John: Jesus is Our One-of-a-Kind God

Class Outline:

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Freedom has a name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

An Online Christian Church

Teaching the Word of God

Verse-by-Verse

 

RORY CLARK

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

I’m Pastor Rory Clark welcoming you to a Bible lesson with Barah Ministries, an intimate online Christian community committed to learning the Word of God verse-by-verse.  I’m happy to teach the Word to those who want a deep, intimate and personal relationship with the Savior of the world and the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

No matter where you are in the world, no matter how the Lord gets this Bible lesson to you, thanks for listening!

 

Studying the Bible is one of the best gifts you give yourself every day.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus is Our One-of-a-Kind God

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

If you’re alive you’ve heard this Bible verse incessantly…John, Chapter 3, Verse 16…

 

JOHN 3:16

“God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He gave His ONLY BEGOTTEN Son (the God-man…the Lord Jesus…to be crucified on a Cross) … so that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but has eternal life.”

 

It’s mandatory learning for every Christian child who attends Sunday school the world over.

 

What does the term “only begotten” mean?

 

It’s a term attributed to the Lord…God the Son…who took on human form as Jesus…the Christ…the Messiah.  It means Jesus Christ is unique in every way…in His Person (100% God and 100% man) … in His birth (born of a virgin) … in His death (by crucifixion…the cruelest death in human history) … in His work (signs, wonders, and miracles)…in His resurrection from the dead (which no one else has done)…in the way He loves (unconditionally)…and in His offer to the human race (salvation free of charge).

 

In today’s lesson, we’ll learn about the uniqueness of the only begotten One.  And as we do regularly, honoring the Lord’s command, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper today.  Get your bread and your wine…settle in…join us.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!

 

One of the great song lyrics of all time describes our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  It says, “I could search for all eternity long and find there is none like You.”  Let’s listen to the song written by Lenny LeBlanc…THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU.

 

MUSIC - OPENING SONG

Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises

 

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Lenny LeBlanc

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful to You Heavenly Father for providing us with the absolute truth of the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for giving us fingerprints, for by them you were telling us we are unique…there is none like us and when the Lord created us He threw away the mold…and why wouldn’t the Lord make us unique…we are made in the image of the God, and our Lord Jesus Christ is unique in every way…thank you for making us like Him…

 

…as we study today’s lesson, we look forward to learning about the Lord Jesus Christ’s uniqueness…and we’re eager for the reminder that in Your plan we have the freedom to accept or reject a relationship with You because You are neither a dictator nor a tyrant…you are God who loves us unconditionally, who forgive us totally, and who offers us matchless grace…

 

…help us, through God the Holy Spirit, to understand what You want us to learn today…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus is Our One-of-a-Kind God

 

THE LESSON

 

We continue or study of the Gospel of John in chapter one.  It’s a study of the Deity of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is God and John’s gospel proves it.

 

So far, the apostle John has told us in his gospel that Jesus is THE WORD, THE LIFE, and THE LIGHT. In the last lesson, John introduced us to the forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist, who announced the presence of the Lord to the world as the Lord began His final years of ministry on the earth.

 

In today’s passage, John tells about the Lord’s uniqueness.  John, Chapter 1, Verses 15 to 18…

 

JOHN 1:15

John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”

 

JOHN 1:16

For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

 

JOHN 1:17

For the Law was given through Moses…grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

JOHN 1:18

No one has seen God at any time…the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

 

Let’s study the passage verse-by-verse beginning at John, Chapter 1, Verse 15…

 

JOHN 1:15

John the Baptist was a witness and testified about Jesus, crying out, “This was He of whom I was saying, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”

 

Jesus has always existed and there never was a time when He didn’t exist.  He said

so Himself in John, Chapter 8, Verse 58…

 

JOHN 8:58

Jesus said to the Jews who believed Him, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM (I existed).”

 

The Lord…God the Son…came to earth to do for all mankind a thing we couldn’t do for ourselves.  He came to wipe out our sin debt, paying for it in His own body on the Cross.  He succeeded at saving us from the penalty of Adam’s sin.  Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14 says…

 

ROMANS 6:14

(Because of what the Lord did for all mankind at the Cross) … sin shall absolutely not any longer be a master over any of you…especially you believers in Christ… for absolutely none of you are any longer under the law…all of you are under grace.

