Romans 6: Since God is So Gracious, Why Not Live a Sinful Life?Dead things cant speak.
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!
OPENING AGENDA
You may be wondering some things about Barah Ministries, like…
Who is the God we worship? What is our source of truth? Who is our enemy?
We're always happy to begin each lesson by answering these questions after a short, thought-provoking introduction.
God values you so much that He provides everything you need in this life. Matthew, Chapter 6, Verse 26 says…
MATTHEW 6:26 Look at the birds of the air…that they do not sow…nor do they reap…nor do they gather into barns (the harvest)…and yet your God and heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
You are! God keeps on providing for you as well!
Who is the God We Worshipat Barah Ministries?
We worship a Triune Godhead. There is One God who reveals Himself to mankind as three beings who are separate…distinct…co-equal…co-infinite… co-eternal Persons…God the Father…God the Son…and God the Holy Spirit.
GOD THE FATHER is the author of the Triune Godhead’s plan for all creatures. God the Father knows how to provide the mostimportant things for you according to the Lord, describing His Father in Luke, Chapter 11, Verse 3…
LUKE 11:13 “If you then…being evil…and of course you are…know how to give good gifts to your children…how MUCH MORE will your God heavenly Father give (the gift of) God the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
God the Father provides invaluableresources, such as a Mentor and Teacher in God the Holy Spirit.
GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan…taking on human form as Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah). Believing in Him is the ONE AND ONLY WAY to heaven. God the Son provides for you according to John, Chapter 10, Verse 10…
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 have it abundantly.
There is nothing better nor anything more valuable than being the possessor of the resurrection life. When you invest your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ…asking Him to save you…by believing in Him you instantly have the resurrection life…eternal life…in His name.
We worship GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. He is our Mentor and Teacher…the guide who is the rudder of a Christian’s life. John, Chapter 16, Verse 13 says He wants to provide you with absolute truth…a truth you can count on…
JOHN 16:13a But when God the Holy Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth…
Truth is the ultimate provision!
In God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit…believers in Christ have a power team that is always on their side…a team specializing in the impossible. Are you calling on them for help in times of trouble and in times of plenty?
What is Our Source of Truthat Barah Ministries?
It’s important to get to know Your God as a Person. As Christians, the way to develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the entire Godhead is through the study of the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God.
God provides you with an owner’s manual for life…Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17 say…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed (into the human writers of Scripture)…and it is profitable for teaching…for reproof…for correction, and fortraining in righteousness…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:17 …so the man of God may become mature…thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Bible is a supernatural work…breathed into human writers by God…to provide us with the ultimate source of absolute truth. At Barah Ministries, we teach the Bible from God’s perspective and not from man’s perspective because we refuse to teach as doctrinal truth the precepts of men.
Who is Our Enemyat Barah Ministries?
GOD HAS AN ENEMY…Satan…whom God made ‘the ruler of this world’ for a finite period. He is the enemy of believers in Christ as well.
Satan provides, too…he offers you resistance to ruin your spiritual life…First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 8 warns us to…
FIRST PETER 5:8 Be of sober spirit and be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Reject Satan’s provisions in every decision. He looks to provide misery.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Since God is So Gracious, Why Not Live a Sinful Life?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
When we are presented with a giftlike justification by faith, there will always be outside forces who want us to feel bad for accepting such an amazing provision. They are Satan’s minions. They come in with false teaching, false ideas, and false concepts in an attempt to get us to doubt our God and to doubt own salvation.
In today’s lesson, the apostle Paul takes on the doubters who seek to confuse us with their rhetorical questions, and he has a few rhetorical questions of his own for them.
And…as we do every month, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Another gift from our amazing God is our UNION WITH CHRIST, and today we’ll learn a few of the things the Bible has to say about the magic of this wonderful gift.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!Has anyone ever asked you who you are? The song by the sixties English rock band THE WHO asked that powerful question. As Christians, “Who are you?” You really want to know! Here’s the New Scottish Hymns Band to tell Christians about themselves…about our UNION WITH CHRIST.
