Romans 8: What is the Lord’s Message to You in the First Half of Romans?You're in good hands.
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.
Reflection.
The Bible commands believers in Christ to keep on giving serious and thoughtful consideration tothe important matters in life. Second Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 5 exhorts…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith…examine yourselves!Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is indwelling you—unless indeed you fail the test?
Reflection.
The Lord wants us to give thoughtful consideration to every area of our lives, especially to how we are feeding our spiritual lives. By engaging in Bible study God the Holy Spirit gives usthe spiritual nourishment that guides our lives.
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. The Father wants His children to think with discernment and wisdom. In Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 3 the apostle Paul speaks for the Godhead…he says…
ROMANS 12:3a For through the grace given to me by God the Father (the grace gift of being an apostle...Paul’s spiritual gift)…I (Paul) say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think...
ROMANS 12:3b …but to think so as to have sound judgment...the thinking that’s in line with the measure of faith distributed to you by God (as your spiritual gift).
We have a wise God and Father who fills us withHis wisdom as we study the Word of God.
GOD THE SON (the Lord) volunteered to execute God the Father’s plan…taking on human form as Jesus…the Christ (the Jewish Messiah). Jesus Christ is God. One of the best forms of reflection is prayer, always done in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…Psalm 95, Verse 6 says…
PSALM 95:6 Come…let us worship and bow down…let us kneel before the Lord our Maker (in prayer).
Let's keep praying in the name of the One who saved us….Jesus. There is ONE AND ONLY ONE WAY to heaven. If you invest your faith in theLord Jesus Christ…asking Him to save you…He will save you. When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ you instantly have the resurrection life…eternal life…in His Name.
We worship GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. He is our Mentor and Teacher. He is a guide who is the rudder of a Christian’s life. He is fully God, equal in every way to God the Father and God the Son.He is a Person. He is not a “ghost” as some like to call Him.
God the Holy Spirit is the One who keeps on renovating our thinking…Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2…
ROMANS 12:2a And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you)...instead, keep on being transformed by God the Holy Spiritthrough the renewing of your mind (as you study the Word of God)...
ROMANS 12:2b ...so that you believers in Christ may see clearly...through the testing of experience...what the will of God is...and the will of God is that which is good for you…that which is acceptable to Him…and that which is perfect in result.
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…a team you can call on for help in times of trouble.
What is Our Source of Truth at Barah Ministries?
The Bible is the Word of God, and it is our source of absolute truth. As Christians, the way we develop a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the God…the way we get to know God as a Person…is through studying the Word of God.
The Lord’s half-brother James reminds us of the value of studying the Word of God, including the tremendous result of this practice in James, Chapter 1, Verses 22 to 25…
JAMES 1:22 But prove yourselves to be doers of the Word…and not merely hearers of the Word whodelude themselves.
JAMES 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer of the Word…and a lot of people are…he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror…
JAMES 1:24 …for once he has looked at himself and gone away…he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
JAMES 1:25 But the one who looks intently at the perfect law…the law of liberty…and abides by it…not having become a forgetful hearer of the Word, but an effectual doer of the Word…this man will be blessed in what he does.
In studying Romans, Chapter 1 to 8, we learned what kind of people we are…let it inspire us to become the kind of people God wants us to be.
What is your source of truth? Your source of truth for eternal matters is not an insignificant thing because it has eternal consequences.
The Bible is a supernatural work…breathed into human writers by God. It does not come from man, and it provides the only source of absolute truthabout eternal things. Since the Bible is the Lord’s exact thinking, and since God is right all the time, the Bible is right all the time. It contains no errors or contradictions. You can trust the Bible as your source of truth.
At Barah Ministries, we teach the Bible from God’s perspective…not from man’s perspective…because we refuse to teach as doctrinal truth the very fallible precepts of men.
The best thing you can do for yourself EVERY DAY is to spend time reading, studying, and reflecting on God’s Word. Schedule time to study and let God’s Word set the direction for your day. The Bible changes your mind!
