(# 373) Romans 12 - Present Your Bodies in Relationships

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

Present Your Bodies in Relationships

 

You are forgiven in the past, and the result is you stand forgiven by God forever.  God has nothing against you.  You are not disappointing to God.  If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are a saint, completely righteous in God the Father’s eyes…justified…loved unconditionally by each member of the Godhead, an adopted adult child of God, and an heir to the kingdom of God.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 18…

 

EPHESIANS 2:11

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision (The Jewish Race),” a circumcision that is performed in the flesh by human hands—

 

EPHESIANS 2:12

…remember that you Gentiles were at that time separate from Christ…you were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and you were strangers to the covenants of promise (made to Abraham and The Jewish Race), having no hope and without a relationship with God in the world.

 

EPHESIANS 2:13

But now in union with Christ Jesus (IN KRISTO IESU) you Gentiles…who

formerly were far off…have been brought near to God the Father by the blood of Christ.

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our peace, who made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one group (The Church…The Body) and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…

 

At the Cross the Lord Jesus Christ opened up the possibility of relationship with God the Father by eliminating the sin problem with His blood.

 

EPHESIANS 2:15

…(and Christ broke down the barrier) by abolishing in His flesh (His true humanity) the enmity…which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances…so that in Himself He might make the two groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one new man, thus establishing peace…

 

EPHESIANS 2:16

…and so that Christ might reconcile them both (Jews and Gentiles) in one body to God the Father through the Cross, by the Cross having put to death the enmity (sin).

 

EPHESIANS 2:17

And the Lord Jesus Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles who were far away, and peace to those who were near (The Jewish Race)…

 

EPHESIANS 2:18

…for through Christ, both of us (Jews and Gentiles) have our access to God the Father by the agency of God the Holy Spirit.  

 

As a result of these truths I welcome you to a place where you are learning that you can proudly and boldly stand before your God knowing how much He cares for you, and knowing how much He considers your problems to be His responsibility.  We are strongest, as Christians, when we take a stand on our knees in prayer, thanking our God for the beautiful tings He has in store for us.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

DROPS IN THE OCEAN

Hawk Nelson

 

If you want to know how deep the Godhead’s unconditional love is for you…if you want to know how much you are forgiven…remember Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32, which remind us of our power as believers in Christ…

 

ROMANS 8:31

What then shall we believers in Christ say, face-to-face with all these things? If God the Father is for us, and He is, who is to be successful against us?

 

ROMANS 8:32

God the Father…who did not spare His own Son (the Lord Jesus Christ)… but delivered Him over for us all…how will the Father not also, now that we believers are in union with Christ, freely give us all things?

 

Let’s listen to Hawk Nelson sing about this love God has for us…with his song DROPS IN THE OCEAN.

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

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

 

Thank you Father for encouraging us to shut up, to grow up, and to show up…to PRESENT OUR BODIES in every matter that You place before us…thank you for providing us with every resource to have the life of abundance You planned for us in eternity past…help us get out of our own way, Father…help us to ignore the deceptions of the kingdom of darkness, and encourage us to strive to do things Your way…THE ONLY WAY…

 

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

Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Present Your Bodies in Relationships

 

We’ve begun the study of Romans, Chapter 12 with Verse 1, which has several intricate facets…let’s listen for them… 

 

ROMANS 12:1

Therefore…I (Paul)…urge (beseech) you…brethren (believers in Christ)… as you keep on being persuaded because of 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.

 

The next facet of Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1 that we’ll investigate is the facet that tells you a “DO” in the Christian Way of Living…DO PRESENT YOUR BODIES AS A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE.

 

To be famous or popular as a Pastor, you write topical lessons.  Instead of presenting the biblical principles from the Word of God that renovate thinking so that the hearers can be prepared to think and to respond under the pressures of the world by thinking through how God asks us to handle situations, topical Pastors write lessons that pander to our fascination with using the Word of God against ourselves.  Topical Pastors eventually drift away from the Word of God, the exact thinking of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to their own thoughts, and they begin to feed a steady diet of human viewpoint concerning what works to have a wonderful life.  Of course those human viewpoint, pop psychology things don’t work, yet people keep going back for more because bible lessons that make us feel bad about ourselves are in perfect line with what we feel every day as we go through our own self evaluation.  Second Timothy, Chapter 4, Verses 3 and 4 say…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 4:3

For the time will come when believers in Christ will not put up with sound doctrine…but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 4:4

…and they will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn instead to myths (the deceptions of Satan’s world curriculum).