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
UNION WITH CHRIST New Scottish Hymns Band
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father…You left the flesh in believers in Christ after our salvation…and the flesh hates us…it is always offering up temptations…it prompts us to rebel against You…it seeks to ruin us…and quite often we listen to the temptations and give in to them…and when the flesh succeeds in getting us to sin, it pelts our emotions with accusations that cause us to be down on ourselves…and when we are down on ourselves, we start thinking that You, Father, feel the same way about us… when we are down on ourselves, we drift away from You and Your Word and from truth that because of our union with Christ, You see us as perfect…
…thank you for the constant reminders that the flesh has no power over us…thank you for the reminder that You are the most powerful Being in the universe…thank you for the reminder that nothing happens to us that does not pass through Your hands for approval…thank you for working all things together for our good…thank you when tribulation draws us closer to you…
…as God the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and our hearts and our ears to the spiritual truths in today’s lesson, help us feel gratitude toward Your generosity in sending Your Son to a Cross to die for us…in asking Your Son to pay for our sins with His blood so we could be good enough in Your eyes…help us to persevere in Satan’s kingdom as we move forward one step at a time against the enemy’s tornado of abuse…remind us that Your power can accomplish anything and that You are for us…NEVER against us…comfort us by reminding us that we are in Your Almighty hand…because we believers in Christ are Your children…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Since God is So Gracious, Why Not Live a Sinful Life?
LESSON PART ONE
In the last lesson, the second passage in Romans, Chapter 5 we learned that human history has two Federal Heads…the first Adam and the Last Adam. What is a Federal Head?
FEDERAL HEADSHIP A spiritual representative who provides spiritual leadership…someone is appointed to act for all…and what they do applies to everyone.
Who is your Federal Head?
There are two choices. You are born “IN ADAM.” Adam is your Federal Head from the moment of your physical birth and this “gift” results in spiritual death, eventual physical death, and condemnation.
The Lord Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, offers you the chance to adopt Him as your Federal Head. You can be “IN CHRIST” which provides you with the gift of righteousness, your admission ticket to heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ is definitely a better choice as your Federal Head. When you have faith in Him for your salvation you are justified by faith. You are saved.
Let’s continue our study of the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans at Chapter 6. Since there were no chapter breaks in the original text of scripture, let’s include the closing verses of Romans, Chapter 5because they lead right into the opening message of Chapter 6. Romans Chapter 5, Verses 20 and 21…
ROMANS 5:20 The Mosaic Law came in alongside sin so that law-breaking would abound (to reveal our sinfulness) … but where law-breaking increased, God's grace abounded…overflowing all the more…
ROMANS 5:21 …(and the Lord provided grace abundantly, making it overflow in the presence of sin)…so as sin reigned as king through spiritual death (“IN ADAM”)…even so, by means of the Lord’s grace, we believers in Christ would reign as king through righteousness (by being “IN CHRIST”) to eternal life (the resurrection life) through our union with Jesus Christ our Lord.
Continuing into today’s passage of study, here’s the New American Standard Translation of Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 1 to 14…
ROMANS 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
ROMANS 6:2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
ROMANS 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
ROMANS 6:4 Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
ROMANS 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection…
ROMANS 6:6 …knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order 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 is freed from sin.
ROMANS 6:8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him…
ROMANS 6:9 …knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again… death no longer is master over Him.
ROMANS 6:10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all…but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
ROMANS 6:11 Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
ROMANS 6:12 Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts…
ROMANS 6:13 …and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness…but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
ROMANS 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Who are you?
It’s an easy question to answer when you’re a Christian…and it’s even easier to forget as you navigate the troubles of each day. We simply forget how special God has made us. In Psalm 139, Verse 14 King David said…
PSALM 139:14 I will give thanks to You, Lord, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made… wonderful are Your worksand my soul knows it very well.
