(#449) Romans 13 -You Should Go and Love YourselfWelcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We make a difference by teaching the Word of God from God’s perspective, and not from man’s perspective.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON You Should Go and Love Yourself
For Christians, the Lord Jesus Christ is our GOD…and our God is LOVE in His very Person. He is someone we can lean on. He is the foundation of our lives. First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verse 11…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid…(the cornerstone of) which is Jesus Christ.
God loves all of His creatures unconditionally. As the cornerstone of a believer in Christ’s life, the Lord Jesus considers our problems to be His responsibility and He’s always ready to deliver us to victory in our circumstances. What is your biggest problem today? God is on duty!
For Christians, the Lord Jesus Christ is the chauffer of our lives. He sits in the power seat of ourlives and He is willing to drive our lives if we ask Him. In Ezekiel, Chapter 37, Verses 26 and 27, when the Lord speaks of Israel, He also speaks of His Church Age believers…
EZEKIEL 37:26 I will make a covenant of peace with them…it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them…and I will multiply them…and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forever.
In the Church Age, the indwelling of all three members of the Trinity turns our bodies into a sanctuary of the living God. Do you think of yourselves this way?
EZEKIEL 37:27 My dwelling place also will be with them…and I will be their God…and they will be My people.
Believers in Christ are possessions of the living God. But if we have a powerful car and never drive it we don’t get the benefit the car has to offer. In the same way, if we don’t use our will to activate the power of the Lord that’s living inside of us, we own a relationship with Him but we don’t use its power.
For Christians, the BIBLE is the Lord’s navigation device. Through the bible, God gives us guidance, direction, and power through knowledge of the truth. Like a great navigation device, He makes it impossible for us to get lost. We love His Word. Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21 assure us that the Word of God comes directly from the source of the Lord’s mind and not from a human source…it says…
SECOND PETER 1:20 …know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of a person’s own private interpretation…
SECOND PETER 1:21 …for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men carried along (that is, absolutely directed) by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from the exact thinking of THE God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 16 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:16b …we believers in Christ have the mind of Christ (the Word of God…the Bible).
As believers in Christ we have one God as our foundation…we have one truth, the Bible…we have one way of living, the Christian Way…and we are loved unconditionally with an absolute and unlimited love by the Sovereign God of the Universe. We’ve got nice assets! Welcome to a place where you can celebrate your relationship with a God who works in crystal clear and predictable ways.
In today’s lesson, we’ll continue our study of Romans, Chapter 13…and as we are commanded to do, we’ll celebrate The Lord’s Supper…looking back on all the amazing things Jesus Christ did for us at the Cross.
Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 1 says…
GALATIANS 5:1 It was for freedom that the Lord Jesus Christ set us believers in Christ free…therefore keep standing firm in the freedom and do not subject yourselves again to a yoke of slavery.
At the moment of salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ poured His RESURRECTION POWER into us. Let’s celebrate it by listening to Chris Tomlin sing about it.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
RESURRECTION POWER 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 building our lives on the Rock…Your Son, our Lord… Jesus Christ…He is our foundation …He provides our lives with drive…He purchased us from slavery…He gives us freedom…and Your Holy Spirit keeps on pouring His enabling power into us so we can live the amazing resurrection life…
Enlighten us as we study today so that we can learn how to be obedient to Your will and so we can reflect Your promise of salvation and glory to everyone we meet…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON You Should Go and Love Yourself
We’re finishing our study of the second passage of Romans, Chapter 13 today…Verses 8 to 10…which highlight a Christian’s duty to God and to others. When we embrace the life the Lord is calling us to, it is a lifestyle of love…
ROMANS 13:8 Do not keep on owing anything to anyone except owing the debt you owe to (God to) love one another unconditionally…for he who loves his neighbor unconditionally has fulfilled the law.
ROMANS 13:9 For these are commandments…“You shall not commit adultery…you shall not murder…you shall not steal …you shall not covet” … and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this one, “You shall love your neighbor just as you love yourself…unconditionally.”
ROMANS 13:10 Unconditional love does not keep on doing wrong to a neighbor…therefore when we demonstrate unconditional love for others it is the fullness of the Mosaic Law.
This passage suggests that in God’s plan LOVE is the answer…we are to LOVE God…we are to LOVE each other…we are to LOVE our enemies. In addition, …and perhaps most important of all…you should go and LOVE yourself! Do you LOVE yourself? Maybe we should take Justin Bieber’s advice if we can’t take God’s advice…
If you’ve ever been to a wedding you’ve heard what unconditional love for others is like in First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 4 to 8…but have you ever applied these thoughts on love to loving yourself?
FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:4 Unconditional love is patient… unconditional love is kind and is not jealous…unconditional love does not brag and is not arrogant…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:5 …unconditional love does not act unbecomingly…unconditional love does not seek its own…unconditional love is not provoked…unconditional love does not take into account a wrong suffered…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:6 …unconditional love does not rejoice in unrighteousness…but unconditional love rejoices with the truth…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:7 …unconditional love bears all things…unconditional love believes all things…unconditional love hopes all things…unconditional love endures all things.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:8a Unconditional love never fails…
It’s easy to forget to love yourself. How can you love yourself unconditionally? By realizing who you are in Christ…and by paying no attention to who you are in “you.” When you pay attention to who you are in your own human power, you’re paying attention to the flesh in you… Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 16…
GALATIANS 5:16 But I (Paul) say…keep on walking by means of the indwelling God the Holy Spirit (depending on Him for power and guidance)…and you will not (ouk) gratify the desires of the flesh.
Turning on the power of the Spirit in you is turning off the power of “you.”
Galatians, Chapter 6, Verses 14 to 16…
GALATIANS 6:14 But may it never be that I (Paul) would boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…through which the world has been crucified to me…and I have been crucified to the world.
Believers in Christ look at the world as if it has been crucified to us…because it has been!
GALATIANS 6:15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor is uncircumcision anything, but the new creation is everything.
The most significant decision of our lives is to believe in Christ…to let Him make us a new creation.
GALATIANS 6:16 And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
You are loved…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 is a result of our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
So as we think about unconditional love…don’t forget to love yourself.
Let’s take a five-minute break, and when we come back we’ll take the offering and we’ll celebrate The Lord’s Supper.
BREAK Five Minutes TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON You Should Go and Love Yourself
Let’s welcome Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
MARK 4:24 And Jesus was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you…and more will be given you besides.
OFFERING FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE Dave McClure, Instrumental
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION The Lord Shows Us How to Be ALL IN Living ALL OUT
Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of love in The Christian Way of Living. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate and personal relationship with His believers by sharing His body and His blood with us. First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread (His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.
Non-resident congregation members are invited to join in the sharing of the communion elements with the resident congregation. Get your own bread and your own cup and celebrate with us. We are one…in unity…we are in fellowship with each other…so let’s break the bread and drink the cup together in honor of our Lord. This is a celebration for which we set aside time. We don’t do it on the move.
During The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the Lord Jesus Christ wants His believers to look back to the reality of His death on a Cross and the shedding of His blood as a sacrifice for us…the Lord wants us to remember He has been resurrected from the dead…and Jesus wants us to look forward with absolute confidence that He will come again.
The Lord’s Supper Celebration reminds us that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD, and that our Lord won the Creator-creature conflict through His work on the Cross.
So exactly what does The Lord’s Supper Celebration mean to you?
When I look back to the Cross I see a God who is ALL IN living ALL OUT. It’s the same thing He wants from us. ALL the Lord asks of us is ALL. Luke, Chapter 10, Verse 27…
LUKE 10:27 And the lawyer answered Jesus saying (what is written in the law is that), “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart… and with all your soul…and with all your strength…and with all your mind…and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself…unconditionally.”
The Resurrection Life given to believers in Christ at the moment of salvation is an ALL IN life. Are you ALL IN living ALL OUT?
Why do we fail to be ALL IN living ALL OUT so often? Is it our “toe in the water” commitments? Is it our waiting for someone else to do things? Is it our waiting for permission to act? The Lord would tell us to “get naked and to get in the pool” ... or maybe He would say get naked and get on your Cross…either way He’s telling us to be ALL IN living ALL OUT, just as He is.
What are the components of a life ALL IN living ALL OUT? What did the Lord Show us at the Cross?
FORGIVENESS is a component of a life ALL IN living ALL OUT…a decision to not remember the inadequacies of others…Luke, Chapter 23, Verse 34…
LUKE 23:34 (As He hung from the Cross) Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them…for they do not know what they are doing.”
Who in your life do you need to forgive?
GRATITUDE is a component of a life ALL IN living ALL OUT…giving thank for the prosperity AND for the adversity God uses to shape our lives… Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 to 5
EPHESIANS 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…who has blessed us believers in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in union with Christ…
EPHESIANS 1:4 …just as the Father chose us believers in Christ to be in union with Christ before the foundation of the world…that we would be holy and blameless (though our union with Christ) before the Father.
