(#044) 1 Corinthians 9 - Adapting to Others Can Win Them to Christ

The greatest amoung you shall be your servant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!  

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Why do we study the Bible?  Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 4 tells us…  

 

ROMANS 15:4 

For whatever was written in Scripture in the past was written to teach us believers in Christ…giving us endurance and encouragement through the Scriptures so that we might keep on having hope.

 

Spiritual wealth comes to believers in Christ who hear the Word of God and regard it as a foundational part of their lives.  Do you?  Welcome to the lesson!

 

What would you say if someone asked you to tell them about Jesus?  Here’s what I’d say!

 

At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God.  As the Lord He is 100% Deity…He is God the Son, a member of the Triune Godhead.  He is also 100% human just like you and me, and His name is Jesus Christ.  The Lord…God the Son…became flesh…Jesus Christ...and lived among us.  He is the uniquely born One…100% God and 100% man in one Person forever.  He is the Sovereign God of the Universe.  He is the Jewish Messiah.  The Lord was not sent by God the Father to judge the world, but that the world would be saved through Him.  He died on a Cross to make the ONLY perfect payment for sin in the eyes of God the Father through the shedding of His blood.  As a result of His strategic victory at the Cross, we are fully and forever forgiven of our sins. 

As those who make Barah Ministries our spiritual home, we are Christians.    Being a Christian means we believe in the DEITY of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with Him.  You heard it right…Christianity is a relationship, not a religion.  The Lord Jesus Christ is a Person … He is not a “thing” … and He is not a concept.  Just as we do with anyone whom we love, we spend time getting to know the Lord.  Since the Bible is His exact thinking, we come together to learn about Him through the study of His mind, the Word of God.

 

God has an enemy, Satan, “the ruler of this world.” He is a liar who deceives the whole world, including you.  He doesn’t want you to get to know God, and he interferes with your chance to know God. 

 

The Word of God is the truth…and it keeps us aware of Satan’s insidious deceptions.  As believers in Christ, we are in union with Christ, and we have the victory over Satan through our Lord, who has overcome the world. 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Adapting to Others Can Win Them to Christ

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

The WRATH OF GOD is real and the WRATH OF GOD is coming soon!  Do you know that?  Do you believe it?  Does it matter to you when you think of your loved ones who have not believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation yet?  If we thought about that more, would we have as casual an attitude toward our evangelism efforts as we do?

 

As we continue our study of First Corinthians midway through Chapter 9, we’re going to listen to Paul as he continues to build his argument about food sacrificed to idols…but I want you to feel him as much as you hear him.  I want you to know why it is so important to Paul to forsake his right to be paid as a Pastor.  It can be summed up in three words.  Save.  Win.  Partake.  Paul wants to SAVE people from the coming WRATH of God the Father… Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 9…

 

ROMANS 5:9 

Much more then, having now been justified by the Lord Jesus Christ’s blood,

we believers in Christ shall be SAVED FROM THE WRATH OF GOD THE FATHER through our union with Christ.

 

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ…we are SAVED…we CANNOT experience the wrath of God the Father.  Our unbelieving friends have not been saved from that wrath.  

 

Paul wants to WIN people over to the resurrection life…John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36a

“He who believes in the Son has THE RESURRECTION LIFE (eternal life) right at that moment…”

 

As believers in Christ, we have a life with no beginning and no end.  We share the life of God.  Our unbelieving friends may not know it, but they have everlasting life…a life with a beginning and no end.  Their souls, the real essence of their person, will never die.  But it will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire…it will experience the WRATH OF GOD THE FATHER if they continue to reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Paul wants to PARTAKE with others in the benefits of the gospel…First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verse 9…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:9

For God the Father has not destined us believers in Christ for wrath…but He has destined us for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ…

 

In today’s lesson, Paul lets his feelings be known about his absolute love for those who are not saved, and he communicates his mission…to SAVE, to WIN, and to PARTAKE.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s listen to some music!  Are you afraid to meet your Maker?  First John, Chapter 4, Verse 18 says…

 

FIRST JOHN 4:18

There is no fear in unconditional love…but perfect love casts out fear

because fear involves (the inner torture of) punishment…and the one who fears is not perfected in unconditional love.