It is IMPERATIVE that you know, and that you keep it top of mind WHO YOU ARE as a Christian. Paul tells you in today’s passage of study.
The structure of this first passage is divided neatly into three parts.
Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 1 to 5 ask an interesting question in light of the final two verses of Romans, Chapter 5…should we keep on sinning since we are covered by God’s grace?
Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 6 to 11 ask a rhetorical question…why would you want to return to slavery when you’ve been freed?
Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 12 to 14 inform believers in Christ that they have a new master. Who are you, believers in Christ, now that you are justified by faith?
Let’s study this passage verse-by-verse to understand the next part of God’s revelation to us about our justification by faith. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 1…
ROMANS 6:1 What shall we believers in Christ say then? Are we to keep on sinning so that God’s grace may increase (overflowing to us)?
With God, the more we sin the more of God’s grace overflows to us. The Lord Jesus Christ covered every sin at the Cross. So we are freed from sin’s mastery. Paul’s rhetorical question, “Shall we keep on sinning so that God's grace may overflow all the more to us" doesn't demand an answer, because it's really a statement. If Paul were less than polite, he might say, “Are you stupid enough to think that because you have freedom from sin you should sin more? If you think that, you're pretty dumb." That's what Paul wants to say.
Justified ones are DEAD TO SIN. Sin enslaves. God does not want us to be enslaved to sin. In Romans, Chapter 6 Verse 2, Paul dismisses the thought of the question in Verse 1…
ROMANS 6:2 May it never be! How shall such ones as we believers in Christ (the children of a King)…who DIED TO SIN (as an established fact at the moment of our salvation)…still live in sin (as if sin is still our master)?
What does Peter say in First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 24?
FIRST PETER 2:24 …and Jesus Christ Himself bore our sins in His own body on the Cross, so that we believers in Christ might DIE TO SIN and LIVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS…for by His wounds you were healed.
Continuing in sinful conduct does not communicate gratitude for what the Lord did for us through justification by faith. Shall we keep on sinning because God’s grace is overflowing? As a friend of mine might say, “Don’t be schtoopid!”
As believers in Christ, we are no longer “IN ADAM” … we are now “IN UNION WITH CHRIST.”He is our new federal head, and we walk in a completely new way of life. 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 things passed away (they died)…behold, new (self) things have come.
Believers in Christ are DEAD to sin. Have you ever heard someone say about a couple living together, “They are living in sin?” It’s a gossipy way to criticize people who are cohabitating. Well if they are believers in Christ they can't LIVE IN SIN because believers in Christ are DEAD TO SIN. We cannot live in sin if we are dead to sin. Yet we never challenge this crap when people say it. We just accept it. Then we lose track of who we really are “IN CHRIST.” And who we are “IN CHRIST” is DEAD TO SIN.
Since we are freed from the old life, why would we have a desire to go back to the old life? It’s the source of human guilt!Guilt is not from what we do, it’s from who we are at the core. Left to our own devices we would keep on ruining everything in our lives. This doesn’t change after salvation even though we are changed by God at salvation into a new creation. If we keep on listening to the flesh in us which invites us back to the old self lifestyle, we keep on hurting ourselves. Bad idea! Paul says, “Perish the thought!” Mat it never be.
Our death with Christ resolves who we are inside. Sin has lost its power in believers in Christ. Christ died for the benefit of who we are AND what we do.
On the surface, this idea of you being a completely new creationwho is dead to sinmight not seem like much. It matters a lot, though, when you ask yourself who you are IN CHRIST. Paul answers in Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 3…
ROMANS 6:3 Or do you not know (the established and irrevocable fact) that all of us who have been baptized into union with Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
Water baptism is in view here. Baptism is the end of an old connection and the beginning of a new connection. Baptism is identification with the Lord…with His death…with His burial…with His resurrection from the dead.
