Special: Is the Bible Your Source of Truth?The mind of Chirst is open for all to read.
If you’re in the resident congregation turn off your electronic devices and put them away. Let this be a place where you aren’t distracted by the world.
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES
Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. Thanks for listening to this Bible lesson!
Why did God the Father create Barah Ministries?
The Father created Barah Ministries to give Pastor Rory Clark something to do every week. Pastor Rory’s life is so boring, he has nothing better to do than to sit in a chair for twenty-five hours every weekmaking his toes numb for the privilege of bringing you a lesson about the Sovereign God of the Universe that you can ignore completely and not apply in your life in any way.
It could be that.
OR it could be that God the Father created Barah Ministries to give you a protective sanctuary where you could escape from the propaganda curriculum of the world to learn about the ONE AND ONLY PERSON who cares about you more than you care about yourself. The Lord Jesus Christ cared so much about you that at the moment YOU decide, He places you into union with Himself for all eternity even though you were, you are not, nor will you ever be worthy of such an honor. How seriously do you take this kind of gift? Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in union with Christ, and all believers in Christ are (from the moment of salvation)…there is a new creation (created and gifted to you by God)...the old man things passed away (who you were BEFORE salvation died)...behold...the new self thingscreated for you by God have come! At the moment of salvation, you are a completely new spiritual being because of what the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit, and God the Father did for you. And every week, Pastor Rory Clark gets to tell you about the Godhead so you can ignore them, too.
How can you get to know this Lord? To know someone you have to know how they think….you have to know their mind. God the Father gave you a person with a teaching spiritual gift, Pastor Rory Clark, who helps you get to know the Lord through sharing the Word of God with you verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective.
If you’re being honest with yourself, rather than listen to what you’re hearing here, you’d prefer to listen to false teachers who bring lies for you to ingest alongside the truth to distort the truth so you can’t even tell what is true. The apostle Peter warns you not to be fooled in Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verse16…
SECOND PETER 1:16 For we (Peter referring to himself) did not follow cleverly devised fables from false teachers when we made known to you believers in Christ the divine power and the news of the secondcoming of our Lord Jesus Christ (which is imminent…coming soon)…in fact, we (Peter referring to himself) were EYEWITNESSES of His majesty.
Now that you have the Word of God in writing, Peter says it is more reliable than seeing things with your own eyes as he did...Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 19…
SECOND PETER 1:19a NOW, we (Peter referring to himself)have the prophetic Word of God (in writing…the Bible) which makes us (Peter referring to himself)even more sure…
SECOND PETER 1:19b …and as for the Word of God…you do well to pay attention as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place…until the day dawns (the day of the second coming of Christ) and the Morning Star (the Lord…Jesus…the Christ) arises in your hearts.
Are you paying that level of attention?
For every question you have about what to do in life, the Bible has the answers. EVERY QUESTION! You make not like the answers and you may not want to hear the answers. You may think the APPs on your phone have better answers. That’s your right. The Bible has THE RIGHT ANSWERS. Is it the first source you consult?
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 and his demon army are not just out to deceive you…they are not just out to distract you…they are out to DESTROY you. The easiest person for them to use to DESTROY you is you. The second easiest person to use to DESTROY you is a Christian.
They want to ruin you and everything that is yours, and when you allow them to DETROY anything that is yours, they laugh at you and point at your misfortune. They taunt you. They encourage you to taunt yourself. That’s why the Bible and Pastor Rory Clark warn you to play defense…First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
FIRST PETER 5:8 Be of sober spirit…be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, keeps on prowling around like a roaring lion…seeking someone (that’s YOU) to devour.
Did you wake up this morning thinking that the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies are thinking about how to destroy you this very minute? If you didn’t awaken thinking of this, is it any less true? It’s true? How often do you hear it? Every week if you listen to the lessons at Barah Ministries. How often do you pay attention to it?
Despite evidence…right in your face…which you talk about all the time…which your Lord warns you about every time you come to a Bible lesson…you can’t imagine that someone would be interested in DESTROYINGyou. Okay…but your Creator says something different. Are you smarter than Him?
When Pastor Rory…who has nothing better to do with his life…introduces you to your Creator…shows you your Creator’s gift to you…asks you to get to know your Creator’s mind…and warns you to watch for all the ways your Creator’s enemy isout to DESTROY you…it is not because Pastor Rory has nothing better to do. It’s because your God and Fatherknows you believers in Christ need it. That’s why the apostle Peter wrote down what the Lord told him to tell you in Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verse 13…
SECOND PETER 1:13 I (Peter) consider it right…as long as I am in this earthly dwelling (my physical body)…to stir you up by way of reminder…
Yep…good old Pastor Rory…the one with nothing better to do wants you who come to these Bible lessons to open your eyes about the real reality of your life…your spiritual life. He wants you to become a serious student. Are you interested? Welcome!
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON SPECIAL: Is the Bible Your Source of Truth?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
In the last lesson of the first half of this year, we’ll take a look at our source of truth. When we return for our break, in the next lesson we begin study of Paul’s letter to the Galatian believers in Christ. Today you’ll be introduced both to the Bible and to the New Testament so that you have context for what we are about to study.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music! When it comes to God, we like talking a lot. MercyMe says in song Christians need to listen and let the WORD OF GOD SPEAK.Are you listening?
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
WORD OF GOD SPEAK MercyMe
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father open our minds and our hearts to YOUR truth…help us to crave this amazing gift You gave us…the Bible…so that we would have every answer to every question we would ever encounter in our lives…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON SPECIAL: Is the Bible Your Source of Truth?
LESSON PART ONE
I’m holding something in one hand. It’s called The Bible. Many people say it is just a book. What do you think it is?
In my other hand, I’m holding a book.
The Bible is a written manual provided by God to edify your life. It’s God’s thoughts in writing given to you as a gift by the Person who created you…the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible could never be thought of as “just a book” by anyone who is using a single brain cell in his head. A discerning person…someone who has investigated the truth….would know “the Bible is just a book” is silly talk.
Here’s what the Bible says about itself in Second Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 16…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 2:16 What creature (created by God) has known the mind of the Lord so well that he would be qualified to instruct the Lord? (NONE!)But we believers in Christ have the mind of Christ (the exact thinking of the Lord in written form and the ONLY instruction that is perfect).
Yet you listen to PEOPLE to get your information? In case you are wondering, this and every Bible lesson is being taught to you THROUGH Pastor Rory Clark by God the Holy Spirit. This is not Pastor Rory Clark talking. You may think it is, but it isn’t. This is your Lord edifying you and giving you the discernment to protecting yourselves in every situation. In Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17, the Lord informs you…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed…(out of God and into the writers of Scripture who wrote the Lord’s exact thoughts onto paper)…and it is profitable for TEACHING, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:17 …so that the man of God (a reference to Christians)…might keep on becoming MATURE (through the orchestration of God the Holy Spirit)… TOTALLY equipped for every good work.
Let’s look at the parts of these to see what message God is sending to you...
ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED Who is the source from which Scripture comes? THE LORD.
When you open up Instagram, who is the source of that information? You don’t really know, but it’s a creature, not your Creator. It’s a creature, sometimes inspired by the enemy of God you hear about every week who wants to DESTROY you.
How much time do you give to Instagram? How much time do you give to the Bible. To whom do you give more of your brain? To the One who created you and is concerned with edifying you, or to one who is interested in DESTROYING you? Do you give your time and attention to God in a scheduled manner, or to do you give your mind to Satan-inspired emissaries? You decide who you're allowing to shape your life and your mindset.
Scripture is God-breathed for what? IT'S PROFITABLE FOR TEACHING! Teaching about what? Your life. Teaching about the path that’s best for you to travel. Just like TikTok, right? Just like television, right? Just like books, right? These things are created to edify you, right? Not always.
The Bible is profitable for REPROOF. What’s reproof?
REPROOF People or things that warn you as you wander off the path.
Reproof is like the little bumps on the freeway, or like the new devices in cars that adjust your car when it wanders out of the lane. You hear a sound…or you feel the lane device makes your car pull you back into the lane you were in. Who offers this for your lifeif you let Him? The Lord Jesus Christ. Through what? The Bible. Not through a book.
The Bible is good for CORRECTION. What is correction? It’s a reminder of the narrow path God put you on. First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 9 reminds you…
FIRST PETER 2:9 …you believers in Christ are a CHOSEN RACE…you are a ROYAL PRIEST…you are A HOLY NATION…you are a people for GOD’S OWN POSSESSION (you are property!)…so that you may proclaim the excellencies of the Lord Jesus Christ…who has called you out of the darkness of spiritual death…into His marvelous light …the spiritual life…
Does the fact that you are a priest matter to you? And if it matters to you, can you get enough of it? When you love someone or something, you can’t get enough of it.
Let’s review Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verse 16…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed…(out of God and into the writers of Scripture who wrote the Lord’s exact thoughts onto paper)…and it is profitable for TEACHING, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS…
FOR TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
Why would you, as a believer in Christ, need training in righteousness? It’s because as an unbeliever, you were unrighteous. You know the unrighteous life, and you love that life even though you are no longer a part of the unrighteous life. You LOVE that life.
As a believer in Christ, what do you know about the righteousness and the life it creates for you, given to you byGod the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation?Probably nothing. Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verse 16…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed…(out of God and into the writers of Scripture who wrote the Lord’s exact thoughts onto paper)…and it is profitable for TEACHING, for REPROOF, for CORRECTION, for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS…
Why would God give you the Bible…this tremendous asset? Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verse 17…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:17 …so that the man of God (a reference to Christians)…might keep on becoming mature (through the orchestration of God the Holy Spirit)… totally equipped for every good work.
So you can be MATURE! So God the Holy Spirit can take you from being a baby believer to being a mature believer. God gave the Pastor Rory’s of the world a spiritual gift, and He is teaching Pastors to use the spiritual gift for a purpose… Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 14 and 15…
EPHESIANS 4:14a As a result (of the gift of people sent by God to you and resources like the Bible given by God for you…gifts from God to edify youbelievers in Christ)…we are no longer to be children…
EPHESIANS 4:14b …tossed here and there by waves…and carried about by every wind of doctrine (false teaching) from the source of the trickery of men…from the source of Satan’s craftiness in deceitful scheming (the one out to DESTROY you)…
EPHESIANS 4:15 …but by hearing someone who keeps on speaking the truth to you in unconditional love from the source of God…we believers in Christare to GROW UP…in all aspects of life, especially in your relationship with Him who is your head (The Boss)…the Christ…
You would rather not do that. You would rather get your instruction from men instead of God. Is this okay with you? Does it make sense for you.
You eat more than one meal a week. You eat more than one meal a day! Is it a regular practice of yours to STOP and to SIT DOWNevery day, just like you do for meals, to hear your Creatorthrough a resource He provides for you, and to see what answers He has for the questions in your life that He provided here in the Bible. You decide.
You may have more important things to do, like closing your eyes to all the things in this world that are designed to DESTROY you…and wandering away from all the things that are designed by God to build you up. This is what EVERY ONE OF US does, EVERY DAY, as human beings.
This Pastor is asking you…is it okay with you that you have so little regard for yourself…and that you give so much of yourself and your mind and your heart to things that lure you away for the narrow path…to those who seek to DESTROY you even though you may think that is not their mission.
YOU have to answer that. No creature can answer it for you. The Bible can.
That’s why twenty-five plus hours a week for the past quarter century learning from the Bibleis so important to me. Through it, our Creator keeps on answering the major questions of your life. Are you listening? Or are you ignoring Him in favor of some other source of truth?
You decide.
When we return from the break well take the offering and we’ll take a tour of the Bible…especially the books of the New Testament.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK THY WORD Amy Grant
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON SPECIAL: Is the Bible Your Source of Truth?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
Do you think Jesus ever thought about money? What the Lord thought about most was giving. As you think about giving, both today and every day, let your attitude reflect the Lord’s 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.’”
Let’s prepare to give as we welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
EPHESIANS 4:32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON SPECIAL: Is the Bible Your Source of Truth?
LESSON PART TWO
You probably don’t use the physical Bible any more. It’s just EASIER to use an electronic Bible. The problem? Easy is not how we learn.
If you are in the resident congregation, here in the lesson today, you have access to the Table of Contents of the Bible we use, The New American Standard 1995 translation.
The Bible has sixty-six books from God to you. Thirty-nine of the books are in the Old Testament. Twenty-seven of the books are in the New Testament. As Church Age believers, we study the New Testament. There is absolutely unique wisdom in the entire Bible because it is the Lord’s mind and because it comes from the source of God. Yet Church Age believers study the New Testament.
What did God make available to learn in the Bible?
The first four books of the Bible…Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…are called the gospels. Each of these books tell you about the life of Jesus Christ during the thirty-three years He was on the earth. What do you know about the authors of these books? What messages did the Lord inspire these men to write for your edification?
Matthew is a Jewish tax collector working for the Romans. The Jewish people hated the Romans, much as other countries hate Americans. He wrote about Jesus Christ’s Kingship. Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
Mark (his real name is John Mark) is a “Mommas boy.” He abandoned the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey because the work was a bit too hard for him. He went home to Momma. He wrote about Jesus Christ the servant.
Luke is a scholar and a physician. He was brilliant. He wrote about the chronology of the life of Jesus one event after another. He was inspired by God to tell us about Jesus as the Son of Man, one of Jesus’ many titles.
John is one of the twelve apostles to Jesus Christ. He described himself as the apostle Jesus loved. He was always laying on Jesus’ chest while the apostles were reclining at a meal. He was in Jesus’ inner circle. He was inspired by God to write about the Deity of Christ…to tell us that Jesus Christ is God and that by believing in Him we could have the resurrection life…eternal life…if we so choose.
Luke wrote the Book of Acts to tell us about the formation of the first century church.
Paul’s letter to the Romans reveals in depth the gospel message. How is it that you can be saved? Romans also answers the question, “What about the Jewish race now that it has been set aside for a period of time? It ends with a set of do’s and don’ts that would help us live a spiritual life.
Paul’s two letters to the Corinthians are to offer the worst church Paul founded a chance to look at themselves in the mirror. As you know, people don’t like looking in a mirror. They like pointing at the faults of others and ignoring their own.
The next letter we will study at Barah Ministries is Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul founded several churches in the Galatian region, and as soon as the believers there were built up by God and put on the right path, they relaxed. A group of false teachers with their false teaching came in and convinced them to veer off the righteous path. They allowed it.
We studied Pauls’ letter to the Colossians. It was about a congregation who was at the initial stages of being penetrated by false teachers and false teaching designed to destroy them. Is this only what happens to them, or was God warning them that this also happens to you? TikTok.
We could go on.
Is the Bible your source of truth? God gave you the Bible to give you a way to know Him and His mind. He wants you to have every answer to every question of your life in one small source. Is this source more important to you than all the sources Satan offers to destroy you? You know the answer to this question.
Enjoy your break.
We’ll enjoy learning about legalism’s poisonous effect in Paul’s letter to the Galatians when we return.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The closing moments of our Bible lesson today could be the ten most important minutes of your life. We want you to know that God wants you.
GOD WANTS YOU! He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
God gave you an amazing gift from the moment of birth…VOLITION…the ability to choose. You have the power of free will…the power of choice…you can make your own decisions.
What do you choose to believe about God?
There are many beliefs about God. A belief is an opinion or a conviction or a confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable. Yet 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, which means He reveals Himself in ways that makes sense to YOU! If He didn’t, what kind of God would He be? What would make Him worthy of our worship? Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20 says…
ROMANS 1:20a For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’sinvisible attributes…His eternal power…and His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…
ROMANS 1:20b …being understood through everything that has been made in the entire created universe…so that all mankind, especially unbelievers, are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.
Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs. He knows there is a BIG difference between beliefs and truth. Only when our beliefs and the truth are the same are our beliefs significant. Satan hates truth. Why? He can’t handle the truth! Do you choose to believe Satan or do you choose to believe God?
What many people believe is that they can impress God so much He will let them into heaven because of their good deeds and their religious practices. They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they “give back” to the community. Yet none of these good deeds, while admirable, are good enough to get them into heaven.
The Bible, God’s instructionsto edify your life, tells a completely different story about your works. Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5 says…
TITUS 3:5 The Lord Jesus Christ saved us believers in Christ…not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness…but according to His mercy (not giving us the wrath of God that sin deserves)…by the washing of regeneration and through renewing by God the Holy Spirit…
The Bible directs all mankind to let God do the saving!
You would never want to put the burden of your salvation on your own back. Your good deeds won’t get you into heaven, but God’s plan can! The ONE way… the ONLY way to get to heaven is through placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation…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 (eternal life) …and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”
The apostle Paul describes the amazing Jewish Messiah…Jesus…the 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 from God…that Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:4 …and He was buried…and He was raised from the dead on the third day…according to the Old Testament Scriptures…
When you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God…when you choose to believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven…these are much more than beliefs… it’s the absolute truth! So how do 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.
It’s wise to let God save you because once God does something, it can’t be undone. God never changes His mind. John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 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.”
Rejecting a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has consequences…Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…
MATTHEW 13:40 So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
MATTHEW 13:41 The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who commit lawlessness (unbelievers)…
MATTHEW 13:42 …and the elect angels will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (The Lake of Fire)…and in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Make the most important choice of your life! Do what is suggested 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.”
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 human good deeds when it’s a free gift from the omnipotent God? Let the Lord Jesus Christ’s work on the Cross “give back” to you!
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! Most people don’t know much about the Bible, but they have heard this verse…John, Chapter 3, Verse 16…which highlights Jesus’ mission concerning you…
JOHN 3:16 “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…to be crucified on a Cross) … so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish, but haseternal life.”
June Murphy sings about this verse in her song WHOSOEVER.
MUSIC CLOSING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
WHOSOEVER June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for making us think about our sources of truth…help us change them to sources that edify us…like the Bible…instead of sources that make us sour and bitter about the amazing life you have given us…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
Join us Live or on Zoom Immediately Following the Lesson
KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD!
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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