ROM-42-140914 - length: 93:22 - taught on Sep, 14 2014
Class Outline:
Welcome To
BARAH MINISTRIES
a Christian Church
Rory Clark
Pastor-Teacher
Good Evening!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark. I am committed to helping you see the Lord Jesus Christ for the Person He truly is and to helping you see the Word of God from His point of view.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
SHOUT TO THE LORD
Let’s begin our worship of the Lord with a song. Please stand and join June Murphy in singing the opening song…SHOUT TO THE LORD.
SHOUT TO THE LORD
My Jesus, my Savior
Lord, there is none like You!
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love!
SHOUT TO THE LORD
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You!
SHOUT TO THE LORD
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing!
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name!
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!
SHOUT TO THE LORD
My Jesus, my Savior
Lord, there is none like You!
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love!
SHOUT TO THE LORD
My comfort, my shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You!
SHOUT TO THE LORD
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing!
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name!
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have…
SHOUT TO THE LORD
Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing!
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name!
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I’ll love You, forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have…
SHOUT TO THE LORD
Nothing compares to the promise I have…
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You!
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful Heavenly Father for the privilege of studying the absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you also for giving us Your Word, both literally and figuratively… thank you for the fact that we can always count on You…thank you for the precious and graceful gift of Your Son, who went to the Cross to make a blood atonement for the sins of us all…
Help us to breathe in Your message deeply into our souls and help us to be refreshed by these truths in such a way that they are louder in our heads and in our hearts than the distractions of the kingdom of darkness…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name...
Amen.
TODAY’S STUDY
Romans 4
God’s Righteousness and Justification and Faith Give You Full Assurance
To Barah Ministries congregation members who reside here in Arizona…to Barah Ministries congregation members who are scattered throughout this country…to our guests who join us from time to time…to those who are joining us via the internet, even from the remotest places in the world…may God’s grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Be fully assured that God has His eyes on you…it says so in Acts, Chapter 1, Verse 8…the Lord Jesus Christ is talking to His apostles…He gives them full assurance that they are well equipped for the task He is asking them to do…
“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem (close to home), and in all Judea and Samaria (in the “toughest” areas), and even to the remotest part of the earth (far from home).”
Likewise, you believers who are listening today are being equipped through this study of the Word of God for the tasks that God will be asking you to do. He will reveal these tasks to you at the proper time. A friend reminded me, this very week, that God has brought me a set of hearts that only I can reach…and He will bring me more. I am grateful that you who are listening are among those hearts.
So no matter where you are in this world as you hear this message, our magnificent God has composed this message for you, and is sending it to you personally today, courtesy of my very willing vocal chords.
We are at the end of the study of our most recent passage in the book of Romans. The subject matter of the passage under study has been righteousness and justification and faith.
THE BOOK OF ROMANS
Chapter 4
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Your Justification is ONLY by Faith in Christ…
and is never by means of your own works
Passage
Romans 3:21 to Romans 4:25
The passage extends from Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 21 to Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 25. I hope our study of this passage together has made clear a few of the free gifts you have been offered by God…righteousness and justification and faith…are providing you with full assurance.
I have several friends who are wealthy. They are set for life financially. At a young age, they will never have to work another day and they will be fine financially. Yet it’s always funny to see how hard they keep working for fear that one day they will wake up and see all their bank accounts drained.
When you think about it…believers in Christ are driven by the same fear.
No matter how much we hear about the Lord’s magnificent gifts, their permanence, and the full assurance we have of their efficacy, we still keep working hard just in case.
By means of FAITH alone, in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, we believers in Christ have the RIGHTEOUSNESS from God…and as a result we are JUSTIFIED. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 1…
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen.
Our faith gives us full assurance of the righteousness from God and full assurance of our justification. Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 20 and 21…we believers are like Abraham…
…with respect to the promise of God, Abraham did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
We are fully assured, as well, that through an expression of faith, at a single moment in time, we have righteousness as a gift from God…Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 21…
But now, apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested
(made clearly visible)…
Our God is not confused or complicated or confusing…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…
For since the creation of the world the Lord’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and His Divinity, have been clearly seen, being understood even through what has been made, so that all mankind is without excuse.
