2023 Coeur D'Alene Conference: Jesus Christ Asks, "What Are You Doing with the Life I Gifted to You?"Enter at your own risk.
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?
He offers many places throughout the world to give all of us a chance to learn that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD.At Barah Ministries, we worship the ONE AND ONLY true God. The Bible affirms the Lord Jesus Christ’s Deity in Titus, Chapter 2, Verses 11 to 14…
TITUS 2:11 For the gospel concerning thegrace of God has appeared to all men (it has been made obvious to everyone)… (the gospel that is) bringing salvation to all men…
TITUS 2:12 …instructing believers in Christ to deny ungodliness and worldly desires…(we abandoned our old life desires and refuse to imitate the lives of unbelievers)… instead, we live self-controlled, righteous, and godly lives in this present evil age…
TITUS 2:13 …looking with absolute confidencefor the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior…the Lord…the Christ…Jesus…
TITUS 2:14 …who gave Himself as a sacrifice for us at the Cross…to redeem us from every lawless deed (paying for all of our sins)…and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession…a people zealous to do good deeds.
Only God could do such things as this. Jesus Christ is God.
God the Father has provided Barah Ministries as a place for you to get to know the Lord. At Barah Ministries, we make a difference by teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse from the Lord’s perspective and not from man’s perspective. John, Chapter 20, Verse 31 gives a clear reason why ministries like Barah exist…
JOHN 20:31 …these things written in the Bible have been written so that you may BELIEVE the truththat 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 Hisname.
When we study the Word of God, we study the Lord’s exact thoughts …Proverbs, Chapter 30, Verse 5 says…
PROVERBS 30:5 Every word of Godcommunicated through the Bibleproves itself to be true…the Lord is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
God’s enemy is Satan, whom God made ‘the ruler of this world.’ He is a deceiver who hates everyone in the world, including you and me. 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 from ruling planet earth at a future time).”
Yet we take heart…because as First John, Chapter 5, Verse 19 makes clear…
FIRST JOHN 5:19a We believers in Christ KNOW that we are possessions of God the Father…
Satan is powerless against our God. As believers in Christ, we know Satan is powerless against us as well. Nothing ever happens to us without the Lord’s permission.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Jesus Christ Asks, “What Are You Doing with the Life I Gifted to You?”
LESSON INTRODUCTION
In today’s lesson, you’ll get to hear what was taught at the 2023 Coeur d’Alene Bible Conference. In thislesson, the Lord Jesus Christ invites you to a personal coaching session that gives you a chance to look at your whole life so you can see if you’re living the life God planned for you.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
It’s pretty easy to get down on yourself here in Satan’s kingdom. Yet we need to remember to see ourselves as God sees us. How does God see you? Here’s MercyMe to tell us in their song FLAWLESS.
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
FLAWLESS MercyMe
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father we thank you for your concern for our whole lives and not for just the spiritual part of our lives…we thank you for providing the Bible as a guide that shines a light on the path you expect believers in Christ to follow…we thank you for the people You bring into our lives to illuminate the truth and we’re grateful that you inspire us with the wisdom to seek Your truth…
…open our minds this morning to a new way of looking at our lives…give us the courage to invest time in a different way of thinking…inspire us, through God the Holy Spirit, to construct the lifestyle You planned for us in eternity past… …we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Jesus Christ Asks, “What Are You Doing with the Life I Gifted to You?”
LESSON PART ONE
The Lord has a question for you…
THE LORD’S QUESTION FOR YOU…
“What are you doing with the life I gifted to you?”
It will be interesting for you to hear directly from the Lord that He expects you to construct a Biblical lifestyle.
As a Pastor, my primary concern is for your spiritual life, but a bigger concern is for your whole life. It is my hope that as you take in the lessons from the Word of God, you apply them to the challenges in your life. I hope the lessons give you guidance so you live the exact life you want to live.
