Ephesians 2: The Lord Jesus Christ Broke Down the Barrier of the Dividing Wall

Class Outline:

---

From wall to 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!

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord Jesus Christ Broke Down the Barrier of the Dividing Wall

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

You probably have never noticed, but I’m black.  😊

 

In Satan’s kingdom, that makes me an outsider for life.  Black people areand have always been considered second-class citizens.

 

We have been labeled over the years as…Negro…Nigger…Colored…Minority…African-American…At Risk People…the Marginalized Community.  When you think about it, it’s really laughable.  Yet these are monikers black people have willingly accepted.  The indignities that come with dark skin continue to this very day…EVERY DAY.  Mormon doctrine once believed that the punishment for being fallen angels is dark skin.  It was racism built into a religion.  Allegedly, the doctrine was renounced in 2013…proof that it was a lie because the truth never changes.

It seems no matter what black people achieve, no matter what credentials we have, no matter what work we have done, we don’t elevate in Satan’s kingdom.  Today’s term used among the younger, non-black generation to describe something that is inferior is “ghetto.”  The funny thing is the term is being used by people who have never been to a ghetto and who don’t know what it takes to survive coming from a ghetto.

 

Even black people erect walls among themselves.In college, I was called an Oreo…black on the outside and white on the inside.  In my own family, the light skinned blacks (we are of mixed lineage) believe that they are superior those of us with darker skin.  My approach to this nonsense was to punish them with my success.

 

Blacks are not alone on the wrong side of walls.Women are treated like second-class citizens.  People with handicaps are treated like second- class citizens.  The poor and the middle class are treated like second- class citizens.

 

Walls.

 

Everywhere we look there are walls in Satan’s kingdom.  In today’s lesson, we’ll learn what the Lord Jesus Christ has done to tear down the walls that divide us.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  Unfortunately, and quite often, there is a wall between fathers and sons, sponsored by Satan and the kingdom of death and darkness.  Often, fathers fail to express their love to their sons.  Often, in immaturity, sons like imposing standards of how fathers ought to be fathering.

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verses 2 and 3, the Lord instructs children…

 

EPHESIANS 6:2

Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise attached)…

 

EPHESIANS 6:3

…so that when you honor them things may go well with you…and that you may live long on the earth.

 

The Lord extends the lives of children who HONOR their parents.  You have a

choice concerning the way you treat your father.  In honor of fathers everywhere, alive or dead, here’s Kenny Rankin’s song about his father…it’s called THIS OLD MAN.  May this song be a testament to the need to tear down the walls that exist between fathers and their sons.  Let’s get rid of the “don’t tell Dad”syndrome.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

THIS OLD MAN

Kenny Rankin

 

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 being the perfect Father…than you for sending Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to tear down the walls that divide us…whether male or female…whether slave or free… whether rich or poor…thank you for showing us the perfect relationship between father and son…oneness…thank you for placing all believers in Christ into a unity with other believers at the moment of our salvation, a unity we can never leave…and thank you for God the Holy Spirit who keeps on showing us how to operate with the same oneness…the same unity…as the three Persons of the Godhead…

 

…use this lesson to help us be free, once and for all time, from the mental prisonwalls create…instead, help us learn to be vulnerable with each other…trusting each other…loving each other…and treating each other well…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord Jesus Christ Broke Down the Barrier of the Dividing Wall

 

LESSON PART ONE

The apostle Peter loves helping us remember how important repetition is in the study the Word of God…Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 13…

 

SECOND PETER 1:13

I (Peter) consider it right…as long as I am in this earthly dwelling (my physical body)…to stir you up by way of reminder…

 

As a reminder, we are studying the apostle Paul's letter to the believers in Christ in first-century Ephesus, a city in Turkey. These six chapters and one hundred fifty-five verses are unlike other Pauline letters that address problems in the churches to whom he is writing. In this letter, Paul is NOT addressing a problem.

 

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a detailed explanation of the spiritual riches gifted to believers in Christ due to being placed “IN CHRIST” by our Almighty God at the moment of our salvation!

 

Ephesus was a vibrant city…a city of wealth…known as a center for religion, the arts, and science.  Priscilla and Aquilla started the churchin their home, and the church grew from there.

 

Ephesus was a center for the occult and idol worship.  The focus of idol worship was Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, also known as Diana in Roman mythology.    A temple constructed in her honor was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

 

 

As is typical of Paul’s New Testament letters, Ephesians has a doctrinal part and a practical part. Chapters 1 to 3 are doctrinal, emphasizing Christ’s work of redemption. Chapters 4 and 5 are practical, communicating God’s suggestions for Christian conduct. How do we live a heavenly life on earth that is pleasing to God?  Chapter 6 tells us how to handle our enemies.