 

What makes the Lord Jesus Christ unique?

 

He is not only the Lord…God the Son…He is not only man…Jesus.  He is 100% God and 100% man combined in one Person.  There is none like Him.  He is the promised Messiah…the Chosen One…the One sent by God the Father for the divine purpose of redeeming humanity from sin and reconciling all mankind to God through his life, death, burial, and resurrection.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is without precedent.  If you accept that as true, then you can come to no other conclusion except Jesus Christ is God.  He had no beginning and has no ending.  He was spoken about many times in the Old Testament, long before the virgin birth.  He appeared to men in dreams and in visions and in Person.  Here’s what Isaiah has to say about his vision in Isaiah, Chapter 6, Verses 1 to 3…

 

ISAIAH 6:1

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I (Isaiah) SAW the Lord (Jesus Christ) sitting on a throne…lofty and exalted…with the train of His robe filling the temple.

 

ISAIAH 6:2

Seraphim stood above the Lord…angels…each having six wings…and with two wings the angels covered His face…with two wings the angels covered His feet…and with two wings the angels flew.

 

ISAIAH 6:3

And one angle called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts…the whole earth is full of His glory.”

 

Some people wrongfully and disrespectfully consider Jesus Christ merely to be a man.  If that’s true, the Lord Jesus Christ surely is not unique, for there are many men.  The lie that Jesus is just a man is sponsored by Satan and his kingdom of death and darkness.  Fortunately, believers in Christ know the truth.  Jesus is the God-man…the unique One…one of a kind…there is none like Him.

 

John, Chapter 1, Verse 16…

 

JOHN 1:16

From the fullness of Jesus’ grace, we have all received one blessing after another.

 

Jesus is the source of ALL blessing.  He blesses us in ways we don’t even notice.

 

 

Everything we have…health…prosperity…adversity…knowledge…friendships… joy…sorrow…money…relationships…a companion…children…the ability to pay our financial obligations…all things we have come from the source of our God.  Do you acknowledge Him with gratitude for the little things He does for you every day?

 

Jesus Himself is a blessing.  The very fact that He exists makes a difference in our lives.  He describes Himself in many ways as the source for us.  Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 28…

 

MATTHEW 11:28

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest for your souls.”

 

John, Chapter 6, Verse 35…

 

JOHN 6:35

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life…he who comes to Me will not hunger…

and he who believes in Me will never thirst.”

 

John, Chapter 10, Verse 9…

 

JOHN 10:9

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the door…if (3) anyone enters through Me…he will

be saved…and he will go in and out and find pasture.”

 

As believers in Christ we have total security, deep spiritual nourishment, a peaceful and satisfying life, and a fulness of resources under his care.  Now you know what John mean in John, Chapter 1, Verse 16…

 

JOHN 1:16

From the fullness of Jesus’ grace (as our source of blessings) all of us believers in Christ have received one blessing after another.

 

Satan’s world system, the cosmic system, is a source of “blessings” as well.  Thankfully, all that Satan provides proves to be meaningless, empty, and unfulfilling.

 

Remember Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 3?

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who has blessed us believers in Christ with every SPIRITUAL blessing in the heavenly realm…for those of us in union with the Christ…Jesus…

 

Thanks be to the Lord for giving us the blessings that prosper us!

 

John, Chapter 1, Verse 17…

 

JOHN 1:17

For the Mosaic Law was given by God through Moses…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is not only the source of blessings.  He is the source of grace and truth.

 

In the matter of grace, we learn a contrast.

 

In the Old Testament, God demanded righteousness from people through keeping the law.  The lesson is the people could not keep the law; therefore, they needed a Savior.

 

In the New Testament, there is a new covenant between God and man.  God gives

righteousness as a free gift.  Believers in Christ are under grace.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 8 and 9…

 

EPHESIANS 2:8

For by grace you believers in Christ have been saved by God through faith…and that grace, that faith, and that salvation is not from the source of yourselves…it is a gift from God…

 

EPHESIANS 2:9

…it is not as a result of your works, so that no one may boast about saving himself.