Whether you think about it consciously or not, every Bible lesson is a love letter directly from the Lord Jesus Christ to you. The Lord is following the direction of God the Father’s plan, both His plan for all mankind and His personal plan for you. In addition, the Lord has given you a relationship with God the Holy Spirit to lead you into all the truth. The Lord will talk to you from here.
Welcome to your divine life coaching session. I am the Lord Jesus Christ. In today’s lesson, you’re invited into a personal story about your life. Please make notes immediately as you assess your life based on what you hear. I want you to use the gift of your life in a way that is unique to you.
I offer you the chance to be the HERO of your own life and the star in your life’s movie.
You have an enemy who offers you two other lifestyles…VILLAIN or VICTIM. John. Chapter 10, Verse 10 says…
JOHN 10:10 The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy (your life)…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) came that you may have the resurrection life, and have it abundantly.
VILLAINS build a lifestyle of rebellion against everything related to God.
VICTIMS abdicate responsibility for their life choices, and blame their lack of fulfillment on everyone and everything, but never on themselves.
Which lifestyle have you chosen?
I gifted you with a soul that has several attributes. You have…
THE SOUL’S ATTRIBUTES
MENTALITY The ability to think
EMOTION The ability to feel
VOLITION The ability to choose
THE SOUL’S ATTRIBUTES
SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS The awareness of your own existence
CONSCIENCE The ability to know right from wrong
The most important of these attributes is VOLITION. You have free will as you live within My plan. You have the right to choose a lifestyle that is uniquely yours. I want you to live an intentional, focused, and balanced life. I offer you a lifestyle of freedom.
The problem? You have an enemy who is offering you lifestyles designed to rob you of your freedom…lifestyles of bondage. Unfortunately, these lifestylesseem appealing because there are many around you doing the same thing. It’s easy to buy into getting married, having children, buying a house, spending more money than you make…lifestyles of “keeping up with the Joneses.” Is this the lifestyle you want? If not, then hidden in these choices is bondage.
I have provided you with My thoughts about the lifestyle I want for you in the Bible. It’s a guide that leads you to a lifestyle filled with truth. Since you live in Satan’s kingdom, he is influencing you to create a lifestyle driven by lies.
My plan calls for you to live the life you choose. Because I am omniscient, knowing all that is knowable, I know the lifestyle you will choose. I have custom-made tasks for you that are consistent with your lifestyle choices. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 10 says…
EPHESIANS 2:10 For we believers in Christ are God the Father’s workmanship…created to be in union with Christ Jesus…designed for good works…which good works God the Father prepared beforehand so that we believers in Christ would walk in them.
In this personal coaching session, I invite you to decide the kind of life you want to live. I am going to introduce you to the ten life relationships provided for you as classrooms to learn. They offer you the chance to develop the lifestyle you want. If you don’t make the choices for your life that you want to make, you’ll live the life someone else wants you to live. That’s a prescription for misery.
If you use Me and My Word as a guide, you’ll live a lifestyle that is uniquely yours. I invite you toa lifestyle of freedom.
Here’s an introduction to the ten life relationships.
Your Relationship with LIFE is called LIVING
The lifestyle you choose reflects an identity. Who are you? What kind of lifestyle do you want to live?
Your Relationship with TIME is called a SCHEDULE
You can’t manage time. You can only use it. Are you using your time the way you want to use it or are you wasting time?
Your Relationship with SELF is called INDIVIDUALITY
Flight attendants tell us, “If the oxygen mask drops down, put on your mask first before assisting the others.” How do you nurture yourself? Does the “self” part of your life always slip to the back burner?
Your Relationship with MANKIND is called a CAREER
People spend most of their waking hours at work. Is your work fulfilling or is it just a paycheck?
Your Relationship with a COMPANION is called INTIMACY
Life is best lived with someone. What kind of intimacy exists in your relationship with a companion?
Your Relationship with GOD is called a SPIRITUAL LIFE
The most ignored relationship in your life is your relationship with God. Have you ever asked yourself why? How much scheduled time do you set aside to get to know Me?