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 likes to come off as a scary one, and many are fooled by this deception, but the Lord makes it clear in Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 28 that Satan is not to be feared…
MATTHEW 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul…rather, fear the Lord who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
The biggest enemy of believers in Christ is IGNORANCE OF THE ENEMY. Don’t be ignorant.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Lord’s Message to You in the First Half of Romans?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
We have reached the halfway point in our study of Paul’s sixteen chapterletter to the believers in Christ in first century Rome. In today’s lesson we will reflect on what we have learned so far.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!As Church Age believersin Christ, we look forward to the next prophetic event in divine history, referred to as the rapture of the church. It’s an exit resurrection where our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ takes all of His believers off the earth. First Thessalonians, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 18 describe the event…
FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command…with the voice of the archangel and with the call of a trumpet from God…and the dead in union with Christ will be raised first.
FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain (alive on the earth…the left behind ones) will be forcibly snatched awaytogether with them in the clouds…to meet the Lord in the air…and from that time on we shall always be with the Lord.
FIRST THESSALONIANS 4:18 Therefore…comfort one another with these words. The timing of this event only God knows. It is our wish that this moment comes soon. Here’s CeCe Winans to sing about it in her song COME JESUS COME.
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
COME JESUS COME CeCe Winans
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank you for educating us through Paul’s letter to the Romans about the way You chose to make it possible for us to be saved…thank you for sending Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to shed His blood on a Cross to save us…thank you for giving us hope...the absolute confidence that Your Son is coming again for us, through the guidance of God the Holy Spirit…
…as we are reminded of the lessons of the first half of Romans today, bring to our remembrance the messages You implanted in us…give us courage as a corporate body to spread Your gospel message throughout the world…and help us to focus on this task one person at time…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Lord’s Message to You in the First Half of Romans?
LESSON PART ONE
Paul’s letter to the Romans has four hundred and thirty-three power-packed verses. More than anything else, the letter to the Romans is about the wonder of God. The Lord is mentioned every fifty words…and over one hundred and fifty times…and His amazing grace is the dominant theme and the prevailing thought in the letter. Romans is about your salvation. It’s the good news about what the Lord did at the Cross to ensure that WHOSOEVER can be saved. Here is the structure of Paul’s letter to the Romans…
ROMANS, CHAPTERS 1 to 3 Introduces How the Depravity of Man Incurs the Wrath of God
The first three chapters are the bad news that most people don’t want to hear. These chapters turn people off because people think of themselves differently than they are….most think they’re “basically good people.” God has a different opinion!
ROMANS, CHAPTERS 4 TO 8 God’s Grace is Available to Save All Who Want Deliverance from Sin
Despite our depravity, it is by God’s grace that we are saved…through faith in Christ alone. God wants us to bring our depravity resume to Him. He greets us and our lack of accomplishment with open arms…your drug addiction…your sexual immorality…your alcoholism…your abuse…your broken and toxic relationships…your pride…your ineffective mindset…of course there is more. The worse you are the better God likes you. In grace, our Lord welcomes sinners.
ROMANS, CHAPTERS 9 TO 11 God Still Has a Plan for the Jews
The Jewish race has been set aside for a time for rejecting their Messiah, but the Lord has neither forgotten the Jews nor has He forgotten His promises to Abraham. Every promise He made to Abraham will be fulfilled. There has been a consistent attempt by God's enemy Satan and his kingdom of darkness to wipe out the Jewish race from planet Earth. That effort will NEVER be successful. It’s a complete waste of time. As God's chosen race, the Jews are protected by the Sovereign God of the Universe.
ROMANS, CHAPTERS 12 TO 16 The Will of God for the Human Race
What does God want us to do to ensure that believers in Christ reflect Him well? How does the Holy Spirit guide us to spiritual maturity? What does God see when He looks at His believers? He sees the finished product…a product He molded…and He is proud of His children. In these chapters, God reveals the standard of conduct to which He is conforming believers in Christ.
The letter to the Romans was written by the apostle Paul. He describes himself as the worst person of all time…First Timothy, Chapter 1, Verse 15…
FIRST TIMOTHY 1:15 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
As an unbeliever, Paul was horrible! As a believer in Christ, he is the most accomplished evangelist…the apostle assigned to spread the good news of the gospel message to the entire inhabited world in the first century…Ephesians, Chapter 3, Verses 8 to 10…
EPHESIANS 3:8 To me (Paul)…the one who is less than the least of all the saints…this grace was given by God…to preach to the Gentiles the incomprehensible wealth of Christ…
EPHESIANS 3:9 …and to bring to light what is the dispensation of the mystery (the Church Age) which for ages has been hidden (kept secret) in the God who created all things (the Lord…God the Son)…
EPHESIANS 3:10 …so that the manifold wisdom of God the Father might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places through the Church.
