(#020) Colossians 1 - When You Really Know Who You Are, You'll Appreciate the LordAre the lies louder than the truth?
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!
You live in a cosmicsystem of thought which the Bible calls “the world” …I call it the “lie bubble…and in it, you're being lied to all the time. Barah Ministries is here to provide you with the antidote…TROOF! Here it is…
TRUTH! Jesus Christ is God
John, Chapter 10, Verses 31 to 33 say this…
JOHN 10:31 The (unbelieving) Jews picked up stones again to stone Jesus.
JOHN 10:32 Jesus said to them, “I showed you many good works from the source of God the Father…for which of these works are you stoning Me?”
JOHN 10:33 The Jews answered Jesus, saying “For a good work we do not stone You…for blasphemy we stone you…because You…being a man…make Yourself out to be God!”
Evidently, these unbelieving Jews didn’t like the truth, sincethey were preparing to stone their Messiah, who really is GOD. John, Chapter 1, Verse 14 describes Him…
JOHN 1:14a And the Word (the Lord…God the Son) became flesh (taking on the form of a human being as Jesus…the Christ…the Jewish Messiah)…and He lived for a while among us (for 33 years)…
JOHN 1:14b …and (as John testifies) we (apostles) saw His glory (with our own eyes)…the glory of the only begotten One from the source of God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.
The TROOF! Jesus Christ is God!
TRUTH! Jesus Christ Provided Barah Ministries So People Can Learn the Truth
At Barah Ministries, we introduce people to the Lord Jesus Christ! We make a difference by teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective. In John, Chapter 8, Verse 32 the Lord declares that when you study the Bible…
JOHN 8:32 “…you will know the truth…and the truth will make you free.”
Welcome to a place where real people come to listen to a real Pastor teach real truth from the Word of God.Unbelievers hear the gospel message at Barah Ministries so they can be saved. In Acts, Chapter 4, Verse 12, they learn…
ACTS 4:12 “…there is salvation in no one else…for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved (except the name of the Lord Jesus Christ).”
To unbelievers, the Lord says, “I WANT YOU!”
Christianslearn the Word of God at Barah Ministries so they can develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord if they so choose. Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship. Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21 says…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21 God the Father made Jesus….who knew no sin…to be a sin sacrifice on our behalf…so that we might become the righteousness of God the Father (righteousness that is your admission ticket to heaven)…in union with Christ.
In His Word, the Lord says to believers in Christ, “I GOT YOU!”
TRUTH! You Can Choose to Make Biblical Thought Your Reality
We teach the Word of God at Barah Ministries to allow God’s truth to shape your reality instead of having you let the world’s lies shapeyour reality.Not only is the Bible the absolute truth, but also the Lord gives us someone who helps us understand biblical truth, introduced in John, Chapter 16, Verse 13 where the Lord says…
JOHN 16:13 …when He…God the Holy Spirit of truth comes (who I am sending to you)…He will guide you believers in Christ into all the truth…
TRUTH! God’s Enemy is a Liar Who Keeps on Perverting the Truth
Our enemy has many titles…Satan…the evil one…the tempter…the destroyer…the deceiver…the great dragon who deceives the whole world…the serpent who leads the world astray…the spirit that is working in the sons of disobedience…and the prince of the power of the air. An interesting study for you would be to surface all the Bible verses that reveal this truth.
The Greek word that describes Satan is diaboloswhich means “slanderer.” Satan caused all the angels to turn on the Lord by trafficking slander about the Lord amongst the angels. Satan was so convincing that all of the angels believed him without checking the evidence.It’s the same thing people do all the time…they hear things about you and they never check the evidence. The Lord describes His enemy to a group of unbelieving Jews in John, Chapter 8, Verse 44…
JOHN 8:44 You are of your father the devil…and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and he does not tell the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks, he lies…and lies are his native language…because he is a liar and he keeps on fathering lies.
