Romans 16: What Paul Taught Us While Teaching the Romans

Class Outline:

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God's Righteousness revealed for all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

The Bible is life’s owner’s manual and we are always happy to study it so we get a perfect look at how to live an amazing life!

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Paul Taught Us While Teaching the Romans

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

In today’s lesson we conclude our study of Paul’s letter to the Romans with the highlights of nearly two years of study.  What is the apostle Paul teaching us as he taught the Romans with this letter?  It should be profitable and fun to review some of the key things we learned.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  Our Lord has a unique ability to know thebenefits that are right for us!  Let’s listen to Laura Story sing about them in her song BLESSINGS.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

BLESSINGS

Laura Story

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

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

 

Thank you, Father, for giving us spiritual wake-up calls with every Bible lesson…thank you for the spiritual eyes You give us to see our lives from Your perspective…thank you for the spiritual ears You give us to hear Your messages and to put them into action…

 

…help us not to get entangled by day-to-day drama…instead help us to use Your truth to handle our lives as You would have us do…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Paul Taught Us While Teaching the Romans

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

At Barah Ministries we study the Bible verse-by-versefrom God’s perspective and not from human perspective.

 

We have studied the following New Testament epistles so far…Romans(twice)…First Corinthians…Colossians…Philemon…and Galatians.  Every Biblical letter contains valuable lessons.

 

In Romans, we learned about the Lord’s provision for the ONLY way to be saved.

 

In First Corinthians, we learned how to handle problems when a church is filled with congregation members who sin incessantly and who mistreated each other.

 

In Colossians we learned about the Lord, and we saw how the church at Colossae effectively handled attempts at infiltration from false teachers and false teaching.

 

In Philemon, we learned about forgiveness.

 

In Galatians, we saw what happens when false teachers and false teaching is embraced.

 

In the next few months, we’ll study three more of the Pauline epsitels…Ephesians, Philippians, and First Timothy.  Our study of Ephesians begins next week.

 

At the beginning of ourstudy of each letter, we consider a series of introductory questions.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF A BIBLICAL LETTER

 

1

Who wrote the letter we are about to study?

 

2

Who is the letter directed to?

 

3

Where do the people live who are receiving the letter?

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF A BIBLICAL LETTER

 

4

What do we know about the author of the letter?

 

5

When did the author write the letter?

 

6

Where was the author when he wrote the letter?

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF A BIBLICAL LETTER

 

7

What was God’s purpose in getting the author to write the letter?

 

8

What does God want the author to communicate to the intended audience of the letter?

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF A BIBLICAL LETTER

 

9

What is the main message of the letter?

 

10

What relevance does the letter have to our lives today?

 

As we close out our second study of Paul’s letter to the Romans, let’s remind ourselves of the answers these questions.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

1

Who wrote the letter we are about to study?

 

The letter was written by the apostle Paul as directed by God the Holy Spirit.  Paul is about fifty years old at the time, thirteen years before he went home to be with the Lord.  He has been a Christian for about twenty-five years as he writes.

 

In some of his other New Testament epistles, Paul mentions being with other believers in Christ like Timothy and Silas.  In this epistle, Paul stands alone as the one selected by God to deliver the gospel for this dispensation, the Church Age, to

a group of believers who are known as Gentiles…also known as the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

2

Who is Paul’s letter to the Romans directed to?

 

Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 7 makes it clear this epistle is for believers in Christ in the Christian churches in first-century Rome…

 

ROMANS 1:7

…this letter is to all of you who are the divinely loved ones of God the Father…you believers in Christ living in Rome…saints by calling…the set-apart ones!  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As of the writing of this letter, Paul had never been to Rome.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

3

Where do the people live who are receiving the letter?

 

They live in the largest city in Italy and the capital of Italy…Rome.  In the first century, the city had nearly one million inhabitants.  At the time, Rome was also the capital of the free world.  Today, as the most populous city in Europe, the city houses nearly three million people.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

4

What do we know about the author of the letter?

 

Paul is hand-picked as the Lord’s chosen replacement apostle for Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrayed the Lord.  Paul describes himself in Ephesians, Chapter 3, Verses 8 to 10…

 

EPHESIANS 3:8

To me (Paul)…the very least of all the saints…this grace was given by God…to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 3:9

…and to bring to light the dispensation of the mystery (the Church Age) which for ages has been hidden in the God who created all things (the Lord…God the Son)…

 

EPHESIANS 3:10

…so the manifold wisdom of God the Father might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

 

Galatians, Chapter 2, Verse 7 announces Paul’s assignment…

 

GALATIANS 2:7

…I (Paul) was entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (the Gentiles)…just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (The Jews)…

Paul’s job is to spread the gospel to the entire inhabited world.  Gentiles means nations, and he is going out to the inhabited nations to spread the gospel message, the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ’s salvation offer.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

5

When did the author write the letter?