If Christians want to know who they really are, they have to ask themselves who they are “IN CHRIST!” Most Christians don’t know they are IN CHRIST and don’t think about it. As a result, Christians fail to grasp the magnitude and the magnificence of the gift from God of being placed into union with Christ.
Most of the time, those who are freed from sin and the Law go back to their old lifestyle rather than accept responsibility for their newfound freedom. The freedom given to us by Christ is not given so we continue in the comfort zone of constant sinning. We are not to be like unbelievers. So in answer to the question, “Shall we keep on sinning because God’s grace is overflowing?” Don’t be ridiculous!Anyone who uses freedom for selfish ends doesn’t really understand freedom very well. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 4…
ROMANS 6:4 Therefore (all of the above things being true)…we believers in Christ have been buried with Christ through baptism into death…so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of God the Father…so we too might walk in newness of life (the resurrection lifestyle).
We are a new creationdesigned by God to live in the resurrection life. God the Holy Spirit is responsible for teaching us this new lifestyle. We are not on our own.The new lifestyle is NOT a lifestyle of sin. First John, Chapter 3, Verses 9 and 10…
FIRST JOHN 3:9 No one who is a born again one of God practices sin…because God’s seed abides in him…and he cannot sin…because he is a born again one of God.
The new self CANNOT sin. FIRST JOHN 3:10 By this, the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious…anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God (they are children of the devil)…nor is the one who does not love his brother unconditionally (a child of God…instead, they are children of the devil).
The new creation does not make sinning a practice…instead, we practice unconditional love for others. Colossians, Chapter 2, Verses 20 to 24…
COLOSSIANS 2:20 If you believers in Christ have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world…and of course you have (from the moment of salvation)…why…as if you were living in the world (system of thought rather than in the sphere of God’s grace)…do you submit yourself to decrees, such as…
COLOSSIANS 2:21 “Do not handle…do not taste…do not touch!”
The “you gotta” life.
COLOSSIANS 2:22 …(which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
COLOSSIANS 2:23 These are matters which have, to be sure, THE APPEARANCE OF WISDOM in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body…but they are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
Dying to sin means dying to the world’s way of doing things. Why live the unbeliever lifestyle…those who have the thought that the things they do make them holy, moral, and spiritual? Don't be schtoopid! Colossians, Chapter 3, Verse 3…
COLOSSIANS 3:3 For your old self (when you were an unbeliever) has died from the moment of your salvation (it was crucified with Christ at the Cross) … and your resurrection life (eternal life as a gift from God) is hidden with Christ in God the Father.
Believers in Christ no longer have a relationship with sin even though we keep sinning after salvation. Continued sinning is not the lifestyle God intended for His new creation. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 5…
ROMANS 6:5 For if we believers in union with Christ have become united with Christ in the likeness of His death…and we have…certainly we shall also be united in the likeness of His resurrection…(the ZOE life…eternal life)...
Our union with Christ gives us every gift He has…death, burial, resurrection from the dead, a future ascension into heaven, and a seat at the right hand of God the Father.We are buried so we can be raised…John, Chapter 12, Verse 24…
JOHN 12:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone…but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 6…
ROMANS 6:6 ...knowing this…that our Old Man was crucified with Christ in order 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 sin (both Christ and us) is freed from sin.
We are no longer in bondage to sin. Jailbreak!!! At salvationwe transition…we are no longer slaves to sin…we are slaves to God. Our death with Christ cancels everything bad…we are acquitted! The Old Man and his sins don’t have power over us anymore, so why do believers in Christ give any thought of the thing that is dead and does not have power? We do it because WE LOVE IT! We love beating ourselves up! God doesn’t want this for us. He wants us to live in the victory He attained for us.
We ignore Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 5…
ROMANS 5:5b …the unconditional love of God the Father has been poured out within our hearts through God the Holy Spirit who was given to us by God the Father (as a pledge of our inheritance). Who are you as Christians? You are dead to sin…alive to Christ…unconditional love is poured out in your hearts…sin is put away…guilt is put away…condemnation is put away…so stop bringing it back! Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 8 to 10…
ROMANS 6:8 Now if we believers in Christ have died with Christ…and we have…we believe that we shall also live with Him (in His resurrection life...right now)...
