(#428) Romans 12 - The Lord Demonstrates His Love for Us By Telling Us What to Do/Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher\
Good Evening!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference worldwide courtesy of the internet…Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference locally in the Gilbert, Mesa, and Chandler, AZ communities. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we teach the Word of God from God’s perspective…not from man’s perspective.
One of the great things about the Lord Jesus Christ is that He is on your side. Whether you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, or even if you are an atheist, the Lord is on your side…Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…
/ROMANS 8:31 What then shall we believers in Christ say face-to-face with all these things (in Romans 8:28 to Romans 8:30)? (We conclude that) If God is for us, and of course He is, who can prevail against us?\
/ROMANS 8:32 God the Father…who did not withhold His own Son (the Lord…Jesus Christ…just as Abraham didn’t withhold his son)… but instead delivered His Son over as a sacrifice for us all…how will the Father not also…now that we are in union with Christ…graciously give us all things?\
God does everything for His creatures because He is on our side!
/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lord Demonstrates His Love for Us By Telling Us What to Do\
If the truth is told about us as human beings, we keep digging ourselves deeper and deeper and deeper into the stranglehold of this world. And how exactly could it be another way? The influence of God’s enemy, Satan, here in his own kingdom, planet earth, is all encompassing. As believers in Christ, we are like islands, surrounded on all sides by evil. The Lord Jesus Christ and His Word is our life raft. The Lord rescues us…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 13 and 14…
/COLOSSIANS 1:13 For God the Father rescued us believers in Christ from the domain of darkness, and He has transferred us to the kingdom light…the kingdom of His beloved Son (the Lord Jesus Christ)…\
/COLOSSIANS 1:14 …in (union with) whom we have redemption…the forgiveness of sins.\
The lord rescued us because he is on our side…He rescued us because he loves us. Here’s Chris Tomlin to tell us about His love in His song, JESUS LOVES ME.
/MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
JESUS LOVES ME Chris Tomlin\
/OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...\
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank You for Your guidance…thank you for foiling our efforts when we seek to get ahead of Your plans for us…thank you that Your ways are ALWAYS perfect…thank You for the gentleness of Your grace, which gives us a sphere of comfort as we learn in this life…
You know every decision we need to make and every challenge we face… remind us not to figure life out on our own, but instead to find and to do your will…to listen to and to obey Your commands…and to count on God the Holy Spirit for wisdom, for strength, for guidance, for direction…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lord Demonstrates His Love for Us By Telling Us What to Do\
As I read and reread the bible, I am always amazed how God the Holy Spirit changes my eyes to see something new in God’s words every time. For example, in Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 16 and 17…a couple of verses I’ve read a hundred times…there is something I never really noticed…
/GENESIS 2:16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely…”\
God starts with a DO command…just take a look at that command…what I never noticed is the abundance of the command…God is telling Adam, “Have anything you want! Have fun! Enjoy what I have provided!” Adam didn’t do any work for all these trees that he could eat from…simply, he was put in a position to enjoy the grace gift of God. Let’s bask in the beauty of God’s command here. “Adam, here’s what I have provided for you…eat freely!”
Next the DON’T command…
/GENESIS 2:17 “…but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”\
The DON’T command is a warning concerning what is hurtful. God doesn’t want us to get hurt. Like a great parent He demonstrates His love for us by telling us what to do…and He loves us even more when He tells us what not to do. Yet seldom do we see the DON’T commands that way. We listen to Satan’s contention about the DON’T commands…“God is holding out on you! He doesn’t want you to have fun!”
Do you see God’s commands as rules? The Lord demonstrates His love for us by telling us what to do…and what not to do. In the first passage of Romans, Chapter 12, beginning at Verse 9…the Lord gives us thirty commands…twenty-three of the commands are DO commands…7 of the commands are DON’T commands. We have a positive God who provides abundant positive direction for our lives. Here is the entire passage, Romans, Chapter 12, Verses 9 to 21…
/ROMANS 12:9 Let unconditional 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.\
Let’s continue our look at God’s DO and DON’T commands in this final passage of Romans, Chapter 12…what is God telling is to do when He says…
/ROMANS 12:12a …rejoicing in hope…\
God is telling us He wants us to enjoy this brief journey on planet earth. Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 20 and 21…
/PHILIPPIANS 3:20 For our citizenship, as believers in Christ, is in heaven…from which heaven also we eagerly wait for the return a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (at the exit resurrection of the Church…the Rapture)…\
/PHILIPPIANS 3:21 …who (at the Rapture) will transform the body of our humble state (our lowly body) into (a resurrection body in) conformity with the body of the Lord Jesus Christ’s glory…by the exertion of the power (divine omnipotence) that He has…even the power to subject all things to Himself.\
God is telling us He wants us to anticipate an amazing future. Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 1 to 4…
/COLOSSIANS 3:1 Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, and all believers in Christ have been, keep on seeking the things above, where Christ is…the Christ who is seated at the right hand of God the Father.\
God is not telling us that our celebrations will only be in heaven…He is suggesting that we bring our heavenly party here to earth.
