ROM-44-140928 - length: 75:12 - taught on Sep, 28 2014
Class Outline:
Welcome To
BARAH MINISTRIES
a Christian Church
Rory Clark
Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a worldwide Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark. May the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, guard your hearts and your minds. May God’s Word, as it comes forth in this lesson, comfort your souls in the face of the daily tribulations that you face.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
WHEN YOU SUFFER
Let’s begin our worship of the Lord in song. The opening song is…WHEN YOU SUFFER.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful to you, Heavenly Father, for Your unconditional love toward us, and for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Thank you for the tribulation You place in our lives…thank you for training us up in the way we should go…thank you for calming our souls in the midst of the ever present storms of this life…thank you for giving us your peace as a refuge in the face of tribulation…use the tribulations of our lives to test our character or to reveal our lack of character…let Your Holy Spirit fill our lack with His enabling power…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name...
Amen.
ROMANS 5
In Tribulation, Do You Have Peace?
When you suffer, do you think the suffering is coming from the kingdom of darkness? Sometimes it is, but not always. The Lord considers it important to allow you to experience pressure to give you a chance to see your faith in action. WE often call these things we experience testing…we’ll say, “I think the Lord is testing me” … as if the Lord is trying to see if you have any faith. Remember, the Lord is omniscient…He knows all the knowable so He knows if you have faith or not. Testing from the Lord is for YOU! Testing in the face of tribulation is the means by which the presence, the quality, or the genuineness of anything is determined. In the next few lessons we’ll look at tribulation and its result…and all tribulation is a chance for you to take advantage of the peace you have with God.
A few announcements…
ANNOUNCEMENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
No Face-to Face Teaching
October 5
NEXT WEEK!
October 19
THE WEDDING
Lessons will be provided on line.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
No Face-to Face Teaching
November 16
December 7 and 28
Lessons will be provided on line.
Conversational Bible Study
LAST WEDNESDAY
Resident Congregation
Quite Spirited!
Conversational Bible Study
Non-Resident Congregation
October 1
THIS WEEK!
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 e-mail address so I can send you a Go-to-Meeting invitation. We have five participants so far. We can accommodate 25. 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.
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Contribute to the Food Drive
Help fight hunger in our community
unitedfoodbank.org
September is National Hunger Action Month…non-perishable food is accepted or cash donations are accepted… provides food for five meals. Online donations accepted at unitedfoodbank.org…be sure to mention Barah Ministries…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Joel Perkosky
26 years old…soon to be a State Farm agent…
ROMANS 5
In Tribulation, Do You Have Peace?
Even though the Lord Jesus Christ is talking about the Great Tribulation which follows this age, the Age of Grace, the Church Age, in Matthew, Chapter 24, He does a fantastic job of describing the feeling we have in our souls when we are faced with tribulation…turn to Matthew, Chapter 24, Verse 15…we’ll read the passage and then highlight Verse 29…
<Read MATTHEW 24:15 to MATTHEW 24:28…then highlight verse 29>
“But immediately after the great tribulation of those days (the seven year period following the Church Age) THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
Often that is what life feels like when we encounter our own personal tribulations. Our souls get dark, we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel…we feel alone…we feel burdened…we feel empty…we even feel picked on. Instead, we have to realize that tribulation is at the center of our spiritual growth. During times of tribulation, the Lord Jesus Christ ALWAYS has a divine solution for our human problems…Psalm 46, Verse 1…it gives us a chance to see Him at work in our lives…if we’re willing to look…
God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in times of trouble.
The Lord Jesus Christ IS our solution, always! In Revelation, Chapter 2, Verse 10…the Lord has this to say to the Tribulation Age believers…
‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’
The Lord Jesus Christ is our omnipresent help in the face of tribulation… John, Chapter 16, Verse 33…He is always with us…
“These things I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you, so that in union with Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28…
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
This is one of the most misquoted verses in the bible. When people refer to it, they say, “All things work together for good.” No! God works all things together for good. As believers in Christ, we love God, we have chosen a relationship with God…and He works all tribulation together for our good. In the next passage in our study of Paul’s letter to the Romans…Chapter 5… we take a look at the reason God gives us tribulation.
THE BOOK OF ROMANS
Chapter 5
GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE AND GRACE
Passage
Romans 5:1 to Romans 5:11
The focus of Romans Chapter 5 is the result of having righteousness and justification by faith…the result is we have peace with God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. There are two sections in this chapter…
Romans 5 - Section 1
Highlights God’s Great Display of Unconditional Love and Grace
Interestingly enough, tribulation is part of God’s unconditional love and grace…
Romans 5 - Section 2
Highlights God the Father’s Restoration of Adam’s Error Through Jesus Christ
Turn in your bibles to Romans, Chapter 5…let’s read Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 1 to 11 together…Section 1 of this chapter…
<READ ROMANS 5:1 to ROMANS 5:11>
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
“Do you live a peaceful life?”
“Do you have God’s peace in your soul?”
“When faced with tribulation does God’s Word soothe your soul?”
Paul, and all the New Testament apostles are always wishing us peace in their letters…the solution to tribulation…like in Philippians, Chapter 1, Verse 2…
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
What is peace?
