(#019) Colossians 1 - At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Reconciled Us and Redeemed UsOne decision can change your world.
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. Welcome to this Bible lesson! In Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 1…the apostle Paul says…
PHILIPPIANS 3:1 To write the same things over and over again is no trouble to me…and it is a safeguard for you.
We always begin our lessons here at Barah Ministries with the same set of questions. Do you tune out, waiting for the good part? This IS the good part!
Who is Jesus Christ?
At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God. He knew He was God, too, much to the dismay of His Jewish brethren while He was on earth…John, Chapter 5, Verse 18 says…
JOHN 5:18 …the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Jesus…because not only was He breaking the Sabbath (by doing miracles and healings)…but also He was calling God His own Father…making Himself equal with God.
Some people can’t handle the truth!
Why does Barah Ministries exist?
At Barah Ministries, we introduce people to the Lord. We make a difference by teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective. For example, what is God’s perspective on diversity, equity, and inclusion? Galatians, Chapter 3, Verses 27 and 28…
GALATIANS 3:27 For all of you believers in Christ who were baptized (by God the Holy Spirit) into union with Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
GALATIANS 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek (no racial distinction)…there is neither slave nor free (no social distinction)…there is neither male nor female (no gender distinction)…for you are all in unity who are in union with Christ Jesus.
Barah Ministries is provided by God for the benefit of unbelievers to give them the gospel message which introduces them to the good news concerning Jesus Christ’s salvation offer. The Lord’s arms are wide open to unbelieving ones! Luke, Chapter 15, Verse 4…
LUKE 15:4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine sheep in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?”
God’s message to the lost…to unbelievers is, “I WANT YOU!”
Barah Ministries is provided by God for the benefit of Christians as well… those who want a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord through the study of His Word. What are believers to do after salvation? Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 18 says we are to…
SECOND PETER 3:18 …grow in the sphere of God’s grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God’s message to believers in Christ is, “I’VE GOT YOU!”
Why do we study the Word of God?
We study the Bible to allow God’s truth to shape our reality instead of letting the world’s lies shape our reality. God wants our reality to be what Paul communicates in Romans, Chapter 12, Verses 1 and 2…
ROMANS 12:1a Therefore...I (Paul) beg you believers in Christ...as you keep on being persuaded because of the many mercies of God...
ROMANS 12:1b …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.
ROMANS 12:2a And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you)...but keep on being transformed by God the Holy Spirit through the renewing of your mind (by studying the Word of God)...
ROMANS 12:2b ...so that you may see clearly...through the testing of experience...what the will of God is...and the will of God is that which is good for you, and that which is acceptable to Him, and that which is perfect in result.
God has an enemy…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’ In John, Chapter 12, Verse 31, the Lord says…
JOHN 12:31 “Now judgment is upon this world…now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out (he will be dethroned at a future time).”
Satan wants you to busy yourself with the things of his world system so you don’t have time to learn what God has to say to you in His Word. First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 9 encourages us to…
FIRST PETER 5:9 …resist Satan by standing firm in your faith…
Don’t let Satan rob you of your spiritual life with distractions. THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Reconciled Us and Redeemed Us
How do you treat an enemy who betrays you? How do you treat a friend who betrays you? In today’s Lord’s Supper Celebration, God teaches us how to do both with RECONCILIATION and REDEMPTION.
SONG INTRODUCTION
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ you are His possession. He redeemed you…He purchased your life with a high priced sacrifice…First Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 18 and 19 say this…
FIRST PETER 1:18 …you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from the empty way of life inherited from your human forefathers…
FIRST PETER 1:19 …you were redeemed (purchased through the payment of a ransom)…with precious blood…the blood of a lamb unblemished and spotless (a lamb without defect)…the blood of (the lamb called) Christ.