ROMANS 6:9 ...knowing that Christ…having been raised from the dead…is never to die again… and knowing that death no longer is master over Him.
It is not a master over Christians, either.
ROMANS 6:10 For the death that Christ died…He died to sin once for all…but the life that He lives…He lives to God the Father.
Who are you in Christ?
The facts…when we were born, we were “IN ADAM.” Adam gifted us with spiritual death. We heard the gospel message. We placed our faith in Christ. We became believers in Christ. We died with Christ. We died to sin. We were buried with Christ. We were baptized into union with Christ which gives us access to divine power. We are a new creation. We have God’s righteousness. Jesus Christ’s life is our life…the resurrection life. Christ is delivered for our offenses. Christ is raised from the dead for our justification!
Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 11…
ROMANS 6:11 Even so…believers in Christ…consider yourselves to be dead to sin…but alive to God the Father in union with Christ Jesus.
When you think of yourself, when you think about who you are in Christ, you can stick to your own opinion of yourself or you can believe what God says about you in His Word. You’re dead to sin (as is Jesus)…you’re alive to God the Father (as is Jesus). Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 12 and 13…
ROMANS 6:12 Therefore, in light of this knowledge, do not keep on letting sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts...
ROMANS 6:13a ...and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness…
ROMANS 6:13b …instead, present yourselves to God the Father as those who are alive from the dead would present themselves…and present the members of your body as instruments of righteousness to God.
Said another way…since these things are true about who you really are…live in your victory over sin…don’t battle with sin…you are absolved from all you did in the past as the Old Man…accept all that was brought about by Christ…don’t let the flesh keep on tempting you to go back to your past master…sin. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 14…
ROMANS 6:14 For sin shall not any longer be a master over you…for you are not under law but (you have a new master…God…and)…you are resident in (the sphere of His) GRACE.
You have a new master! You are no longer under sin. You are no longer under the Law. You are under God and His grace. Even the believer who strays is under grace. Who are you in Christ? Reflect on these things.
Here’s the New Living Translation of the passage. Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 1 to 14
ROMANS 6:1 Well then…should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace?
ROMANS 6:2 Of course not! Since we believers in Christ have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?
ROMANS 6:3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in his death?
ROMANS 6:4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of God the Father, now we also may live new lives.
ROMANS 6:5 Since we have been united with Christ in His death, we will also be raised to the resurrection life as Hewas.
ROMANS 6:6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin.
ROMANS 6:7 For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of sin.
ROMANS 6:8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him.
ROMANS 6:9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.
ROMANS 6:10 When He died, He died once to break the power of sin for all. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God the Father.
ROMANS 6:11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God the Father through your union with Christ Jesus.
ROMANS 6:12 Do not let sin control the way you live…do not give in to sinful desires.
ROMANS 6:13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
ROMANS 6:14 Sin is no longer your master…for you no longer live under the requirements of the law.Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.
When we return from the break we’ll take the offering and then we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Since God is So Gracious, Why Not Live a Sinful Life?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
When we give the gospel message to unbelievers, they give tous by listening attentively. It’s one of the most gratifying experiences in life when an unbeliever really wants to hear the gospel message. The gift of listening is the gift ofintimacy. Luke, Chapter 8, Verse 8 exhorts…
LUKE 8:8 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear what God the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches.”
When you give to Barah Ministries, you make it possible for us to give the gospel message to people all over the world through the Internet. People are listening!
Thank you for supporting this ministry with your generosity. Your unselfish giving is a reflection of our God, and it gives people around the world a chance to respond positively to an eternal life-giving gospel message…the salvation offer of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
ROMANS 8:31 What then shall we believers in Christ say face-to-face with all these things? If God the Father is FOR us believers in Christ, and He is, who is ever going to be successful in opposition against us?