There is no excusing you if you refuse the Lord’s salvation offer. Hebrews,
Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 3 are a stern warning to all those who think they have time in the matter of evaluating the Lord’s salvation offer…
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and it did, and if
every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty (God’s wrath), and of course it did, then how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
Of course the answer is, we won’t escape. No one will escape. An immutable God makes an immutable offer and we must respond. The offer is righteousness…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21…
God the Father made the Lord Jesus Christ who knew no sin to BE sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God the Father in union with Christ.
The righteousness of God is available free of charge to anyone who wants it.
Yet how many times have you heard this lie, “What if someone doesn’t know about Jesus? What if someone has never heard of Jesus Christ? You mean to tell me that if a little child in the middle of Africa, who has never heard about Jesus Christ, or doesn’t believe in Him, is going to hell?” My answer? “No. I’m not saying that…you are. I’m saying that a person who is as stupid as you, standing right here right now in a developed country, refusing the righteousness offer, a person who is so stupid as to think that God is going to be impressed by your fallacious reasoning and your pseudo concern for African children, should take heed right now and respond positively to the fantastic offer of righteousness…and I’m saying that you would do well not to worry at all about the little children in the middle of Africa who are smart enough not to use reason in the matter of Jesus Christ, but instead who respond to Jesus Christ with faith so they can be saved…I’m saying be like them!”
This lie is a direct attack on the competence of God the Holy Spirit. In John,
Chapter 16, Verses 8 to 11, the Lord Jesus Christ says the Holy Spirit is REALLY competent…
“And God the Holy Spirit, when He comes, will convict the world of their guilt concerning sin and of the need for righteousness and of the last judgment…”
“…concerning sin, the greatest of which is that they do not believe in Me (the Lord Jesus Christ)…”
“…and concerning righteousness, because I go to God the Father by means of crucifixion and you no longer see Me…”
Crucifixion was for the unrighteous…which would be confusing to Jesus’s followers at the time were it not for God the Holy Spirit’s convicting ministry…the Holy Spirit makes the plight of sinners clear…they need righteousness…John, Chapter 16, Verse 11…
“…and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.”
Even though the sentence for unrighteous deeds is not executed immediately as our gracious God allows due process to unfold, there is a judgment, and evaluation of all creatures who will meet the Lord Jesus Christ face to face, and those missing the imputed righteousness of God and His resultant justification through faith will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on them.
In these first four chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans, a letter written to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ as the foundational letter of the New Testament, it is made clear to everyone who studies the letter that they are sinners at physical birth because they are from the lineage of Adam…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…
For as in (union with) Adam all (are set to) die (the second death)…
What is the second death? Revelation, Chapter 20, Verse 6…
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God the Father and priests of the Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Jump up and down! If you are a believer in Christ in this age, the Church Age, the Age of Grace, this is your fate! <reread the verse>
The first death is spiritual death…Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1…
And you were spiritually dead at physical birth in your trespasses and sins…
Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
…by the transgression of the one (Adam), spiritual death reigned as sovereign through the one (Adam)…
Because you came from the lineage of Adam…you inherited everything associated with Adam at his fall…and for those who continue to be a part of Adam’s fallen lineage, unbelievers…they can “look forward” to the second death…Revelation, Chapter 21, Verse 6…
“But for the…unbelieving…their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Sinners need a Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world…Luke, Chapter 2, Verses 10 and 11…
But the angel said to the shepherds in the fields who were tending their flocks by night, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people…”
“…for today in the city of David (Bethlehem) there has been born for you a Savior, who is the Christ (the Messiah) the Lord.”
The Savior removes all of us from a position of death and delivers us all to a position of life! Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, beginning at Verse 17…
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, and all believers are, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
Now all these new things are from God the Father, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us believers in Christ the ministry of reconciliation…
…namely, that God the Father was in union with Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and God the Father has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we believers in Christ are ambassadors for Christ, as though God the Father were making an appeal through us (because He is); we beg you unbelievers on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God the Father.
God the Father made the Lord Jesus Christ who knew no sin to BE sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God the Father in union with Christ.