Satan’s greatest deception is convincing the world that he does not exist… and he is quite good at deceiving. In First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 9 the Lord commands that believers in Christ…
FIRST PETER 5:9 …resist Satan by standing firm in your faith…
We place our confidence in the Lord. We reject Satan’s lies!
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON When You Really Know Who You Are You’ll Appreciate the Lord
LESSON INTRODUCTION
Galatians, Chapter 6, Verse 3 says…
GALATIANS 6:3 For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, and all of us do, he deceives himself.
Self-deception is part of being human.
Self-deception is the intentional choice of a mental state by which we ignore the truth despite the evidence. Psychologists see it as a great way to reduce the cognitive load we carry in the lie bubble that is Satan's kingdom. Our Lord and Savior prefers that we let Him transform us through the renewing of our minds with the truth of the Word of God.
In today’s lesson, as we continue our study of Colossians, Chapter 1, we’ll have a chance to see why God keeps on bringing us back to a recognition of how wretched each of us really are.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Sanctification begins for believers in Christ when God gives us a spiritual life at the moment of salvation. From that point on, God continues to separate His believers from sin as we learn in Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 6 and 7…
ROMANS 6:6 ...(believers in Christ have confidence) knowing this…that our old man was crucified with Christ so that our body of sin might be done away with…so that we would no longer be slaves to sin...
ROMANS 6:7 ...for he who has died to (the sovereignty of) sin is freed from sin by God.
Here’s June Murphy to sing one of her newest songs…IT IS FOR FREEDOM.
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
IT IS FOR FREEDOM June Murphy
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
IT IS FOR FREEDOM 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, Thanksgiving week is a great time to thank you for the price Your Son paid at the Cross to make an amazing life possible for us…thank you for always bringing us closer to You when our enemies assault us with a barrage of distractions…thank you for giving us divine strength when our human strength is inadequate to solve our problems…
…open our spiritual eyes so that we have insights about the traps that have been set for us…show us how to reflect You in everything we do…let Your unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace shine in dark places through us… help us to know that You are always planning something great for us and that You will reveal it right soon…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ's name...Amen.
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON When You Really Know Who You Are You’ll Appreciate the Lord
One of my favorite poems was written by nineteenth-century American poet Walt Whitman…it’s called “O ME! O LIFE.”
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
Oh me! Oh life! Of the questions of these recurring…
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
…of the endless trains of the faithless…of cities filled with the foolish…
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
…of myself…forever reproaching myself…for who more foolish than I… and who more faithless?
All of us reproach ourselves constantly as Whitman does here…
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
Of eyes that vainly crave the light…of the objects mean…of the struggle ever-renewed…
Many of us want a relationship with the Lord…the Light…but we’re too busy to crave it.
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
Of the poor results of all…of the plodding…and sordid crowds I see around me…
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
Of the empty and useless years of the rest…with the rest…me…intertwined…
The outcome is predictable…vanity…things seldom turn out the way we wish.
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
The Question?
O me! The question so sad…and recurring…“What good is there amid these things…O me…O life?
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
The Answer?
That you are here—that life exists…and your identity exists…
O ME! O LIFE! by Walt Whitman
…that the powerful play goes on…that the powerful play goes on…and you may contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?
That’s the question that lies recurring behind my teaching of the Word of God as I think of each of you…what will your verse be? Whitman does an amazing and romantic job of describing the futility of life. Yet that is NOT the life of the believer in Christ. Our life is better described in First Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 5:17 Therefore…if anyone is in union with Christ…and all believers in Christ are…there is a new creation…the old man things passed away (they died)…behold, new self things have come.
As we continue our study of Colossians, Chapter 1 we are reminded of the ground we have covered so far. The apostle Paul, writing from a prison cell to a group of people he would never meet, introduced himself in Verses 1 and 2…gave thanks for the Colossian believers in Verses 3 to 8…prayed for them in Verses 9 to 14…and introduced the preeminent One to them…the One whom we worship…the Sovereign God of the Universe…the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…Mr. First…in Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 15 to 20…
COLOSSIANS 1:15 The Lord Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God and Father…He is the firstborn of all creation.
