 

The biggest enemy of believers in Christ is IGNORANCE OF THE ENEMY.  Choose not to be ignorant.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Jews Illustrate the Power of Choice

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

What is one of the most powerful statement in Scripture concerning the Jewish race?  All Israel is not Israel.  What does this mean?  In today’s lesson, the apostle Paul tells us.  And as we do every month, we'll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  In it, you’ll be introduced to the doctrines of election and predestination.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!There was a day when you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and you were saved.  What a glorious day!  Here’s Phil Wickham to remind you of the power of that choice in his song THIS IS THE DAY.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

THIS IS THE DAY

Phil Wickham

 

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 the power that comes to us from studying Your Word…thank you for penetrating the depths of our souls with Your truth…thank you for letting the Word of God reveal to us exactly how to be saved…thank you for freeing us from wrath and condemnation by means of the Cross of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who shed His blood to save us…thank you for God the Holy Spirit, our Mentor and Teacher who baptized us, placing us into union with Christ…

 

…Father we pray for our Jewish brethren who have rejected Your Son and their Messiah…we know how special Israel and the Jews are to You and we pray for their salvation…we pray that You make it clear to them, beyond the rituals of Judaism, that Your Son is their Messiah so they recognize it now and not later…and we pray you lead them to becoming spiritual Jews, not just racial Jews, so they can join us in heaven…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Jews Illustrate the Power of Choice

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

In Romans, Chapters 9, 10, and 11 the apostle Paul makes a brief departure from sharing the gospel message of salvation for all mankind.  After eight brilliant chapters on how to be saved, in these three chapters, Paul answers the question, “What about Israel and the Jews?”Has God forgotten about Israel and the Jews?  In these three chapters, Paul reveals how God deals with their past, present, and future.  During the current age…the Church Age…the Jews have been set aside for a while for rejecting their Messiah…Jesus…the Christ.  But they are by no means forgotten by God.

 

In Romans Chapter 9, we feel Paul’s heartbreak that His people have been set aside.

 

In Romans Chapter 10, Paul prays for the salvation of the members of the Jewish race who are not Abraham’s seed…those who reject a relationship with Christ.

 

In Romans Chapter 11, Paul reveals the hope he sees in God’s perfect plan for Israel and the Jews despite their rejection.

 

Last week we studied the first five verses of Romans, Chapter 9…and we’ll finish this passage today.  In Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 1 to 5, Paul’s broken heart is revealed…

 

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’s enabling power as I speak on this matter…

 

ROMANS 9:2

…and I (Paul) tell you that I keep on having great sorrow...an incessant haunting grief in my heart (for my kinsmen…the Jews…I am heartbroken for them).

 

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)… those who are my “kinsmen according to the flesh…”

 

ROMANS 9:4a

…my kinsmen who are Israelites (the Jews…the people of the nation of Israel)…to whom belongs a privileged status easily identifiable by divinegifts…to whom belongs national adoption as sons…to whom belongs the glory (God’s presence among the Jewish people)…to whom belongs the covenants (a series of provisions made only for Israel and the Jews)…

 

ROMANS 9:4b

…to whom belongs the giving of the Mosaic Law (they were a nation placed in charge of the oracles of God)…to whom belongs the temple service (the Lord 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 (the Jewish Messiah who came to the nation of Israel)…the One who became flesh and tabernacled among us…

 

ROMANS 9:5b

…the One who is Sovereign over all…THE God (100% Deity and 100% true humanity in one Person)…the blessed One…who EXISTS forever (the Lord Jesus Christ).  Amen!

 

Remember the gifts…

 

Gift 1

DIVINE NATIONAL ADOPTION AS SONS

 

The Jews were chosen out ones for an absolute and eternal election.

 

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…with His presence permanently installed in the Tabernacle.

 

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).

 

Gift 4

CUSTODIANSHIP OF THE MOSAIC LAW

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 2…

 

ROMANS 3:2b

…the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God (the Mosaic Law).

 

Gift 5

THE TEMPLE WORSHIP SERVICES

 

The Jews were taught how to worship the Lord.

 

Gift 6

THE SALVATION PROMISE

 

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).

 

Those Jews who are of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…spiritual Jews…believe the same thing.

 

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…these are a few of the fathers of the Jewish race.

 

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.

 

What happens to people who were given everything?  It’s the same thing that happens to all of us when we are gifted with things free of charge.  We take these things for granted.  The Jewish race took their Messiah for granted and rejected

Him.