Here’s June Murphy to sing about our REDEEMER.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
REDEEMER June Murphy
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
REDEEMER 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 always knowing the situations we face…thank you for being able to handle every situation we encounter because You have a divine solution for EVERY human problem…and thank you for having a personal, tailor-made plan to handle our situations…
…help us to see Your hand in everything we do by opening our spiritual eyes…the eyes of our heart…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Reconciled Us and Redeemed Us
Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ in The Christian Way of Living. The Lord demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with His believers by creating a way to keep on sharing His body and His blood with us, just as He did with His apostles on the night before His death. Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16…
LUKE 22:14 When the hour had come (and His crucifixion was near) … the Lord Jesus Christ reclined at the Passover table…and the apostles reclined with Him.
LUKE 22:15 And the Lord said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer … ”
LUKE 22:16 “…for I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you that I shall never again eat this Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God the Father.”
In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26a …as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26b …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.
During the Lord’s Supper Celebration, Jesus wants His believers to REMEMBER. We look back to the Cross for a moment and we REMEMBER how the Lord rescued us from the kingdom of darkness. We REMEMBER the Lord’s sacrifice of shedding His blood to cover our sins. We REMEMBER the gift of the resurrection life the Lord orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light. In addition, the Lord wants His believers to look forward with ANTICIPATION because He is coming again.
As believers in Christ, when we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, we ask ourselves in reflection, “What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?” At the Cross, the Lord made it possible for everyone to be RECONCILED and REDEEMED.
When we sin, we betray God. You may think you commit sins against yourself or others, but David thought otherwise in Psalm 51, Verse 3…
PSALM 51:3 Against You Lord, and against You only have I sinned…and I have done what is evil in Your sight…and You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.
David acknowledges that a betrayal of the Lord is deserving of whatever punishment a just God is inclined to hand out. Yet we don’t have a punishing God…we have a loving, compassionate, forgiving, and graceful God who is always willing to welcome us to Himself in spite of our betrayals and our flaws. Are you this way when you are betrayed?
Sometimes betrayals come from enemies….like the betrayal from the unbelieving apostle and treasurer of the disciples…Judas Iscariot…in Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 47 and 48…
LUKE 22:47 While Jesus was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas Iscariot…one of the twelve…was leading the crowd…and Judas approached Jesus to kiss Him.
LUKE 22:48 And Jesus said to Judas, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”
Sometimes betrayals come from friends. Peter, perhaps the bravest of the apostles, betrayed the Lord…in Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 31 to 34 the Lord says…
LUKE 22:31 “Simon (Peter)…Simon (Peter)…behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift all of you apostles like wheat…”
LUKE 22:32 “…but I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have prayed for you specifically, Peter, that your faith may not fail… and that you, when once you have turned (back to Me) again…will strengthen your brothers.”
LUKE 22:33 But Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
LUKE 22:34 And Jesus said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
Sometimes we don’t see the knife that is coming for our back from those who pretend to be friends. Our omniscient God, who knows all the knowable, always knew that both Judas and Peter would betray Him…but He gave them the benefit of the doubt to demonstrate His loving, forgiving, compassionate, and graceful nature. Are you this way when you are betrayed?
Even though we don’t have a punishing God, there is a penalty for sin. A righteous God can have no contact with unrighteousness. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…
ROMANS 6:23a For the earned wages of sin (the compensation paid for your sinful works) is spiritual death…
We can easily understand this idea from human law. No matter how much we like a person, when they commit murder, even for reasons we can understand from a human point of view, the justice required by law is that a murderer must pay for breaking the law. So it is with God. If God did not require us to pay for breaking His laws when we sin, He would be violating His very own integrity. This truth poses quite a dilemma for the human race because according to Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…
ROMANS 3:23 …all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
ROMANS 3:10 …it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”
Since every human being is born with Adam’s sin imputed to us…and since every human being commits personal sins in his lifetime, how can we ever have a relationship with God when betraying Him demands a punishment? As it says in Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12…
ROMANS 5:12 Therefore… just as through one man, Adam, sin entered into the world…and spiritual death entered the world through sin…and so spiritual death spread to all men…because all men were considered by God the Father to have sinned when Adam sinned…
Every human being comes to the earth as spiritually dead sinners. Because of the betrayal of Adam’s sin and because of the betrayal of our own personal sins there is an enmity…a condition of hostility…between God and us from birth!