 

We pick up our study in the fourth passage of the letter.  As you think about what you have learned so far, do you know who you are IN CHRIST?  Hopefully, when you do, you realize you have EVERYTHING you need for a fantastic life.  You are spiritually wealthy IN CHRIST.

 

In the next passage, Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 22, we learn what the Lord

has done about the walls erected between us within Satan’s kingdom…wallsintended to divide us…let’s hear the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD TRANSLATION of the passage…

 

EPHESIANS 2:11

Therefore, remember…formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called

“uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” … which is performed on the

flesh by human hands —

 

Nothing like starting off with a little “name calling!”

 

EPHESIANS 2:12

…remember that you were at that time separate from Christ…excluded from the commonwealth of Israel…strangers to the covenants of promise…having no hope and without God in the world.

 

EPHESIANS 2:13

But now IN CHRIST Jesus…you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

For He Himself is our peace…who made both groups into one group…and BROKE DOWN THE BARRIER OF THE DIVIDING WALL…

 

EPHESIANS 2:15

…by abolishing in His flesh the enmity…which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances…so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace…

 

EPHESIANS 2:16

…and might reconcile them both in one body to God the Father through the Cross…the Cross having put to death the enmity.

 

EPHESIANS 2:17

AND HE CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR…

 

EPHESIANS 2:18

…for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

EPHESIANS 2:19

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens…but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God’s household…

 

EPHESIANS 2:20

…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…Christ Jesus

Himself being the cornerstone…

 

EPHESIANS 2:21

…in whom the whole building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord…

 

EPHESIANS 2:22

…in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

 

In Ephesians 2, Verses 1 to 10, we learned about the wall that separated us from God. Remember Verse 1?

 

EPHESIANS 2:1

And you were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…

 

Trespasses and sins erected a wall between God and man called spiritual death…a wall no man could do a thing to remove.  Sin erected a wall between the married couple…Adam and Eve.

 

In Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 22, we will learn about the wall that separated the Jews from the Gentiles.  Here’s the structure of the passage…

 

STRUCTURE OF THIS PASSAGE

 

1

What We Once Were (Verses 11-12)

 

2

What Christ Has Done to Tear Down the Walls (Verses 13-18)

 

3

What We Will Become (Verses 19-22)

 

Let’s study the passage verse-by-verse…Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 11 and 12…

 

EPHESIANS 2:11

Formerly, youGentiles in the flesh…who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” … a circumcision which is performed on theflesh by human hands —

 

EPHESIANS 2:12

…remember that you were at that time separate from Christ…excluded from the commonwealth of Israel…strangers to the covenants of promise…having no hope and without God in the world.

 

Ouch!  Walls.  There are walls all over the world.

 

A FEW WALLS OF THE WORLD

 

The Berlin Wall

 

The Great Wall of China

 

The Walls of Jericho

 

Walls are not welcoming.  Walls and boundaries are not supportive ofrelationships.  What are boundaries?

 

BOUNDARIES

The invisible walls that define what is and isn’t acceptable behavior in a relationship…they can be physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, or sexual, and they help you SET LIMITS and EXPECTATIONS with others.

 

Limits are not supportive of freedom.  Do you have boundaries?  They may be harming the possibility of a relationship.  Relationships require vulnerability and intimacy, which means in relationships, you can be hurt.

 

Yet in Satan’s kingdom we hear the words of a song by the group Tesla which says, “Signs…signs…everywhere a sign…do this don’t do that…can’t you read the signs?

 

Circumcision was a wall.  What is circumcision?

CIRCUMCISION

In the Jewish tradition, on the eight day after the birth of a male child, there is a ritual removal of the foreskin on a male baby’s penis.  It is called a Brit Milah, or “bris” for short.  The person who performs this ceremony is called a mohel (pronounced “moy-el”).

 

Circumcision was the sign of being Jewish.  It was a constant reminder of being God’s chosen people.  The rest of the world…the rest of the nations outside Israel were called the “uncircumcision.”  The word Gentile means nations.

 

It was always God’s plan to have the Jews and the Gentiles become one new man…the Church.  The Lord gave the Jews four-hundred-ninety years of evangelism to be the light to the world…to spread the gospel message…as the chosen people of God.

 

The Jews were not God’s favorites…they were selected for function.  God used them to get the gospel message to people all over the inhabited world, and He Himself chose to come to earth through Jewish lineage.

 

The Jews chose to distort their chosen people status, and they turned it into “we are chosen and you are not.”  Big mistake.