 

Today we’ll look at Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 6 to 13…

 

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 (the children of God) 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 also there was Rebekah, 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.”

 

Let’s study the second part of this first passage verse-by-verse beginning at Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 6…

 

ROMANS 9:6

But it is not as though the Word of God has failed (simply because unbelieving Jews rejected their Messiah). For they are not all Israel…(spiritual Jews in the eyes of God)…who are descended from Israel (as racial Jews)…

 

Now that the Jews have been set aside by God for a while because they have rejected their Messiah, have the promises God made to Abraham been nullified?  The apostle Paul would say, “May it never be!”  The teddy bear on my desk would say, “Don't be schtoopid!”

 

The Lord is the God of Israel and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  He has blessed their spiritual seeds…those who believe in the Lord as they did.  He has promised them land through the Palestinian covenant…the land that is now occupied by their enemies who want to wipe the Jews off the planet.  He promised them a Messiah through the line of David…Jesus…the Christ…who will reign for one thousand years here on earth (the Millennial Reign of Christ).  He will continue that reign in the new earth and the new universe that follows the Millennium.  Isaiah, Chapter 66, Verse 22…

 

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 (speaking of Israel and the Jews).”

 

The warning to the Jews in Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 7…

 

ROMANS 9:7

…for all Jews are not children in God’s eyessimply because they are Abraham’s blooddescendants (racial Jews)…but the Lord says, “Through Isaac (who is a believer in the Lord) your descendants will be named (as spiritual Jews).”

 

Religious privilege is not spiritual reality.  The scribes and Pharisees were racial Jews but they were not spiritual Jews.  They rejected Jesus…their Messiah.  The Lord Jesus Christ took them to task in John, Chapter 8, Verses 39 to 45…

 

JOHN 8:39

The scribes and Phariseessaid to Jesus, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, then do the deeds of Abraham!”

 

JOHN 8:40

“But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me…a man who has told you the truth…truth which I heard from God the Father…this Abraham did not do.”

 

JOHN 8:41

“You scribes and Pharisees are doing the deeds of your father (the devil).” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication (like you)…we have one Father…God the Father.”

 

JOHN 8:42

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me…for I proceeded forth and have come from God the Father…for I have not even come to earth on My own initiative…but God the Father sent Me.”

 

JOHN 8:43

“Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My Word.”

 

Now Jesus lowers the boom.

 

 

JOHN 8:44

You are (not children of God…you are) of your father the devil…and you want to

do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning…and he does not stand in the truth…because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his very own nature…for he is a liar and he is the one who keeps on fathering lies.”

 

JOHN 8:45

“But because I (the Lord Jesus Christ) speak the truth…you do not believe Me.”

 

The scribes and Pharisees had a choice…they could be children of God or children of the devil.  They made the wrong choice.

 

The deadly delusion?  Those who think that because they are racial Jews they are automatically saved.  They are deceived by a masterful Satanic deception.Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 6 to 9…

 

GALATIANS 3:6

…Abraham believed in the Lord…and it was credited to his account as righteousness (the admission ticket to heaven).

 

GALATIANS 3:7

Therefore, be confident in this…that those Jews who have faith in the Lord are the sons of Abraham.

 

GALATIANS 3:8

The Scripture…foreseeing that God the Father would justify the Gentiles by faith… preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in you.”

 

GALATIANS 3:9

So then those Jews who are of the same faith as Abraham are blessed with Abraham, the believer in the Lord.

 

The Lord made it clear that spiritual Jews are the children of Abraham... Genesis, Chapter 17, Verse 18…

 

GENESIS 17:18

And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!”

Abraham loved his son Ishmael.  And although Ishmael was not the son the Lord had promised, Ishmael was precious to Abraham.  Ishmael was a product of the flesh.  He is the son produced when Abraham took matters into his own hands to have a sonby impregnating his maid…Hagar.  Genesis, Chapter 17, Verses 19 to 21…

 

GENESIS 17:19

But God said to Abraham, “No!  Sarah your wife will bear you a son…and you shall call his name Isaac (which means laughter)…and I will establish My covenant with Isaac for an everlasting covenant with him and his descendants after him (the spiritual Jews).”

 

GENESIS 17:20

“As for Ishmael, I have heard you…behold, I (the Lord) will bless him…and I will make him fruitful…and I will multiply him exceedingly.He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.”

 

GENESIS 17:21

“But My covenant I will establish with Isaac…whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.”