COLOSSIANS 1:16 For by the Lord (God the Son) all things were created…things in the heavens and things on earth…both visible and invisible…whether thrones or powers or (evil) rulers or authorities—all things have been created through the Lord and for the Lord.
COLOSSIANS 1:17 The Lord is before all things…and in the Lord all things hold together.
COLOSSIANS 1:18 The Lord is also head of the body…the church…and He is the beginning…the firstborn from the dead…so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
COLOSSIANS 1:19 For it was God the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness (of Deity) to dwell in the Christ (in bodily form)…
COLOSSIANS 1:20 …and through the Lord, God the Father reconciled ALL THINGS to Himself…having made peace through the blood of the Lord’s Cross…through Jesus, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Our study of Colossians, Chapter 1 is teeing up Paul’s conversation to us in Chapter 2 where he reminds the Colossian believers and us that as soon as the truth is being taught anywhere…false teachers and false teaching infiltrate…sponsored by Satan…by his world system of thought which buffets us from the outside…this lie bubble that we live in…and by the flesh which buffets us from the inside…Satan’s design to interfere with our relationship with the Lord.
Let’s look at the next passage of study which is just three verses…Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 21 to 23…
COLOSSIANS 1:21 And although all of you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind…engaged in evil deeds…
COLOSSIANS 1:22 …yet the Lord has now reconciled all of you in His fleshly body through death…in order to present all of you before God the Father holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
COLOSSIANS 1:23 …if indeed all of you continue in the faith…firmly established and steadfast…and if you are not moved away (by false teachers) from the hope of the gospel message that you have heard…which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven…and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
For me, the first verse in this passage reaches its tentacles back into Romans Chapter 3, Verses 10 to 18…the most scathing indictment of human beings ever written…
ROMANS 3:10 …as it is written, “There is no creature who is righteous before God…not even one…”
ROMANS 3:11 "…there is no creature who understands either God or any divine thing…there is no creature who seeks a relationship with God…"
ROMANS 3:12 “…all creatures have turned aside from God…together all creatures have become useless…there is no creature who does good…there is not even one.”
ROMANS 3:13 “…their throat is an open grave…with their tongues they keep on deceiving…the poison of asps is under their lips…”
ROMANS 3:14 “…whose mouth is full of cursing and bitter blasphemy…”
ROMANS 3:15 “…whose feet are swift to shed blood…”
ROMANS 3:16 “…for whom destruction and misery are in their paths…”
ROMANS 3:17 “…and the path of peace they have not known…”
ROMANS 3:18 “…there is no respect for God before their eyes.”
Hupocrites…hypocrites! People talking from behind a mask. God assigns Pastors to get before a crowd like this…and for twenty-two years I have been answering His call…and it is a wearying job to say the least. Nonetheless, it is a pleasure…because of what God can do with a motley crew like this…detailed in Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 22…
COLOSSIANS 1:22 …yet the Lord has now reconciled all of you in His fleshly body through death…in order to present all of you before God the Father holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
Our God does amazing things when there is little to work with…first and foremost with me. When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering, and then we’ll see what the message is in these three short verses of a magnificent letter.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON When You Really Know Who You Are You’ll Appreciate the Lord
When we GIVE, we present something voluntarily without any expectation of return compensation. We can give of our time…we can give of our talent…and we can give our treasure. As our relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ grows, we learn to make giving our life’s work, without expecting anything in return. Yet the Lord does not honor our desire to get nothing in return. He always providesuswith an abundance.John, Chapter 10, Verse 10 says…
JOHN 10:10 The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) came so that believers in Christ may have the resurrection life…and Icame so they might have the resurrection life abundantly.
As a result of the Lord’s generosity, we learn not to have a mindset of scarcity in the matter of giving. As you give today, give without fear…give abundantly…knowing that with the Lord you will ALWAYS get abundance in return. Receiving in return is NOT your motivation…it’s just a fact when you are in union with the Lord.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of hisalwaysinspiringoffering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall OFFERING VERSE
JAMES 4:7 Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
OFFERING VERSE
SECOND THESSALONIANS 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm…and hold to the traditions which you were taught…whether by word of mouth or by a letter from us.