Your Relationship with RELATIVES is called FAMILY
Family relationships can be filled with toxic drama. What are the family relationships you WANT TO cultivate without feeling you HAVE TO cultivate them?
Your Relationship with your BODY is called HEALTH
Illness can have a devastating effect on your well-being. What are you doing proactively to care for your health?
Your Relationships with RESOURCES is called LOGISTICS
Whenever you make choices in the other nine relationship areas, you’ll need resources to accomplish them. What organizations have you vetted to provide you with the resources you need?
Your Relationship with MONEY is called FINANCES
Many people talk about having financial freedom. How well are you stewarding the financial resources I send your way?
If you are making choices in each of these relationship areas regularly, you can live the intentional, focused, balanced, unique lifestyle you want to live. I hear people talking about their “bucket lists” all the time. Do you have one? Are you doing the things on your bucket list or are you just talking about it?
You can make a single choice in each of the ten life relationships every quarter. By doing this, you’ll live the equivalent of a year every three months. I want to take you on a tour of these relationships so you make choices that provide you with your very own unique lifestyle.
When we return from the break, we’ll continue our in depth look into the ten life relationships.
FIVE MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns with Matthew West
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Jesus Christ Asks, “What Are You Doing with the Life I Gifted to You?”
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
In Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 35 we are reminded to…
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 your giving be a reflection of God’s giving.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages. THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
JOHN 10:10 The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy (your life)…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) came that you may have the resurrection life, and have it abundantly.
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Don Moen
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Jesus Christ Asks, “What Are You Doing with the Life I Gifted to You?”
LESSON PART TWO
As we take the tour of the life relationships, I want you to make one choice in each of the ten relationships that you will focus on during the fourth quarter of this year…October 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023.
Even before I gave you life, I created a place for you to live. Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1 says…
GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
After making a place for you to live, I selected the perfect parents for you and brought you to them. Then I gifted you with the ten life relationships.
Your Relationship with LIFE is called LIVING
Who are you? What difference does it make that you are on the planet? What is your purpose in life?
When you ask yourself tough questions and then answer them, you elevate your life to a new level…a level above the everyday noise that occupies your life.
You are unique. You are one of a kind. There is no one like you in the world. You are as individual as your fingerprints. How well are you cultivating your individuality?
Who are you? Let’s examine your spiritual identity.
As a believer in Me, you are a CHILD OF GOD. John, Chapter 8, Verse 12…
JOHN 8:12 But as many as received Jesus, to them He gave the right to become CHILDREN OF GOD, even to those who believe in His name…
You are no longer a sinner…you’re a SAINT…each of the apostle Paul’s letters are addressed to My saints…
EPHESIANS 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God the Father, to the SAINTS who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in union with Christ Jesus…
You are a PRIEST, representing yourself before your God…First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 9…
FIRST PETER 2:9 But you are a chosen race, A ROYAL PRIESThood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…
You are an AMBASSADOR, representing Me in Satan’s kingdom of darkness… Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 20…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:20 Therefore, we believers in Christ are AMBASSADORS for Christas though God the Father were making an appeal through us…because He is…we beg you unbelievers on behalf of Christ…be reconciled to God the Father.
From the moment of your salvation, you have possessed the absolute righteousness of God…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 21…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:21 God the Father made Jesus Christ who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD the Father in union with Him.
A FEW ASPECTS OF YOUR SPIRITUAL IDENTITY
Child of God Saint Priest Ambassador An Absolutely Righteous One
These are a few things that describe your spiritual identity. How is this royal status showing up in your everyday life? My wish for you is that this identity drives a purpose in your life. What if your purpose in life was to provide the gospel message to every person you meet? If you embraced this life you would have a life of significance.
What is your human identity as you see it?
You can select seven words that describe your human identity, define it, and give examples of where each identity trait shows up in your life. How do you choose to live? How will others see you when they are seeing the real you? For example, you may see yourself as generous.