/COLOSSIANS 3:2 Set your mind (concentrate) on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.\
We are to set our minds on Christ…and to set our minds on using His power to solve our problems.
/COLOSSIANS 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden (invisibly and securely) with Christ in God the Father.\
Everything God promises is a guarantee!
/COLOSSIANS 3:4 When Christ, who IS our resurrection life (in His very identity), is revealed (at the Rapture), then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.\
God expects us to be confident that everything He promises He will deliver. Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 20 and 21…
/ROMANS 4:20 …yet, with respect to the promise of God…Abraham did not waver in unbelief (in his impossible situation) but was strengthened in his faith, giving glory (praise) to God…\
/ROMANS 4:21 …and was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He also had the power to perform.\
No matter the odds…God comes through.
/ROMANS 12:12b …persevering in tribulation…\
When we undergo trials, the very deep and serious kind of tribulation, God expects us to be patient…waiting for His deliverance. Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 3 to 5…
/ROMANS 5:3 …we believers in Christ also 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 eternal inheritance).\
How do believers in Christ respond to tribulation? We hang in there! We count it all joy! James, Chapter 1, Verses 2 to 4…
/JAMES 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brethren, when you encounter trials of any kind…\
Trials are not God punishing us. How does God keep us from being soft? Trials. And we are not be joyous FOR the trials…but IN the trials.
/JAMES 1:3 …knowing through experience that the testing of your faith produces endurance.\
/JAMES 1:4 And let endurance have its perfect result (let it finish its work)…so that you may be perfect (mature) and complete (fulfilled)…lacking in nothing.\
God is telling us not to shift to self-focus when things get tough in our lives.
Let’s take a five-minute break...and when we come back we’ll hear more about what God is telling us to do.
/BREAK Five Minutes\
/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lord Demonstrates His Love for Us By Telling Us What to Do\
Giving is the redirecting of the assets God gives you. When you consider a church as worthy of your giving as your contribution to the purchase of beer and wine, you are truly a great steward of the Lord’s financial blessings. God has blessed us to provide us with enjoyment. One of the most enjoyable things we do is to giving. First Timothy, Chapter 6, Verses 17 to 19 say…
/FIRST TIMOTHY 6:17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited (arrogant) or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches (wealth)…but to fix their hope on God (the source), who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.\
/FIRST TIMOTHY 6:18 Instruct those who are rich to do good…to be rich in good works…to be generous and to be ready to share…\
/FIRST TIMOTHY 6:19 …storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future…so that they may take hold of the life that is really life (the life in union with Christ).\
Americans are among the wealthiest people in the world. When you travel the world you learn this absolutely true fact. The God who is the source of generosity calls on us to be generous with our wealth and to wants us to redirect it to those who need the gospel message and the Word of God. Be generous with your financial blessing. It makes me happy and appreciative to be your Pastor. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with this week’s offering message.
/THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall\ /OFFERING VERSE
FIRST JOHN 2:16 For all that is in the world…the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life…is not from God the Father…but is from the world.\
/OFFERING VERSE
FIRST JOHN 2:17 The world is passing away…and also its lusts…but the one who does the will of God lives forever. \
/OFFERING FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE Dave McClure, Instrumental\
/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lord Demonstrates His Love for Us By Telling Us What to Do\
Welcome back!
As we navigate the often-turbulent waters of this life, we have a God who acts as a lighthouse…a God who steers us away from the rocks and who directs us to the narrow road of the resurrection life. The group Casting Crowns calls Him the GOD OF ALL MY DAYS. Let’s listen…
/MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
GOD OF ALL MY DAYS Casting Crowns\
/TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON The Lord Demonstrates His Love for Us By Telling Us What to Do\
Romans Chapter 12, Verse 12, Part c says…
/ROMANS 12:12c …be devoted to prayer…\
The shortest verse in the bible is First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
/FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:17 …pray without ceasing (in other words, make it a habit to pray)…\
Translated another way, we are to be, “Steadfastly continuing in prayer.” As Christians we totally underestimate the power of making requests to God. Prayer is the most underused asset in the Christian Way of Living. When we pray we become a source of tremendous blessing to others and to ourselves.