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION Through the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ Made Union with Him Possible
Welcome to the Lord’s Supper Celebration!
As we remember the Lord, let’s enjoy recalling the things the Lord has done for us, especially His work on the Cross on our behalf. The Lord’s Supper gives us a chance to direct our focus to the Lord alone.
Concerning the Lord’s Supper, our God commands us in Luke, Chapter 22, Verse 19 to…
LUKE 22:19c “…keep on doing this Lord’s Supper Celebrationin remembrance of Me.”
In celebrating the Lord’s Supper, the Lord Jesus Christ wants us to make time to think about everything special in our lives, especially the most important relationship in our lives…whether we are believers in Christ or even unbelievers… the relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. A relationship with the Lord is critically and eternally important.
Yet the Lord’s Supper Celebration is for the born-again ones…for spiritually alive believers in Christ who were placed into union with Christ through the baptism of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of their salvation. God the Holy Spirit turned us into eternal companions of Christ.
It is not wise to celebrate The Lord’s Supper on the move. It’s a chance to be still and to reflect on the blessings the Lord directs to us.
It’s easy for a Pastor to tell you what you ought to think about Biblical topics, yet it’s not our job. Our job is to tell you what God has to say about a topic.
At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ made it possible for you to be IN UNION WITH CHRIST. A Pastor can tell you may things about this, but the Word of God speaks volumes on the subject. Here are a few of the things the Word of God has to say about a Christian’s UNION WITH CHRIST.
1 For those in union with Christ, He gave us His sphere of grace even before we were born. Second Timothy, Chapter 1, Verses 8 and 9 Paul says…
SECOND TIMOTHY 1:8 Therefore (Timothy)…do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me (Paul) His prisoner…but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God the Father…
SECOND TIMOTHY 1:9 …who has saved us believers in Christ and who has called us with a holy calling… not according to our works…but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted to us who are IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS from all eternity…
2 For those in union with Christ, we became “chosen ones” before we were born. In omniscience, knowing all that is knowable, God knew we would become believers in Christ and He gave us a special title…the chosen ones. Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 4…
EPHESIANS 1:4 …just as God the Father chose us believers in Christ to be in union with Christ before the foundation of the world…that we would be holy and blameless before God the Father. 3 For those in union with Christ, we are loved unconditionally…a love from which we cannot be separated by anyone. Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 38 and 39…
ROMANS 8:38 For I (Paul) am convinced…that neither death nor life...nor (elect) angels nor principalities (demons...fallen angels)…nor things present…nor things to come...nor powers...
ROMANS 8:39 ...nor height…nor depth…nor any other created thing…will be able to sever us from the unconditional love of God the Father…who is for us through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
4 For those in union with Christ, we are redeemed…purchased from slavery to sin. We are forgiven. Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 7…
EPHESIANS 1:7 In union with Jesus Christ, we believers in Christ have redemption through His blood…the forgiveness of our trespasses…according to the glorious riches of His grace…
5 For those in union with Christ, we are justified by faith and gifted with God’s righteousness from the moment of our salvation. 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 believers in Christ might become the righteousness of God the Father in union with Him.
6 For those in union with Christ, there is a new creation. We are children of the Living God! 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.
Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 26…
GALATIANS 3:26 For you believers in union with Christ (through faith alone) are all sons of God the Father through faith in Christ Jesus.
7 For those in union with Christ, we are seated with Christ in heaven while simultaneously living on earth. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 4 to 6…
EPHESIANS 2:4 But God the Father…being rich in mercy…because of His great unconditional love with which He loved us…
EPHESIANS 2:5 …even when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions…made us spiritually alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)…
EPHESIANS 2:6 …and God the Father raised us up with Christ, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in union with Christ Jesus…
8 For those in union with Christ, we have His magnificent and always fulfilled promises. Second Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verse 20…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 1:20 (NLT) For all of God the Father’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ…our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) …ascends to God the Father for his glory.