 

In Genesis, Chapter 22, Verse 12 the Lord says to Abraham…

 

GENESIS 22:12 a and c

“Do not be distressed because of Ishmael and your maid (Hagar)…but through Isaac your descendants (the spiritual Jews) shall be named.”

 

Paul explains in Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 8…

 

ROMANS 9:8

It is not the children born of the flesh who are children of God…(referring to Ishmael’s seed…the Ishmaelites, the Midianites, the Edomites)…but it is (the born again ones)…the children of the promise (Abraham’s seed)…that are regarded by God as the spiritual descendants of Abraham.

 

The spiritual Jews are the real children of God.  Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 9 (from Genesis 18:10)…

 

 

ROMANS 9:9

For this is the word of promise made by God to Abram and Sari, “At this time next year I will come, and Sarah shall have a son.”

 

Isaac was the promised child from God, and he would become a spiritual Jew.  The Lord did not stop there…Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 10…

 

ROMANS 9:10

And not only this, but also there was (barren) Rebekah…when she had conceived twins by one man…our father Isaac…

 

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 sovereign choice would stand (election)… not because of works…but because of God the Father who calls (by sovereign right)…

 

ROMANS 9:12

…it was said to Rebekah, “The older will serve the younger.”

 

ROMANS 9:13

Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

 

To illustrate choice…twins.  Jacob is a spiritual Jew and Esau is a racial Jew.  Jacob believed in the Lord…Esau rejected the Lord.  Thus, a peculiar phenomenon in the first century…the older son (Esau) serving the younger son (Jacob).

 

Both sons were equally depraved…there was nothing special about Jacob…yet his choice of a relationship with the Lord unlocked privileges beyond belief, just as this choice does for all of us, especially the spiritual Jews who believe in the Lord…Jesus…the Christ…as their Messiah.

 

All those who believe in Jesus Christ are a gift from God the Father to Christ.  As believers in Christ, we are pleased to be gifts to God from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  We are spiritual just as they were.

 

So in this first passage of Romans, Chapter 9…we learn the contrast…spiritual Jews and racial Jews.  We learn about choice…for or against the Christ.  Choice is powerful.  The spiritual Jews not onlyillustrate the power of choice, but also they

made the powerful choice…the choice for Christ, their Messiah.

 

The spiritual Jews teach us the secret that unlocks eternity for each of us…the right choice…a relationship with Christ.And we see an example through the racial Jews of the bad choice of many in the world…ignoring the free gift of salvation… taking a free gift for granted.  Let’s pray for our Jewish brethren to see the light…their light…the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Jews Illustrate the Power of Choice

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

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

 

LUKE 8:8

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

messages.

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always…again I will say it…rejoice!

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Elected Us and Predestined Us

 

Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ in The Christian Way of Living.

 

The Lord demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with His believers by creating a way to keep on sharing His body and His blood with us, just as He did with His apostles on the night before His death.  Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16…

 

LUKE 22:14

When the hour had come (and His crucifixion was near) …the Lord Jesus Christ reclined at the Passover table…and the apostles reclined with Him.

 

 

LUKE 22:15

And the Lord said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passovermeal with you before I suffer…”

 

LUKE 22:16

“…for I(the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you that I shall never again eat this

Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God the Father.”

 

In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26a

…as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26b

…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead… until He comes again at the second coming.

 

During the Lord’s Supper Celebration, Jesus wants His believers to REMEMBER.  We look back to the Cross for a moment and we REMEMBER how the Lord rescued us from the kingdom of darkness.  We REMEMBER the Lord’s sacrifice of shedding His blood to cover our sins.  We REMEMBER the gift of the resurrection life the Lord orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light. We REMEMBER with anticipation that the Lord is coming again.

 

As believers in Christ, when we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, we ask ourselves in reflection, “What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?”

 

From a very early age, I knew I wanted to be a father.

 

The choice to be a father, and more importantly, the choice to engage in the task of fathering, was not arbitrary.  It wasn’t something that just came up, so I decided, “Okay…I guess I’ll do it.”For me, the choice to be a father was intentional.  I craved it as I crave the air I breathe.  I wanted it.  I looked forward to it.

 

I knew I would be different from my own father.  I knew I would not to abandon my children’s mother, either before or after they were born.

 

I planned in advance for my children’s success.

 

I loved them before they were born.

 

Before they were even conceived, I decided how I would nurture them.In fact, fourteen years before my first son was born, I was preparing to father him by working in a day camp to practice my fathering techniques.