 

Paul wrote the letter about 56AD.  The letter was carried to the Christians at Rome by Phoebe, one of the deaconesses of the church at Cenchrea…Roman, Chapter 16, Verse 1…

 

ROMANS 16:1

I (Paul) commend to you our sister Phoebe who is a servant of the church (a diakonosmeaning deaconess) which is at Cenchrea...

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

6

Where was the author when he wrote the letter?

 

Paul was in Corinth, a city located in south-central Greece, about fifty miles west of Athens, Greece.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

7

What was God’s purpose in getting the author to write the letter?

 

Paul was selected to introduce the Lord Jesus Christ to the Gentile world and to present them with the gospel message…the good news about the Lord’s salvation offer.Paul was happy to do so…Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 16 and 17…

 

ROMANS 1:16

For I (Paul) am not ashamed of the gospel of God the Father…for the gospel is the power of God the Father for salvation to everyone who believes…to the Jew first (chronologically)…and also to the Greek (the Gentiles).

 

ROMANS 1:17

For in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the righteousness of God the Father is revealed, from faith (in the Lord for salvation) to faith (in the Lord for all things)… as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN (any believer in Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (by placing his confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation).”

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

8

What does God want the author to communicate to the intended audience of the letter?

 

The gospel message communicates that everyone is a sinner in God’s eyes.  Therefore, all need a Savior.  The Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ who offers a “so great” salvation to all who want it, free of charge.  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 desires for all men to be saved and who wants all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

The gospel message is for WHOSOEVER…all can be saved by its power.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

9

What is the main message of the letter?

 

Righteousness…the admission ticket to heaven…comes only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and is never earned by human works.  Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 4 and 5…

 

ROMANS 4:4

Now to the one who works for salvation, his payment is not paid as if it were a

gracious favor, but his payment is paid because it is what he is due...it is paid to him as what he has earned because of his work.

 

ROMANS 4:5

But to the one who does not work for salvation…who instead believes in the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies the ungodly unbeliever…this person’s faith is credited as righteousness (the admissions ticket to heaven)...

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ROMANS

 

10

What relevance does the letter have to our lives today?

 

In Satan's kingdom, false teaching from false teachers exist to convince people that salvation is earned by their good works.  Satan’s strategy against the human race is RELIGION, which deceives people into thinking they can save themselves by being “basically good people.”

 

The Lord’s gospel message, sent through Paul, is quite different.  It says there are no good people, so salvation is a free gift through the grace of God to ANYONE who wants it with no requirement on anyone’s part, except the requirement to voluntarily believe in Christ.  Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12 says…

 

ACTS 4:12

“…there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ).”

 

What is the structure of Paul’s letter to the Romans?

 

ROMANS, CHAPTERS 1 to 3

The Depravity of Man Incurs the Wrath of God

 

ROMANS, CHAPTERS 4 TO 8

God’s Grace Saves All Who Want Deliverance from Sin

 

ROMANS, CHAPTERS 9 TO 11

God Still Has a Plan for the Jews

(who have been set aside for a time, but not forgotten)

 

ROMANS, CHAPTERS 12 TO 16

The Will of God for the Human Race

 

When we return from the break, we’ll take a look at the highlights of this amazing letter to the Romans.  Take a five-minute break.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Paul Taught Us While Teaching the Romans

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

As believers in Christ, we would all prefer to please God.  Well, He’s pleased with giving.  In Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verse 16 the Lord says…

 

HEBREWS 13:16

…do not neglect doing good and sharing…for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall to tell us how pleased God is when we reach into our wallets for others!

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

PHILIPPIANS 1:6

For I am confident of this very thing…that He who began a divine good work in creating you will keep on perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

What Paul Taught Us While Teaching the Romans

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Let’s look at chapter-by chapter highlights from our study of Paul’s letter to the believers in Christ in first century Rome.

 

CHAPTER 1

Unbelievers Know There is a God and Like Fools, They Reject Him

 

ROMANS 1:18

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth with their unrighteousness…

 

ROMANS 1:19

…and that which is known about God is evident within them…for God made it evident to them.

