HOMECOMING 2021 - Part Two

Through the eyes of creatures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.  

 

Who is Jesus Christ?  At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 1 affirms it…

 

JOHN 1:1

In the beginning was the Word (the Lord…God the Son)…and the Word was with God Father …and the Word (the Lord…God the Son) was God.

 

The Bible refers to Jesus in so many ways…He is the Messiah…He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…He is the King of Israel…He is the Alpha and the Omega (the first and last)…He is the GREAT I AM…He is the Sovereign God of the Universe…He is the Light of men, and in Him, there is no darkness at all…He is the Son of God…He is the Son of Man…and it is a pleasure to be granted the opportunity by God to study His Word.  The apostle John gives us THE reason to study the Word of God…in John, Chapter 20, Verse 31…

 

JOHN 20:31 

…these things written in the Bible have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (The Jewish Messiah) … the Son of God (in human form) … and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in His name.

 

It’s Homecoming Weekend!  Welcome once again to the non-resident members of the Barah Ministries congregation.  The people who study with us on the internet have come home for a visit and we’re so happy to have them here.  Welcome home also to Pastor John Farley and his wife Roberta, our honored guests, who are joining us from Lighthouse Bible Church of South Florida.  Welcome also to all the members of Lighthouse Bible Church who are tuning in to these lessons.  All of you…your families…your Pastor…your church…and your spiritual welfare are of concern as we go boldly before the throne of grace in prayer…and we’re grateful to know that all throughout the world, and especially in your church, the truth concerning our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Word are being constantly honored and taught in every single lesson.

 

THE HOMECOMING LESSON 

How Does Satan See You?

Pastor Rory Clark

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Back when I was coaching youth basketball, I had a player who on any given night was the best player on the floor…more talented than all the rest.  Yet during the critical two minutes that inevitably decides every game, he doubted himself.  During the times when our team had a chance to wrest the momentum from the opponent team, he doubted himself.  After watching this for three games in a row, three close loses, I reached my boiling point.

 

During a critical stretch of the fourth game, he committed a careless turnover.  I called time out.  It’s unusual to call a time out after a turnover, but I had had it.  The team was wondering what was up as they came over to the bench.  The time out was for him and him alone.  I stared a hole in him as he walked over…head down…dejected.

 

What did I say to him?  I said in the calmest voice I could, considering I wanted to kill him, “Steve…you can doubt yourself any time you want…but do it at home…and not when you’re playing basketball in front of me.  Understand?  Evidently, he did, because we didn’t lose another game that season.

 

In last night’s lesson, I passed along a modified version of the same message.  How does God see you as a believer in Christ?  He sees a person who is transformed…from an Old Man to a New Creation…from Dust to a Work of Art…from a Sinner to a Saint…from an Unbeliever to a Priest… from a Commoner to an Ambassador…from the owner of Unrighteousness to the possessor of Absolute Righteousness…from Unholy and Condemned to Holy and Blameless …from in union with Adam to union with Christ… from In the Flesh to In the Spirit…from Slavery to Redemption…from Exiled to Reconciled…from Free Agent to a Possession of God…from Guilty to Justified…from the Object Of Wrath to the Focus of Forgiveness…from an Orphan to a Child of God.  With that message I want you to know this…it’s never okay with me if you doubt yourself!

 

Well, here’s the next question to consider…How Does Satan See You?  Deacon Denny Goodall blew this one wide open for me.  Last Sunday I told the congregation that I’d be teaching on this, and during one of the breaks, Deacon Denny said, “Satan sees us the same way God sees us.”  Wow!  Satan knows this…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 57…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:57

…but thanks be to God the Father, who gives us believers in Christ the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The game is over and believers in Christ have won.  Satan knows this.  Remember, he’s a brilliant genius.  And he hates it.  So, he spends all his time and resources to convince us that we aren’t the way God sees us.  Unfortunately, we believe him.  

 

In this first lesson, we’ll take a look at how the enemy of God works to rob us of our mental serenity.  Then Pastor John Farley will be back to continue teaching us about the Messiah…the Son of Man and the Son of God…our Lord…Jesus Christ.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

The Lord loves the obedience that comes from faith in Him…John, Chapter 14, Verse 21 says…

 

JOHN 14:21

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me unconditionally…and he who loves Me unconditionally will be loved by My Father unconditionally…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will love him unconditionally as well…and I will disclose Myself to him.”

 

As we deepen our love for the Lord through the study of His Word, the depth of His love for us keeps on becoming more of a reality to us.  But the Lord wants us to be clear on one thing…as June Murphy sings…the Lord says YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEG Him to love you!

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEG

June Murphy

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BEG

June Murphy

 

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 another chance to learn the Word of God…let the lessons of this weekend make a difference in how we see You, how we see ourselves, and how we see each other…let this time we spend together be relaxing, and refreshing, and restful, and stress-free, and fun…let this be a safe place to be vulnerable with each other…let this be a place where we know we don't need to impress each other…let this be a time to shed the baggage of the religious deceptions resident in our souls from false teachers teaching false doctrines over the years …replace those lies with Your truth that inspires peace in our souls…

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

name...Amen.

 

THE HOMECOMING LESSON 

How Does Satan See You?

Pastor Rory Clark

 

What comes to mind when you think about Satan, the enemy of God, and his demon army?  What ought to come to mind is how he sees you.  How Does Satan See You?  He sees you as a target.  Satan wants to influence you by deceiving you so that he can destroy you.  

 

The Art of War is an ancient Chinese military treatise written by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu.  It has influenced the thinking of some of the greatest military leaders in history.  A central premise of warfare, as outlined by Sun Tzu, is this… 

 

THE ART OF WAR

Sun Tzu

 

If you know the enemy and you know yourself…you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

 

THE ART OF WAR

Sun Tzu

 

If you know yourself but do not know your enemy…for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

 

THE ART OF WAR

Sun Tzu

 

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself…you will lose every battle.