Going back to Romans, Chapter 1, the apostle Paul introduces himself to the believers in Christ at first-century Rome…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 1…
ROMANS 1:1 This letter is written by me, Paul…a bond-servant and voluntary slave of Christ Jesus…by calling an apostle…and set apart by God the Father for the dissemination of the gospel message of God the Father to the Gentilesas a minister…
Then Paul introduces the main message of the letter…Romans, Chapter 1, Verses 14 to 17…
ROMANS 1:14 I Paul am under obligation (a debt I owe to God for His graciousness)…both to Greeks (people who speak Greek…the “civilized” ones) and to barbarians (people who don’t speak Greek…the “uncivilized” ones)…both to the wise (believers in Christ) and to the foolish (unbelievers).
ROMANS 1:15 So, for my part, I (Paul) am eager to preach the gospel as a minister to you who are in Rome.
ROMANS 1:16 For I (Paul) am not ashamed of the gospel of God the Father…for the gospel is the power of God the Father resulting in salvation to everyone who believes…to the Jew first (chronologically)…and also to the Greek (the Gentiles).
ROMANS 1:17 For in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ the righteousness of God the Father is revealed…from faith in the Lord for salvation to faith in the Lord for all things… as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS MAN (any believer in Christ) SHALL LIVE BY FAITH (by placing his confidence in Jesus Christ for salvation).”
The gospel is powerful enough to save those who trust Christ alone through faith.
Paul goes on to explain why we need to be saved in Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18 to Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 20…an indictment of the immoral, the moral, the religious, the atheist, the agnostic…an indictment of the entire human race.
The chilling assessment of the consequences of rejecting God’s free gift of salvationis taught in Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 18…
ROMANS 1:18 For the WRATH OF GOD THE FATHER is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and against all unrighteousness of unbelievers who suppress the truth of the gospel in unrighteousness…
Since all of us are born physically alive and spiritually dead…sinners in the eyes of God…we all need Savior. Fortunately for us the Savior makes Himself clearly visible to all mankind…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…
ROMANS 1:20a For since the creation of the world the Lord Jesus Christ’s invisible 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 spiritually dead unbelievers practicing ungodliness and unrighteousness) are without excuse in the matter of knowing God.
In Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 10 to 18…the indictment…the formal accusation against the human race…in God’s eyes we are guilty of a betrayal that deserves the wrath of God…
ROMANS 3:10 …as it is written, “There is no creature who isrighteous before God…not even one…
ROMANS 3:11 There no creature who understands God or any divine thing…there is no creature who seeks a relationship with God…
ROMANS 3:12 All creatures have turned aside from God… together they have become useless…no creature does good…there is not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave…with their tongues they keep on deceiving…the poison of asps (a snake) is under their lips…”
ROMANS 3:14 “…their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness (blasphemy)…”
ROMANS 3:15 “…their feet are swift to shed blood…”
ROMANS 3:16 “…destruction and misery are in their paths…”
ROMANS 3:17 “…and the path of peace they have not known.”
ROMANS 3:18 “…there is no fear of (respect for) God before their eyes.”
After studying this indictment there is an awareness brought to light by author Walt Kelly, an American animator and cartoonistbest known for the comic strip Pogo. What is the awareness?
POGO by Walt Kelly
“We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Most of the first three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans reveal the human condition. Said simply, we are born sinners and need a Savior.
Paul’s letter takes a turn in Romans, Chapter 3, Verses 21 and 22…
ROMANS 3:21 BUT NOW apart from law…another principle entirely…THE RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM GOD…which has been made clearly visible…being witnessed to by the Mosaic Law in the sacrificial offerings and being witnessed to by the Old Testament Prophets in direct statements…
ROMANS 3:22 …a righteousness that comes as a gift from God the Father through the principleof faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not through the principle of faith in yourselves for righteousness…and that free gift is available for WHOSOEVER believes…for there is no distinction (in God’s eyes) between Jews and Greeks (the Gentiles)…
By placing our faith in Christ alone for salvation we receive the free gift of God’s righteousness…a justification by faith…Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 24…
ROMANS 3:24 …and all creatures keep on being justified by God the Father as a free gift from His grace through the redemption which is a result of being in union with Christ Jesus…
The Lord Jesus Christ’s work at the Cross on behalf of all creatures takes those who want salvation off the hook…the hook of being at the wrong end of God the Father’s wrath…Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 28…
ROMANS 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified (declared legally righteous) by faith in Christ alone apart from works of the Law.
