(# 372) Romans 12 - Lord, Have Mercy
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. He is our Rock. He is the still point in a turning world.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Lord, Have Mercy
Do you know how much God loves you?
God loves you unconditionally…He loves you completely…His love for you knows no limits…He loves you especially under all the worse conditions… He has a “no matter what” love for you…even if you’re mad at Him…even if you turn our back on Him…even if you blame Him…even if you betray Him…His love for you never fails.
There’s a description of a facet of that unconditional love in Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 10…
EPHESIANS 2:1 And at physical birth, you were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
From birth you are separated from God…without relationship with God… unable to communicate with God…
EPHESIANS 2:2 …in which trespasses and sins you formerly walked as a lifestyle (the lifestyle of the unbeliever) according to the curriculum (according to the ways) of this world (an organized Satanic system), according to curriculum of the prince of the power of the air (a curriculum directed by the ruler of the world, Satan), according to the spirit (of unbelief) that is now working in the sons who are disobedient (all unbelievers…those who are consciously anti-God).
EPHESIANS 2:3 Among them we believers in Christ, too, all formerly conducted ourselves in the sphere of lust from our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and indulging the desires of the mind, and we were by nature children destined for wrath, even as the rest (of the unbelievers were destined for wrath).
God’s wrath is the only thing unbelievers deserve. Yet when you hear a description of the heart of our great God and Father, you know that is not His desire nor is it His intention. When those who deserve God the Father’s wrath accept His unconditional love…it’s a magic that lasts for all eternity… the next verse begins with one of the greatest “buts” in the history of language…just like the BUT in Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 21…
EPHESIANS 2:4 BUT God the Father, BEING RICH IN MERCY, because of His great and unconditional love with which He loved us all…
EPHESIANS 2:5 …EVEN (and especially) WHEN WE WERE SPIRITUALLY DEAD IN OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, made us spiritually alive together with Christ (by the Father’s grace you have been saved)…
EPHESIANS 2:6 …and God the Father raised us up with Christ (our positional resurrection…resurrecting us from among the spiritually dead ones), and God the Father seated us with Christ (spiritually, not physically) in the heavenly places (our citizenship is in heaven)…in union with Christ Jesus…
Why did God the Father do these things for us?
EPHESIANS 2:7 …so that in the ages to come God the Father might point to this as a demonstration of the incomparable riches of His grace expressed by His kindness toward us who are in union with Christ Jesus.
What are the incomparable riches of God the Father’s grace?
EPHESIANS 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through (placing your) faith (in Christ)… and that grace, that faith, and that salvation is not from the source of yourselves, it is a free gift from God the Father…
Your faith in Christ is not a work…it’s the acceptance of a gift…
EPHESIANS 2:9 …and the grace, the faith and the salvation are not as a result of your works, so that no one may boast.
God the Father is the source of grace, the source of faith, and especially the source of salvation…creatures have no role in salvation at all, except the role of being the recipient of this indescribable gift. Since no creature can accomplish his own salvation, no creature is in a position to boast before God.
EPHESIANS 2:10 For we, the saved, believers in Christ…are God the Father’s workmanship…created and placed in union with Christ Jesus for good works, which God the Father prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
God the Father spoke our creation into existence, and then it happened.
The best part of the unconditional love the Father has for us, is that it has always existed. We are sequential in our experience of life. We experience things one after another. God is simultaneous. So the truth is this…a mind boggling truth…that even before we were born dead in our trespasses and sins, God the Father had already saved us, knowing in omniscience that we would believe in Christ and knowing what He was willing to do for us because we believed. We were saved BEFORE we were spiritually dead. WE were already in union with Christ in God’s mind before we were even born. And if that doesn’t impress you nothing will. Welcome to a place where you can learn about the impressive God we have, and where you can choose to be a recipient of His marvelous blessings.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
WHO AM I? Casting Crowns
God’s blessings make us ask a question, “Who are we to deserve such blessings?” Let’s listen to Casting Crowns tell us who we are…as they sing the song WHO AM I?
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, who are we? We are no one without You! You are the vinedresser, and we are privileged to be a part of Your vineyard as believers in Christ. Thank you for sending Your Son, the Vine, to make a place for us in Your kingdom.
Help us, Father, to reflect Your unconditional love to everyone we meet and give us the courage to invite them to join us in Your kingdom…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name... Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Lord, Have Mercy
This is an exclamation we hear often, especially in the black community. And it has always struck me as a bit odd. We really don’t have to ask the Lord to have mercy…the Lord IS mercy…and in today’s lesson we’ll continue learning about His multi-faceted mercies. Let’s begin by listening to the passage under study…Romans, Chapters 12, Verses 1 to 21… ROMANS 12:1 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.
ROMANS 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
ROMANS 12:3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think…but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.
ROMANS 12:4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function…
ROMANS 12:5 …so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
ROMANS 12:6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith…
ROMANS 12:7 …if service, in his serving…or he who teaches, in his teaching…
ROMANS 12:8 …or he who exhorts, in his exhortation…he who gives, with liberality…he who leads, with diligence…he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
ROMANS 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil…cling to what is good.
ROMANS 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…give preference to one another in honor…
ROMANS 12:11 …not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…
ROMANS 12:12 …rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer…
ROMANS 12:13 …contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
ROMANS 12:14 Bless those who persecute you…bless and do not curse.
ROMANS 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
ROMANS 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
ROMANS 12:17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men.
ROMANS 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
ROMANS 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
ROMANS 12:20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink…for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”
ROMANS 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
We’ve begun the study of Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1…
ROMANS 12:1 Therefore, I (Paul) urge (beseech) you, brethren (believers in Christ), by the (multi-faceted) mercies of God…to present your bodies (by choice, not by command…as) a living and holy sacrifice…acceptable to God the Father… which is your spiritual service…worship.
Let’s remind ourselves of the convenient parts this verse has for us to look at. There are nine of them…
THEREFORE
I BESEECH YOU
BRETHREN
BY THE MULTI-FACETED MERCIES OF GOD
TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES
A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE ACCEPTABLE TO GOD THE FATHER
YOUR SPIRITUAL SERVICE WORSHIP
THEREFORE…this word asks you to consider all the wonderful things we have learned in the first eleven chapters of Romans and to keep on bringing them constantly to mind. THEREFORE is always a “heads up” in the bible encouraging you to look at the things that have come before, and to consider the implications of the things you have just learned.
I BESEECH YOU! is the next part. What does it mean to beseech someone? It means…
BESEECH To implore…to beg…to urge…to make urgent appeal…to solicit…to ask someone to DO something.
What is God begging us believers in Christ to do, through the apostle Paul, of our own volition? He’s begging us to GROW UP and to SHOW UP in this life. This is NOT a painful process. It is only painful if you thought that success would be easy. It’s only painful if you don’t really want to do it. It requires surrender. The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is imploring us to trust His development of us, as God the Holy Spirit teaches us how to have a deep, intimate and personal relationship with the Godhead.
The third part…BRETHREN. Every passage we study in the bible demands a question from us…to whom is God speaking in this passage? Well there are two groups God speaks to…believers in Christ and unbelievers. God is always talking to one or the other.
Next, we turn our attention to the multi-faceted mercies of God. Let’s take a music break…and when we come back we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll move on in our study of Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1.
MUSIC BREAK VOICE OF TRUTH Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Lord, Have Mercy
Let’s begin the next portion of our lesson by giving you a chance to make an offering…we need and we value your financial support to continue the work of this ministry…please welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
ROMANS 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
OFFERING FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE Dave McClure, Instrumental
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Lord, Have Mercy
A literal translation of the portion of Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1 under study would be…“Keep on being persuaded because of God’s many mercies”…let’s take a listen…
ROMANS 12:1 Therefore…I (Paul)…urge (beseech) you…brethren (believers in Christ)…to keep on being persuaded by the many mercies of God…to present your bodies (by choice, not by command…as) a living and holy sacrifice… acceptable to God the Father… which is your spiritual service…worship.
When we think of the mercies of God it must begin with an understanding of God the Father’s heart. What is the heart of God the Father? It is explained in Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 12 to 15…
COLOSSIANS 3:12 So, as those who are the chosen ones of God the Father, as saints (separated for privilege by the Father) and as divinely loved ones, put on (clothe yourselves with) a heart (the same as the heart God the Father has…a heart) of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…
COLOSSIANS 3:13 …bearing with one another…and forgiving each other…and whoever has a complaint against anyone…just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive.
There is only one way to arm yourself against the treachery of those around you…and God the Father’s heart gives us that one way…
COLOSSIANS 3:14 Beyond all these virtues put on (clothe yourself with) unconditional love, which is the perfect bond that unifies all these virtues.
COLOSSIANS 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…because you were called to peace as members of one body…and be thankful (for all things).
We are to have an attitude of gratitude for all things, especially for the tribulation God uses to help us grow. A friend of mine recently asked about some difficulties I am going through…“Rory what did you learn from these tribulations?” Wise woman. Wise indeed.
What are some of the mercies of this compassionate God and Father?
The Many Mercies of God
JUSTIFICATION
What is justification?
JUSTIFICATION In God the Father’s eyes, believers in Christ are seen as righteous forevermore. It is a full pardon from being set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire from the point of physical birth…while simultaneously getting legally credited with God’s absolute righteousness…and gaining both of these gifts through the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross.
Justification includes the removal of Adam’s sin from us…with God never again crediting Adam’s sin or our personal sinning to our account…instead crediting these sins to Christ’s propitiatory work at the Cross…it includes an unbreakable, unified relationship with Christ…it is being given an admission ticket to heaven…it means having God the Father announcing our name regularly in heaven as acquitted of any wrong doing, and thus legally qualified to come to heaven. Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 1 and 2…
ROMANS 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we believers in Christ have peace with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ…
ROMANS 5:2 …through the Lord Jesus Christ also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this sphere of grace in which we stand…and we exult in hope of the glory of God the Father.
Another of God’s great mercies is that He identifies Himself with us.
The Many Mercies of God
IDENTIFICATION
What is identification?
At the moment we decide to be believers in Christ, we are removed from our union with Adam, and the agent, God the Holy Spirit, places us into permanent union with Christ. Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in union with Christ, and all believers in Christ are, this person is a new creature…the old man things passed away…behold… the new man things have come.
What is the Greek expression that indicates this union with God…this identification?
IDENTIFICATION
EN KRISTO IESU In union with Christ
Another of the mercies of God is that He makes us the objects of His grace.
The Many Mercies of God
UNDER GRACE
Grace is God’s choice to bless His creatures when cursing is deserved. Once we are in union with Christ we are dead to sin…and we are dead to the Law…instead we are under His grace…Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…
ROMANS 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you (as if it is your sovereign), for you believers in Christ are not under law, but you are under the sphere of grace.
Giving us union with Christ is one of the most wonderful extensions of this sphere of grace in which we stand. John, Chapter 15, Verse 5…
JOHN 15:5 “I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the vine…you believers in Christ are the branches…he who abides in union with Me and I in union with him, he bears much fruit…for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
In His grace the Lord gives us many blessings, including the truth. John, Chapter 16, Verse 13…
JOHN 16:13 “But when He, God the Holy Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth…”
The Many Mercies of God
INDWELLING
To counteract the power of the flesh in our bodies, God has given us His indwelling presence in our bodies. Romans, Chapter 7, Verses 22 the first part…and Verse 23…
ROMANS 7:22a-23 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man (the new self)// but I see a different law in the members of my body (the flesh…the dead old man)…
We have the indwelling presence of God the Father, the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit in our bodies. First the indwelling presence of the Father…John, Chapter 14, Verse 23…
JOHN 14:23 Jesus answered and said to Judas (not Iscariot), “If anyone loves Me (maybe you will and maybe you won’t…you have a choice), he will keep My Word…and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode indwelling him.
Second, the indwelling presence of the Lord…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 27…
COLOSSIANS 1:27 …this mystery has been manifested to Church Age saints…to whom God the Father willed to make known what are the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ indwelling you, the hope (absolute confidence) of (your future) glory.
Finally, the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit…First Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verse 19…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 6:19 Or do you believers in Christ not know that your body is a temple of God the Holy Spirit who is indwelling you, whom you have from God the Father, and that you are not your own?
