Ephesians 1: An Introduction to Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians

Class Outline:

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Our new home is in Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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!

 

What does it mean to be intimate?  It means to be closely personal.  This is the relationship the Lord Jesus Christ wants with His believers…a deep, close, intensely personal relationship.  He doesn’t leave it to chance.  He gives it to us.  We are “IN CHRIST.”

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

An Introduction to Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

When the apostle Paul finally reached Rome, he did so in chains as a prisoner.  Since he had time on his hands, he wrote what scholars today call "the prison epistles" … Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and our next letter of study.

In today's lesson, we begin our study of Paul's prison epistle to the Ephesians.  If you let it be, it promises to be an edifying experience.

 

And as we do regularly, honoring the Lord’s command, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper today.  Get your bread and your wine and settle in…join us for one of the most important celebrations in which Christians engage.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!It’s a tribute to Mothers!  Here’s Burl Ives singing M.O.T.H.E.R.

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

M.O.T.H.E.R.

Burl Ives

 

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 Bible because it provides us with spiritual nourishment that feeds our souls and spirits…thank you that the Bible is as relevant today as when it was written over two thousand years ago…thank you for protecting the Bible from countless infiltration attempts by the enemies of God…liars who seek to destroy its message…thank you for sending Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to save us…thank you for a supernatural written work introducing the Lord so we can get to know Him intimately…and thanks for God the Holy Spirit who helps us understand Biblical truth…

 

…encourage us, Father, to schedule time every day to study the Word so this daily routine edifies our lives, especially the study of another one of Paul's letters…the letter to the Ephesians…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

An Introduction to Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

Welcome to the study of the apostle Paul's letter to the believers in Christ in first-century Ephesus, a city in Turkey.  As we begin each new letter of study, we answer a few critical questions to give us context for the study.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

1

Who wrote the letter we are about to study?

 

2

Who is the letter directed to?

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

3

Where do the people live who are receiving the letter?

 

4

What do we know about the author of the letter?

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

5

When did the author write the letter?

 

6

Where was the author when he wrote the letter?

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

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 EPHESIANS

 

9

What is the main message of the letter?

 

 

10

What relevance does the letter have to our lives today?

Let’s begin by answering these questions.

 

What would you think of a woman who was so cheap that she ate cold oatmeal because she didn’t want to pay the cost of heating it up?  Henrietta “Hetty” Howland Robinson Green was an American businesswoman and financier known as “the richest woman in America” in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

 

Those who knew her called her the “Queen of Wall Street” due to her willingness to lend at reasonable interest rates to financiers and city governments during financial panics.Her extraordinary discipline enabled her to amass a fortune at a time when nearly all major financiers were men.

 

At her death, Hetty had a net worthof over 0 million, the equivalent of about .5 billion today.  Yet she didn’t want to pay to heat her oatmeal.  She was wealthy, but she lived like a pauper.

 

She brings to mind Warren Buffet, one of the world’s wealthiest men with a net worth estimated at 0 billion US Dollars.  Like Hetty, Buffet has the world's wealth but is a spiritual pauper.  By his admission, Warren Buffett is not a Christian.  He was raised Presbyterian but now identifies as agnostic.

 

What is an agnostic?

 

AGNOSTIC

A person who believes that nothing is known nor can be known of the existence or nature of God.  Agnostics claim neither faith in nor disbelief in God.

 

These two people are like many Christians who live as spiritual paupers, ignoring the spiritual wealth God has gifted to us.  For most of our lives, Christians believe what Satan says about our identity over what God says about our identity.  We believe a liar more than our God who IS TRUTH in His very being.

 

Our study of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a primer about the true identity of Christians.  Will you believe what God has to say about you?

 

Now to the questions…

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

1

Who wrote the letter we are about to study?

 

The apostle Paul wrote the letter.   Unlike today, the letter starts with the writer’s name.   Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 1…

 

EPHESIANS 1:1

Paul (is writing this)…an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God the Father…

 

We start letters with the name of the person to whom the letter is addressed.

 

“Dear John…”

 

Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles.  He was born Saul of Tarsus, a city in south-central Turkey and the capital of the Roman Province of Cilicia.

 

Saul is a Jewish name.  He was probably named after King Saul who was of the tribe of Benjamin.  Paul had the distinction of being Jewish AND being a Roman citizen.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

2

Who is the letter directed to?

 

The letter is directed to believers in Christ in the church Paul established in Ephesus.Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 1 says…

 

EPHESIANS 1:1c

…this letter is to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in union with Christ Jesus…

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

3

Where do the people live who are receiving the letter?

 

They live in Turkey.  When the Bible refers to Asia, it is really talking Turkey. 😊

Turkey is six hundred miles from Jerusalem by air.