 

Neither of my sons did a single thing to earn or deserve this loving, caring

preparation.It’s just something I wanted to do.

 

I remember the birth of my first son as if it were yesterday.

 

I was the first male to hold him.  He was helpless.  If I chose to, I could have decided not to feed him.  He would have starved.  I could have decided not to love him.  He would have not have grown.  I could have abandoned him, and his life would have taken a course that was worse than mine.  Yet those were not my choices.

 

Being a father was not contingent on whether or not my sons would appreciate what I did for them…whether they would value how I prepared for them… fathering them was just something I wanted to do.

 

It was the same for the Person we worship who hung from a Cross…the One we celebrate when we engage in the Lord’s Supper.  No…it was worse for Him!

 

He knew that none of the creatures He would create would seek a relationship with Him.

 

He knew all of His creatures were sinners, deserving of His Father’s wrath.

 

He knew His creatures were inadequate and that they would fall well short of the glory of God.

 

He knew most of His creatures would reject Him.

 

He knew His creatures were not righteous, thus not destined for heaven.

 

He knew His creatures would not care about a single divine thing.

 

He knew His creatures were helpless.

 

So our Almighty God sought a relationship with His creatureswho were lost.

 

Almighty God wanted every one of His creatures to be on His team.

 

He offered to save every one of His creatures.

 

He knew some would accept the offer and some would reject the offer.

 

Those who accepted the offer, He called the elect.

 

Those who rejected the offer, He called the fallen.

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 14…

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us believers in Christ (the elect) with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…placing the blessings under the care of Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 1:4

…just as God and Father chose us believers in Christ (the elect) to be in union with Christ before the foundation of the world…that we would be holy and blameless before the Father.

 

EPHESIANS 1:5

In unconditional love, God the Father predestined us believers in Christ (the elect) to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself…according to the kind intention of God the Father’s will…

 

EPHESIANS 1:6

…to the praise of the glory of the Father’s grace…which God the Father freely bestowed on us in union with the Beloved (the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

EPHESIANS 1:7

In union with Christ, we believers in Christ (the elect)have redemption through His shed blood…we have the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace …

 

EPHESIANS 1:8

…which grace the Lord lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight…

 

EPHESIANS 1:9

…God the Father made known to us believers in Christ (the elect) the mystery of His will…according to the Father’s kind intention which the Father purposed in Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 1:10

…with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times…that is, the summing up of all things in Christ…things in the heavens and things on the earth.

 

EPHESIANS 1:11

In union with Christ also, we believers in Christ (the elect) have obtained an inheritance…having been predestined according to His purpose…the purpose of the One who works all things after the counsel of His will…

 

EPHESIANS 1:12

…to the end that we who were the first to place our hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

 

EPHESIANS 1:13

In union with Christ, you Ephesians believers also…after listening to the message of truth…the gospel of your salvation—having also believed the gospel message, were sealed in union with Christ by God the Holy Spirit of promise…

 

EPHESIANS 1:14

…the Spirit who is given as a pledge of our inheritance…with a view to the redemption of God the Father’s own possession…to the praise of His glory.

 

This is my best effort to communicate to you, in a meaningful way, the doctrines of election and predestination.

 

The Lord knew you before the foundation of the world.

 

The Lord planned for you before the foundation of the world.

 

The Lord chose you before the foundation of the world (election).

 

The Lord provided for you before the foundation of the world (predestination).

 

The Lord died on a Cross so that you would be blessed with every spiritual blessing.

 

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper…we get a glimpse of His loving concern for us.

And when we see Him for who He is, it should enlighten us to the core how special we are to the One and only Sovereign God of the Universe.

 

What does it matter, then, what people think of uswhen God thinks the world of us, just as I thought the world of my sons before they were even born.

 

We are edified by the knowledge that the Cross is a statement and a demonstration of the Lord’s love for us.  Thank you Jesus…

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Enjoying the Elements

 

Bread and wine.

 

The Lord gave us these things to remember Him.  We will enjoy the elements together in a few moments as we listen to The Lord’s Supper Song.

 

Obeying God's command, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross regularly…we eat to remember who He is as a PERSON…we drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made on our behalf as our sin sacrifice.

 

We are grateful for what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done for us.  Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…

 

MATTHEW 26:26

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body which is being broken for you.”

 

MATTHEW 26:27

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you…”

 

MATTHEW 26:28

“…for this is My blood…the blood of a new covenant…blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.”