God has a way of dealing with His enemies who betray Him. It’s called RECONCILIATION. At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ restored the peace between God and mankind, a restoration called RECONCILIATION. What is reconciliation?
RECONCILIATION The removal of an enmity…the restoration of harmony…the reinstatement of peace.
Because of the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross, peace between mankind and God is restored. Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 13 and 14…
COLOSSIANS 2:13 When you were spiritually dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh…God the Father made you spiritually alive together with Christ…having forgiven us all our transgressions…
COLOSSIANS 2:14 …and having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us…and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the Cross.
When we accept the Person and the Work of Jesus Christ for our own salvation, we are no longer sinners…we are saints…and the result is the restoration of peace between us and God…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 1…
ROMANS 5:1 Therefore, having been justified on the principle of faith in the past, we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having peace with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ… Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 11…
ROMANS 5:11 And not only this…much more! We believers in Christ also exult in God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 19 to 22…
COLOSSIANS 1:19 For it was God the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness (of Deity) to dwell in Christ…
COLOSSIANS 1:20 …and through Christ to RECONCILE all things to Himself…having made peace through the blood of Jesus Christ’s Cross…to reconcile all things, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
COLOSSIANS 1:21 And although you were formerly alienated (from the resurrection life and from God)…and although you were formerly hostile in mind (toward God)…engaged in evil deeds (sins)…
COLOSSIANS 1:22 …yet Jesus Christ has now reconciled you (to God the Father) in His fleshly body through (physical) death (on the Cross)…in order to present you before God the Father…holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verses 18 and 19…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:18 Now all these gifts are from God the Father…who reconciled us to Himself through Christ…and who gave us the ministry of reconciliation…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:19 …namely, that God the Father, through the Person and Work of Christ, was reconciling the world to Himself…not counting their trespasses against them…and God the Father has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
When we were God the Father’s enemy, He provided a solution that allows us to be reconciled to Him. The solution is His Son, who died in our place so that our sin could be paid for and we can be saved. Most of us have no desire to be reconciled to those who betray us. So if you don’t think God and His plan are special, you’re not looking at the evidence…because NOBODY would do things the way the Lord does them. NOBODY!
When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll see what the Lord did for His friends.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Reconciled Us and Redeemed Us
Legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, “You can’t have a perfect day without doing something for someone who’ll never be able to repay you.” As you give today, let your attitude reflect a divine attitude as communicated in Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 35…
ACTS 20:35b “…remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
When you give to Barah Ministries you make it possible for people who can’t afford the tools of the spiritual life to have them free of charge. Thanks in advance for your generosity.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of His always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
FIRST JOHN 2:15 Do not love the world (Satan’s cosmic system of thought which is hostile to God)…nor love anything in the world. If (3) anyone loves the world (maybe you do and maybe you don’t…you have a choice)…the unconditional love of God the Father is not in him.
OFFERING VERSE
FIRST JOHN 2:16 For all that is in the world…the lust of the flesh…the lust of the eyes…and the boastful pride of life…these things are not from God the Father…they are from the world.
OFFERING SONG UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Donna Summer and the Musical Youth
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION Enjoying the Elements
Bread and wine. The Lord gave us these things to remember Him. We will enjoy the elements together in a few moments as we listen to The Lord’s Supper Song.
Obeying God's command, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross regularly…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 sacrifice. 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…blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.”