OFFERING SONG FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES Larnelle Harris
TODAY'S BIBLE LESSON When You Really Know Who You Are You’ll Appreciate the Lord
Colossians, Chapter 1, Verses 21 to 23 clarified…
COLOSSIANS 1:21 At one time, all of you were alienated from God and hostile in mind (as unbelievers)…doers of evil deeds…
COLOSSIANS 1:22 …yet the Lord has now RECONCILED all of you believers in Christ in His physical body through His death on a Cross…in order to present all of you before God the Father as holy in His sight…and blameless (free from being targets of accusation)…and beyond reproach (people without blemish…irreproachable)—
Satan can say anything he wants about you believers in Christ. God ignores it. (Unfortunately, you don’t)…either in yourselves or in others!
COLOSSIANS 1:23 …if indeed all of you continue in the faith…which of course you will…firmly established and steadfast…and if indeed you do not get moved away (by false teachers) from the hope of the gospel message that you have heard…which was proclaimed to every creature under heaven…and of which I, Paul, was made a minister by God.
It’s amazing what God has done with a group of “nothings.” He’s taken us FROM nothing TO something. Barah! He’s taken us from alienated to reconciled. He’s taken us from far off to brought near. He’s taken us from the other side of a barrier to witnessing a broken-down dividing wall, taking all ordinances against us out of the way.
He’s taken us from enemy to friend. He’s taken us from darkness to light. He’s taken us from alien to heir. He’s taken us from lost to rescued. He’s taken us from slave to free. He’s taken us from imprisoned to redeemed. He’s taken us from enmity to reconciliation. He’s taken us from false teaching to true teaching.
That’s what I’m proudest of in my fifty-eight years of being a Christian…the journey from the land of lies to the sphere of the truth. What a pleasure to bask in the fresh air of truth and to be rid of self-deception, simply by constantly being exposed on a day-by-day basis to the truth of the Word of God.
If you don’t continue growing in faith you have no hope…you get swept up in the madness of false teachers and their lies. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard someone say, “I don’t feel like I have to go to church to worship God." Those who say that are in self-deception…a temporarily psychotic state. If you don't get the truth from church, where will you get it from?
You’ve been getting it from me. I invite you to intensify your journey into the truth over the next year. I could look up all the verses that prove the FROM-TO things above. But maybe…just maybe…that is a task for you this week…a way to show yourself who you really were…especially who you are now in Christ. Pastors, like the apostle Paul, always want those under their charge to know who they REALLY were…and whom they have become through Christ. Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 8…the Latin sentiment is Quaecumque Sunt Vera…
PHILIPPIANS 4:8 Whatsoever things are true…let your mind dwell on these things!”
The truth kills self-deception. Once you know who you really were…and now who you really are…you’ll appreciate the Lord.
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
If you’re an unbeliever, what does God want for you?First and foremost, GOD WANTS YOU TO BE SAVED…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3 This is what is good and acceptable in the sight of the God who is our Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:4 …who desires all men to be saved and for all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Are you saved? That’s what God wants for you! Secondly, God wants you to know the TRUTH!
What the Lord DOES NOT WANT FOR YOU is highlighted in Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
SECOND PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation…as some accuse Him of…instead, The Lord is patient toward you unbelievers…NOT WISHING FOR ANY OF YOU TO PERISH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE…but for all of you to come to repentance (achange of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
Are you taking advantage of God’s mercy toward unbelievers?
Thesethree absolutely true facts may contradict the lies placed in your head by God’s enemy, Satan, through religion. Here are some examples of lies from the Roman Catholic Church…
WHAT DOES ‘REPOSE OF THE SOUL’ MEAN IN THE CATHOLIC MASS? by Sam Tetrault
In the Roman Catholic afterlife, the soul either goes to Heaven or Hellor Purgatory.