Thank God we can’t and don’t have to work for our own salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ provided for us all.
When we return from the break we’ll take the offering and then we’ll remind ourselves of what Romans, Chapters 4 through 8 reveal. Take a five-minute break.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Lord’s Message to You in the First Half of Romans?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION (5)
Often, as part of my prayers,I ask God the Holy Spirit to open your hearts with a spirit of generosity. Proverbs, Chapter 19, Verse 17 says…
PROVERBS 19:17 The one who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord…and the Lord will repay him for his good deed.
May God the Holy Spirit give you a burning desire to serve those who are spiritually bankrupt. Your generosity is how Barah Ministries providesan accurate gospel message to be enjoyed around the world.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
GALATIANS 5:13 For you believers in Christ were called to freedom…only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh…but through unconditional love serve one another.
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Lord’s Message to You in the First Half of Romans?
LESSON PART TWO
In Romans, Chapter 4 the apostle Paul gives the perfect example of justification by faith in Abraham…Romans, Chapter 4, Verses 1 to 5…
ROMANS 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found in the matter of salvation?
ROMANS 4:2 For if, for the sake of argument, Abraham was justified by his works, he has something to boast about before men, but not before God.
ROMANS 4:3 For what does the Old Testament Scripture say (in Genesis, Chapter 15, Verse 6)? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED IN GOD THE SON...JEHOVAH ELOHIM...AND HIS FAITH WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
ROMANS 4:4 Now to the one who works for salvation, his payment is not paid as if it were a gracious favor, but his payment is paid because it is what he is due...it is paid to him as what he has earned because of his work.
ROMANS 4:5 But to the one who does not work for salvation, but believes in the Lord Jesus Christ who justifies the ungodly, this person’s faith is credited as righteousness...
Thanks be to God for a salvation that easy.
Once we are saved, we are in a relationship with Christ…and this relationship provides a serenity that surpasses comprehension…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 1…
ROMANS 5:1 Therefore, having been justified on the principle of faith in the past, we believers in Christ now and forevermore keep on having peace with God the Father through our union with the Lord Jesus Christ…
Everything God does for us was done in the past…and Romans, Chapter 5 gives us hope, especially that even thought we experience tribulation in our time on earth, God has outcomes for us that are provided by the tribulation. Romans, Chapter 5, Verses 3 to 5…
ROMANS 5:3 And we not only exult in all these things (from our past…righteousness and justification…in our present…peace…in our future…glory)…but we also exult in the tribulations that are given to us by God the Father, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance…
ROMANS 5:4 …and perseverance brings about proven character…and proven character brings about hope…
ROMANS 5:5 …and hope does not disappoint, because 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).
In the latter part of Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 19…Paul reminds us that spiritual death does not have to be permanent… ROMANS 5:19 For as through Adam’s disobedience (which causes spiritual death)…the many were made sinners…even so through the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ the many (who believe in Christ for salvation) will be considered righteous before God the Father.
We revel in God’s graciousness…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 21…
ROMANS 5:21 …(the Lord provided His grace abundantly in the presence of sin) so that, as sin reigned as king in spiritual death (when we were “in Adam”)…even so, by means of His grace we believers in Christ reign as kings through righteousness (our status “in Christ”) to eternal life (the resurrection life) through our union with Jesus Christ our Lord.
In Romans, Chapter 6, Verse 1, Paul asks an insightful question and then he answers it in Verse 2…
ROMANS 6:1 What shall we believers in Christ say then (face-to-face with God’s grace)? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
ROMANS 6:2 May it never be! How shall we believers in Christ (such ones as we...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)?
Sin is no longer our sovereign. Believers in Christ are delivered. We are dead to sin. So what do we do after we know this established and irrevocable fact? Romans, Chapter 6, Verses 12 to 14….
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 6:13 ...and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness…but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead would present themselves…and present your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
ROMANS 6:14 For sin shall not any longer be a master (a lord) over you believers in Christ…for you are not under law but you are under grace.
In Romans. Chapter 7, Verse 4…Paul amplifies our death to the Law as well…
ROMANS 7:4 Therefore, my Jewish brethren (and all believers in Christ)…you also were made to die to your marriage to the Mosaic Law through the body of Christ so that you might be joined to another…joined to Lord Jesus Christ (in union with Him) who was raised from the dead…in order that you might bear fruit for God the Father.
The fruit we display is the fruit of God the Holy Spirit. As believers in Christ we are now married to Christ for all eternity, and we are dead to slavery inducing sin and law.
Finally, the amazing crescendo to the climax of the first half of this letter… Romans, Chapter 8…beginning at Verse 1…
ROMANS 8:1 Therefore (all these things at the end of ROMANS 7 being the case, we need to remember that...) there is now NO CONDEMNATION (not even the possibility of condemnation) for those who are IN UNION WITH CHRIST JESUS.
As a believer in Christ, if you are ever in a life dilemma…if ever the flesh is getting the best of you and is making you question everything…simply open up Romans, Chapter 8 and enjoy its message…especially Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 35 to 39…
ROMANS 8:35 WHO will separate us believers in Christ from the unconditional love of Christ? (Or WHAT will separate us?) Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword separate us from Christ’s unconditional love?
There are several issues we face in this life. Tribulation (pressures and troubles)… distress (crisis)…persecution (opposition or ridicule)…famine (suffering or scarcity)…nakedness (assault or shame)…peril (threats and danger)…or sword (injury, or violence, or death).Can any of these things separate us believers in Christ from the unconditional love of Christ? Hardly…even though Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 36 says…
ROMANS 8:36 Just as it is written (in Psalm 44:22), “For Your sake we are being put to death (killed) all day long…we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
ROMANS 8:37 But in all these things (in every situation imaginable) we believers in Christ overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us unconditionally.
ROMANS 8:38 For I (Paul) am fully persuaded 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 separate (sever) us from the unconditional love of God the Father, who is for us through our union with Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…
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?
ROMANS 8:32 God the Father…who did not spare His own Son (the Lord Jesus Christ)…but delivered Him over for us all…how will God the Father not also, with our union with Christ, freely give us all things?
How do we know God the Father is FOR us? He delivered up His Son for us! HO do we know He will care for us? Because He did the big thing (sending His Son to die)…so we know He will do the little things as well.
In the next lesson, we begin our trek through the next section of this letter…Romans, Chapters 9 to 11, where we learn…
ROMANS, CHAPTERS 9 TO 11 God Still Has a Plan for the Jews
Why do we Church Age believers care about the Jews? We’ll soon know. I hope you have enjoyed this letter as much as I have so far…there is more goodness to come.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The next ten minutes 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
…and what He wants for you is that you make the most important decision of your life.
If you’re listening to this message you need to 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 (including you) came into being that has come into being.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves you…UNconditionally…with NO conditions… 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 Person).
If you think these things are true, then 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 simply choose to have a relationship with Christ.
Unfortunately for you, God considers you to be a sinner from the moment of your physical birth. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says that from the moment of your birth…
EPHESIANS 2:1 …you were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…
It’s not your fault that you were born a sinner, but it is your circumstance. All of us were born spiritually dead, and 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. This message is your roadmap to salvation! First Timothy, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4 say…
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 Jesus Christ doesn’t want for you…He doesn’t want you to go to the Lake of Fire…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…
SECOND PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvationas 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…
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 by God…you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
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.
To be saved, you simply accept the free gift from God of eternal life by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
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.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 (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.”
When you realize the power of this gospel message, and as you get to know Jesus Christ’s love for you, 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!
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! We have an inviting God according to Matthew, Chapter 11, Verses 28 to 30…
MATTHEW 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will give you rest.”
MATTHEW 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
MATTHEW 11:30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Let’s accept His invitation as it is communicated in song by Chris Rice…COME TO JESUS and live!
MUSIC CLOSING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
COME TO JESUS Chris Rice
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for Your generosity toward Your creatures…help us to keep You in mind as we trudge through the gauntlet of this life…remind us to fix our eyes on Your Son, the pioneer and perfector of faith…and to listen to the guidance of God the Holy Spirit…illuminate the path You have chosen for us, and give us the courage to hold fast to the confession of our faith until You come again…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Please make it a habit to listen to the announcements. They are posted separately. Keep current on the things going on and coming up in Barah Ministries.
DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
Canceled today…it will resume next week
GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS?
Ask the Pastor pastor@barahministries.com
WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?
Send your request to pastor@barahministries.com
KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!
Thanks for coming! Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
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