9 For those in union with Christ, we are sanctified…set apart for a set of privileges that stagger the imagination. First Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verse 2…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:2 This letter is to the church of God which is at Corinth…written to those who have been sanctified in union with Christ Jesus…saints by calling…with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours…
10 For those in union with Christ, we have provision…we cannot lack anything. Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 19…
PHILIPPIANS 4:19 And my Godthe Fatherwill supply all your needs according to His glorious riches to those in union with Christ Jesus.
11 For those in union with Christ, we have mental serenity when we rest in Him. Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 7…
PHILIPPIANS 4:7 And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds…for you who are in union with Christ Jesus.
12 For those in union with Christ, we have the gift of the resurrection life…eternal life. Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 23…
ROMANS 6:23 For the earnedwages of sin (the compensation paid for your sinful works) is the second death in the Lake of Fire…but the free gracious gift of God the Father is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
13 For those in union with Christ, we will be resurrected from the dead just as He was…First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22 For as “IN ADAM” all die spiritually…“IN CHRIST” all will be made spiritually alive.
The Word of God speaks. Christians…you who are IN CHRIST…are you listening?
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.
Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28 tells us the reason the Lord wants us to celebrate this meal together…
MATTHEW 26:26 While the apostles were eating, Jesus took some bread…and after a blessing…He broke the bread, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body which is being broken for you.”
MATTHEW 26:27 And when Jesus 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…My blood…poured out for WHOSOEVER…for the forgiveness of sins.”
We celebrate to remember. Jesus Christ died as our sin substitute…Jesus Christ is risen from the dead to prove His Deity…Jesus Christ loves us unconditionally… Jesus Christ forgives us once and for all time through His work on the Cross… Jesus Christ’s BLOOD paid for our sins…Jesus Christ saved us from the wrath of God the Father…Jesus Christ will come again to gather us unto Himself. As believers in Christ, we celebrate through this Lord’s Supper and we are grateful that His work on the Cross gives us hope...the assurance of an amazing future.
Enjoy the elements as June Murphy reminds us in song that IN CHRIST there isNO MORE CONDEMNATION.
THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG
IN CHRIST NO MORE CONDEMNATION June Murphy
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The closing moments of this lesson could be the ten most important minutes of your life. You’ll be introduced to the good news concerning how you can spend all eternity in heaven when you close your eyes in this life. We want you to know that…
GOD WANTS YOU! He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
How would it be to know there is someone who loves you so much that their love for you is almost unspeakable, yet you don’t know who they are and you aren’t interested in meeting them? That may be your situation! The Creator of the entire universe created you…He loves you unconditionally… and you may not have a relationship with Him. John, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…
JOHN 1:3 All things came into being through the Lord, God the Son (He is the Creator)…and apart from the Lord, nothing came into being that has come into being (including you).
You can have a relationship with your Creator! And guess what…He is looking for you! Luke, Chapter 15, Verses 4 to 7…
LUKE 15:4 “What man among youif 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 (a reference to an unbeliever) until he finds it?”
LUKE 15: 5 “When he has found the lost sheep, he lays it on his shoulders, and he rejoices!”
LUKE 15:6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”
LUKE 15:7 “I (the Lord Jesus Christ) tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner (an unbeliever) who repents (who chooses to have a relationship with Christ)…than over ninety-nine righteous persons (believers in Christ) who need no repentance.”
The bad news? While God is looking for you…you’re DEFINITELY not looking for Him! Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 11 and 12 say…
ROMANS 3:11 No creature understands God or any divine thing…no creature seeks a relationship with God…
ROMANS 3:12 …all creatures have turned aside from God…together they have become useless…no creature does good…there is not even one.
All of us were born in a state of unrighteousness. We were born physically alive and spiritually dead as ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers.
It’s not your fault you were born this way, but it is your circumstance.