We are pronounced by God the Father as righteous…we are viewed, because of our union with the Lord Jesus Christ as righteous, and we are treated as righteous by God the Father as a result…we have a completely new position in union with the Lord Jesus Christ, and our old position…our old man…was crucified, and is as dead as a doornail at the Cross! Because of our new position, because of our new self…we need to see our positional perfection and ignore our imperfections. We need to PUT SIN AWAY and take advantage of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. That is what we have been learning in the first four chapters of the letter to the Romans. Hebrews, Chapter 9, Verse 26…
Otherwise, the Lord Jesus Christ would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested (in a way that is clearly visible) to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
Without putting sin away we will carry around a misconception about ourselves that ruins our Christian walk. Are you able, as John the Baptist was able, in John, Chapter 1, Verse 29…able to…
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Are you willing to place your faith in the Lamb of God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, who willingly shed His blood for us? To have righteousness, to be justified, you must be willing to place your complete confidence, your faith in the Christ, in the Messiah, in the Savior of the world. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
…as it is written, “THERE IS NO CREATURE WHO IS RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE…”
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 and following…
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
…being justified as a gift by God the Father’s grace through the redemption which is a result of being in union with Christ Jesus…
…whom God the Father displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate God the Father’s righteousness, because in the forbearance of God the Father He passed over the sins previously committed…
…for the demonstration, I say, of God the Father’s righteousness at the present time, so that God the Father would be seen as just and so that God the Father would be the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
And so we are forgiven…Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 7…
In union with the Lord Jesus Christ we believers in Christ have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of God the Father’s grace…
Righteousness and justification and faith are all gifts that give us full assurance…gifts we cannot earn…Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 5…
But to the one who does not work, but believes in the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…
This work that was accomplished on our behalf was done before the foundation of the world…before we were even created…so we do not ever have to ask God to forgive us…as if it is somehow in doubt…we are ALL forgiven in the past, we’re forgiven now and we stand forgiven forever… First John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2…
My little children (believers in Christ), I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, and we do, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the ONLY righteous ONE…
…and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the ONLY perfectly satisfactory payment for your sins. Acts, Chapter 13, Verses 38 to 41…
“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through the Lord Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you…”
“…and through Him, everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.”
“Therefore take heed, so that the thing spoken of in the Prophets may not come upon you…”
“ ‘BEHOLD, YOU SCOFFERS, AND MARVEL, AND PERISH; FOR I
AM ACCOMPLISHING A WORK IN YOUR DAYS, A WORK WHICH
YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE, THOUGH SOMEONE SHOULD DESCRIBE IT TO YOU.’ ”
Whether you believe or not, the Lord Jesus Christ has provided you with full assurance…and it comes through your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not from confidence in yourself. These are the things we have learned so far in Romans, and these are the things in which we take comfort. Take a five-minute break.
BREAK
In Your Presence
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Welcome back! Let’s hear a few announcements.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration
October 12, 2014
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
September 21, 2014
NEXT WEEK!
One Service Only
9:00am to 10:05am
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
No Face-to Face teaching
October 5 and 19
November 16
December 7 and 28
Lessons will be provided on line.
Conversational Bible Study
Resident Congregation
September 24
7:00P-8:30P
Discuss your biblical questions with the Pastor.
Conversational Bible Study
Non-Resident Congregation
October 1
5:00P-6:30P MST
pastor@barahministries.com
Discuss your biblical questions with the Pastor. If you are not resident, and you’d like to participate, send me your email address so I can send you a Go-to-Meeting invitation. We can accommodate up to 25 participants. That’s 8:00P to 9:30P in the eastern daylight time zone…that’s 7:00P to 8:30P in the central daylight time zone… that’s 6:00P to 7:30P in the mountain daylight time zone…and it is 5:00P to 6:30P in the pacific daylight time zone…don’t be on time…be early…make sure to sign in about fifteen minutes before the start time to make sure your computer is working properly. Don’t let your fear of technology stand in the way. If you have a computer you can participate in this, even those of you who are in international locations. Send me a note…pastor@ barahministries.com…if you’d like some technical help to join us.
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Let’s take the offering. This is the time when you get to make a sacrifice on behalf of all the people around the world that can’t afford to pay to study the Word of God. Your generous contributions make it possible for them to learn about the Lord Jesus Christ free of charge.
Let’s remember to give with the motivation suggested in Scripture
Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful (grace oriented) giver.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall.
TODAY’S OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
Barah Ministries Financial Policy
Even though we are sanctioned by God to charge for the many things we provide so you can worship God, we choose not to exercise our right. Therefore no price appears on any material from Barah Ministries so that anyone who desires biblical teaching may have it free of charge.
