(# 334) Romans 9 - Why Does Human History Exist?

/Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher\

Good Morning!

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.  At Barah Ministries we worship the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We call Him Lord because He is 100% God.  We call Him Jesus Christ because He is 100% true humanity just like you and me.

/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Why Does Human History Exist?\

In Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 16, the apostle Paul says…

/ROMANS 1:16

For I (Paul) am not ashamed of the gospel, for the gospel is the power of God the Father for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.\

The gospel message is the good news concerning what the Lord Jesus Christ did to make a relationship with the Godhead possible for every creature, including you.  It is the Lord’s call to freedom from slavery…will you come?

Last week, I flew to San Jose, California to evangelize to a friend.  Noticing some comments he was making on Facebook, I saw an opportunity to share some insights with him about God.  As our conversation began over a warm cup of coffee on a chilly day, he made the mission of the conversation quite clear.  He said, “I just want a relationship with God.  But I can’t tell what is the truth and what is bullshit.”  I listened to his viewpoint about God, and then I gave him a way to think about having a relationship with God.  He was thoughtful, open, and not at all defensive as we talked…in other words, he was receptive…willing to share the airtime…both willing to give his thoughts and willing to hear my thoughts as well…and the two hours flew by.  I didn’t give him bible verses to back up everything I was saying. I simply started with a framework that he could use to think about God.  In today’s lesson, I’d like to share this framework with you, and to back it up with bible verses, in the hopes that during the holidays, it will be the foundation of your conversations with willing friends who are receptive to learning about why they are on the planet and what they are to do about it.

/MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM

June Murphy\

As we direct our thoughts toward the throne room of God and as we open our hearts and our ears to the voice of our all-powerful Lord, Jesus Christ through listening to His Word…let’s listen to June Murphy sing about God’s invitation to a relationship in the song…CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM.

/OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...\

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

Thank you for removing the barrier of the dividing wall that separated us from relationship with You…thank you for sending Your Son, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who paid for the privilege of our relationship with You with His blood on a Cross…the lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world…and thank you for God the Holy Spirit, our Mentor and our Teacher, who guides us into all the truth…

Open our minds and our hearts to the truth of the gospel message so that we have the courage to provide your gospel message to all the people in our lives, as their attention turns to You at this time of the year…

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

Amen.

We begin with few announcements…

/BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS\

/MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration

January 8, 2017\

/MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

NO FACE-TO-FACE TEACHING

December 25 and January 1\

/MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

CHRISTMAS LESSON

December 23 at 6:00PM\

/MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

NEW YEAR’S LESSON

January 6 at 6:00PM\

/MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Please Join Us

VISIT THE VETS CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

TODAY!

December 18

1:45P to 3:00P\

/HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Ryan Saloum

December 14, 2016\

/HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Gracie Luttermoser

December 15, 2016\

/PRAYERS

Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group\

Join me in prayer directed at all the intercessions and all the petitions of the people visiting the Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group.  Please take time to pray for each other.

/DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE\

Non-Profits…AZ

/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Why Does Human History Exist?\

Human history was created by God to resolve a pre-historic conflict between the Creator and His creatures.  Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 25 gives us a glimpse into this conflict…indicating that there are some of us that worship the creature and some of us that worship the Creator…

/ROMANS 1:25

For they (unbelievers) exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, The One who is blessed forever...\

Right this minute, perhaps unbeknownst to you, you are worshipping one or the other…you are on the team of the creature or you are on the team of the Creator.  As we learn about a relationship with God, we can start with God…or we can start with His enemy, Satan…or we can start with you.  In my conversation with my friend, I started with him. 

From the moment he was born he was being influenced by two sources…the creature and the Creator.  One source of influence is the creature, described in the bible with many titles…among them…

/THE CREATURE’S TITLES

          The Anointed Cherub Who Covers      EZEKIEL 28:14

          The Prince of the Power of the Air      EPHESIANS 2:2                        

          The Father of Lies                               JOHN 8:44

          The Ruler of This World                      JOHN 12:31\

        The other source of influence is the Creator…God…and the separate and distinct members of the Godhead…

/THE MEMBERS OF THE GODHEAD

          God the Father                                     MATTHEW 26:42

          God the Son                                         JOHN 1:1

          God the Holy Spirit                             JOHN 16:13

          The Lord Jesus Christ                          JOHN 3:16\

So from birth, you will be exposed to the influence of the creature AND the influence of the Creator.  To whom will you listen?  To whom will you respond?  So when my friend said, “I can’t tell what is the truth and what is bullshit,” he didn’t realize how profound a statement he was making.  Some of the influence to which he has been exposed is LIES; some of the influence to which he has been exposed is TRUTH.  Each of us must be trained to tell the difference.  Lies and the truth…what’s the difference?

/WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

          LIES                                          TRUTH\

Bank tellers and store cashiers have a daily challenge to discern the difference.  When they are handed currency, they must be able to tell whether the currency is real or counterfeit.  When they are trained, they are not trained with counterfeit currency.   They are trained with real currency because if you know what real currency looks like, it is easy to spot the counterfeit.  Good counterfeit currency really similar to the original.

The creature and the Creator each have an OBJECTIVE in the matter of your soul.  What is the creature’s OBJECTIVE with every person that comes to the earth?

/THE CREATURE’S OBJECTIVE

To blind the minds of the unbelieving so they might not see the light of the gospel.

