Romans 9: Does God Want Some People to go to Hell?

Class Outline:

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Patience not perishing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Anger.

 

It’s easy for believers in Christ to be angry as residents of Satan’s kingdom because so many things we see going on around us don’t make sense.

 

We allow politicians to lie to us without consequence…we see our youth being misled by false teachers who are creatinga generation of selfish, empathy-less people who lack the skills to interact effectively with others…we see important relationships deteriorate…we see families falling apart…we see a media complex deceiving us with propaganda…we are being systematically poisoned in our food supply by those who are supposed to nourish us…we see a medical community treating symptoms and not causes of our ailments with pharmaceuticals, all for the sake of profit. All these things we tolerate it.  It’s easy to see why we’re angry.

We feel helpless and hopeless and wish someone would do something about it.We

know things should change but the problems seem too big to tackle.

 

Anger.

 

The Bible describes it as a sin, yet there is anger that is not sinful.  In Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 26 and 27…believers in Christ are commanded to…

 

EPHESIANS 4:26

Be angry, yet do not sin…and do not let the sun go down on your anger…

 

EPHESIANS 4:27

…and do not give the devil an opportunity (by being provoked to sin with anger).

 

Anger.

 

The Lord got angry and did not sin.  He displayed righteous anger.Matthew, Chapter 21, Verses 12 and 13…

 

MATTHEW 21:12

Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple…and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves.

 

MATTHEW 21:13

And Jesus said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’but you are making it a robber’s den.”

 

We come to Bible study to let the Word of God purge our anger.  We let the Word of God direct us to righteous anger that disrupts the schemes of the devil.

 

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’s anger is called WRATH…and it is directed at those who reject a

relationship with His Son.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

ROMANS 1:18

For the WRATH OF GOD THE FATHER is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness of unbelievers who suppress the truth of the gospel in unrighteousness…

 

God the Father loves the sinner but hates sin.  God the Father is slow to anger with His children…believers in Christ.  For unbelievers, after a period of patience with them, He is willing to direct His wrath toward those who refuse the free gift of salvation His Son died to provide.

 

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.

 

The Lord encourages us to use anger productively…Romans, Chapter 12, Verses 17 to 20…

 

ROMANS 12:17

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

 

ROMANS 12:18

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

 

ROMANS 12:19

Never take your own revenge, beloved (you divinely loved believers in Christ)…but leave room for the wrath of God…for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, and I will repay,” says the Lord.

 

ROMANS 12:20

“Instead, if your enemy is hungry, feed him…and if your enemy is thirsty, give him a drink...for in so doing you will heap burning coals on your enemy’s head.”

 

The Lord encourages a productive use of anger.

 

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 gets angry…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 30 warns believers in Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 4:30

Do not grieve God the Holy Spirit by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

 

Believers in Christ grieve the Spirit when they fail to walk in a manner worthy of the Christian Way of Living to which they have been called.

 

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, we develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Godhead…we get to know God as a Person… through studying the Word of God.

 

Our God feels a righteous anger toward those Satan sends to deceive His believers…Second Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 1…

 

SECOND PETER 2:1

…false prophets also arose among the people…just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies (alongside the truth)…even denying the existence of Master who created them…

 

The Lord encourages us not to neglect studying the Word of God because it protects our souls.It gives us discernment…the ability to see through lies.  It gives us wisdom…a maturity about how to handle life.

 

The Bible is a supernatural work…breathed into human writers by God.  It does not come from man, and it 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 truthfor eternal matters, and that's not insignificant because it has eternal consequences.

 

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 it, and let God’s Word set the direction for your day.  The Bible changes your mind!