 

ROMANS 1:20

For since the creation of the world the Lord’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and Hisdivine nature, have been clearly seen…being understood through what has been made, so that unbelievers are without excuse.

 

ROMANS 1:21

For even though unbelievers knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

 

ROMANS 1:22

Professing to be wise, they became fools…

 

ROMANS 1:23

…and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and of crawling creatures.

 

 

 

ROMANS 1:24

Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.

 

ROMANS 1:25

For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

 

CHAPTER 2

Every One of Us Needs to Examine Self

 

ROMANS 2:3

Do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those (unbelievers) who practice such things (all kinds of unrighteousness)…yet do the same things  yourself…that you will escape the judgment of God?

 

CHAPTER 3

There are No Good People in the Eyes of God

 

ROMANS 3:10

…as it is written…“There is no creature who is righteous…not even one…”

 

ROMANS 3:11

“There is no creature who understands God…there is no creature who seeks a relationship with God…”

 

ROMANS 3:12

“All creatures have turned aside from God…together they have become useless…there is no creature who does good…there is not even one.”

 

CHAPTER 4

Anyone Can Be Justified (declared innocent of all wrongdoing) by Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…You Can Get Right with God!

 

ROMANS 4:21

…and Abraham was fully assured (in faith) that what God had promised (a son to an impotent old man and a barren old woman) … He was able also to perform.

 

 

ROMANS 4:22

This same faith was also credited to Abraham as righteousness.

 

CHAPTER 5

The Lord Jesus Christ Came to Earth to Do What is Impossible for Sinners

 

ROMANS 5:6

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly, unrighteous unbeliever.

 

ROMANS 5:8

For God the Father demonstrates His own love unconditional love toward all of us, in that while we were still sinners (while we were ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers), Christ was sent to die as a sin substitute for us.

 

ROMANS 5:9

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

 

ROMANS 5:10

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

 

CHAPTER 6

As a Result of Christ’s Work on the Cross, Sin and the Law are no Longer Masters Over Us

 

ROMANS 6:12

Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts…

 

ROMANS 6:13

…and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness…but present yourselves to God the Father as if you are one of those who are alive from the dead…and present your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

 

 

 

ROMANS 6:14

For sin shall not any longer be master over you…for you are not under Law…you are under grace.

 

CHAPTER 7

Even Though We are Saved, We Still Sin

 

ROMANS 7:15

For what I am doing, I do not understand…for I am not practicing what I would like to do….but I am doing the very thing I hate.

 

ROMANS 7:18

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh…for the willing to do good is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.

 

ROMANS 7:19

For the good that I want, I do not do…but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

 

ROMANS 7:21

I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.

 

ROMANS 7:24

Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?

 

ROMANS 7:25

Thanks be to God the Father who sets me free through Jesus Christ our Lord!

 

CHAPTER 8

Even Though Believers in Christ Sin, we are Not Condemned Thanks to Christ!

 

ROMANS 8:1

Therefore, there is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

ROMANS 8:38

For I (Paul) am convinced…that neither death nor life…nor angels nor principalities…nor things present nor things to come…nor powers…

 

ROMANS 8:39

…nor height nor depth…nor any other created thing will be able to sever us from the unconditional love of God the Father which comes from being in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

CHAPTER 9

The Jews rejected Their Messiah…Has He Rejected Them?

 

ROMANS 9:6

For they are not all Israel (spiritual Jews) who are descended from Israel (as racial Jews)…

 

ROMANS 9:7

…nor are they all children of God because they are Abraham’s descendants…but through Isaac your descendants will be named (spiritual Jews are from the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…all of whom believe in the Lord Jesus Christ…their Messiah…for justification).”

 

ROMANS 9:8

That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God…but the children of the promise (to Abraham) are regarded as descendants (of God).

 

ROMANS 9:31

Likewise, the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness… the righteousness which is by faith (in Christ alone for salvation)…

 

CHAPTER 10

For the Jews and the Gentiles, Faith in Christ Brings Salvation

 

ROMANS 10:1

Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God the Father for the Jews is for their salvation.

 

ROMANS 10:11

For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus Christ will not be disappointed.”

 

ROMANS 10:16

However, they did not all heed the good news (of the gospel message)…

 

ROMANS 10:21

But as for Israel the Lord says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

 

CHAPTER 11

Even Though the Jews Rejected Their Messiah, He Did Not Reject Them

 

ROMANS 11:1

I say then, God has not rejected His people (The Jewish Race), has He?  May it never be!

 

ROMANS 11:11

I say then, the Jews did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression (of rejecting their Messiah’s) salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.