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 11…

 

EPHESIANS 2:11

Formerly, youGentiles in the flesh…who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” … a circumcision which is performed on theflesh by human hands —

 

A Gentile is a non-Jewish person.  The Gentiles had several problems!  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 12 reminds the Gentiles to…

 

EPHESIANS 2:12

…remember that you Gentiles were…at that time…separate from Christ…excluded from the commonwealth of Israel…strangers to the covenants of promise…having no hope and without God in the world.

 

The Gentiles were living like animals…with no laws, with no conscience,

engrossed in sorcery, magic and idol worship…doing perverse things like

throwing their kids into fires as sacrifices to Baal, the god of storms and the god of

fertility.

 

As a result, they were on the wrong side of a wall…separate from Christ… excluded from the commonwealth of Israel (in other words without citizenship)…

strangers to the covenants of promise (from Romans, Chapter 9)…having no hope (at the wrong end of the wrath of God the Father)…and without God in the world.  Let’s be clear on one thing.  There has always been only one way to get right with God…faith in Christ alone.  The Lord Jesus Christ has ALWAYS found a way to get this message to every person all over the world.

 

The Jews considered themselves to be “insiders.”  The Gentiles were “outsiders.”

The Jews distorted chronology.  In God’s plan it was the Jews first, then the Gentiles.  Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 6…

 

GALATIANS 5:6

For in union with Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything (it has no value at all…especially in the matter of salvation)…but faith in Christ working through unconditional love means everything.

 

So Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 11 and 12 remind all of what we once were.  It’s as if God is saying, “Don’t forget where you came from.”  When we travel to different cultures, we are greeted by walls…we see signs that say we are “foreigners” and “aliens.”

 

 

It's sad that people all over the world are xenophobic and have erected walls of separation.

 

When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll continue our study of the second passage of Ephesians, Chapter 2 to see what the Lord Jesus Christ did to obliterate the walls.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord Jesus Christ Broke Down the Barrier of the Dividing Wall

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

God the Father loves all of His creatures unconditionally, and He loves us so muchthat 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 is able to do with what we give.  Realize how important giving is,because it makes life an amazing experience for those in need.  Be generous with the gifts your God has given you…your time gifts…your talent gifts…AND your treasure gifts.

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the Cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord Jesus Christ Broke Down the Barrier of the Dividing Wall

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Welcome back!

 

The problem highlighted in the first two verses of this passage is…alienation from God caused by trespasses and sins…leads to alienation from each other.  One of the most frequent things you hear when Americans travel abroad is, “There is a language barrier.”

 

There are 6000 languages and dialects, yet there is never a reason to see that as a barrier to communication.  In Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 13 to 18 we see what the Lord has done to tear down the walls…the gift of being IN CHRIST!

 

EPHESIANS 2:13

BUT now IN CHRIST Jesus…you who formerly were far off (referring to the Gentiles…in Greek, the ethnos) have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

 

The gospel message was utterly dependent on the Jews at this time.  When we hear the term Judeo-Christian, it’s true.  The Jews carried the gospel message to the Gentiles.

 

The Lord tore down the walls of alienation between God and Man…between Jews and Gentiles.  He initiated a peace treaty.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 14…

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our peace…who made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one group (The Church)…and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…

 

Where we were was in ENMITY, a dividing hostility between God and man and between Jews and Gentiles.  Christ’s work at the Cross changed everything.  How did the Lord tear down the walls?  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 15 to 17…

 

EPHESIANS 2:15

…by abolishing in His flesh (Jesus’ physical body) the enmity…which is the Law of

commandments contained in ordinances…so that in Himself He might make the

two into one new man (The Church), thus establishing peace…

 

EPHESIANS 2:16

…reconciling them both (Jews and Gentiles) in one body to God the Father through the Cross (the new group called THE CHURCH)…the Cross having put to death the enmity.

 

EPHESIANS 2:17

AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY (Gentiles) AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR (the Jews)…

 

The Lord Jesus Christ simplified everything.  Now there are two groups made into one…those who know Christ through faith and have a relationship with Him…us believers…and those who don’t know Christ…unbelievers.  The life that counts is the spiritual life when unbelievers are “born again” … the spiritual birth.  What did the Lord say to the Pharisee Nicodemus?  John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…

 

JOHN 3:3

“Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you (Nicodemus)…unless one is born again (the spiritual birth…the supernatural birth)…he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

 

Mothers say to their kids, “I gave you life!”  But the life our human parents give us is not the supernatural life.  It’s spiritual death.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

 

It’s sad to think some people die with a Bible in their nightstand.  Everything they need to know is right next to them as they close their eyes in this life.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 17 and 18…

 

EPHESIANS 2:17

AND THE LORD JESUS CHRIST CAME AND PREACHED PEACE TO YOU WHO WERE FAR AWAY (Gentiles)…AND PEACE TO THOSE WHO WERE NEAR (the Jews)…

 

EPHESIANS 2:18

…for through the Lord Jesus Christ we both (Jews and Gentiles) have direct access in one Spirit to the Father.