 

 

Turkey was the center for wealth in Asia, which is appropriate considering Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is about spiritual wealth.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

4

What do we know about Paul, the author of the letter?

 

Here’s how Paul describes his life…an autobiography and resume…in Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 2 to 11…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:2

Beware of the dogs…beware of the evil workers…beware of the false circumcision…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:3

…for we believers in Christ are the true circumcision, who worship in the Holy Spirit of God and who glory in union with Christ Jesus…who put no confidence in the flesh…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:4

…although I myself might have confidence…even in the flesh!If anyone has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I can far more…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:5

…for I was circumcised the eighth day (as is Jewish custom)…I am of the nation of Israel…I am of the tribe of Benjamin…I am a Hebrew of Hebrews…as to the Mosaic Law, I am a Pharisee…

 

The tribe of Benjamin is the strictest of all Jewish sects.

 

 

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:6

…as to zeal, I (Paul) am a persecutor of the church…as to the righteousness which is attained in the Law, I am found blameless.

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:7

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:8

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish (the Greek word skubala…a reference to human

excrement)…so that I may gain Christ…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:9

…and may be found…in union with Him…not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Mosaic Law, but having that righteousness which is credited through faith in Christ…the righteousness which comes from God the Father based on faith in Christ…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:10

…that I may know the Lord Jesus Christ and that I may know the power of His resurrection and that I may know the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:11

…in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

 

That’s quite a human resume!

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

5

When did the Paul write the letter?

 

Ephesians was likely written around 62AD, two years before Paul’s death.

He established the church at Ephesus during one of his missionary journeys, a two year stay in about 55 AD.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

6

Where was Paul when he wrote the letter?

 

He was in prison in Rome.In Ephesians, Chapter 3, Verse 1 and in Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 1 Paul plays on words…

 

EPHESIANS 3:1

…I, Paul, am a PRISONER OF CHRIST JESUS for the sake of you Gentiles—

 

EPHESIANS 4:1

I Paul, THE PRISONER OF THE LORD, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 20 he describes himself another way…

 

EPHESIANS 6:20

…I (Paul) am an ambassador in chains…

 

He’s right!  He was chained to a Roman guard, probably the luckiest of all the Roman guards.  Can you imagine spending every moment of every day with a man like Paul?!

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

7

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

 

It was not to solve a problem as with most of Paul’s other epistles.  It is to communicate the riches involved in being IN CHRIST.

 

IN CHRIST is mentioned over thirty times in the letter.  As a believer “in Christ” you have spiritual wealth that is beyond belief.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

8

What does God want Paul to communicate to the Ephesians, the intended

audience of the letter?

 

Paul is telling believers in Christ, “You are rich!  When you are IN CHRIST you have everything you need from this life!  So be refreshed in spirit and let the eyes of your heart be enlightened!”

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

9

What is the main message of the letter?

 

The fact that you believers are IN CHRIST is a life-changing truth.  Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 3…

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who has blessed us believers with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…IN CHRIST…

 

Believers are not of the “earthlies.”  We are of the heavenlies!  We are physically present in the world but spiritually resident in the heavenlies, seated with the Lord Jesus Christ at the righteous right hand of God the Father.

 

QUESTIONS TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF EPHESIANS

 

10

What relevance does the letter have to our lives today?

 

In a world filled with confusion, there is a certainty for believers.  IN CHRIST!

How would you live differently if you knew you had everything?What wouldn’t you do?  You certainly wouldn’t be scared and you certainly wouldn’t worry!

 

After answering these questions to introduce the letter, we’re ready to begin our study next week.  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

An Introduction to Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “You can’t have a perfect day without doing something for someone who’ll never be able to repay you.”  Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verse 16 reflects this sentiment…

 

HEBREWS 13:16

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

 

Our God is generous every second of every day.  As believers in Christ, we choose to reflect His grace.

 

When you give to Barah Ministries, you make it possible for people worldwide to get spiritual food to feed their spiritual lives free of charge.  Thank you for your generosity.

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always well thought out and always funny offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

GALATIANS 6:9

Let us not lose heart in doing good…for in due time, we will reap if we do not grow

weary.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus ChristCreated the Opportunity for Union with Him

 

Welcome to the Lord’s Supper Celebration!

 

As we remember the Lord, let's enjoy recalling what the Lord has done for us, especially His work on the Cross.  The Lord's Supper gives us a chance to direct our focus to the Lord alone.

 

Concerning the Lord’s Supper, He commands us in Luke, Chapter 22, Verse 19 to…

 

LUKE 22:19c

“…keep on doing this Lord’s Supper Celebrationin remembrance of Me.”

 

In celebrating the Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to make time to think about everything special in our lives, especially the most important relationship in our lives…the relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Whether we are believers in Christ or unbelievers, a relationship with the Lord is critically and eternally important.

 

The Lord’s Supper Celebration is for the Lord’s born-again ones…for spiritually alive believers in Christ who were placed into union with Christ through the baptism of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of their salvation.  God the Holy Spirit turned us into eternal companions of Christ.

 

It is not wise to celebrate The Lord’s Supper on the move.  The Lord’s Supper is a chance to be still and to reflect on the blessings the Lord directs to us.  So get your bread and wine and join us for the feast.

 

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ created the opportunity for all creatures to be in union with him.  The two words that summarize this opportunity are “IN CHRIST.”In the Greek it’s IN KRISTO IESU.

 

The British rock band The Who and their lead singer Roger Daltrey asked a penetrating question in one of their songs.  The question they sing?  "Who are you?  Who-Who-Who-Who?  I really want to know!"

 

Believers in Christ have an easy answer to the question.  We are IN CHRIST.  It’s our identity.  It’s WHO we are.  Everything that is life to Christians…our total identity…comes from our union with Christ.

 

To be “in Christ”describes a SPIRITUAL UNION.  You are in a relationship with

Jesus Christ.  The result of this union is a transformed life.  You are a new creation.

 

A believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is united with Him in everything…His death, His burial, His resurrection from the dead, and His inheritance, given to Him by God the Father as a result of His work on the Cross.

 

The Bible frequently uses expressions to describe the blessings that come from being “IN CHRIST.”  What blessings?  There are at least ten.

 

The blessing of…

 

1

UNION WITH CHRIST

Being “in Christ” is a connection with Christ, similar to a branch being connected to a vine.

 

The blessing of…

 

2

SALVATION

Through faith, believers “in Christ” are saved, and they stand before God justified, legally declared righteous, and blameless despite their sins.

 

The blessing of…

 

3

FORGIVENESS

Believers “in Christ” are forgiven for every sin they commit, past, present and future.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ canceled the debt of sin with His blood at the Cross so no one would have to pay for their sins themselves.

 

The blessing of being a…

 

4

NEW CREATION

Being in Christ means the old spiritually dead life is replaced by a new spiritual life “in Christ.”

 

Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 11…

 

ROMANS 6:11

…consider yourselves to be dead to sin…but alive to God the Father…in union with Christ Jesus.

 

The blessing of…

 

5

IDENTITY

Believers are described as being “in Christ,” and are not evaluated based on their actions or titles...rather, they are evaluated based on their position “IN CHRIST.”

 

The blessing of…

 

6

COMMUNITY

Being “in Christ” gives believers commonality and makes them part of a group of like-minded people who are unified through their union with Him.

 

The blessing of…

 

7

INHERITANCE

Believers “in Christ” are heirs of Christ and enjoy spiritual blessings too numerous to count.

 

The blessing of a…

 

7

SPIRITUAL LIFE

Believers “in Christ” are considered dead to sin and alive to God, living a life by His will.

The blessing of…

 

 

8

MARRIAGE

A relationship with the Lord that never ends.

 

The blessing of…

 

9

REDEMPTION

Jesus, the bridegroom, purchased the freedom of His bride with His blood.  He made the ultimate sacrifice to purchase their freedom.

 

The blessing of…

 

10

HOPE

Believers “in Christ” have absolute confidence of a future beyond their wildest dreams and their most vivid imagination.

 

The Bible uses imagery to describe what it means to be “in Christ” … the Vine and the Branches imagery in John, Chapter 15, Verse 5…

 

JOHN 15:5

I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the vine…you believers “in Christ” are the branches…he who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit…for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 

The Head and the Body imageryas in Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 20…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:18

The Lord Jesus Christ is also head of the body…the Church…He is the beginning…the firstborn from the dead…so He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

 

COLOSSIANS 1:19

For it was God the Father’s good pleasure that in Christ all the fullness of Deity would dwell in bodily form…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:20

…and through the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father reconciled ALL THINGS to

Himself…having made peace through the Lord’s blood shed on the Cross…through Jesus, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

 

The Groom and the Bride imageryas in Revelation, Chapter 19, Verses 7 to 9…

 

REVELATION 19:7

An angel said to me (the apostle John), “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, for the marriage of the Lamb (the Groom) has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

 

REVELATION 19:8

“It was given to the bride to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean…for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”

 

REVELATION 19:9

Then the angel said to me (the apostle John), “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb…’”

 

As we celebrate the Lord’s Supper today, we remember that we have one of the most magnificent blessings ever given, the gift of being “in Christ” …and we choose to never forget how special we are as a result of having this gift.  We choose to share the possibility of this gift with everyone we meet, one person at a time.

 

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.

 

Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28 tells us the reason the Lord wants us to celebrate this meal together…

 

MATTHEW 26:26

While the apostles were eating, Jesus took some bread…and after a blessing…He

broke the bread, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body which is being broken for you.”

MATTHEW 26:27

And when Jesus 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…My blood…poured out for WHOSOEVER…for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

We celebrate to REMEMBER…that Jesus Christ died as our sin substitute…that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead to prove His Deity…that Jesus Christ loves us unconditionally…that Jesus Christ forgives us once and for all time through His work on the Cross…that Jesus Christ’s BLOOD paid for our sins…that Jesus Christ saved us from the wrath of God the Father…that Jesus Christ will come again to gather us unto Himself.

 

As believers in Christ, we celebrate through this Lord’s Supper and we are grateful that His work on the Cross gives us hope...the assurance of an amazing future.

 

Enjoy the elements as we listen to the Lord’s Supper song for today…IN CHRIST ALONE (MY HOPE IS FOUND by Adrienne Liesching

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG

 

IN CHRIST ALONE (MY HOPE IS FOUND)

Adrienne Liesching

 

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.

 

The Bible says the Lord is clear-minded…First Corinthians, Chapter 14, Verse

33…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 14:33

…for God is not a God of confusion…

 

It's true!  God is so clear-minded He works in ones.  There is one category of unbelieving angels, the fallen angels; and there is one category of believing angels, the elect angels.  Here's what the Lord has to say about the fallen angels in Jude, Chapter 1, Verse 6…

 

JUDE 1:6

And the fallen angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day…

 

Here’s what the Lord says about the elect angels.  Matthew, Chapter 24, Verse 31…

 

MATTHEW 24:31

And the Lord will send forth His elect angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect believers from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

 

The Lord categorizes His human creatures the same way, as elect and fallen.  The Lord wants you to be one of the elect!

 

The bad news is you were born fallen.  You were born physically alive but

spiritually dead as a fallen, ungodly, unrighteous unbeliever.  You were born a

sinner in God’s eyes, in desperate need of a Savior.

It’s not your fault you were born this way, but it is your circumstance.

 

In First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22, the Bible says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a

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

 

The good news is that the Lord Jesus Christ knew you could not work your way

out of this circumstance, so He decided to work everything out for you.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

 

It’s a great thing to know, because no one gets out of this life alive.  What’s going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life?  Will you go to heaven or will you go to hell?  Will you remain fallen or will you choose to be elect?

 

God doesn’t want you to go to hell!  Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…

 

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 to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

The Lord has a plan to make you one of the elect, so He can welcome you to heaven!  So, how can you get to heaven?  RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you.  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.”

 

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 apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and

I am the truth (through the Word of God)…and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”

 

Getting to heaven requires nothing of you except the expression of your faith in

Jesus Christ to save you.  You can’t work your way to heaven.

 

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to 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…

 

Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can’t do a thingto be elect on your own.  Also, you confirm that being fallen WILL NOT get you to heaven.  It’s wiser to let God make you one of His elect, because once God does something, He never changes His mind!  John, Chapter 10, Verses 28 and 29 say…

 

JOHN 10:28

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

 

JOHN 10:29

“My Father, who gives believers in Christ to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch elect believers in Christ out of God the Father’s hand either.”|

 

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 if you reject a relationship with Christ?  Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to

42 communicates the consequences…

 

MATTHEW 13:40

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

the age.

 

MATTHEW 13:41

The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather

out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who commit

lawlessness (unbelievers)…

 

MATTHEW 13:42

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

 

Yes…there is a hell…and if you end up there it will be your choice.  So make the most important choice of your life!  Do what is suggested 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.”

 

Make the best decision for you!  Be an elect one, not a fallen one.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music! An interesting phenomenon among Christians is a deep-seated desire to feel bad about themselves, even though the Lord discourages it throughout the Word.   Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 1 says…

 

ROMANS 8:1

There is now absolutely NO CONDEMNATION for those who are IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS.

 

June Murphy sings about this in her song with the same theme…IN CHRIST NO MORE CONDEMNATION.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

IN CHRIST NO MORE CONDEMNATION

June Murphy

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for Bible lessons that help us look into the mirror of the Word of God to see who we really are…You have given Your believers an identity… "IN CHRIST" … and you've given us a Biblical letter…Paul's letter to the Ephesians...to reveal to Your believers their real identity…help us believe everything You tell us in this letter…

 

…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

 

Take Mother’s Day off…discussions resume next week…

 

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