EPHESIANS 1:5 In unconditional love, God the Father predestined us believers in Christ to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…
Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verse 30
EPHESIANS 5:30 …we are members of His body.
What are the things that you are grateful for?
HOPE is a component of a life ALL IN living ALL OUT…an absolute and confident expectation of an amazing future…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 25 to 27…
COLOSSIANS 1:25 Of this church I (Paul) was made a minister according to the stewardship God the Father bestowed on me for your benefit…so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God…
COLOSSIANS 1:26 …that is…preaching about the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations…but has now been manifested (made clearly visible) to His (Church Age) saints…
COLOSSIANS 1:27 …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 of glory.
What are your dreams? What are you hoping for?
POWER is a component of a life ALL IN living ALL OUT…Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…
PHILIPPIANS 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Psalm 23, Verse 5…
PSALM 23:5 You (my Lord) prepare a table before me (a banquet) in the presence of my enemies…
How is God delivering you from your trials?
VICTORY is a component of a life ALL IN living ALL OUT…there is no possibility of defeat…there is no possibility of failure for Christians who want to win…First John, Chapter 4, Verse 4…
FIRST JOHN 4:4 You are from God the Father, little children, and you have overcome false spirits…because greater is He who is indwelling you than he who is in the world.
Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 37…
ROMANS 8:37 …in all these things (tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword) we believers in Christ overwhelmingly conquer through our union with Christ…the One who loved us unconditionally.
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 57…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:57 …thanks be to God the Father, who gives us believers in Christ the victory through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
What are you asking God for?
Are you ALL IN living ALL OUT. AS we think about it, let’s enjoy the elements…
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION Enjoying the Elements
Obeying God’s command, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross on a regular basis…we eat to remember who He is as a PERSON…we drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made on our behalf as our sin substitute. We are grateful for what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done for us. Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…
MATTHEW 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body (which is being broken for you).”
MATTHEW 26:27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you…”
MATTHEW 26:28 “…for this is My blood…the blood of a new covenant (a new testament)… blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.”
As you enjoy the bread and the cup, enjoy the memory of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as well. Now and always, let us keep on giving thanks that we are loved unconditionally and we are accepted fully by a Lord who is always there for us…the One on whom we can depend…and let’s keep on being transformed by His life, His death, His resurrection from the dead and His Word.
LORD’S SUPPER SONG THE LION AND THE LAMB Crystal Lewis
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.
What do you believe about God?
Many people have beliefs about God. A belief is an opinion or a conviction or a confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable. Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs because there is a big difference between beliefs and truth. Only when your beliefs and the truth are the same is it significant. Satan hates the truth. Why? He can’t handle the truth. He loves beliefs.
Many people believe they can earn their way into heaven by doing good deeds. They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they are actively involved in community projects…they generously donate their time, talent, and treasure to charitable organizations…they “give back.” You’ve heard that term used countless times. People who “give back” usually are convinced they are good people becausethey “give back.” Many think they are so good, that after they die God will reward them by letting them into heaven for their good deeds.
The bible tells a completely different story. Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5 says…
TITUS 3:5 The Lord Jesus Christ saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness, but according to His mercy…by the washing of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 8 and 9…
EPHESIANS 2:8 For by God’s grace you have been saved through faith (in Christ for salvation)…and that grace and that faith and that salvation are not from the source of yourselves…it is the gift of God….
EPHESIANS 2:9 …so being saved is not as a result of your works (deeds you have done in self-righteousness)…so that no one may boast (about saving himself).
One thing you would never want is to put the burden of your salvation on your own back. So what is the truth about how you get to heaven if you can’t get there from doing good deeds? THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO GET TO HEAVEN according to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s what He says in 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.”
When we choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God, it is much more than a belief…it is the absolute truth! When we choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, it’s more than a belief…it’s the absolute truth! So how can you get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life? Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10 tell us…
ROMANS 10:9 …if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be saved…
ROMANS 10:10 …for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness by God (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone)…resulting in salvation.
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.”
However, heed the warning of 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.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
JOHN 3:17 For God the Father did not send God the Son into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.
Take the free gift of eternal life right now! There’s no time to waste! God wants you. Why bother working for your salvation with good deeds when it’s a free gift. Let Jesus “give back” to you!
Here’s June Murphy to tell us about the one way to get to heaven in her song THERE’S JUST ONE HOPE.
CLOSING SONG THERE’S JUST ONE HOPE June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
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