 

As believers in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we fear nothing, and especially not the day when we go home to be with the Lord.  Here’s Josh Baldwin to sing about it in his song about God’s love for us…STAND IN YOUR LOVE.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

STAND IN YOUR LOVE

Josh Baldwin

 

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 placing us in Your enemy’s kingdom…it is a gift…in this kingdom of darkness You are teaching us to love the light and to be the light for a lost and dying world…thank you for giving us confidence in every circumstance because of the clarity offered by Your Word…thank you for the secure future you have provided for Your believers so that we can live forever into all eternity glorying in the magic of You…

 

Make Your love burn inside of us Father, so that we have an overwhelming desire to get Your gospel message to those in our periphery who need it…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s

name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Adapting to Others Can Win Them to Christ

 

When there is calamity in your life, like there is right now…a calamity you did not incite…a calamity the likes of which you have never known, do you trust the Lord?  Job did…let’s listen to a part of his story in Job, Chapter 1, Verses 1 to 21…

 

JOB 1:1

There was a man in the land of Uz (located in southwestern Jordan near southern Israel) whose name was Job…and that man was blameless and upright (a believer in Christ whom God made that way)…respecting  God and turning away from evil.

 

JOB 1:2 

Seven sons and three daughters were born to him.

 

JOB 1:3 

His possessions also were 7,000 sheep (for clothing and food), 3,000 camels (for transportation and milk), 500 yoke of oxen (for food, milk and work power), 500 female donkeys (more transportation), and very many servants (a workforce)…and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east (in northern Arabia).

 

JOB 1:4 

His sons used to hold a feast in the house of each…on his (birth)day…and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

 

JOB 1:5 

When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would pray for them (he was a spiritual man), rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all…for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus, Job prayed (for them) continually.

 

JOB 1:6 

Now there was a day when the sons of God (in Hebrew…the be-ne-ha Elohim…the angelic creatures) came to present themselves before the Lord…and Satan also came among them.

 

JOB 1:7 

The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth (my kingdom) and walking around on it.”

The tyrant was looking for someone to devour.

 

JOB 1:8 

The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant (a believer in Christ) Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, respecting God and turning away from evil.”

 

JOB 1:9 

Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job respect God without a reason?” 

 

Now Satan “projects” his internal motivation onto Job.

 

JOB 1:10 

“Have You not made a hedge (of protection) about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.”

 

Satan is suggesting that Job and the Lord are in a “this for that…quid pro quo” relationship.  Job worships because God blesses him with possessions and a family.  Then Satan suggests that adversity would turn Job against God.

 

JOB 1:11 

“But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has…he will surely curse You to Your face.”

 

Satan is attacking the integrity of God…he is saying that people worship only because God blesses them.  The Lord made an offer to shut Satan up.

 

JOB 1:12 

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him (you can’t take his life).” So, Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

 

Satan instigated attacks on Job from all sides.

 

JOB 1:13 

Now on the day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house…

JOB 1:14 

…a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the

donkeys feeding beside them…”

 

JOB 1:15 

“…and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

JOB 1:16 

While this servant was still speaking, another servant also came and said, “The fire of God (lightning) fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

JOB 1:17 

While this servant was still speaking, another servant came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 

 

JOB 1:18 

While this servant was still speaking, another servant also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house…”

 

JOB 1:19 

“…and behold, a great wind (a tornado) came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

 

Job went from having everything to having nothing.  Imagine the grief! What was Job’s response to grief?  Satan said Job would turn on God.

 

JOB 1:20 

Then Job arose and tore his robe (in shock) and shaved his head (which represented the loss of personal glory)…and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

 

JOB 1:21 

Job said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall be

when I die (man…you are dust and to dust you shall return).  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

 

JOB 1:22 

Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

 

Job followed adversity with adoration and he followed woe with worship.  Job thanked God for the calamity…so must we.  We thank God for the spiritual gymnasium…spiritual workouts are the best!  We worship through our grief concerning the freedoms that have been taken away.  Like Job, we endure the pain, no matter how deep.