WHAT DOES ‘REPOSE OF THE SOUL’ MEAN IN THE CATHOLIC MASS? by Sam Tetrault
While most hope to spend the remainder of eternity in Heaven, not everyone earns this privilege.
WHAT DOES ‘REPOSE OF THE SOUL’ MEAN IN THE CATHOLIC MASS? by Sam Tetrault
No person on earth knows for sure where the dead go after they take their last breaths. There are no guarantees in Christianity. To live a life free from sin is the only way to achieve eternal peace in the afterlife.
WHAT DOES ‘REPOSE OF THE SOUL’ MEAN IN THE CATHOLIC MASS? by Sam Tetrault
Since humans cannot be entirely pure, they must do what they can to live a life as free from sin as possible.
These are lies. GOD WANTS YOU to have a written account of absolute truth…His exact thinking…so you don’t have to believe lies. John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31 highlight the purpose of the Bible…
JOHN 20:30 Therefore, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in the Bible…
JOHN 20:31 …but these things in the Biblehave been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (The Jewish Messiah)…the Son of Godin human form…and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in Hisname.
What is your source of truth? Do you know the truth…especially the truth about who God is as a Person…and the truth about what He has done to save you?
Maybe you don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ! Maybe you don’t think He is God! Maybe you don’t think the Bible is His exact thinking. Maybe you don’t even think you need to be saved. The Bible says that being saved…salvation…is exactly what ALL humans need from the moment of physical birth. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1…
EPHESIANS 2:1 At physical birth, all of you were born spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a For all in union with Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
The Bible says all who are spiritually dead need to be saved…they need spiritual life. The Lord Jesus Christ volunteered for the task of saving you. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 4 and 5 say…
EPHESIANS 2:4 But God the Father…being rich in mercy…because of His great unconditional love with which He loved all of us…
EPHESIANS 2:5 …even when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions…made us believers in Christ spiritually alive in union with Christ…by His grace you have been saved…
When you were spiritually dead, as ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers, here’s what God the Father gifted to you…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 yet sinners (when we were spiritually dead, ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers), Christ died as a sacrifice for us.
Who is this God who saves you? The apostle Paul describes the Lord Jesus Christ…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…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…
Because of the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, right where you sit right now, you can have eternal life…the resurrection life…by taking the suggestion 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.”
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.”
The Lake of Fire is a literal place, and it will be your eternal home if you reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. In spite of what religions tell you, you CAN’T work to be saved…it’s a free gift from a gracious God… 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…by the washing of regeneration and through the renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
There is no excuse for not knowing how to be saved. It’s SO simple. Why? It’s simple for you because God does the saving for you. All you have to do is invest your gift of faith…a gift you received from a loving God…and place that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation. Do it now…there is no time to waste!
SONG INTRODUCTION
There will be a day when all the cleansing necessary for our marriage to the Lord is finished according to the apostle John in Revelation, Chapter 19, Verse 7…
REVELATION 19:7 “Let us believers in Christ rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Jesus... because (the time for) the marriage of the Lamb has come…and His (virgin) bride (The Church) has made herself ready.”
As Church Age believers we are being cleansed for our marriage to the Lord. Here’s June Murphy to sing about it in one of her new songs…MY BRIDE.
CLOSING SONG MY BRIDE June Murphy
CLOSING SONG MY BRIDE June Murphy
CLOSING DOXOLOGY
Words of Praise to Our God
Let’s acknowledge the magnificence of our Almighty God.
PSALM 95:6 Come! Let us worship and bow down…let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
PSALM 95:7 For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture…and we are the sheep of His hand.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:58 Therefore, my divinely loved ones…be steadfast…be immovable…and keep on abounding in the work of the Lordalways…knowing that your labor is not in vain in union with the Lord.
ROMANS 15:13 Now may the God and Father of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…so that you will abound in hope by the power of God the Holy Spirit.
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:18 …in everything give thanks…for this is the will of God for you in ChristJesus…
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening! |