As you enjoy the bread and the wine, 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 accepted fully by a Lord who is always there for us…the One on whom we depend…and let's keep on being transformed by His life, His death, His resurrection from the dead, and His Word…and let's enjoy His unconditional love, His forgiveness, and His grace.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Matthew, Chapter 1, Verse 23 says…
MATTHEW 1:23 “Behold…the virgin shall be with child…and she shall bear a Son…and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
As you enjoy the elements, listen to Chris Tomlin tell you about JESUS…MESSIAH.
LORD’S SUPPER SONG JESUS…MESSIAH Chris Tomlin
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Reconciled Us and Redeemed Us
God has a way of dealing with His friends who betray Him. It’s called REDEMPTION.
Do you know anyone who is wasting his life? I do. He’s a person who is a horrible steward of the gift of life God has given him. You would call him a thief, and he was quite good at it. What he was good at, mostly, was not getting caught. He lived his life that way.
His friends would encourage him to change. He heard the words they said, but he refused to listen. He was a very likable person, so his friends just hoped that somehow, someway things would change for him, and he would turn his life around.
Those words that no one wants to hear about himself applied to him. “He’s got a lot of potential,” people would say. You and I both know what that means. It means one day he could be good, but right now he pretty much sucks. Unfortunately, he never did turn it around. One day he got caught.
Many believers in Christ are wasting their lives this way…squandering the gift of life that God has given them. When they do this for long enough, they start to believe they can’t turn their lives around. These believers in Christ self-justify…“No one became a success overnight” they claim… “Life is not a light switch…you can’t just turn success off and on!” These believers fail to trust God’s Word…Luke, Chapter 1, Verse 37…
LUKE 1:37 “…nothing will be impossible with God.”
My friend probably said self-justifying things to himself over and over. One day, his thievery came to an end. He got caught. Like all thieves he was trying for the “big score” and it didn’t work. He was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death.
The friend I am referring to is your friend, too, if you’re a believer in Christ. You will meet him one day in heaven. He was one of the thieves who was crucified next to Jesus. The last day of his life was awful. He knew what was coming and there was no way out. Soon he would be hanging naked from a Cross, being taunted by the cruel ones who looked on. He would be a cautionary tale for all who chose not to turn their lives around.
His mother would visit him the night before. She would be so distraught about his fate that she would throw up. How did her son waste his life like this? Why would he choose this fate? It was over. He couldn’t redeem himself.
One decision changed everything.
Next to him on the Cross was the Sovereign God of the Universe…His Creator…the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…who was being crucified the same day. Luke, Chapter 23, Verses 42 and 43…
LUKE 23:42 And a thief being crucified next to Jesus was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”
One decision changed everything.
LUKE 23:43 And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you…today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
The thief couldn’t redeem himself…but the Lord was willing to redeem him. Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in union with Christ, and all believers in Christ are, there is a new creation…the old things passed away (they died)…behold, new things have come.
The Lord made him new. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…
ROMANS 6:14 For sin shall not any longer be a lord over you…for you are not under law but you are under grace.
Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 7…
EPHESIANS 1:7 In union with Christ, we believers in Christ have redemption…through His blood we have redemption…the forgiveness of our trespasses…according to the riches of the Lord’s grace we have redemption …
What is redemption?
REDEMPTION To buy a slave's freedom…which is what Jesus Christ did when He purchased believers in Christ with His blood. As a result, the Lord’s believers have eternal life…the forgiveness of sins…absolute righteousness imputed to their account…freedom from the law’s curse…
REDEMPTION …adoption into God’s family as sons…deliverance from sin’s bondage… peace with God the Father…and the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. To be redeemed is to be forgiven, to be made holy, to be justified, to be freed from slavery, to be adopted, and to be reconciled.
If a thief on the Cross can make a single decision that turns his wasted life around, you, a believer in Christ…a friend of God…can do much more! Don’t waste your life! For the thief, one decision changed everything. For you…one decision can change everything.
There is a lot for us to learn from our loving, compassionate, forgiving, and graceful God. God has a way of dealing with His friends who betray Him. All we can say about His way is…amazing!