What did the apostle Peter do after his betrayal of the Lord Jesus Christ? Acts, Chapter 2, Verses 38 to 41 tells us…he went to “Strengthen his brothers” as the Lord requested on the day he predicted Peter’s betrayal…
/ACTS 2:38 Peter said to them (those he was evangelizing to)…“Repent (change your mind about Christ), and each of you be baptized (by the Spirit) in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (indwelling).”\
/ACTS 2:39 “For the promise (of the gospel message) is for you and it is for your children and it is for all who are far off (Gentiles…and those who are alienated in mind…like atheists)… as it is for as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself (elect to privilege).”\
That’s whosoever…everyone.
/ACTS 2:40 And with many other words Peter solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them (those he was evangelizing to), saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”\
/ACTS 2:41 So then, those who had received his word (the gospel message) were baptized (by the Holy Spirit)…and that day there were added about three thousand souls (to the kingdom of God).\
What do great Christians do as a result of responding to the gospel message?
/ACTS 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching…and devoting themselves to fellowship…and devoting themselves to the breaking of bread…and DEVOTING THEMSELVES TO PRAYER.\
They responded with the work of appreciation. The Lord told Peter what to do and he did it. Romans Chapter 12, Verse 13, Part a says…
/ROMANS 12:13a …contributing to the needs of the saints…\
Look around at the people in your periphery…then tell me if you can “divine” their needs…the truth is you can’t. But everyone you look at has needs. We need to initiate, rather than just responding to requests!
God expects us to find out what the needs are around us and to provide for those needs in His name.
It’s easy to respond to the needs of others when people ask…they ask and you give. But what are we to do with the people who won’t ask?
Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 12 to 16…
/PHILIPPIANS 3:12 Not that I (Paul) have already obtained it or have already become perfect (mature), but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.\
Hospitality…kindness to strangers is in view.
/PHILIPPIANS 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of maturity yet…but one thing I do…forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead…\
/PHILIPPIANS 3:14 …I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.\
/PHILIPPIANS 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect (mature), have this attitude (of pressing on)…and if in anything you have a different attitude…God will reveal that also to you…\
/PHILIPPIANS 3:16 …however…let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.\
When you listen to what God tells you to do…you live by the divine standard…and your life will be even more amazing than it is now.
/GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life\
The closing moments of our study are for anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU.
An atheist would say, after hearing these opening comments, there are no gods. Atheism just says, “Those things you refer to when you talk about God or gods? They don’t exist.”
The bible has a different view…the apostle John makes clear the function of the bible…John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31…
/JOHN 20:30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (the bible)…\
/JOHN 20:31 …but these things written here have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah)…the Son of God (in human form)… and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in Hisname.\
Philosopher Blaise Pascal, in what has come to be known as “Pascal’s Wager,” says that human beings bet with their lives that God either exists or He does not. Pascal is right. Atheists would do well to at least consider what the bible has to say. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
/ROMANS 3:23 …for all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…\
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
/ROMANS 3:10 …as it is written “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”\
Since atheists are created creatures, human beings, they would do well to be curious about exactly what the bible is arguing. The bible’s argument continues in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…
/FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…\
The good news is that the Lord has an interesting attitude toward ALL of His creatures…even those who think there is no god. Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
/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 of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).\
The bible claims that God lives in heaven. How can you get to heaven? If you’re an atheist, and you think Pascal was right, then there is no downside to believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Right where you sit, RIGHT NOW, you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
/ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”\
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgement that if there is a God, it might be smart to place your faith in Him. John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
/JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation), and I am the truth (through the Word of God), and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”\
No creature can do a thing to get to heaven on his own. Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…
/ROMANS 11:6 But if salvation is by grace, and of course it is, it is no longer on the basis of works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.\
God’s grace makes your salvation a free gift to you…if you have to work for a gift then the work makes you deserve the gift. In salvation, there is no way for you to impress God enough that He would allow you to save yourself. It’s very wise to let God save you, because once God does something He never changes His mind. Heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
/JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has 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…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”\
The apostle Peter reminds us of the words of Old Testament prophet Joel in Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 21…
/ACTS 2:21 ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.’\
If you’re an atheist, I encourage you to keep investigating to see if you’re right that there is no god. And if you’re not right, and you think there may be a God, there’s plenty of room for you in heaven! As for those of us who know there is a God, and who believe His name is The Lord Jesus Christ, He is our hero! Here’s June Murphy to tell you about Him with her song HERO.
/CLOSING SONG HERO June Murphy\
/CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...\
/Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening! www.barahministries.com\
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