 

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.  It makes God angry when Satan uses the Word of God against believers, just as Satan sought to do with the Lord in Matthew, Chapter 4, Verses 5 and 6…

 

MATTHEW 4:5

Then the devil took Jesus into the holy city (Jerusalem) and had Jesus stand on the pinnacle of the temple…

 

MATTHEW 4:6

…and Satan said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, and of course you are, throw Yourself down from this temple…for it is written, ‘God the Father will command His angels concerning You’ and ‘On their hands they will bear You up

so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”

 

That’s accurate…the Word of God says that!  Yet Satan was distorting the truth for evil purposes.  In Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 7…

 

MATTHEW 4:7

Jesus said to Satan, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

 

In your face Satan!  Begone!  That was the Lord’s reply.  A righteous anger.

 

The biggest enemy of believers in Christ is IGNORANCE OF THE ENEMY which comes through IGNORANCE OF THE WORD OF GOD.  When we are ignorant, the world provokes an unrighteous anger in us.  Don’t be ignorant.The Lord controls history, and we already have the victory as believers in Christ.  Therefore, operate from victorious ground…not from a mindset of helplessness and hopelessness.  There is nothing wrong withhaving righteous anger.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Does God Want Some People to Go to Hell?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

The answer?  Hell no!  But in the matter of Israel and the Jews, it might be an easy conclusion to make.  Those who don’t really know God misunderstand Him.  That’s one of the most painful things in life…when people you love don’t bother to get to know you and understand you.

 

The Jews have been set aside for a period of time to usher in a whole new set of believers in Christ…the Gentiles.  Is God angry with Israel and the Jews because they rejected their Messiah?  Does God turn His back on those who reject Him?  In today's lesson, we'll investigate.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!We worship the Sovereign God of the Universe, the One through whom all decisions and all activities must pass.  Nothing happens in the world without God's permission.  The Lord Jesus Christ knew this well during His time on earth.  In Luke, Chapter 22, Verse 42…

 

LUKE 22:42

…Jesus was saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup (The Cross) from Me…yet not My will but Your will be done.”

 

THY WILL BE DONE....four powerful words in a powerful prayer request.

Here is Hillary Scott and the Scott family witha beautiful, thought-inspiring song…THY WILL.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

THY WILL

Hillary Scott and the Scott Family

 

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 always clearing up our confusion with truth…thank you for inviting rejection of truth so you can refute the rejection…thank you for always providing a salvation opportunity to those who are dead set against a relationship with You and Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…thanks for not being angry with our inadequacies…

 

…through these lessons about Israel and the Jews, keep us Gentiles far from legalistic self-righteousness…remind us of our own total depravity…our ability to make constant mistakes…replace self-righteousness with Your compassion, and help us find ways to invite our Jewish friends to know who they really are in Your eyes and to accept a relationship with their Messiah…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Does God Want Some People to Go to Hell?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

That is not in the Lord’s character.

 

If you don’t know the Lord, it’s an easy accusation.  Those who “humanize” the Lord instead of understanding He is God can easily think the Lord would do what they would do.  If someone rejects us humans, we get angry.  The Lord does not.

 

We continue our study of the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Christ at first-

century Rome in the second passage of chapter nine.  You’ll remember that the next three chapters…Romans9-10-11…are written to answer the question, “What about Israel and the Jews?”

 

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…racial Jews who reject a spiritual relationship with Christ…the spiritual relationship the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had because of their faith in the Lord.In Romans Chapter 11, Paul reveals the hope he sees in God’s perfect plan forIsrael and the Jews despite their rejection.

 

Is God angry with Israel and the Jews because they reject their Messiah?  Has He forgotten He made four promises to Abraham?  Is God a promise breaker?  These are interesting questions for consideration, and Paul is all too happy to address them in the next passage.  The evidence says, “NO!”  The evidence says Israel and the Jews have an amazing future…the exact future the Lord promised… despite their rejection of Him.

 

You’ll remember the last few verses of the first passage in Romans, Chapter 9…

Verses 11 to13…

 

ROMANS 9:11

…for though the twins (Jacob and Esau) were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad…so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand…not standing 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.”

 

A great question arose in our last after-lesson discussion … "Does God really hate?  That seems out of character for God."  Another thought…is God unfair?  Let's investigate.