 

The law is impotent.  Following the law does not have the power to save us.  Law does not impute righteousness to its followers.  Jesus Christ’s grace does impute righteousness as a free gift.  At the moment of salvation, the Lord credits His righteousness to every believer in Christ…righteousness that is our admission ticket to heaven.

 

When you invest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation, you are justified.  This means God the Father declares a sinner (an unbeliever) “not guilty” of sin and simultaneously declares the new saint absolutely righteous…completely free from the power of sin. This righteousness is not earned by doing good works. It is a free gift given by God’s grace when a person trusts in Jesus for salvation.

In Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 28 Paul says…

 

ROMANS 3:28

For we maintain that a man is justified (declared legally righteous) by faith in Christ alone apart from works of the Law.

 

When you close your eyes in this life you won’t see St. Peter at the pearly gates.

You’ll be personally escorted to heaven through your “death shadowed valley” by the omnipresent Lord Jesus Christ, who is able to be everywhere at the same time.

 

John, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

JOHN 1:18

Absolutely no one ever has seen God the Father at any time…but the unique…one of a kind…matchless God (the Lord Jesus Christ) … who is at God the Father’s side…has made God the Father known.

 

The only way to get to know the invisible One, God the Father, is through Jesus who reveals Him.  No one can see God the Father while he is alive.  So if you’re seeing God the Father, you’re dead!

 

Since Jesus is the same in essence as God the Father, when we see Jesus, we are seeing God the Father.  They are co-equal, co-infinite, and co-eternal.  For us Church Age believers in Christ, seeing Jesus means experiencing Him through the study of the Word of God.  We won’t actually see Him until we are absent from the body and face-to-face with Jesus.

 

The Lord has the unique ability to communicate about His Father in a way no one else can so we can get to know God and Father.

 

The Lord is unique.  The Lord made us to be unique.  We are to enjoy our lives as one-of-a-kind ones.  When we return from the break, we’ll request an offering, and then we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

FREEDOM

Hillsong Worship

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Jesus is Our One-of-a-Kind God

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

Did Jesus ever think about money?  Rarely!  What the Lord did think about was

giving.  As you think about giving, both today and every day, let your attitude reflect the Lord’s giving attitude as communicated in Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 35…

 

ACTS 20:35b

“…remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 

Since you benefit from the Lord’s thoughts in these Bible lessons, it just makes

sense to contribute to the workers who communicate His thoughts to you.  Give generously just as the Lord gives and watch what the Lord credits back to your account.

 

By the way, it’s okay to give knowing the Lord is going to return what you give in abundance.  In every great relationship, when we give, we love it when our generosity is returned.  In our relationship with the Lord, generosity is rewarded in ways you could never anticipate.  So give freely!

 

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

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

MATTHEW 11:10

“This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’”

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Set Us Free

 

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

 

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

 

LUKE 22:14

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

 

 

LUKE 22:15

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

 

LUKE 22:16

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

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

 

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26a

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

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26b

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

 

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

 

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

 

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ set us free!

 

Recently we celebrated America’s two hundred and fiftieth birthday.  It’s known as the country’s semi-quincentennial birthday.  Fifty years ago, we celebrated the country’s bicentennial birthday!  This birthday celebration calls to mind the closing words of Francis Scott Key’s song The Star-Spangled Banner.

 

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

 

Oh…say…does that Star-Spangled Banner yet wave

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

 

Living in America is a privilege because we are a free country.  The Bible’s Ten Commandments outline the criteria that exist in a free country.  The commandments came from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the originator of freedom.  In Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 1 the apostle Paul says…

 

GALATIANS 5:1

It was for freedom that the Lord Jesus Christ SET US believers in Christ FREE… therefore keep on standing fast in the freedom…and do not ever again entangle yourselves in a yoke of slavery.
 

It’s easy to miss that Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 1 is in the imperative mood, the mood of command.  The Lord is ORDERING US to stand free because freedom is serious to the Lord.

 

The verse mentions entanglement in the yoke of slavery.  What is a yoke?

 

YOKE

A wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of TWO animals…like oxen…to link them together for pulling heavy burdens such as plows or carts.

For those of you watching the lesson, let’s see what a yoke looks like.

 

 

Here’s what a yoke looks like with animals in it.

 

 

What is slavery?