 

What are you like amid undeserved suffering?  The underlying feeling is … “It’s not fair!”  You’re right.  Yet the Lord controls history.  Nothing happens without his permission.  In prayer, ask God for what you want.  Then watch Him work.  When we return from our five-minute break, we’ll take your offering, and then we’ll continue our study of First Corinthians, Chapter 9.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Adapting to Others Can Win Them to Christ

 

We are to follow the Lord's example in everything…especially in giving.  John, Chapter 3, Verse 16 says…

 

JOHN 3:16

“God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He GAVE His uniquely born Son…

 

How do Christians give?  There must never be a time when we don’t give.  When we give, we are simply redirecting to God what He has given to us, because everything we have comes from God.  Giving is an expression of your faith in God.  Let your giving rival God’s and watch the things that flow to your life as a result.  Give something.  Give anything. Give now.  Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with today’s offering message.

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

FIRST JOHN 4:1

Beloved…do not believe every spirit…but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

David Bauer, Instrumental

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Adapting to Others Can Win Them to Christ

 

Welcome back!  The passage under study extends from First Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 1 to First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 1.  Remember why we are studying this passage.  Chloe’s people have asked the apostle Paul a question that he is answering…First Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 4…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 8:4

NOW CONCERNING the eating of things sacrificed to idols (like food), we know that idols don't exist in the world and that there is no God that exists but the One (true God…the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

In First Corinthians, Chapter 8, the apostle Paul introduces the idea that the spiritually mature must forgo certain freedoms for the benefit of the immature…freedoms like eating idol meat.  In First Corinthians, Chapter 9, he builds on the argument by using himself as an example….Paul forgoes being paid for spreading the gospel message even though the Lord allows for Pastors to be paid for their work.    Now we study verse-by-verse First Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verses 13 to 27 as Paul continues to build his argument…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:13 

Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from

the altar?

 

Paul says that even pagans know about being compensated for their work by eating of the food sacrificed to idols.

 

 FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:14

So also, the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living

from the gospel.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:15 

But I (Paul) have not taken advantage of any of my rights (to receive financial support). Nor do I write to receive (financial) support (now)…for it would be better for me to die (than to take anything from you)! No man will make my boast (of doing this gospel spreading ministry willingly) an empty one.

 

To Paul, preaching the gospel of Christ is a calling, not a job.  He is not at all doing the job for compensation.  The work itself is rewarding enough.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:16 

For if I preach the gospel…I have nothing to boast about…for I am under compulsion (by God to preach…I was knocked off of my high horse on the Damascus Road)…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.

 

When God places a calling inside of you, it burns in you.  You HAVE TO do it.  But you HAVE TO because you WANT TO.  We don’t have a coercive God...we have a gracious God.  We have a God who calls us to be all we are created to be.  He puts into us WHO WE ARE, and the desire to live who we are burns in us.  When we aren’t being who we are, we are miserable.  Even though living your calling is painful, not living your calling is worse.    

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:17 

For if I preach voluntarily, and of course I do, I have a reward…but if I do this ministry against my will (reluctantly), I still have stewardship (a duty) entrusted to me by God.

 

As Pastors, we do the work for the Lord.  You benefit.  By doing the work for the Lord, there is never a time when we can grow weary from the

beatings and the “doulos slavery” inherent in the calling because we know the one for whom we work is faithful.  We are obligated by choice to do the work for Him.  God has built integrity into the very fabric of Pastors.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:18 

What then is my reward when I preach voluntarily?  The reward is that when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right (to be compensated) in (preaching) the gospel.

 

Satan always distorts unselfishness.  He makes it dirty.  Paul is free to do as he chooses.  He chooses to give the gospel free of charge.  Satan spins a story that all of us always have an ulterior motive, simply because he does.  When there is a calling on your life, there is no ulterior motive other than to serve.  Paul’s focus is the Lord and the gospel…all else is secondary to him.  Selfish people, like the Corinthian believers, have a tough time connecting with what is going on in Paul’s unselfish mind.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:19 

For though I am a free man…free from bondage to all men…I have made myself a slave to all men, so that I may WIN more (men for Christ).

 

Paul, the free man, has voluntarily become a slave of Christ.  By extension, he is a slave to all the people he serves.  The last has become first.  In Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 11 the Lord said…

 

MATTHEW 23:11

…the greatest among you shall be your servant.