 

Humans who distort scripture think those things about God.  For example, John Calvin was aFrench theologian, Pastor, and “reformer” during the Protestant

Reformation.He was a principal figure in the development of a system of Christian theology called Calvinism.  The term “he developed” is a red flag.  First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 11 says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:11

…no one can lay a foundation other than the one which has already been laid…the foundation known as Jesus Christ.

 

Yet here comes John Calvin to help God with human viewpoint doctrines.

Included in the doctrines of his system was this description of predestination…

 

JOHN CALVIN ON PREDESTINATION

Predestination is God’s unchangeable decree from before the creation of the world that He would freely save some people (the elect)…foreordaining them to eternal life…while the others (the reprobate) would be “barred from access to” salvation and sentenced to “eternal death in the Lake of Fire.”

 

Who is reprobate?

 

REPROBATE

A sinner predestined to damnation in the Lake of Fire

 

In other words, Calvin taught that God predestined some people to go to heaven and some people to go to hell.  False.  Completely false.  The second passage of Romans, Chapter 9 addresses this issue.

 

Let's look at Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 14 to 33 in the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD translation…

 

ROMANS 9:14

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

 

ROMANS 9:15

For God says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

 

 

ROMANS 9:16

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but it depends on God who has mercy.

 

ROMANS 9:17

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”

 

ROMANS 9:18

So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

 

ROMANS 9:19

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault with us? For who successfully resists His will?”

 

ROMANS 9:20

On the contrary!  Who are you…a mere man…who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

 

ROMANS 9:21

Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

 

ROMANS 9:22

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, instead endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

 

ROMANS 9:23

He did so (He was patient with unbelievers) to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory…

 

ROMANS 9:24

…even us believers in Christ, whom He also called…not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

 

ROMANS 9:25

As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’

and her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”

 

ROMANS 9:26

“And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘you are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.”

 

ROMANS 9:27

Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved…”

 

ROMANS 9:28

“…for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.”

 

ROMANS 9:29

And just as Isaiah foretold, “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left to us a posterity,

we would have become like Sodom, and would have resembled Gomorrah.”

 

ROMANS 9:30

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness…the righteousness which comes by faith in the Lord…

 

ROMANS 9:31

…but Israel…pursuing righteousness through the law, did not arrive at that righteousness.

 

ROMANS 9:32

Why? Because they did not pursue righteousness by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone (Jesus Christ…the provider of righteousness)…

 

ROMANS 9:33

…just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (Jesus Christ)…and the one who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

 

Now that we have seen and heard the passage, let’s go back to the focus of thelesson…does God want some people to go to hell as John Calvin claims?  He doesn’t!  But I do!  😊  I’ve said it many times!  “Go to hell!”  Have you?  Of course, that’s a joke…no one would want his worst enemy to be in the Lake of Fire for all eternity.

 

Calvin says God predestined some people to go to heaven and some people to go to hell.  Obviously, he knew nothing how God operates.  If you know God’s heart, there’s no way to think that way.

 

Let’s build a picture of God’s heart…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 says…

 

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

 

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.

 

John, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17…

 

JOHN 3:16

“For God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He gave His uniquely born Son (the God-man…the Lord Jesus Christ…to be crucified on a Cross) … so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish, but haseternal life.”

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord) into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.

 

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 unbelievers…not wishing for any of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

God wants EVERYONE to be saved.  God sent His Son to rescue sinners!  God doesn’t want anyone to go to the Lake of Fire.  In fact, who was the Lake of Fire created for?  Not for humans…Matthew, Chapter 25, Verse 41…

 

MATTHEW 25:41

“Then the Lord will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS…”

 

So let’s dispose of the idea that God wants some people to go to hell.  He doesn’t.  When we return from the break, we’ll see what this passage wants us to learn about our amazing God so that He is NOT misunderstood.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

GOOD FIGHT

Unspoken

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Does God Want Some People to Go to Hell?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

God the Father loves all of His creatures unconditionally…and He loves us so much…that He GAVE His Son to save us.  God the Father is not conflicted about giving.  Are you?  First John, Chapter 3, Verses 17 and 18 say this…

 

FIRST JOHN 3:17

…whoever has the world’s goods…and sees his brother in need…and closes his heart against him…how does the unconditional love of God abide in this person?

 

FIRST JOHN 3:18

Little children (believers in Christ)…let us not love unconditionally with word or

with tongue (love is not talk) …but let us love unconditionally with deeds and in truth.

 

Let this be a time in your life when you realize what God the Father can do with what we give.  Realize the importance of giving…it makes life an amazing experience for those in need.  Be generous with the gifts your God has given you…our time gifts…our talent gifts…AND our treasure gifts.

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

FIRST JOHN 5:4

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world…and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Does God Want Some People to Go to Hell?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Let’s look at Romans, Chapter 9. Verses 14 to 33 verse-by verse.

 

ROMANS 9:14

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be!

 

Not that it was needed it after taking a brief tour of verses that reveal God’s heart…but Paul gives an emphatic statement of his viewpoint.  Do we worship a temperamental, easily angered, human-like God?  Paul says, “Not no way…not no how!  Absolutely not!”

Does God hate?  Absolutely not!  The Bible uses anthropopathisms…words that attribute emotions to God that humans understand.Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 15…

 

ROMANS 9:15

For the Lord says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”

 

Here’s what God means.

 

Israel was in slavery for four hundred years.  The Lord frees them, using Moses as the instrument.  He kept them safe through ten plagues that persuaded a hard-hearted Pharaoh to release them.  The Lord parts the Red Sea so the Jews could cross.  When the Egyptians pursued the Jews to bring them back, the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea.  The Lordguides the Jews in their journey across the wilderness.  He is a cloud in the day and He is a pillar of fire by night.  The Lord feeds them with manna, the perfect food.  What did the Jews do to show their gratitude?They created and worshipped a golden calf…a fertility god…then they got drunk and had an orgy.  It was an unconscionable betrayal.  Was God angry?

No!  God forgave them.

 

They deserved destruction just as surely as the anointed cherub who covers, Satan, deserved destruction for causing all the angels to fall with his unattainable boast in Isaiah, Chapter 14, Verse 14.  Satan said…

 

ISAIAH 14:14

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds (taking over the function of God)…I will make myself like the Most High.”

 

Anger inducing words.  It would have been as easy for God to destroy Satan for his rejection as it was to destroy Israel and the Jews for their ejection…yet God chose not to do so.  There was no reason for God to have mercy, but He did.  God is sovereign…He is the Creator of everyone and everything.  He has the right…and it is fair…for Him to do anything He wants to do.  Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 16…

 

ROMANS 9:16

So then God’s plan does not depend on the man who wills (the one who wants it) or the man who runs (the one who works for it)…but God’s plan depends on the faithfulness of the God who has mercy (by sovereign choice).

God is merciful.  He has the ultimate choice, yet He honors our choices as well.  For all those who choose to reject His free gift of salvation, He allows it.  Yet it is NOT His preference for His creatures.  Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 17…

 

ROMANS 9:17

For in the Scripture God says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”

 

ROMANS 9:18

So then God has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.

 

If you soften your heart to God, expressing faith in Him…He allows you to be saved.  If you harden your heart toward Him, and reject the salvation offer, He allows it.  He has a right to allow you to make choices…and He does.  Romans, Chapter 9, Verse 19…

 

ROMANS 9:19

You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault with us? For who successfully resists His will?”

 

In other words, “If God is the boss, what can I do?”  Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 20 to 24…

 

ROMANS 9:20

On the contrary!  Who are you…a mere man…who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?

 

ROMANS 9:21

Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?