 

ROMANS 11:25

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel and the Jews until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in…

 

ROMANS 11:31

…these Jews have been disobedient…yet because of the mercy shown to you Gentiles, they also may now be shown mercy.

 

CHAPTER 12

The Lord Jesus Christ is a Gift to You…Make Yourselves a Gift to Him

 

ROMANS 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God the Father, which is your spiritual service…worship.

 

ROMANS 12:6

Since we have spiritual gifts that differ according to the grace given to us by God…each of us is to exercise these spiritual gifts accordingly…

 

 

ROMANS 12:14

Bless those who persecute you…

 

ROMANS 12:16

Be of the same mind toward one another…

 

ROMANS 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil…but overcome evil with good.

 

CHAPTER 13

What Does the Lord Want for Us?

 

ROMANS 13:1

Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those authorities which exist are established by God.

 

ROMANS 13:9

“You shall love your neighbor unconditionally as you love yourself… unconditionally.”

 

ROMANS 13:12

…let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

 

ROMANS 13:14

Let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ (as if He is clothing)…and let us make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

 

CHAPTER 14

The Lord Wants Us to Accept Each Other for Who We are and Who We are Not

 

ROMANS 14:1

Now accept the one who is weak in faith…but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

 

ROMANS 14:13

Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.

 

ROMANS 14:18

For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

 

ROMANS 14:19

So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

 

CHAPTER 15

The Members of The Godhead Wants Us to Think of Others Before Self

 

ROMANS 15:5

Now may God the Father who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus…

 

ROMANS 15:6

…so that with one accord you believers in Christ may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

ROMANS 15:13

Now may God the Father of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

 

CHAPTER 16

Beware of Whom You Select as Teachers…Gravitate to God and His Word

 

ROMANS 16:17

Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them.

 

ROMANS 16:18

For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites…and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

 

ROMANS 16:20

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.  The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

 

 

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

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

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

He Wants You to 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.

 

God wants a RELATIONSHIP with you!  The Lord’s half-brother says in James, Chapter 4, Verse 8…

 

JAMES 4:8

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

 

The enemy of God, Satan wants you to be part of a RELIGION.  Religion is Satan’s strategy against the human race and it is designed to make you indifferent or antagonistic to God…and it works!  The Bible describes religion in Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verse 5 as…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:5

…a superficial form of godliness (a counterfeit to Christianity)… that denies godliness’ divine power…

 

You have a choice…relationship or religion.  What’s your choice?

 

Religion can’t get you to heaven!  Religions propose that if you don’t do everything their “god” expects, there will be disappointment.  Regardless of your best efforts to follow religious rituals, which CAN’T and DON’T get you a relationship with God.  IF and WHEN you do them, the religion does not GUARANTEE you will get to heaven.

 

Ouch!

 

Every time a Pope of the Roman Catholic church dies, as happened recently, the whole world turns in fascination to a false church that sells a counterfeit to Christianity.  Romans Catholicism is one of the many religions, and it is bought “hook, line, and sinker” by a million and a half people, nearly 20% of the world’s population.

 

Roman Catholicism is a COMPLETE DECEPTION.  In Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 27 and 28, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself excoriates religion…

 

MATTHEW 23:27

“Woe to you (religious) scribes and Pharisees…you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs…which on the outside appear beautiful…but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

 

MATTHEW 23:28

“Outwardly youappear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (you are unrighteous unbelievers).”

 

Ouch!

 

Without following the guidance of the Bible, it is almost impossible to know how to have a relationship with the Lord.  The Bible is a gift from God that introduces you to the possibility of a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 12 describes the power of Scripture…

 

HEBREWS 4:12

For the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword…and it’s piercing…even as far as the division of soul and spirit…of both joints and marrow…and it is a critic of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

God’s plan is to teach you the truth about how to have a relationship with Him in the Bible.  Satan’s plan is to teach you lies that obscure the truth of the Bible.

 

One day, each one of us will die.  What happens to each of us when we close our eyes in this life?  If you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, counting on Him to save you, good things happen.  If are counting on religion to save you, bad things happen.  Let’s examine Luke, Chapter 16, Verses 19 to 31 to see the difference between relationship and religion.

 

LUKE 16:19

“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple (the color of royalty) and in fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.”

 

LUKE 16:20

“And a poor man named Lazarus laid at his gate every day, covered with sores…”

 

LUKE 16:21

“…longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table…and besides this, even the dogs were coming to lick the poor man’s sores.”