HOW DO I REFLECT WHO I AM TO OTHERS?
GENEROUS Willing to give of myself and my possessions to benefit others.
Example: Living the gift of Pastor-Teacher by creating Bible study lessons for the hearers that God provides.
What are the seven things that reflect your human identity that you can select and define in the fourth quarter of this year?
Your Relationship with TIME is called a SCHEDULE
You have… 24 Hours a Day…7 Days a Week… 12 Months a Year…365 Days a Year
You have the gift of twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for twelvemonths a year, and three hundred and sixty-five days a year.
You have one hundred and sixty-eight hours a week. You sleep fifty-six of those hours. So, you have one hundred and twelve waking hours each week.
How are you using your gift of time?
Are you using your time on the things that are most important to you? If you don’t choose what is most important to you, you can’t use your time on these things.That’s the problem for most people. Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verse 16 warns you…
EPHESIANS 5:16 …make the most of your time because the days are evil.
This encourages you to redeem the time…to purchase your time from slavery to meaningless things. When you use your time on the things you want to use it on, you are redeeming the time.
For at least thirty scheduled minutes a day, you can look ahead to the next day and schedule your use of time on the things you consider most important. For every event in your life, you can choose a start time and an end time.As you make this approach to time use a habit, you’ll learn where you are wasting your time.
Work expands to fill the time you allot to it>
What’s one thing you want to change about how you use your time in the fourth quarter of this year? Your Relationship with SELF is called INDIVIDUALITY
What are you doing to nurture yourself?
A better question might be, “What nurtures you?” Is it trips to the spa for regular massages? Is it reading? Is it learning? Is it playing a game? Is it watching movies? Is it obsessing about sports? Unfortunately, self usually is the thing you think of either least or last. The enemy has convinced you that thinking of yourself is selfish. It is not. Mark, Chapter 12, Verse 31 says…
MARK 12:31 ‘You shall love your neighbor unconditionally just as you love yourself unconditionally.’
Do you love yourself as much as you love others? Do you consider nurturing yourself a priority? What’s one thing you want to do for yourself in the fourth quarter of this year that you have been putting off?
Your Relationship with MANKIND is called a CAREER
Are you doing what you would do for free and getting paid for it? How does your career contribute to mankind?
If you’re spending one-third of your waking hours at work, shouldn’t you enjoy it? Is your job fulfilling? Are you putting off doing what you want to do for work for fear that you won’t command the salary you need to thrive? Do you keep your current job because it’s too hard to decide what you really want to do? If fear guides your life, it cuts off your thinking and perverts your faith. Proverbs, Chapter 3, Verses 5 and 6 say…
PROVERBS 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Jesus, and He will direct your path straight.
Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, Verse 8 says…
DEUTERONOMY 31:8 “For the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…He will be with you…He will not fail you or forsake you…so do not fear or be dismayed.”
You can count on Me to get what you want when you decide what you want. If you could be doing what you love and getting paid for it, what would you do?
Your Relationship with a COMPANION is called INTIMACY
Who is the special someone that you love? Who is the person you trustmost?
Presumably, the person you consider to be your companion is special to you. How much time do you set aside to nurture this relationship? What are you doing together that is enjoyable to you? How much time do you spend intentionally being together? How much time do you spend in intimate conversation? What are the adventures you plan together that create memories? These are just a few of the things that create intimacy in relationships. Genesis, Chapter 2, Verses 18 says…
GENESIS 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone…I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
What’s one thing you’d like to focus on in the fourth quarter of this year with your intimate companion?
Your Relationship with GOD is called a SPIRITUAL LIFE
What is one thing you want to change in your approach to the development of your spiritual life?
What is the next step in your spiritual growth? For example, have you studied Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is the foundational book of Church Age Biblical Christianity? What studies do you do during the week that are self-directed rather than led by your Pastor? What is the status of your prayer life? Are you praying for yourself, for your friends, and for your enemies on a scheduled basis?
Scheduling time to cultivate your relationship with Me every day, through the study of the Word of God, keeps you grounded in truth and helps you discern the lies being sold to you by the kingdom of death and darkness.
Your Relationship with RELATIVES is called FAMILY
Who are the members of your family of choice?
Your family is not necessarily the people who have the same blood running through their veins. Remember what I said to you in several passages…Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 36…
MATTHEW 10:36 …a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.
Mark, Chapter 6, Verse 4…
MARK 6:4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”
Matthew, Chapter 12, Verses 46 to 50…
MATTHEW 12:46 While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.
MATTHEW 12:47 Someone said to Jesus, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”
MATTHEW 12:48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”
MATTHEW 12:49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!”
MATTHEW 12:50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
In light of the challenges inherent in families, who are the members of your family of choice? Who are the people who are supportive of you? How much of your time is spent around these people to free your life of drama?
What’s one way you want to change your interactions with your family members of choice in the fourth quarter of this year?
Your Relationship with your BODY is called HEALTH
What are you doing proactively to care for your health?
Do you consider yourself to be in charge of your own health care? Do you have a relationship with the most reputable healthcare organization in your area? Do you have a primary care physician who can refer you to the specialists that care for the health maladies you have? Are your healthcare physicians competent? Are they students of their profession? Are they up to date with the latest technologies that care for your specific ailments? Does what they recommend work?
What are the ailments that are specific to you? What genetic predispositions do you have that you would do well to watch proactively?
What’s one thing you want to change about how you manage your health care in the fourth quarter of this year?
Your Relationships with RESOURCES is called LOGISTICS
What relationships do you need to establish with trusted suppliers to feed the things you want to do in the other nine relationships?
The great thing about the ten life relationships is they interact with each other. When you decide to go on a trip, you’ll need resources to accomplish your objective. You’ll need flights, a hotel, perhaps a car or some other form of ground transportation, and places to eat.
Have you ever thought of American Airlines orMarriott Hotels or Uber as logistic resources? The businesses you trust to supply your needs when you want to do things come under the heading of logistics coordination.
Who is your plumber? Who is your electrician? Who cares for your car? These are logistic resources.
In the fourth quarter of this year, take a look at your resource list. Who do you trust to supply your logistics need?
Your Relationship with MONEY is called FINANCES
What makes you a great steward of your financial resources?
When you get a check, do you pay yourself first into an untouchable savings account? Do you know how to invest in things that are based on math principles that provide predictable returns on your investment? Have you heard of index funds? Have you read any good books on how to protect your investments so that you get the benefit of your investments rather than giving away your earnings to people who don’t have your best interests in mind?
If you don’t work on your finances consciously, you’ll never get to financial freedom…the point in your life when you are set for life financially. It’s easy to put yourself in the position to be set for life financially if you allow yourself to learn how to do it. Many people have done it before and they are always willing to share their wisdom if you are seeking it.
I expect you to be good stewards of the financial blessings I entrust to you. Matthew, Chapter 25, Verses 14 to 30…
MATTHEW 25:14 “For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them.”
MATTHEW 25:15 “To one he gave five talents…to another, he gave two talents, and to another, he gave one talent…to each according to his own ability…and he went on his journey.”
MATTHEW 25:16 “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.”
MATTHEW 25:17 “In the same manner, the one who had received the two talents gained two more.”
MATTHEW 25:18 “But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
MATTHEW 25:19 "Now after a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.”
MATTHEW 25:20 “The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’”
MATTHEW 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things…enter into the joy of your master.’”
MATTHEW 25:22 “Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’”
MATTHEW 25:23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things…enter into the joy of your master.’’
MATTHEW 25:24 “And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.’”
MATTHEW 25:25 “‘And I was afraid and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’”
MATTHEW 25:26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave…you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed.’”
MATTHEW 25:27 “Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.”
MATTHEW 25:28 “Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’”
MATTHEW 25:29 “For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance… but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.’”
MATTHEW 25:30 “Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness…in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Of course, this lesson is about much more than money. It’s a lesson about life…the spiritual life. Many people aren’t good stewards of their financial blessings. Even more are not good stewards of their spiritual lives.
What’s one thing you want to change in how you handle your finances in the fourth quarter of this year?
In this divine personal coaching session, I, the Lord Jesus Christ invite you to decide the kind of lifestyle you want to live. I have introduced you to the ten life relationships provided for you as classrooms in which you can learn to develop the lifestyle you want.
Now that you’ve been introduced to the intricacies of this life you’ve been gifted, will you handle your life differently? Or are you committed to Satan’s worldview of how to handle your life…a life of bondage and deception? It's your choice.
I give you back to Pastor Rory Clark.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this look into your life. If you followed along with the divine coaching lesson, you probably made ten choices of things you want to do with your life in the fourth quarter of this year. Your first take on these ten things is in the raw state. Over the next months before fourth quarter, you can continue to refine these ideas to make them more and more specific and doable.
If you follow this advice four times over the next year, you’ll change your approach to your life and you’ll have a lot more fulling life as a result.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The closing moments of our lesson today could be the ten most important minutes of your life.
GOD WANTS YOU! He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
Everyone listening to this message should know that the Lord Jesus Christ is Your Creator…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…
JOHN 1:3 All things came into being through the Lord (God the Son)…and apart fromHim, nothing came into being that has come into being.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves you UNconditionally… First John, Chapter 4, Verse 8…
FIRST JOHN 4:8 The one who does not love unconditionally does not know the Lord, for the LordISunconditional love (in His very Being).
If you think those things are true, you have to conclude there is no reason for you to end up in the Lake of Fire, commonly referred to as hell, when you close your eyes in this life.
To go to heaven, you have to choose a relationship with Christ. God considers you to be a sinner from the moment of physical birth. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says that from the moment of your physical birth…
EPHESIANS 2:1 …you were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
Spiritually dead sinners need a Savior. The Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord sent this message to you…the gospel message…good news about His salvation offer…because He wants a relationship with you…First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…
FIRST TIMOTHY 2:3 This is what’s 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 who desiresfor all men to come to the knowledge of the truth.
There is something the Lord doesn’t want for you…the Lord Jesus Christ doesn’t want you to go to the Lake of Fire…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, He is patient toward unbelievers…not wishing for any of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire)…but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
You will go to the Lake of Fire at physical death if you choose not to believe in Jesus Christ. To make a place for you in heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ forgives all of your sins…Isaiah, Chapter 43, Verse 25…
ISAIAH 43:25 “I, even I (the Lord), am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake…and I will not remember your sins.”
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 (the apostle 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…
You don’t have to work to be saved…in fact, you can’t work to be saved… Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…
ROMANS 11:6 But if salvation is by grace, and of course it is, it is no longer based on your works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.
This loving, forgiving, patient God offers you the chance to be saved as a free gift, and He wants to save you right this minute. RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…
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 and accept the invitation of 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 Lord warns those who reject His salvation offer in Matthew, Chapter 25, Verse 41…
MATTHEW 25:41 “Then the Lord Jesus Christ will say to those on His left (unbelievers)…‘Depart from Me… accursed ones…into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels…’” Believe me…you never want to hear those words.
When you get to know Jesus Christ, you'll have no problem placing your confidence in Him, both for your salvation and for anything else. Why? Because you'll know that the Sovereign God of the Universe wants a relationship with you, He loves you, and He died for you. Take advantage of His grace and choose to be saved RIGHT NOW!
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music!You believers in Christ are children of God. Here’s June Murphy to remind us with her song YOU OWN ME.
MUSIC CLOSING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
YOU OWN ME June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for enlightening us with a different way to look at our lives…help us to follow this path of change and to master it with Your help…
We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
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Ask the Pastor pastor@barahministries.com
KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD!
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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