 

SLAVERY

Slavery is the legal ownership of a person as property, depriving them of their freedom and forcing them to work for little or no compensation.

 

Throughout history, slavery has been enforced through violence and coercion.  That’s Satan’s approach.  He says, “You will do what I say or you will die.”  Satan wants you to follow him because you have to, not because you want to…that’s entanglement.  That’s a yoke.  Imagine yourselves in a yoke of slavery.  Slavery is hard work for no gain.  That’s sin, too.  A lot of work for no gain.

 

The Lord gives you the freedom to choose.  What will it be for you, slavery or freedom?  In Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 28 the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 11:28

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest for your souls.”

 

In Matthew, Chapter 11, Verse 30 the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 11:30

“My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

Satan wants you in the yoke of sin.  He wants believers in Christ to worry about sin…to feel guilty about sin…to think sin makes the Lord think less of you.

 

The Lord wants you in the yoke of freedom.  The Lord is in the yoke with you.  He makes your burdens light.

 

Perhaps sinning is inevitable for humans.  We have the flesh resident in us.  We

have Satan’s world system offering us alleged “pleasures.”  Believers in Christ sin after salvation even though we are perfectly righteousness in God’s eyes from the moment of salvation.

 

There is no need for us to obsess about paid for sins.  If the Lord thought we could handle our sin problem, He wouldn’t have gone to the Cross.  What He wants us to do when we sin is to shake it off and sin no more.  What the Lord doesn’t want is for us to get in a yoke with the kingdom of darkness, letting repeated sinning drag us down.

 

The Lord was so serious about us being freed from sin that He decided to die to

make it a possibility.  And now that His work on the Cross is accomplished…now

that He has shed His blood to pay for every sin we would ever commit past, present, and future, He wants us to enjoy His precious gift of freedom.  In Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14 He says…

 

ROMANS 6:14

(Because of what the Lord did for all mankind at the Cross) … sin shall absolutely not any longer be a master over any of you…especially you believers in Christ… for absolutely none of you are any longer under the law…all of you are under grace.

 

So what is freedom?

 

FREEDOM

The ability to think, to act, and to speak without restraint, coercion, or external hindrance.  The absence of oppression, fear, and tyranny.

 

FREEDOM

The presence of personal autonomy.  The right of self-determination.  The right to express self or to pursue goals that are supportive of growth and well-being.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ’s will for you is that you ENJOY your freedom.

 

Freedom is an ideal for which people are willing to die.  We thank God regularly for the brave men and women of our military who are willing to stand on a wall and say, “Nothing’s going to hurt you tonight…not on my watch!”

 

Remember former governor of Virginia Patrick Henry, a founding father of a free

America?  What did he say about freedom?  He said…

 

PATRICK HENRY

 

“Give me liberty (freedom) or give me death!”

 

Yet freedom comes with the responsibility to make sound choices that do no harm.  We have the freedom to drive 120MPH in a 30MPH school zone just when kids have been dismissed from school, but that’s certainly not a responsible thing to do.

 

Freedom is not “no rules” as teen-agers want parents to believe.  Teens always find out that doing whatever they want eventually leaves them feeling empty and trapped and regretting their poor choices.

 

Recently I was talking to a lady who got pregnant when she was fifteen.  It made her life extremely difficult.  Also, it affected the lives of others…her parents…her boyfriend…and the school…just to name a few.  She had the freedom to be sexually active, and her irresponsibility had consequences.  Remember the warning in Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 13…

 

GALATIANS 5:13a

You believers in Christ were called to freedom…only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh...

 

The part of freedom Satan never tells you about…as he tempts you to sin…is that bad choices hurt.  One bad choice can destroy your life.  Every methamphetamine (meth) addict started with a single choice to try the drug.  Not long after they are HOOKED in the yoke of addiction.  People who “do whatever they want” always regret it.

 

That’s not how the Lord wants you to use your freedom.  As one Pastor put it,

“Freedom is doing what you want to do and not regretting it in a thousand years, because you know it’s what God wants you to do.”  True freedom occurs when we align our will with God’s will.  When we make choices God wants for us, we are free indeed!

 

Jesus Christ went to the Cross in freedom.  He wasn’t forced to go.  He wanted to go.  Jesus Christ did what God the Father wanted Him to do because their will was EXACTLY the same.  Jesus Christ is in a yoke with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  The three are of one mind.