DECEPTION\

Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 3 and 4…

/SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:3

And even if our gospel (message) is veiled (by Satan), it is veiled to those

who are perishing (unbelievers)…\

/SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4

…in whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving (through deception) so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.\

One thing is certain…we completely underestimate Satan’s effectiveness at deception.  The bible makes Satan’s effectiveness clear…First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19 says…

/FIRST JOHN 5:19

We know that we believers in Christ are (the possession) of God the Father, and (we also know) that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (Satan).\

First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 8…

/FIRST PETER 5:8

Be of sober spirit…be on the alert…your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.\

Once again…the creature and the Creator each have an OBJECTIVE in the matter of your soul.  What is the Creator’s OBJECTIVE with every person that comes to the earth?

THE CREATOR’S OBJECTIVE

         To provide the resurrection life (eternal life) to anyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ.         

          SALVATION\

John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31 say…

/JOHN 20:30

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples (his students), which are not written in this book (the bible)…\

/JOHN 20:31

…but these (facts that are written) have been written so that you may believe

that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God (the Lord)… and that (by) believing you may have (the resurrection) life in His name.\

Your expression of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ makes it possible for God to save you.  Let’s take a music break as we hear June Murphy sing.

/MUSIC BREAK

WHOSOEVER

June Murphy\

/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Why Does Human History Exist?\

Welcome back!  From the moment you were born you have been receiving influence from two sources…the creature and the Creator.  Perhaps it’s better said that you have been receiving influence from two beings…both the creature and the Creator have an OBJECTIVE in the matter of your soul. 

Both the creature and the Creator also have a STRATEGY in the matter of your soul.  What is the creature’s STRATEGY with every person that comes to the earth?

/THE CREATURE’S STRATEGY

          RELIGION

Creatures, by their own effort, seeking to save themselves by means of performance that is alleged by lying teachers to be pleasing to God.

WORKS\

“If you just do this, then…” is at the base of every religion.  First Timothy, Chapter 4, Verses 1 and 2…

/FIRST TIMOTHY 4:1

God the Holy Spirit explicitly says (in repeated teaching throughout the

bible) that in later times (in other words, in every generation) some believers in Christ will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceiving spirits and to the doctrines of demons…\

/FIRST TIMOTHY 4:2

…(doctrines disseminated) by means of THE HYPOCRISY OF LIARS seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron…\

Satan uses false teachers and false doctrines to deceive.  My friend described effective deception this way…“I just want a relationship with God.  But I can’t tell what is the truth and what is bullshit.”  When you can’t tell the truth from a lie you are easily deceived.  When you can’t tell the real thing from the counterfeit, you are deceived.

Both the creature and the Creator have a STRATEGY in the matter of your soul.  What is the Creator’s STRATEGY with every person that comes to the earth?

/THE CREATOR’S STRATEGY

          CHRISTIANITY

The free gift of a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by means of faith, that credits absolute righteousness to you.

                    SALVATION\

Romans, Chapter 10, Verse 10…

/ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believes (in the Lord Jesus Christ), resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses (that he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ), resulting in salvation (accomplished by God for you).\

Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6…

/ROMANS 11:6

But if salvation is by grace, and it is, salvation is no longer on the basis of

works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.\

If a gift is free, and salvation is, then you CAN’T pay for it.

How can you learn about the creature’s OBJECTIVE and STRATEGY and the Creator’s OBJECTIVE and STRATEGY?

There are documents that provide information about the plan of the creature for mankind and the plan of the Creator for mankind. 

Let’s take one of the religions…a religion that has 1.2 billion followers… Romans Catholicism.  There are two documents that are used to disseminate the doctrines of this religious faith…the bible and The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).

Christianity has a single document…the Bible…described as the inerrant Canon of Scripture…the Word of God.  In other words, a document described as having no errors.

If you are a Roman Catholic, you are not necessarily a Christian.  The way to be a Roman Catholic is to obey the doctrines of Roman Catholicism.  The way to be a Christian is to obey the doctrines of Christianity as they are revealed in the Bible.

One of the Pastors I respect, Mike Gendron, has an article entitled, “Is Catholic Christian and Oxymoron?”  Webster’s dictionary defines an oxymoron as “a combination of contradictory words.”  Jumbo Shrimp.  Tight Slacks.  Pretty Ugly.  Sounds of Silence.  Mike proposes that a Catholic Christian is an oxymoron for two reasons…

/CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN:  An Oxymoron?

We are what we believe

It is impossible to believe two opposing views simultaneously\

For example…a Roman Catholic believes the Church has authority over Scripture.  Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 119…

/CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (119)

“It is the task of exegetes to work, according to these rules, toward a better understanding and explanation of the meaning of Sacred Scripture in order that their research may help the Church to form a firmer judgment. For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God.”\

A Christian believes Scripture has authority over church.  Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verse 16…

/SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16

All Scripture is inspired by God (theoneustos) and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness…\

So can you believe that the Church has authority over Scripture and Scripture has authority over the church simultaneously?  No.  You can’t.  Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2 warns us…

/ROMANS 12:2

…do not be conformed to this world (Satan’s system of thinking), but keep on being transformed by the renewing of your mind (with truth through biblical study), so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.\

So foundationally, here’s what we can start with in the matter of thinking about this creature-Creator conflict that we are born to be a part of…

There is a God…God has an enemy…God has an objective and a strategy for your soul…God’s enemy has an objective and strategy for your soul…you can get to know the objective and strategy of each by studying the doctrines of each discipline.

Why does human history exist?  God is allowing Satan to play out His contention that God is unloving and unfair.  You are a player in the game, and you can influence the outcome, both for yourselves and others.

We’ll continue our look at a gospel framework in the next lesson.

/GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

ACTS 16:30

“…the jailer asked (Paul and Silas), “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”\

/ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”\

/ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.\

/SECOND PETER 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of, but instead He is patient toward you unbelievers, not wishing for any to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).\

/LUKE 19:10

“For the Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”\

/CLOSING SONG

BORN AGAIN

June Murphy\

/CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...\

/Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

www.barahministries.com\


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