 

All of us want to hear what we want to hear…and what we want to hear is

how wonderful we are and how wonderful the world is and how wonderful

other people are, when that is not the truth at all.  The sad things is we enjoy the deceptions of the ruler of this world…Revelations, Chapter 12, Verse 9…

 

REVELATION 12:9a

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world…

 

The Lord tells us that we live in Satan’s kingdom under a great deception, yet we refuse to believe Him.  He tells us that the ways of the world don’t work, but we want to see for ourselves.  And our lives continue to be described as frustrating, at best.

 

Well there is a time to be topical, and as much as I wanted to avoid the task, God the Holy Spirit has charged me with the task of being topical.  Not only that, He has charged me with being topical about a subject I would least like to discuss… “The ‘M’ Word”…marriage.  God wants us to “PRESENT OUR BODIES” in relationships, and marriage is one of those relationships.

 

When I first read the book Men are From Mars and Women are From Venus

I was pretty shocked to find that someone who had been divorced considered himself an expert on Men and Women and Marriage.  That’s why I let out a chuckle when God the Holy Spirit inspired me to use marriage as a topic for “PRESENTING OUR BODIES AS A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE.”  “Are you kidding me,” I thought.  “Why would a twice divorced loser like me have anything meaningful to say about marriage?”  I convinced myself that I have nothing to offer.  So I thought I would just introduce Larry and Pat Collins, who have been married for 55 years, to take over the lesson from here.

 

The Spirit is not amused.  He reminded me that the apostle Paul, the biggest murderer of all time, did quite well writing two thirds of the New Testament.  So I am counting on the Spirit’s guidance to get a message across to you about “PRESENTING YOUR BODY AS A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE,” especially in relationships.  As you listen to the lesson, please remember that I didn’t want to do topical, and I didn’t want to do marriage, so realize where the lesson is coming from…the Spirit…and to whom the lesson is directed…YOU!  It is not my desire to use bible lessons as therapy

for myself.

 

“PRESENT YOUR BODY AS A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE,” especially in relationships.  It’s pretty obvious to me why God gives us relationships.  His intention is made clear in Second Peter, Chapter 3.  Peter is asking us a simple question…“What kind of people do we want to become?”  In Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verses 17 and 18 he warns us and encourages us …

 

SECOND PETER 3:17

You therefore, beloved (divinely loved ones), knowing all these things beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and so that you don’t fall from your own steadfastness…

 

SECOND PETER 3:18

…but instead GROW, within the sphere of grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 

There’s what God wants from us…the Lord gives us relationships so that we will GROW.  There is nothing that can help us grow faster than relationships.  Do you have a relationship?  Are you letting your relationship help you grow?  I don’t think so.  I think it is rare when we let our relationships shape us.  More often, we want to conform our relationships to some fantasy Satan places in our heads about how relationships ought to be, fantasies that could never actually come true in a million years.  Nowhere is this more true that in “The ‘M’ Word” … Marriage.

 

So the relationship we’ll be using for this topical discussion is the marriage relationship.  A marriage involves one man and one woman.  NO…I have no interest in being inclusive….I have no interest in being tolerant.  I’ll take biblical over inclusive and tolerant any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

Even though the example for “PRESENT YOUR BODY AS A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE” in relationships is marriage, the lessons also will have relevance to anyone who plans to get married, and the thoughts in this lesson and others that follow will be easily usable as you evaluate the soundness of entering into the spiritual bond called marriage.

 

Let’s take a music break…and as we embark on the lesson, let’s be reminded what the Holy Spirit reminded me…we are forgiven…and so whatever our relationship mistakes have been…just know that the future can be different.  Here’s Casting Crowns to remind us of Psalm 103, Verse 12…

 

PSALM 103:12

As far as the east is from the west, so far has the Lord removed our transgressions from us.