 

Matthew, Chapter 27, Verse 51…

 

MATTHEW 27:51a

And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom…

 

Before Christ's work at the Cross, access to God was through a Levitical priest. On the other side of the veil in the temple, God's presence lived, and only the Levitical priests had access to it. Anyone else who went behind the veil died.

 

After the Lord’s strategic victory at the Cross…the walls came tumbling down!  The veil was torn down.  Reconciliation and redemption were complete.  There was no more wall between God and men.  There was no more wall between Jew and Gentile.  Now Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 12 and 13 are in play…

 

ROMANS 10:12

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek...for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for ALL who call on Him...

 

ROMANS 10:13

“...for ‘whosoever’ will call on the Name (the Person) of the Lord will be saved.”

 

Paul put it well in Acts, Chapter 15, Verses 9 to 11…

 

ACTS 15:9

“…and God the Father made no distinction between us (the Jews) and them (the Gentiles), cleansing their hearts by faith.”

 

ACTS 15:10

“Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?”

 

ACTS 15:11

“But as Jews we believe we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they (the Gentiles) are saved.”

 

See why Paul got arrested?  😊

 

Christ and His Cross obliterated spiritual distance and division.

Now, there is one family…the Church.  In analogy, the Lord Jesus Christ is the head and we Church Age believers are the body.Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 19…

 

EPHESIANS 2:19

So then you Gentiles are no longer strangers and aliens…but you are fellow citizens with the saints and you are of God’s household (you are children of God!)…

 

The apostle Peter put it this way in First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 9…

 

FIRST PETER 2:9

But you believers in Christ (Jews and Gentiles) are a chosen race…a royal priesthood…a holy nation…a people for God’s own possession…so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…

 

Believers in Christ now have a new passport…a universally accepted passport…Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 20…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:20

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which heaven also we believers in Christ eagerly wait for a Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

Finally, there is no longer any building that is a temple of worship…Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 20…

 

EPHESIANS 2:20

…you are part of a house that has been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets…Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone of the new house…

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verse 19 reminds us…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 6:19

Or DO YOU NOT KNOW that your body is a temple of God the Holy Spirit who is indwelling you believers in Christ…the Spirit whom you have from God theFather?  You are no longer your own!

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 21 and 22…

EPHESIANS 2:21

…and IN CHRIST the whole building is being fitted together and is growing into a holy temple in the Lord…

 

EPHESIANS 2:22

…in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

 

The “walls” are replaced by unconditional love and unity and peace.

 

Let’s conclude with the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION of the passage, Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 22…

 

EPHESIANS 2:11

Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their “circumcision,” even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

 

EPHESIANS 2:12

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.

 

EPHESIANS 2:13

But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

For Christ Himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the Cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

 

EPHESIANS 2:15

He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in Himself one new people from the two groups…called the Church.

 

 

 

EPHESIANS 2:16

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God the Father by means of His death on the Cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

 

EPHESIANS 2:17

He brought this Good News (the gospel message) of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from Him, and peace to the Jews who were near to Him.

 

EPHESIANS 2:18

Now all of us can come to God the Father through the same God the Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

 

EPHESIANS 2:19

So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

 

EPHESIANS 2:20

Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the

prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.

 

EPHESIANS 2:21

We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

 

EPHESIANS 2:22

Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God the Father lives by the agency of His God the Holy Spirit.

 

Are you mad because you are black, female, poor, handicapped, or castigated in any way in Satan’s kingdom?  Well, getting upset about the walls in Satan’s kingdom is a waste of time and a waste of emotional energy.  The Lord Jesus Christ has solved the problem of walls and inequality.  Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 28…

 

GALATIANS 3:28

(In the Lord’s kingdom)…there is neither Jew nor Greek (no racial distinction)…there is neither slave nor free man (no social distinction)…there is neither male nor female (no gender distinction)…for you are all one who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and what He has done for you at the Cross gives you mental serenity.

 

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 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 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 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 the gospel message to you from the outside as well, 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 Christ, 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!  When the walls seem impossible to climb, Travis Greene says God MADE A WAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

MADE A WAY

Travis Greene

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank You for tearing down the barrier between us and Youand the barriers between us and each other…since we live in a kingdom that is all about walls, help us to free ourselves in our minds by what Your Son did for us at the Cross…so that as other seek to make us inferior, we are constantly reminded of our exalted position IN CHRIST…remind us that it’s not necessary that others see our spiritual wealth…it only matters what You have done for us and how You see us…

 

…help us to share this message with all we meet…and help us to discard any thoughts of being inferior and any thoughts of expecting that immature people will see You and what You did for all mankind…

 

…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

 

Resumes 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