PEACE
The certainty in your soul that God has nothing against you…the full assurance that the barrier between God and man has been torn down by Christ and His Cross forever, and that there in now no enmity between God and His Creatures…a calm…freedom from anxiety…a state of serenity or tranquility in the face of disturbing difficulties
Let’s look at the specifics of the first five verses of Romans, Chapter 5, beginning at Verse 1…
Therefore, having been justified on the principle of faith in the past, we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having peace with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ…
This peace we have with God is an absolute grace gift from God. There is nothing you needed to do to get it. There is nothing you need to do to maintain it. It is simply a free gift from God through the expression of another gift from God…faith…it’s free the same way righteousness is free… the same way justification is free… the same way salvation is free… the same way your union with Christ is free…through faith in Christ…and there is nothing you need to do to maintain any of them. The Lord says these are things you possess as a believer in Christ. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 2…
…and through our union with Christ also we have obtained our direct access to a Person of privileged rank, God the Father, who placed us into this sphere of grace in which presently we stand; and through our union with Christ also we keep on exulting in hope of the glory of God.
With God, we have a past, a present, and a future…
ROMANS 5:1 - ROMANS 5:2
WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD
PAST We Were Justified in the Past (Declared Righteous)
PRESENT Now We Stand in the Sphere of God’s Grace
FUTURE We Have Absolute Confidence of Future Glorification
Do you enjoy this peace? Take a five minute break to contemplate that question…
BREAK
Your Grace is Enough
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Welcome back!
Therefore, having been justified on the principle of faith in the past, we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having peace with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ…
…and through our union with Christ also we have obtained our direct access to a Person of privileged rank, God the Father, who placed us into this sphere of grace in which presently we stand; and through our union with Christ also we keep on exulting in hope of the glory of God.
What is grace?
GRACE
An allowance of time after a debt has become payable that is granted to the debtor before the penalty is applied…
Have we ever looked at God’s grace that way? Have you ever asked yourself a question about why God allows some of the things He allows? It’s grace. Another way to look at grace…and the way we typically look at it before we reject it…
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… a dimension of divine thought in which God meets human
indifference and rebellion with an inexhaustible capacity to forgive and to bless…a divine thought process that underlies God’s entire viewpoint of unconditional love for His Creatures.
God allows us to reject Him without punishment. He could wipe us out at any minute. Yet He does not. That’s grace. Now Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 3…
And we not only exult in these things (our past…righteousness and justification…our present…peace…our future…glory), but we also keep on being exulted by God the Father in our tribulations that are given to us by God the Father, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance…
In our minds…tribulation is suffering. What is your view of suffering?
Is it bad or is it good? Exercise is suffering. Relationships involve suffering. Are exercise and relationships bad because they cause us grief? Hardly! In one of our conversational bible studies the question was asked, “Why get married?” <Thanks a lot by the way…three weeks before my wedding! J> For tribulation of course! There is nothing like the tribulation of the marriage relationship to shape your soul. Tribulation is something God wants us to embrace as beneficial. Why? Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 4…because…
…(tribulation brings about perseverance) and perseverance brings about proven character; and proven character brings about hope…
Without tribulation, we Christians tend to wander off on our own, thinking we have it all together. There is nothing worse in this life, from my point of view, than deluding yourself into thinking you can do anything on your own…thinking you have to prove something to yourself…it’s independence run amok…and Satan is fabulous at planting that lie right into the midst of a young soul. Because when you prove yourself, you find out that first of all, no one cares that much about you or what you do…and second, that the world will just give you another inadequacy in your soul which makes you chase another “dream” so you can prove yourself again. <Athletes have this disease in their DNA.>
Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 4…
…(tribulation brings about perseverance) and perseverance brings about proven character; and proven character brings about hope…
What is perseverance?
PERSEVERANCE
The ability to sustain during difficulties without giving in
Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 3…
For consider (keep on thinking about) the Lord Jesus Christ who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (fainting in your souls).
There is nothing worse than the feeling of fainting in your soul.
Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 4…
…(tribulation brings about perseverance) and perseverance brings about proven character; and proven character brings about hope…
What is character?
CHARACTER
A series of developed abilities that distinguish a person as unique on the basis of the person’s choices
What is proven?
PROVEN
True…genuine…developed…verified as existing…verified as correct
Proven here means “tested” character…battle ready character. Without pressure, you’ll never know how you are in the battle. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 4…
…(tribulation brings about perseverance) and perseverance brings about proven character; and proven character brings about hope…
What is hope?
HOPE
The absolute confidence that God will see us through, and that God will keep His promises about our future
First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 10…
After you have suffered for a little while, the God and Father of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in union with Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 5…
…(proven character brings about hope) and hope does not disappoint, because the unconditional love of God the Father has been poured out within our hearts through God the Holy Spirit who was given to us by God the Father.
What is disappointment?
DISAPPOINTMENT
The failure to fulfill expectations…the failure to keep promises
Isn’t it great to know that God will never disappoint us? Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 13 and 14…
In union with Christ, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, having also believed (faith alone in Christ alone), you were sealed in union with Christ by God the Holy Spirit of promise…
…who is given to us by God the Father as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God the Father’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
We have an inner peace because of God’s unconditional love for us. First John, Chapter 4, Verse 10…
In this is unconditional love, not that we loved God the Father, but that He loved us and sent His Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) to be the propitiation for our sins.
John, Chapter 3, Verses 16 to 18…
For God the Father loved all mankind so much and unconditionally, that He gave His uniquely born Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (the resurrection life).
For God the Father did not send the Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the Person of the uniquely born Son of God.
There is a lot for us to learn about the value of tribulation. Stay tuned in the lessons to come.
The Promises of the Lord Jesus Christ
When God makes a promise…
it’s a guarantee!
For by His glory and excellence the Lord Jesus Christ has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature…
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 places in union with Christ…
God the Father who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with our union with Him freely give us believers in Christ all things?
Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
CLOSING SONG
Come See a Man
Thanks for coming…for watching…for listening!
www.barahministries.com
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