 

Here’s casting Crowns with the song EAST TO WEST…

 

MUSIC BREAK

EAST TO WEST

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Present Your Bodies in Relationships

 

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 5:1-2

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we believers in Christ have peace with God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ,//through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand… and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

 

OFFERING

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Dave McClure, Instrumental

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Present Your Bodies in Relationships

 

Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1…

 

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.

 

Relationships.  Why are you in a relationship?  Is it just to give you something to do?  Is it because you are looking to change the person you are with so they can be just what you always wanted?  Is it only for the children?  Is it to have someone to blame?  For many, the latter is the case…many want someone to blame.  It all started in the Garden of Eden…

 

GENESIS 3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And the serpent said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

 

GENESIS 3:2

The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat…”

 

GENESIS 3:3

“…but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

 

GENESIS 3:4

The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!”

 

 

GENESIS 3:5

“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””

 

GENESIS 3:6

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate…and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

 

GENESIS 3:7

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked…and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

 

GENESIS 3:8

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

 

GENESIS 3:9

Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

 

GENESIS 3:10

He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked…so I hid myself.”

 

GENESIS 3:11

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

 

GENESIS 3:12

The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

 

GENESIS 3:13

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

 

It’s the blame game.  Nothing is my fault.  There is the thought that if you get in a relationship you’ll have someone to blame, because if you are alone, there is no one to blame but yourself.  It takes a level of maturity to accept the blame for things, especially when you are to blame.

 

Well to get me ready to teach these lessons to you, God the Holy Spirit arranged several weddings for me to attend this year, even one that I will preside over.  And along with my own marriage failure, the Spirit has me thinking seriously about how marriages fall apart.  To start, it is perhaps best to look at how marriages start.

 

They start when you “PRESENT YOUR BODY AS A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE.”  (Like a lamb headed for slaughter!  J )  At the start, we fall in love.  Nothing good happens when we are falling.  After we are in a marriage relationship, often we fall out of love.  Nothing good happens when we are falling. 

 

This falling phase is like when we use charcoal lighter fluid to ignite charcoal on our grills.  The lighter fluid ignites a fire, but the fire quickly fades.  If the foundation of the charcoals has not been set in such a way that the fading flame will set the coals on fire so that they can begin their slow burn, the fire goes out.

 

Many relationships are like this.  The chemical nature of attraction phase loves ignites a flame, but if there is no foundation set for the relationship, the fading flame burns out before it has a chance to catch and to lead to something lasting.  And then the fatal lie… “Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be.”

 

Attraction phase love does nothing to fan the flames of running the finances of a relationship for years.  Attraction phase love does nothing to sustain the intimacy that leads to a great sexual relationship.  Attraction phase love does nothing when the person you are in a relationship with ignores health concerns.  Attraction phase love does nothing to use time effectively.  Attraction phase love does nothing to teach us how to hang in there when there is a betrayal in a relationship. Attraction phase love does nothing to teach us how to raise children.  These are the real concerns of a marriage relationship and they last a lot longer than the hotness of the initial attraction.

The sad aspect of the marriage relationship is the naiveté and the casual nature in which people enter into such a formal, demanding, special and sacred bond.  Even more criminal is the ease in which they exit the bond.

 

As we think about “PRESENTING OUR BODIES AS LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICES” in relationships, we’ll have to consider the seriousness of the commitment we are undertaking, and give it the spiritual consideration it is due.  We’ll continue our look at this in the net lesson.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

ROMANS 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God the Father…divine omnipotence…to provide salvation to everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ…to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Gentiles).

 

MATTHEW 7:13

“Enter salvation through the narrow gate (the Lord Jesus Christ)…for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction…and there are many who enter through the wide gate.”

 

MATTHEW 7:14

“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to the resurrection life, and there are few who find the narrow way.”

 

JOHN 10:9

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am the door to salvation…if anyone enters through believing in Me…he will be saved…and then he will go in and out and find pasture.”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22

For all in union with Adam are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…but all those in union with Christ will live the resurrection life.

 

CLOSING SONG

HE REMEMBERS TO FORGET

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

          THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

www.barahministries.com


©® Barah Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved.