ROM-84-150301 - length: 62:43 - taught on Mar, 1 2015
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.
Matthew, Chapter 17, Verses 19 and 20 is a commentary on faith…
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?”
And Jesus said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
How is your faith right now? In whom do you place your faith? My help is in the name of the Lord. And like Abraham, I believe the Lord can do the impossible. Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 19 and 20…
Without becoming weak in faith Abraham contemplated his own body, now as good as dead (sexually) since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb (she was unable to have a child)…
…yet, with respect to the promise of God, Abraham did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God…
I have faith in God. I see His hand in my life and in your life and in everything we do here at Barah Ministries. We are growing slowly and well and I am pleased with the progress here. Barah Ministries isn’t a game to me…the Lord Jesus Christ isn’t someone I bring out in my life on Sunday…He is a very real part of my everyday experience…and so is His enemy, whom I have zero tolerance for. No matter what the ramblings of God’s enemy are, no matter whether they are whispered in my ear or in the ear of those dear to me, I know that the kingdom of death will not win. They will not beat you…they will not beat me…they will not beat any believer in Christ…we will ALWAYS be delivered to victory. In this, I have complete faith. Hebrews, Chapter 11, Verse 1…
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Welcome to a place that encourages you to spend your faith with the Sovereign God of the Universe…the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION
Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ
Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
Be Thou My Vision
The opening song is BE THOU MY VISION.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful Heavenly Father for the privilege of studying the absolute
truth...the Word of God…
Help us to have faith…help us to keep our heads when all about us are losing theirs…remind us that You are our ever present help in times of trouble…help us to put aside the past…help us to enjoy the present…help us to reach for the future with absolute confidence that our faith in You can never be misspent...
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit...in Christ’s name... Amen.
TODAY’S STUDY
What Does it Mean to Be “In Christ?”
Only in the New Testament is the talk of being “in Christ” …a privilege of the Church Age believer…a result that emanates from the Cross. But what does it mean? We’ll investigate this expression in this lesson. But first, a few announcements…
BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration
March 15, 2015
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
NEXT WEEK!
No Face-to-Face Teaching
March 8, 2015
The congregation is invited to view next week’s services live on March 6, beginning at 7:00PM MST. Otherwise they will be on the website for your viewing and listening pleasure on March 8.
REMINDER
Check In on Facebook
Before Church Service
Like
BARAH MINISTRIES
on
There are nearly 2700 people that have signed up to be a part of our online community. Get your friends to join our on line community today.
NEXT DEACON’S MEETING
March 7
7:30AM MST
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
June Murphy
February 27
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Mike Embree
February 28
CONGRATULATIONS!
Jesus Bojorquez
Led the Arcadia Titans to
The Championship Game
On to the Arizona Division 2
Boy’s Basketball Championship
Monday Night
6:00PM
Gila River Arena
Glendale, AZ
Please join me in cheering Jesus on to victory!
THE OFFERING
Deacon Denny Goodall
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 by means of internet teaching or by means of face-to-face teaching.
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.
THE 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
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
OFFERING
Blessed the Name of the Lord
TODAY’S STUDY
What Does it Mean to Be “In Christ?”
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we have been sanctified in the past, at the moment of salvation, with the result that we are sanctified forever as an established and irrevocable fact. Being sanctified means we have been made holy ones by God, and as a result it is requested by God that we choose to live a godly life and a holy life as if we are doing everything with Him and for Him, mainly because we are. What is a godly life? It is an obedient life. It is a life as a servant of God. Interesting note…we move from being a slave to SIN to being a slave to righteousness…First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 24…
…and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the Cross, so that we believers in Christ might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
Believers in Christ in the Church Age…the current age of divine history…are “in Christ.” Because we are in union with Jesus Christ, we are His Siamese twin…we are identified with everything that Christ is and with everything Christ has. God did that for us. What wonderful news that is for us! Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 5…
For if we believers in Christ have become united with Him in the likeness of
His death, and we have, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection (in the ZOE life)…
Our new federal head, Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, made all things about us new. And then God the Holy Spirit placed us into union with Christ as His Siamese twin…so that now we are identified with everything that is Christ’s…His death…His burial…His Resurrection…His Ascension…his session (He is seated at the right hand of God the Father).
Christ died to sin…so we died to sin. If He bore our sins on the Cross, we no longer have to bear our own sins. Christ has risen to a new life…we are risen to a new life. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 6…
…knowing this (finally coming to this knowledge), that our old man was crucified with Christ, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin…
Christ was crucified…we were crucified. Christ has done away with sin…Christ has done away with sin for us, too. Christ is no longer a slave to sin…we are no longer slaves to sin. We are slaves to Christ. We have a new Sovereign. We have a new self. We share everything Christ has. “In Christ” we are His partners. But I ask you this…what exactly did we do that is so special that we would be worthy of being in this partnership? The answer is, NOTHING. We did nothing. Are we to feel bad about the fact that we did nothing to earn this partnership? Hardly. Are we the Lord Jesus Christ’s equal partner? Yes. Why? Because He made us His equal partner when we asked to be His partner. The baptism of God the Holy Spirit made us His partner. It’s that simple. Nothing more complicated than that. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 7…
…for he who has died to sin (Christ and us) is freed from sin.
Well that’s what it means to be “in Christ,” but why don’t we ever feel special when we hear these amazing things that God has done for us. Let’s take a five-minute break and find out.
BREAK
When I Think About Home
Welcome back.
The Flesh. There’s the problem. You have a body. You know where it is. You have a mind. You know where it is. You have a soul. You can imagine where it is. You have a heart. You know where it is. But you also have “the flesh.” You are dead to sin…to be sure…how do you know? You know because the Word of God tells you so, and you can choose to believe it. God says so. Do you believe it? Maybe you would if it wasn’t for the flesh.
What is the flesh? It’s that evil part of you. Sure you’re dead to sin, but sin isn’t dead in you. The flesh is completely antagonistic to God. The flesh is completely antagonistic to you. The flesh is especially antagonistic to the Lord Jesus Christ. The flesh is NOT your body, but it is IN your body. The flesh is the manifestation of Sin in the members of your body. You can choose not to listen to the flesh…Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1…
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
You can present your body to God…or you can present your body to the flesh. I’m sure you will remember this passage from our brief tour of Galatians, Chapter 5, beginning at Verse 13…
For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through (unconditional) love serve one another (as slaves).
The flesh…the stumbling block for many Christians…the flesh…no one with the flesh as part of themselves can call themselves a “good person.” Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 14…
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
If you want to know what a “good person” really is in this life, it is a person who in spite of having “the flesh” in his body is “other focused” … a person who thinks of others before he thinks of himself. It’s a person who is guided by God the Holy Spirit in the use of unconditional love.
But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
That verse can be summarized in one word. Unity. We can use our freedom for unity, or we can follow the flesh, the sponsor of disunity.
But I say (to you believers in Christ), (keep on) walk(ing) by (means of) the Spirit, and you will not (be able) carry out the desire of the flesh.
The believer in Christ’s lifestyle is powered by means of God the Holy Spirit. He is waiting for us to depend on Him. We must ask Him to help. When we live a lifestyle listening to the flesh, we are forfeiting a perfect lifestyle in favor of a counterfeit one. The flesh will devour us. It is more powerful than our will.
For the flesh sets its desire against (God) the (Holy) Spirit, and (God) the (Holy) Spirit (sets His desire) against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
You have a battle raging inside between the flesh and the Spirit. Give up the thought that you can fight the flesh. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to fight the flesh. YOU CAN’T. Go to Him and ask Him to intervene on your behalf. God the Holy Spirit is the one who manages the cravings of the flesh’s lust.
But if you are led by the Spirit (and all believers in Christ are), you are not under the Law (you are under grace).
Now Paul offers a contrast between the production of the flesh and the production of the Spirit. We did not become “good people” when we became believers in Christ.
Now the deeds of the flesh (which is what believers are able to do) are evident (obvious), which are: immorality (sexual sins), impurity (sinful thoughts and deeds), sensuality (shameless sinfulness)…
…idolatry (taking on new gods), sorcery (witchcraft), enmities (divisions), strife (fighting and acrimony), jealousy, outbursts of anger (like ‘road rage’), disputes (nitpicking), dissensions, factions…
…envying, drunkenness (a dependency on alcohol), carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the (benefits of the) kingdom of God.
This is not a salvation issue.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (of mind), patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
…gentleness, self-control; against such things (virtues) there is no law (to indict those who practice these things).
This fruit (singular) is not produced by a branch (a believer in Christ)…it is produced by the vinedresser and the vine and the sap…its a state of mind…its a reaching out to others…its a relationship with Christ.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
There is no need for a believer in Christ to answer the phone when the flesh calls.
If we believers in Christ live by means of God the Holy Spirit (and all believers do), let us also walk (in lifestyle) by means of God the Holy Spirit.
Let’s not walk by means of the flesh, which has its own “fruit” …
Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
We are not good people. We are “in Christ” … yet the flesh rages on inside of us. What does it mean to be “in Christ?” It means absolutely nothing if our slavery and our worship is directed to the flesh. And frankly, if you were tabulating the time you spend listening to and obeying the flesh…and if you compared it to the time you spend listening to and obeying the leadings of God the Holy Spirit…you’d be shocked. Isn’t it about time to change that?
The Promises of the Lord Jesus Christ
are Guarantees!
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
Jesus said to doubting Thomas, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through believing in Me.
He who believes in the Son has eternal life (the ZOE life); but he who does not obey the (command to believe in the) Son will not see (the Zoe) life, but instead the wrath of God the Father abides on him.”
CLOSING SONG
Your Word Takes Me
CLOSING PRAYER
Let us pray...
THANKS
INTERCESSION
PETITION
And we pray that You continue to shape the messages from this pulpit that are an accurate reflection of Your unconditional love, Your person, Your thinking, Your work, and Your 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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(480) 237-9903 |
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info@barahministries.com |