 

ROMANS 9:22

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, instead endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

 

 

 

ROMANS 9:23

He did so (He was patient with unbelievers) to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory…

 

ROMANS 9:24

…even us believers in Christ, whom He also called…not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

 

Those who have faith in Christ are vessels of mercy.  Those who reject Christ are vessels of wrath.  Each vessel is allowed to make a choice.  In longsuffering, which is divine patience, God gives vessels of wrath a long time to change their minds.  They don’t.  God makes Himself known to unbelievers as a Godalways willing to share His glorious riches, like salvation, with everyone…to whosoever…yet unbelievers refuse.  Is it then God’s right to accept their rejection?  It is.

 

God loves His creatures unconditionally…some refuse to love Him back.  Paul started as a vessel of wrath.  He repented…he changed his mind about having a relationship with Christ…and he was saved.  That’s God’s will for ALL His creatures.  God does not get angry with those who reject Him.  Unconditional love IS UNconditional.

 

So now that the Jews have rejected their Messiah, the Lord opens the door for Gentiles to believe…Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 25 to 29…

 

ROMANS 9:25

As God the Father says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people (The Gentiles)My people…and I will call her who was not beloved (who was not a divinely loved Jew…these Gentiles)beloved.’”

 

ROMANS 9:26

“And it shall be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people…(in the land of the Gentiles)…there they shall be called sons of the living God.’”

 

ROMANS 9:27

Isaiah cries out concerning (the nation) Israel, “Though the number of the sons of Israel be like the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that will be saved…”

 

 

ROMANS 9:28

“…for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly.”

 

ROMANS 9:29

And just as Isaiah foretold, “Unless the Lord of Sabbath (the Lord Jesus Christ) had left to us a posterity (a remnant of Jewsbelieving in Christ)…we would have become like Sodom…and would have resembled Gomorrah.”

 

God would not allow Israel and the Jews to be annihilated like Sodom and Gomorrah…although He could have.

 

The remnant.

 

There are now and there always will be Jewish people who recognize that Jesus is the Messiah.  These are the spiritual Jews.  They are called the remnant.  It's a peculiar name because remnant means "the leftovers."  Even if there were only one, the Lord would keep His promises to Abraham.  But many Jewish people see Christ is their Messiah.  I am pleased to know many of them.

 

Paul’s conclusion…Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 30 to 33…

 

ROMANS 9:30

What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness that is by faith…

 

ROMANS 9:31

…but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness (The Mosaic Law) for righteousness did not arrive at a fulfillment ofthat law for righteousness.

 

ROMANS 9:32

Why? Because they did not pursue righteousness by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone (Jesus Christ…the provider of righteousness)…

 

ROMANS 9:33

…just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (Jesus Christ)…and the one who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

 

One of the great travesties of this life on earth is that there will be a lot more Gentiles in heaven than there are Jews in heaven.  Israel and the Jewish race are God’s chosen nation and His chosen people…and most want nothing to do with Him.  There will be a lot of slaves in heaven as well, but few masters.

 

People who don’t think much of themselves seem to submit themselves to God by faith.  Those who think more highly of themselves than they ought to think pursue salvation through their own works…self-righteousness…attempting to keep the Law perfectly, which is an absolute impossibility.

 

No thanks!  I’ll take God’s free gift of righteousness with no work.

 

What conclusions can we come to as we look at this passage?  God doesn’t want anyone to go to hell.  God does not get angry because we are human.  God does not get angry because we reject Him.  God does not change toward us.  God KNOWS that love conquers hate.  He loves who we are and who we are not, hoping we will see that this love welcomes us to His “so great” salvation.

 

I hope my Jewish friends wake up to who their Messiah really is…and I hope those who misunderstand God seek to learn His heart.

 

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.

 

The Savior of the whole world is Jesus Christ and He wants everyone, including YOU to be saved…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 say…

 

 

 

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 wants all men to be saved and who wants all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

Here are seven things for every unbeliever to consider when investigating a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

POINT 1

There is a God, and He is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth

 

The first four words of the bible confirm His existence…Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1…

 

GENESIS 1:1a

In the beginning, GOD…

 

It’s a reference to God the Son…Jehovah Elohim.  The Lord isn’t shy about telling you who He is…Joel, Chapter 2, Verse 27…

 

JOEL 2:27b

I am the Lord your God…and there is no other god…

 

God the Son is the Creator…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 1:3

All things came into being through the Lord…God the Son…and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

 

POINT 2

The CreatorCreated You

 

You are one of God’s creatures and He had a purpose in mind when He created you.  Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 26…

 

 

GENESIS 1:26

Then God the Father said, “Let Us (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) make man in Our image…according to Our likeness…”

 

You are a spiritual being, and as such, you require a spiritual life.