 

LUKE 16:22

“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (a compartment of Hades called Paradise)…and the rich man also died and was buried.”

 

LUKE 16:23

“In Hades the rich man lifted up his eyes, being in Torments (a compartment of Hades reserved for dead unbelievers), and the rich man saw Abraham far away…and he saw Lazarus, the poor man, in Abraham’s bosom (a waiting place of comfort).”

 

LUKE 16:24

“And the rich man cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’”

 

LUKE 16:25

“But Abraham said to the rich man, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things (you had wealth) … and likewise Lazarus had bad things (he was poor)…but now Lazarus is being comforted here in Paradise, and you are in agony (in Torments).”

 

LUKE 16:26

“And besides all this, between us and you there is a GREAT CHASM FIXED, so that those who wish to come from over here to you will not be able…and none may cross over from there to us.’’

 

LUKE 16:27

“And the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, that you send Lazarus to my father’s house—"

 

LUKE 16:28

“…for I have five brothers—in order that Lazarus may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of Torment.’”

 

LUKE 16:29

“But Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the Prophets…let your brothers listen to them.’”

 

LUKE 16:30

“But the rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham…if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent (they’ll change their minds about having a relationship with Christ)!’”

 

LUKE 16:31

“But Abraham said to the rich man, ‘If your brothers do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

 

When we die it is heaven or the Lake of Fire for all eternity.  We get to make the choice where we spend eternity.  The determining factor is relationship or religion.

 

God wants a relationship with you because He doesn’t want ANYONE to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…

 

SECOND PETER 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvationas 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).

 

Believe the Bible.  Don’t believe the doctrines of your religion.  In fact, compare them!  For example:

 

The Bible says you are justified (saved) by faith in Jesus Christ.  Galatians Chapter 2, Verse 16…

 

 

GALATIANS 2:16

…nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Mosaic Law but through faith in Christ Jesus alone…since by the works of the Law no creature will be justified.

 

Roman Catholicism says justification is conferred by the sacrament of water baptism (CCC, 1992).

 

“If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema (accursed).” (Council of Trent, Canon 9).

 

Justification is instantaneous and changes your legal status before God.  As a condemned sinner you are acquitted and declared righteous by God…Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 3…

 

ROMANS 4:3

For what does the Old Testament Scripture say (in Genesis, Chapter 15, Verse 6)? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED IN GOD THE SON...JEHOVAH ELOHIM...THE LORD…AND HIS FAITH WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

 

Rome says justification is a process that renews the inner man, and not his legal status before God.  (CCC, 2019).

 

Justification is permanent and is never lost by sin. The legal status of a justified man is as unchangeable as the righteousness of Christ.  Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verse 14…

 

HEBREWS 10:14

For by ONE OFFERING the Lord Jesus Christ has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

 

Rome says justification is temporary…it can be lost by sinning and regained through the sacrament of penance (confessing your sins to a priest) and through good works (CCC 1446 and 1861).

 

The Bible and the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church are saying opposite things.  Romans Catholics call themselves Christians, yet their religion is not selling a relationship with the Lord.

If religion can’t save you, can a relationship with the Lord save you?  The Bible says yes in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

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

 

John, Chapter 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.”

 

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 all of 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…

 

So, accept the invitation and heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

For those who embrace a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, an eternity in heaven is their eternal future…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 8…

 

 

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:8

…we believers in Christ are of good courage, I say, and prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home face-to-face with the Lord.

 

For those who embrace religion, Torments to the Lake of Fire is their destiny at the end of this life.  Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…

 

MATTHEW 13:40

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

 

MATTHEW 13:41

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

 

MATTHEW 13:42

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

 

Relationship or religion?  It’s your choice.  Make the right choice RIGHT NOW…RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT…RIGHT THIS MOMENT!

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is a gift from God…the Bible is a gift from God…God the Holy Spirit is a gift from the Godhead.  We believers in Christ know where all good gifts come from…and so does Telly Leung in this song from the musical Godspell…ALL GOOD GIFTS.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

ALL GOOD GIFTS

Telly Leung

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for teaching us about the gospel message through Paul’s letter to the Romans…thank you for teaching us about our Jewish brethren…You certainly have not rejected them even though many of them have rejected Your Son, their Messiah…and thank you for teaching us what You want for us in this life…

 

…help us to live as You planned for us to live…and show us how to welcome others into Your kingdom…

 

…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

 

Will resume in two weeks…no meeting today or next week which is Mother’s Day

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?

 

Send your request to pastor@barahministries.com

 

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com