And because we are indwelled by all three members of the Trinity… Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 1 is true…
ROMANS 8:1 Therefore…there is now no condemnation for those who are in union with Christ Jesus. So we have the mercy of identification with God because we are indwelled by all three members of the Trinity.
THE INDWELLING TRINITY
GREEK ENGLISH
En Kristo Iesu In Christ Jesus
En Pnuemati In the Spirit
En Patri In the Father
There is pure power resident in our bodies.
The Many Mercies of God
HELP IN TIMES OF INFIRMITY
It’s easy to forget that God is our bridge over troubled waters when we are out of strength…Psalm 46, Verse 1…
PSALM 46:1 God is our refuge and our strength…a very present help in times of trouble.
God uses troubled times to develop us…Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 3 to 5…
ROMANS 5:3 …we believers in Christ exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance…
ROMANS 5:4 …and perseverance brings about proven character…and proven character brings about hope…
ROMANS 5:5 …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 (as a pledge of our inheritance). We are happy when we are in the spiritual gym because we know that GOD IS MAKING US STRONG…and He doesn’t need our help!
The Many Mercies of God
DIVINE ELECTION
As long ago as eternity past, as a believer in Christ, you were placed into union with Christ and set apart for an amazing set of privileges. As a result…you are already conformed to the image of God the Son (although to you it has not been manifested yet)…and you are already glorified (although to you it has not been manifested yet)…and your entire eternal destination was previously thought out and planned out by God the Father…a little thing we call predestination…Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 28 and 29…
ROMANS 8:28 And we believers in Christ know that God the Father causes all things to work together for good to those who love God (and all believers do), to those who are called (through election) according to the Father’s purpose.
ROMANS 8:29 For those whom God the Father foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that the Lord Jesus Christ would be the firstborn among many brethren…
Christ is the first fruit of a harvest of believers who have been selected to enjoy the bounty of a lifetime in a deep, intimate and personal relationship with the Godhead.
The Many Mercies of God
A FUTURE FULL OF GLORY
Our biggest glory is that we will be face-to-face with our God one day…forever! Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 18…
ROMANS 8:18 For I (Paul) consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. The Many Mercies of God
INSEPARABLE FROM CHRIST John, Chapter 10, Verse 28…
JOHN 10:28 …and 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.
Anyone who tells you that you can lose your salvation is a liar, and this person is also attempting to make God a liar…Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 38 and 39…
ROMANS 8:38 For I (Paul) am convinced that neither death nor life…nor angels nor principalities…nor things present nor things to come…nor powers…
ROMANS 8:39 …nor height nor depth…nor any other created thing…will be able to separate us from the unconditional love of God the Father, which comes to those in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
And why are we guaranteed a salvation that we can’t lose?
The Many Mercies of God
GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
God is someone on whom we can depend. Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 13…
SECOND TIMOTHY 2:11 It is a trustworthy statement…for if we believers in Christ died with Christ, and we did, we will also live with Him…
SECOND TIMOTHY 2:12 If we believers in Christ endure (maybe we will and maybe we won’t), we will also reign with Him…if we deny Him, He also will deny us…
SECOND TIMOTHY 2:13 If we are faithless, and we are sometimes, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself (His righteousness in us).
Lord have mercy? He does!
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
In the Lord Jesus Christ we have a Servant-Savior…Mark, Chapter 10, Verses 43 to 45…
MARK 10:43 “…whomever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant…”
MARK 10:44 “…and whomever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.”
MARK 10:45 “For even the Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) did not come to be served, but He came to serve, and He came to give His life as a ransom for many.”
The Lord Jesus Christ served us best by offering us His life so He could offer us His very own righteousness…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21 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 Servant-Savior paid the price of sin so we wouldn’t have to…He paid with His blood…Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…
ROMANS 6:23 For the wages of sin is spiritual death, but the free gift of God the Father is eternal life (the resurrection life) in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
Once you become a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you are saved forever…John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life (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, but the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
Decide for Christ! Choose to be on the Lord Jesus Christ’s side and it’s a decision you will never regret.
CLOSING SONG DESTINY June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION
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