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
The Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…the Creator of the heavens and the earth…YOUR CREATOR…loves you unconditionally and wants the best for you. So here is a question that demands reflection…are you a sinner or a saint?
According to the Bible, all of us come to earth as sinners. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
ROMANS 3:23 …all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
ROMANS 3:10 …it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous…not even one…”
Unfortunately, being a sinner has a penalty. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…
ROMANS 6:23 For the payment earned for being a sinner is both spiritual death and physical death…
Being a sinner is bad news, especially if you die as a sinner. Revelation, Chapter 20, Verse 15…
REVELATION 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life (at the Great White Throne Judgment of unbelievers) … and that will be true for many…he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.
If you die before you accept a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, you leave this life as a sinner, and that is not good news for you.
However, the Bible is a guide for sinners and it contains good news! If you’re a sinner and you’re still breathing, you can choose to become a saint! The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Father have special plans for sinners… Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
ROMANS 5:8 But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind…in that while we were sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly, unbelievers) … Christ died (a sacrificial death) for us.
John, Chapter 3, Verse 16…
JOHN 3:16a “For God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He gave His uniquely born Son (the God-man…the Lord Jesus Christ…100% God and 100% man in one person…to be crucified on a Cross)…
JOHN 3:16b …so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish…instead, he shall have the resurrection life.”
The Lord Jesus Christ has His arms wide open, right this minute, waiting to welcome sinners into His kingdom. John, Chapter 6, Verse 37…
JOHN 6:37b …and the ones who come to Me (to believe in) Me…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will certainly not cast out (into the outer darkness…the Lake of Fire).
There are a few things you need to know if you want to be transformed from sinner to saint. First, you can’t work to be saved. God does the work for you! Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…
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 (not giving us what we deserve)…by the washing of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
Second, to be a saint instead of a sinner, you need to have a change of mind…the Bible calls this repentance…and it has nothing to do with your sins as many legalists claim. Repent means to change your mind about your desire to have a relationship with Jesus Christ…moving from having no desire to having an immediate desire to have a relationship with Him… Acts, Chapter 17, Verses 30 and 31…
ACTS 17:30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of your ignorance, God the Father is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent…”
ACTS 17:31 “…because God the Father has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through the God-Man Jesus Christ…whom the Father has appointed, having furnished proof that He is God to all men by raising Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Finally, you need to acknowledge the truths in First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:3 For I (Paul) delivered to you as of primary importance the gospel message I also received from God…that it was Jesus Christ who died for our sins according to the Old Testament 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 Old Testament Scriptures…
So how can you move from sinner to saint? John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…
JOHN 1:12 But whosoever received Him, to them the Lord Jesus Christ gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Jesus Christ’s name…
Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
But heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal 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.”
As a reminder, once you have salvation, you CANNOT lose it. An immutable God, who never changes His mind, saves you once and for all time…in John, Chapter 10, Verse 28, the Lord says…
JOHN 10:28 “…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ, and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
Believe now! There’s no time to waste.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…
SECOND PETER 1:3 …the Lord’s divine power has granted to us believers in Christ EVERYTHING pertaining to the resurrection life and godliness (The Christian Way of Living)…through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
June Murphy says in her song that we are GOD'S PROPERTY!
CLOSING SONG GOD’S PROPERTY June Murphy
CLOSING SONG GOD’S PROPERTY June Murphy
CLOSING DOXOLOGY
Words of Praise to Our God
Let’s acknowledge the magnificence of our Almighty God.
PROVERBS 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding…
PROVERBS 3:6 …in all your ways acknowledge the Lord…and He will direct your path straight.
PSALM 46:1 For God is our refuge and our strength…a very present help in times of trouble.
ISAIAH 40:13 Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength…they will mount up with wings like eagles…they will run and not get tired…they will walk and not become weary.
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
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