 

These are interesting thoughts when applied to the spiritual life.  The Bible makes it clear that your spiritual life is warfare.  First Timothy, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 1:18

This command (to be a Pastor) I (Paul) entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you (and your call to the ministry)…that by them you fight the good fight…

 

The spiritual life is a fight…and in First Timothy, Chapter 6, Verse 12, believers in Christ are instructed to…

 

FIRST TIMOTHY 6:12

Keep on fighting the good fight of faith…keep on taking hold of the (remembrance that you have) eternal life (a resurrection life) to which you were called by God the Father, and to which you made the good confession (by the baptism of the Spirit) in the presence of many witnesses.

 

The Bible warns believers in Christ to know their enemy.  Ephesians, Chapter 6, Verse 11…

 

EPHESIANS 6:11

Pick up and put on the full armor of God (the panoply…an impressive array of spiritual weapons provided by God)…so that you believers in Christ will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

 

God has an enemy.  The bible calls him by many names, but his primary name is Satan…the devil.  Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the same enemy.  DO YOU KNOW THE ENEMY?  Remember Sun Tzu’s words…

 

THE ART OF WAR

Sun Tzu

 

If you know the enemy and you know yourself…you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

 

Let’s consider a Biblical passage and see if it lends insight into what we need to know about our enemy.  How does Satan operate in the lives of unbelievers and believers?  Luke, Chapter 8, Verses 4 to 15…

 

LUKE 8:4

When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, Jesus spoke to them by way of a parable… 

 

LUKE 8:5 

“The sower went out to sow his seed…and as he sowed, some seed fell beside the road…and it was trampled underfoot…and the birds of the air ate it up.”

 

LUKE 8:6 

“Other seed fell on rocky soil…and as soon as it grew up, it withered away because it had no moisture.”

 

LUKE 8:7 

“Other seed fell among the thorns (weeds)…and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.”

 

LUKE 8:8 

“Other seed fell into the good soil…and the seed grew up…and it produced a crop a hundred times as great.”  As Jesus said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear…let him hear.” 

 

LUKE 8:9 

Jesus’ disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant.

 

LUKE 8:10 

And Jesus said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God…but to the rest it is told in parables…so that seeing they may not see…and hearing they may not understand.”

 

LUKE 8:11 

“Now the parable is this…the seed is the Word of God.”

 

Who is the sower of the seed?  In the parable, it is the Lord, but in reality, it is both the Lord and anyone who is willing to be a mouthpiece of the Lord.  These are the sowers.  Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 12…

 

LUKE 8:12 

“Those seed that fell beside the road are like those who have heard the Word…then the devil comes and snatches the Word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.”

 

Satan's propaganda machine pounds away at the unbeliever's heart to 

harden it…to convince him either to be indifferent or antagonistic to God.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verses 3 and 4 say…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:3

And even if our gospel is veiled, and of course it is, it is veiled to those who are perishing (unbelievers)…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4 

…in whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

 

The gospel isn’t hard to hear…the gospel is readily available to anyone who wants it…but God has an enemy who is on an incessant campaign to distract unbelievers from the gospel message.  Continuing in Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 13…

 

LUKE 8:13 

“Those seeds sown on the rocky soil are like those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy…and these have no firm root…they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.”

 

These are people who are easily distracted.  "Squirrel!"  They are rootless.  They never stay in one place long enough to allow the seeds planted in them to grow.  They are the new-new-new-more-more-more people of this world.  They are shallow.  Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 14…

 

LUKE 8:14 

“The seed which fell among the thorns…these are like the ones who have heard the Word and as they go on their way they are choked with the worries and the riches and the pleasures of this life…and bring no fruit to maturity.”

 

If Satan can’t harden your heart…if he can’t distract you…he’ll overwhelm you.  He’ll fill your life with so much activity that your productivity will be choked out.  Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 15…

 

LUKE 8:15 

“But the seed sown in the good soil…these are the ones who have heard the

Word with an honest and good heart…and hold fast the Word…and they bear fruit with perseverance.”

 

There are seeds that produce a harvest.  Thanks be to God the Holy Spirit for producing the fruit of the Spirit in us.  How does Satan see us?  He sees us as targets…and he uses any number of weapons to harden us…to shallow us… to choke us.  How would God want us to handle the devil?

 

DON’T BELIEVE HIM.  Why?  John, Chapter 8, Verse 44…

 

JOHN 8:44

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

 

DON’T FOCUS ON HIM.  Okay…then where do we focus?  Hebrews, Chapter 12, Verse 2…

 

HEBREWS 12:2a

…fixing our eyes on Jesus…the pioneer and perfecter of faith…

 

DON’T WORRY ABOUT HIM.  Romans, Chapter 16, Verse 9…

 

ROMANS 16:19 

For the report of your obedience to God has reached all of us...therefore I (Paul) am rejoicing over you...but as a reminder I want you to be wise in what is good (the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ) and innocent in what is evil (not being conformed to the world...instead being transformed by God through the renewing of your minds).

 

Let’s not let Satan distract us so that we don’t get to know and to be intimate with the Lord, thus forfeiting the chance to become the person the Lord has destined us to be from eternity past.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll hear Pastor John Farley continue his teaching on Jesus…the Son of Man and the Son of God.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

Donna Summers

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

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 on standing firm in the freedom…and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

 

That’s the salvation the Lord invites us to…or as June Murphy puts it in song…the Lord is CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM

June Murphy

 

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

CALLING YOU TO FREEDOM

June Murphy

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

         A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

We close each week with a doxology.  What is a doxology?

 

DOXOLOGY

Biblical words containing praise to our Almighty 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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