 

As you enjoy the bread and the wine, enjoy the memory of the Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ as well.

 

Now and always, let us keep on giving thanks that we are loved unconditionally and accepted fully by a Lord who is always there for us…the One on whom we depend…and let’s keep on being transformed by His life, His death, His resurrection from the dead, and His Word…and let’skeep on enjoying His unconditional love, His forgiveness, and His grace.

 

Has the Lord forgotten His promises to the Jews?  June Murphy says NO!  Enjoy the elements as we listen to June sing GOD IS FAITHFUL.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG

 

GOD IS FAITHFUL

June Murphy

 

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

 

…and what He wants for you is that you make the most important decision of your life.

 

This gospel message…the good news concerning the Lord Jesus Christ’s salvation offer is for the benefit of believers in Christ.  The Lord wants you to feel secure in your position in union with Christ.  First Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 15 says…

 

FIRST PETER 3:15

…believers…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts…always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope (the absolute confidence of your faith in Christ) that is in you…yet give the account with gentleness and respect…

 

The gospel message is more directed to unbelievers, so you can be saved.

 

Whether you know it or not, you were born a sinner.  That’s bad news for you.  The Bible says that being saved…salvation…is exactly what ALL humans need from the moment of physical birth.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1…

 

EPHESIANS 2:1

At physical birth, all mankind was born spiritually dead in trespasses and sins…

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a

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

 

What does God want for unbelievers?  Two things.  First and foremost, GODWANTS YOU TO BE SAVED…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3

This is what is good and acceptable in the sight of the God who is our Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:4

…who desires all men to be saved and for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

What the Lord DOES NOT WANT FOR UNBELIEVERS is highlighted in Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…

 

SECOND PETER 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of...instead, He is patient toward you unbelievers…NOT WISHING FOR ANY OF YOU TO PERISH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE…but for all of you to come to repentance (achange of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

This immutable and irrevocable fact may contradict the thoughts placed in your head by God’s enemy through false teachers with the false teaching of religions that contend that God is always disappointed in you because you sin, and that you have to work to please Him.

 

The Bible provides a different perspective.  The Lord gives you a written account of the absolute truth…His exact thinking.  John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31…

 

JOHN 20:30

Therefore, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (the Bible)…

 

JOHN 20:31

…but these things written here in the Bible have been written so that you may BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ (The Jewish Messiah)…the Son of Godin human form…and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in Hisname.

 

Do you know the truth, especially the truth about who God is as a Person, and the truth about what He has done to save you?

 

Maybe you don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!  Maybe you don’t think He is God!  Maybe you don’t think the Bible is His exact thinking.  Maybe you don’t even think you need to be saved.

 

The Bible says all who are spiritually dead need to be saved.  They need spiritual life.  The Lord Jesus Christ volunteered for the task of saving you.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 4 and 5 say…

 

EPHESIANS 2:4

But God the Father…being rich in mercy…because of His great unconditional love with which He loved all of us…

 

EPHESIANS 2:5

…even when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions…made us believers in Christ spiritually alive in union with Christ…by His grace you have been saved…

 

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

 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (the apostle Paul) delivered to you believers in Christ 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 resurrected from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…

 

Because of the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT RIGHT NOWyou can have eternal life…the resurrection life…by taking the suggestion 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.”

 

Therefore, heed the warning and accept the invitation of 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.”

 

The Lake of Fire is a literal place, and it will be your eternal home if you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12…

 

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).”

 

You don’t have to work to be saved…it’s a free gift from a gracious God…Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved us…not on the basis of deeds which we have done in

self-righteousness…but according to His mercy…by the washing of regeneration and through the renewing by God the Holy Spirit…

 

There is no excuse for not knowing how to be saved.  It’s SO simple.  Why?  It’s simple because God does the saving for you.  All you have to do is invest your gift of faith…a gift you received from a loving God…and place that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation.  Do it now!  There is no time to waste.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  Our Jewish friends can rest in this truth.  When we are in a relationship with the Lord….it is well with our souls.  Here’s Guy Penrod and David Phelps and a host of others to sing about it…IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

Guy Penrod and David Phelps

 

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…You are a faithful God…we rest in Your faithfulness…keep on teaching us about Your chosen nation…Israel…and Your chosen people…the Jews…so they become as much a concern to us Church Age believers as they are 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

 

Join us Live or on ZoomImmediately Following the Lesson

 

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pastor@barahministries.com

 

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KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

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Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com