 

A person who makes himself a slave to others demonstrates unconditional love.  He gives, but he does not require…a one-way love.  Only God can make us this way.  Satan, the enemy of God, can’t understand this approach to life.  Paul becomes weak, and God makes him strong.  Paul illustrates the point…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:20 

To the Jews I became as a Jew so that I might win Jews (for Christ)…to those who are under the Mosaic Law, I acted as if I am under the Mosaic Law though I am not under the Mosaic Law…so that I might win those who are under the Mosaic Law…

The first part of this verse is a funny statement for Paul to make because he was Jewish.  In Philippians, Chapter 3, Verses 4 and 5 he says he was more than Jewish…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:4

If anyone has a mind to put confidence in the flesh (in their humanity and in their human credentials), I should far more than they…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:5 

…I was circumcised on the eighth day…I am of the nation of Israel…I am of the tribe of Benjamin…I am a Hebrew of Hebrews…as to the Mosaic Law, I am a Pharisee…

 

Boom!  Paul is a Jew of Jews!  Who can forget Paul’s offer in Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 1 to 6 where he offered to go to hell himself, if he could, to SAVE his Jewish brethren who had rejected Christ?  What Paul is saying in the Corinthians passage is that he is versatile enough to modify his approach based on the people to whom he was evangelizing, all to lead people to Christ.  Again, First Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 20…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:20 

To the Jews I became as a Jew so that I might win Jews (for Christ)…to those who are under the Mosaic Law, I acted as if I am under the Mosaic Law though I am not under the Mosaic Law…so that I might win those who are under the Mosaic Law…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:21 

…to those who are outside the law (Gentiles), I become as one outside the law, even though I am not without the law of God…I am under the law of Christ (unconditional love)…so that I might win those who are outside the law.

 

Those “outside the Mosaic Law” are the Gentiles (that’s us!), the group to whom Paul was sent by God.  Despite being assigned to the Gentiles, Paul always seemed to start his evangelism efforts with the Jews in the area to which he went.  He never forgot his roots.  One important thing to realize is that you can be Jewish and be a Christian if you so choose.  When Paul became a Christian, his life became uncomplicated.  He no longer had to worry about being a Roman citizen and a Jew and a Pharisee…he could now focus on the simplicity and purity of single-minded devotion to Christ.  The modern-day equivalent is when I laid aside the titles of the world that were attributed to me…colored…Negro…Nigger… black…minority…person of color…at risk youth…spook…jigaboo…African-American.  Through Christ, I learned that I am simply a human being who is a Christian.

 

When he became a Christian, Paul no longer took his instruction from the world and its systems…he took his instruction from Christ.  It was the modern-day equivalent of my abandonment of Roman Catholicism and Systematic Theology with all of their complications…studying and creating and preaching doctrines which were the precepts of men…instead, simply focusing on what the Bible has to say.  After all, the Bible is the mind of Christ, the one who created Christianity.  As Christians, we live simply to reflect Christ.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:22 

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak…I have become all things to all men, so that in all circumstances I may by all means SAVE some of them.

 

Paul makes it clear in Second Corinthians, Chapter 12 that when we are weak, that is when we are strongest because divine power is at work within us.  He became weak with those who were weak so they could understand and identify with becoming a Christian.

 

None of the adjustments Paul makes when he is dealing with different groups of people involves a modification of the truth.  The truth is the truth.  You don't tell people what they want to hear and then water down the truth for them.  That's what most people want…a watered-down, non-offensive, no pressure, no indictment version of the truth.  I intend to have my Bible lessons be as offensive as possible.  The truth always offends those who don't want to hear the truth.  To those who don’t want to hear the truth, it is “blunt” and “brutal” and “too direct.”  Paul’s approach in preaching the gospel is to demonstrate empathy by meeting people where they are and seeing things from their perspective.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:23 

I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may have the benefits of the gospel for myself as well.

The easiest way to understand what Paul did is to understand what the Lord did as well.  The sovereign God of the Universe took on the form of man to demonstrate that he understood what it is like to be human.  Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 15…

 

HEBREWS 4:15

For we believers in Christ do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses…but we have One who has been tempted in all things just as we are…yet He is without sin.