Barah Ministries Financial Policy
Even though the materials we provide are free of charge, they are not free of cost. We appreciate it when the Word of God motivates you to give financial support so as to provide biblical teaching, both for yourself and for others. Please be generous in your support of God’s work through this ministry.
OFFERING VERSE
Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.
OFFERING SONG
At the Cross
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION
The Cross Demonstrates Grace
As we move into the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, the subject matter is grace. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…
But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners (as unbelievers), the Lord Jesus Christ died for us.
There’s only one description of that sentiment…Grace.
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 21 says…
But now, apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested (made clearly visible)…
There’s only one description of that sentiment…Grace.
God’s grace is a sphere that surrounds us on all sides, and it is powered by the unconditional love and the mercy of God, a love and mercy given to us by God because He wants us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it. It was the action of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf, not the actions of mankind, that was the cause of the “so great” salvation.
Turn in your bibles to Psalm 65.
There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God, and to You the vow will be performed.
The Sovereign God of the universe is worthy of praise and thanksgiving.
O You who hear prayer…to You all men come.
The Lord listens to us.
Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, You forgive them.
He is always willing to give us another chance. Grace.
How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.
The Lord fills us.
By awesome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation, You who are the trust of all the ends of the earth and the trust of the farthest sea…
He gives us hope…there is always something to look forward to in God’s plan for us.
…who establishes the mountains by His strength, being girded with might…
He has all the power.
…who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.
He is in control of the universe and He is in control of everyone and everything in the universe.
They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.
The Lord is awe inspiring.
You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth.
The Lord produces an abundance.
You water the earth’s furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth.
He prepares our blessings for us even when we sleep.
You have crowned the year with Your bounty, and Your paths drip with fatness.
The Lord always comes through.
The pastures of the wilderness drip, and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
The Lord makes us happy.
The meadows are clothed with flocks and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for joy, yes, they sing.
He inspires in us a song.
What are the things God does in grace? He hears prayers…He answers prayers…He atones for sin…He provides bounty…He guides us…He trains us…He loves us…He forgives us.
THE LORD’S SUPPER
Enjoying the Elements
Following God’s request, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross on a regular basis…we eat to remember who He is…His PERSON…we drink to remember His WORK, the voluntary sacrifice He made at the Cross on our behalf…and we are grateful. First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 23 and 24 say…
For I, Paul received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that
the Lord Jesus Christ on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is, and keeps on being My body, which is broken for you; keep on doing this celebration for the purpose of remembering Me.”
When we eat the bread during the Lord’s Supper celebration, we remember THE PERSON of the Lord Jesus Christ.
First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 25 and 26 say…
In the same way the Lord Jesus Christ took the cup after supper, representing His death on the Cross, saying, “This cup is a new testament forged with My blood; keep on doing this celebration, as often as you drink it, for the purpose of remembering Me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”
When we drink the cup, we remember THE WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As you remember the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, please enjoy the bread and enjoy the cup. And come on up! As you enjoy the elements, and as you give thanks to the Lord, let’s listen to the Lord’s Supper song...Give Thanks.
LORD’S SUPPER SONG
Give Thanks
Grace is the equivalent of a full presidential pardon, which is the forgiveness of a crime and the cancellation of the penalty of the crime. It is not sentimental…because someone or something has been done to pay for it.
God gives us His grace. What is grace?
GRACE
A free gift given to all mankind by the Creator, expressed by His actions of extending mercy, loving-kindness, salvation, and divine assets to His Creatures…
GRACE
…a dimension of divine thought in which God meets human indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless…
GRACE
…a divine thought process that underlies God’s entire viewpoint of unconditional love for His Creatures.
As we study Romans, Chapter 5, it will answer a question for you:
QUESTION FOR REFLECTION
What is the result of your justification by faith?
The Promises of the Lord Jesus Christ
When God makes a promise…
it’s a guarantee!
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord…and He will do it.
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him…
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in (union with) Christ Jesus.
CLOSING SONG
Because He Lives
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
THANKS- INTERCESSION- PETITION
We pray You continue to shape messages from this pulpit that reflect Your unconditional love, Your Magnificent Person, Your perfect thinking, Your impeccable work, and Your indescribable essence... we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit, in Christ’s name, Amen.
Thanks for coming!
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for listening!
www.barahministries.com
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1220 S. Alma School Rd. Suite 201 Mesa, AZ 85210 |
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