Who says so? The Lord says so in His Word…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…
But in the face of this bad news, there’s good news! The Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ, provides a way for you to be saved! The good news is called the gospel message. The Lord has a personal salvation plan to lead every unbeliever to salvation!
Let’s see what happened when the gospel message was preached in a prison in first-century Rome…Acts, Chapter 16, Verses 25 to 34…
ACTS 16:25 …about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God from their jail cells, and the other prisoners were listening to them…
ACTS 16:26 …and suddenly there came a great earthquake…so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken…and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
ACTS 16:27 When the jailer…a prison guard…awoke and saw the prison doors opened…he drew his sword and was about to kill himself…supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
Allowing prisoners to escape carried a penalty of instant execution for prison guards! He was going to do it himself…
ACTS 16:28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying to the guard, “Do not harm yourself…for we are all here!”
ACTS 16:29 And the jailer called for the lights to be turned on and he rushed in…and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas…
ACTS 16:30 …and after the prison guard brought Paul and Silas out, he said, “Sirs… what must I do to be saved?”
Obviously, the guard had been listening to the spiritual songs Paul and Silas were singing.
ACTS 16:31 And Paul and Silas said, “BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
BELIEVE! Simply take God’s Word for what it takes to be saved! There are no works of any kind necessary to be saved…it is simply you using the gift of faith given to you by God, placing your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation…and the Lord gifts you with the ticket to eternal life.
How did our jailer friend get saved? In a crisis, he recognized He needed a Savior. He asked someone who knew what it took to be saved. Believers in Christ presented the accurate gospel message. The jailer did what was suggested…and he was saved.
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 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…
The Lord’s shed blood on the Cross paid your way so you can be saved!
Don’t wait for a crisis to be saved! Do it now!
The news goes from bad to worse if you choose not to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation. Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 18 to 20 say this…
ROMANS 1:18 For the wrath of God the Father is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against the unrighteousness of unbelievers who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness…
ROMANS 1:19 …because that which is known about God the Father is evident inside of them…for God the Father made it evident to them from inside of them.
ROMANS 1:20 For since the creation of the world the Lord’s invisible attributes…the Lord’s eternal power…and the Lord’s divine nature…His Deity…have been clearly seen by all mankind…being understood even through what has been made in nature…the Lord’s creative work…so that all mankind is without excuse before the Lord.
God makes Himself clearly visible in ways that make sense to human beings…both from the inside of them and the outside of them.
So, accept the invitation and heed the warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life (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.”
The Lake of Fire is a real place, and you don't have to live there for all eternity. A sixty =-second decision can change your eternal destiny.
Remember what Paul and Silas said to the jail guard, in Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 and following…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
ACTS 16:32 And Paul and Silas spoke the Word of the Lord (the gospel message…the good news of Jesus Christ’s salvation offer) to the jailer…together with all the people who were in his house.
ACTS 16:33 And the jailer took Paul and Silas that very hour of the night and washed their wounds…and immediately the jailer was baptized (by God the Holy Spirit)…he and all his household who also believed…(and all of thembelieved).
ACTS 16:34 And the jailer brought Paul and Silas into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed inthe Lord Jesus Christwith his whole household.
Wouldn’t you like to spend all eternity in heaven? Don’t miss your opportunity! Take advantage of the good news of the gospel message right NOW! Believe in the Lord and you WILL be saved!
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! MercyMe says it all in song in the exhortation…WORD OF GOD SPEAK. It does! Christians…the Word of God is telling you who you are…are you listening?
MUSIC CLOSING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
WORD OF GOD SPEAK MercyMe
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for keeping us in touch with who we really are…the tests, the trials, and the tribulations You allow in our lives make it clear to us that we are not good enough in our own power…yet in Your hands…and in union with Your Son… through the guidance of God the Holy Spirit, we can bear fruit and display it to a lost and dying world…
…as we go forth into the week, help us to not take advantage of Your grace to do evil…help us keep on presenting our bodies to You as a living and Holy sacrifice ready to do all that You would have us do…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
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