 

The Lord put Himself under the Mosaic Law, a Law he wrote so that he could fulfill it.  The Lord used self-restraint to elevate us to His status.  Paul used self-restraint to elevate unbelievers to believer status and to help immature Christians see the path God is taking them on to maturity.  Paul closes this chapter with another example of self-restraint…the athlete in an athletic contest.  First Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verses 24 to 27…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:24 

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:25 

Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath (a reward of the games), but we do it to receive an imperishable eternal wreath (a reward from God).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:26 

Therefore, I (Paul) run in such a way, as not without aim (I run with a purpose)…I box in such a way, as not beating the air…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 9:27 

…but I discipline my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I will not be disqualified.

 

Paul’s rewards will come at the end of the race!  The point of Paul’s argument is simple.  First Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 13…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 8:13

Therefore, if food causes MY BROTHER (a fellow believer in Christ) to

stumble, I (Paul) will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

 

If Paul’s approach to the gospel causes anyone to stumble, Paul would rather die.  Would you?

    

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The closing message of this study is the most important message of this study.  We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU. 

 

First and foremost, this message is for the benefit of believers in Christ.  First Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 15 says…

 

FIRST PETER 3:15

…believers…sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts…always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you (the absolute confidence provided by your faith in Christ)… and give the defense with gentleness and respect…

 

Second, this message is for unbelievers, so you can be saved.  Whether you know it or not, you were born a sinner.  That’s bad news for you.  Sinners need a Savior.  The good news is that this gospel message offers you the chance to make the most important decision of your life, the one outlined in 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.”

 

What do you believe about God?

 

Many people have beliefs about God.  A belief is an opinion or a conviction or confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable.  Everything with God is provable!  There is no need for blind faith with God!  He reveals Himself in ways that make sense to human beings.  If He didn't, what kind of God would He be?  What would make Him worthy of our worship?

Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs because he knows there is a big difference between beliefs and truth.  Only when your beliefs and the truth are the same are your beliefs significant.  Satan hates the truth.  Why?  He can’t handle the truth!

 

What many people believe is that they can impress God so much that He will let them into heaven because of their good deeds and religious practices.  So, 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 the term "give back" used countless times. People who "give back" usually are convinced they are good people, impressive to God because they “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…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved us, not based on 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, if you can’t get into heaven from doing good deeds, what is the truth about how to get God to let you into heaven?  The ONE way to get into heaven…the ONLY way to get to heaven is through the Lord Jesus Christ… 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.”

 

The apostle Paul describes this amazing Messiah…the Christ…in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4… 

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3

For I (Paul) delivered to you as of first importance the gospel message I also received…that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 

…and that He was buried…and that He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Scriptures…

 

It's wise to let God save you because once God does something, it can't be undone…and God never changes His mind.  So, 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.”

 

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 absolute truth!

So how can you get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life?  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10…

 

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.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord…who took on human form as Jesus Christ) into the world to judge the world…but God the Father sent God 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 the Lord Jesus Christ’s work at the Cross “give back” to you!

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Once God gets a hold on you, He will never let you go according to Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 38 and 39…

 

ROMANS 8:38 

For I (Paul) am convinced that neither death nor life...nor (elect) angels nor principalities (demons...fallen angels), 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 sever us from the unconditional love of God the Father, who is for us through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.

Here’s June Murphy to sing a song made popular by Babbie Mason…and it asks a great question…WHAT CAN SEPARATE YOU?

 

CLOSING SONG

WHAT CAN SEPARATE YOU

June Murphy

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

         A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

Stop worrying about anything…instead, in everything by prayer and petition with an attitude of thanksgiving…let your requests be made known to God the Father. 

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:7 

And the peace of God the Father, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds (flooding your souls with peace)…you who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

JUDE 1:24

Now to Jesus Christ…the One who is able to keep you from stumbling…and the One who is able to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy…

 

JUDE 1:25 

…to the only God…our Savior…through our union with Jesus Christ our Lord…be glory…majesty…dominion…and authority…before all time…and now…and forever. Amen.

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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