 

POINT 3

God Has a Plan for All Mankind

 

God is organized…Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 23 tells us that the earth and the universe were created…

 

ACTS 2:23a

…by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God the Father…

 

In addition, the Lord Jesus Christ was sent to save you by means of the same predetermined plan and foreknowledge.  God the Father made all of His decisions in eternity past and we watch them unfold every day.  His plan is designed for your benefit.

 

POINT 4

God Has a Personal Plan for You

 

Because God created you, God knows you intimately.  He knows you by name, and He knows you better than you know yourself!  Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 30 says…

 

MATTHEW 10:30

“…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

 

God custom-made you and He custom-made a life designed specifically for you.

 

POINT 5

God Reveals Himself in Ways That Make Sense to Human Beings

 

God wants you to know Him.  He is not hiding from you.  He is not hard to get to know…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 says…

 

 

ROMANS 1:20

…since the creation of the world…the Lord’s invisible attributes…His eternal power…and His DEITY…keep on being clearly seen by everyone…being understood even through what has been made (reflected in nature)…so that all mankind is without excuse (in knowing of the existence of the Lord).

 

God doesn’t work in mysterious ways.  He works in completely predictable ways.  The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4

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

 

POINT 6

God’s Enemy, SATAN, Does Not Want You to Know God

 

Satan does everything he can to keep you ignorant about God.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verse 4…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4

…the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so thatthey might not see the light of the gospel…so they might not see the glory of the Christ (the Jewish Messiah)…who is the exact reflection of God the Father.

 

Are you aware of the ways Satan is lying to you about the Lord?

 

If you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ll live with Satan for all eternity.  Revelation, Chapter 20, Verse 10…

 

REVELATION 20:10

And the devil who deceived unbelievers was thrown into the Lake of Fire and brimstone…where the beast and the false prophet are also…and all of them will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

You DO NOT want to live for all eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

POINT 7

You Owe God a Hearing

 

Since God created you, at least you need to consider His salvation offer.  He has placed a desire inside of you to know Him.  He sends this message from the outside so you can know Him.  He has you surrounded! And He knows you don’t seek Him out, so He keeps on seeking you out.  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, Verse 11…

 

ECCLESIASTES 3:11a

The Lord has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set a desire for a knowledge of eternity in everyone’s heart…

 

Do you spend ANY of your time getting to know the Lord?  There is nothing more important for you in this life than a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…

 

JOHN 1:12

But whosoever acceptsa relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ…to them the Lordgives the right to become children of God the Father…even to those who believein Jesus Christ’s name…

 

Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…

 

ACTS 16:31

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

 

To BELIEVE means to accept God’s word for what it takes to be saved.  God says the ONE WAY…the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.  John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…

 

JOHN 14:6

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

John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 offers an invitation and a warning…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has 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.”

 

Being saved is pretty simple.  Consider these things and then get to know the Lord…TODAY!  Do it now!

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  For those who have faith…God offers righteousness.  Here’s Sarah Reeves with a beautiful song that expresses God's attitude toward those who invest their faith in Him…she says, "God you have me RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME!”

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

RIGHT WHERE YOU WANT ME

Sarah Reeves

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for not turning Your back on us when we do stupid things…thank you for not forgetting Israel and the Jewish people…prosper them just as You will to do, and keep Your longsuffering in place to preserve the remnant…the spiritual Jews who are of the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…thank you for choosing them before the foundation of the world…and thank you for allowing those who reject You to have their way…show us how to help them…

 

…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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KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

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Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com