 

At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ set us free.

 

The freedom the Lord wants most for the human race is the freedom to choose salvation.  Every person who comes to earth has the freedom to spend all eternity in heaven or to spend all eternity in the Lake of Fire.

 

For those who choose heaven by placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for

salvation, there is no work necessary.  The apostle Paul wanted us to realize this… Galatians, Chapter 2, Verse 21…

 

GALATIANS 2:21

“I (Paul and all believers in Christ) do not nullify the grace of God (by thinking I

can be saved by my works) … for if absolute righteousness comes to us through keeping the Mosaic Law…then Christ died needlessly at the Cross.”

 

We don’t have to earn God’s favor.  Galatians, Chapter 2, Verse 16…

 

GALATIANS 2:16

“…we know that no one is justified by the works of the Mosaic Law…but everyone is justified through faith in Christ Jesus alone…and we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ Jesus alone and not by the works of the Mosaic Law…since by the works of the Mosaic Law one will be justified.”

 

If you work for your salvation, what Christ did at the Cross is of no benefit to you.

How dumb is that?  In Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 1 Paul said to the Galatian believers, who accepted salvation by grace and then let false teachers make them think salvation is by works…

 

GALATIANS 3:1a

You foolish Galatians…who has bewitched you?

 

If your salvation has requirements, then Christ did not provide you with freedom.  Requirements are conditional.  If you base your salvation on law keeping instead of knowing it’s a free gift from God’s grace, you have “severed yourself from Christ.”  That’s slavery.  To earn your salvation, you have to be perfect, and you can’t be perfect.

 

We are free to obey Christ, not out of obligation, but out of choice and out of gratitude.  That’s Christian freedom.  God the Holy Spirit teaches us how to use our freedom once we are saved.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 17…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 3:17

Now the Lord is God the Holy Spirit…and where the Holy Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

 

Thank you, Lord, for setting us free through Your Person and through Your work at the Cross.  You worked so we would not have to work.  Saying thank you is never enough to express the gratitude we believers in Christ have for being on Your team.  Thanks for the freedom.  You truly set us free.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

Enjoying the Elements

 

Bread and wine.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

MATTHEW 26:26

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

 

 

 

MATTHEW 26:27

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

 

MATTHEW 26:28

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

 

As you enjoy the bread and the wine, enjoy the memory of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as well.

 

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

 

If you’ve never heard Whitney Houston sing the Star-Spangled Banner, you’ve never really heard the song sung.  At the 1991 Super Bowl, Whitney brought down the house with her rendition of this amazing song.  Enjoy the elements and you listen and as you reflect on your freedom while Whitney sings the nation anthem of the United States of America.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER

Whitney Houston

 

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

 

The Bible says God 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, the elect and the 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

…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 are one of the elect so He can welcome you to heaven!  So, how can you get to heaven?  RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, RIGHT THIS MOMOENT you can tell God the Father you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that’s 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 thing

to be elect on your own.  You confirm that being fallen WILL NOT get you to heaven.  So 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 communicate the consequences…

 

MATTHEW 13:40

…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 of Fire)…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!

 

The Word.  That’s what John calls the Lord.  That’s how we know the Lord.  That’s even how Satan knows the Lord.  Satan knows the power of the Lord’s word, like the words the Lord spoke in Matthew, Chapter 4, Verse 4 when He was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness…

 

MATTHEW 4:4

“It has been written, ‘Man shall absolutely not live on physical food alone…but man shall live on every WORD that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

 

What the Lord says matters.  Lauren Daigle agrees in her song YOU SAY.  Let’s listen…

 

 

 

 

MUSIC - CLOSING SONG

Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises

 

YOU SAY

Lauren Daigle

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for the freedom of self-determination…thank you for sending Your unique, one-of-a-kind Son to save us through the Cross…thank you for making it clear that choosing salvation by placing our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the best choice we could ever make…

 

…we pray for your saints today Father…for those who are having relationship problems…for those who are having financial problems…for those who are looking for direction…for those who are suffering loss…give them a clear indication that You are in firm control of their lives…going ahead of them…encourage them not to fear or be dismayed…

 

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

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS OR WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

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