Romans 15: Giving is the Truest Expression of LoveFrom the heart, with no receipt.
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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!
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TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Giving is the Truest Expression of Love
LESSON INTRODUCTION
There is no more significant indication of love than GIVING. In today's lesson, God shows us the power of giving as we continue our study of the final passage of Romans, Chapter 15. And as we do regularly, honoring the Lord’s command, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper…so get your bread and your wine ready…settle in…and join us in the reflective celebration of Christ’s work at the Cross.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music!What changes the world? What changes people? Steven Curtis Chapman shares an idea in his song KINDNESS.
MUSIC OPENING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
KINDNESS Steven Curtis Chapman
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 being generous…the way You give to us lets us know how much You love us…the way You give to us is so powerful that we have trouble believing Your love is real…we are in a constant state of “this is too good to be true” when we hear Your words of love in our Bible studies…
…help us to feel Your love for us…keep it in the forefront of our minds as a constant reminder that we are valued by the most important Beings in the universe…You and Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Giving is the Truest Expression of Love
LESSON PART ONE
We conclude our study of Romans Chapter 15…let’s hear the final passage of Romans, Chapter 15…Verses 25 to 33…the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD translation…
ROMANS 15:25 But now, I (Paul) am going to Jerusalem to serve the saints (there).
ROMANS 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
ROMANS 15:27 Yes, they were pleased to do so, as they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the spiritual things of the Jewish saints in Jerusalem, the Gentiles are indebted to minister to them also in material things.
ROMANS 15:28 Therefore, when I have finished this, and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will go on by way of you to Spain.
ROMANS 15:29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
ROMANS 15:30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the unconditional love of God the Holy Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God the Father for me…
ROMANS 15:31 …that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints…
ROMANS 15:32 …so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company.
ROMANS 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
As Paul begins his goodbye in Romans, this king of the epistles, Paul is announcing to the saints in Rome where he is going next. Let’s study the passage verse-by-verse…Romans, Chapter 15, Verses 25 And 26…
ROMANS 15:25 But now, I say, I am going to Jerusalem in service to the poverty-stricken Jewish saints there to take them a love-gift of money.
ROMANS 15:26 For the Macedonians (in northern Greece) and the Achaeans (in southern Greece) havebeenpleased to make an offering for the poor among the Jewish saints in Jerusalem.
Paul is writing this letter to the Romans from Corinth, a municipality in Greece. You may remember it was the Las Vegas of the first century, well known for welcoming people who gravitated to sinful practices.
Why is Paul going to Jerusalem from Corinth? He says it in these first two verses of the Romans 15 passage and he says it in Acts, Chapter 24, Verse 17…
ACTS 24:17 Now after several years I came to Jerusalem to bring alms (money for the poor) to my nation (Israel) and to present offerings (to the Jewish saints in Jerusalem) …
Interestingly enough the Macedonians were poor as well…yet they gave.
What is the significance of this being a love-gift? It fulfills the Lord’s command to all of us…John, Chapter 13, Verse 35…
JOHN 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples…if (3) you have unconditional love for one another.”
This love-gift is exactly the same as your contributions in the offering. It’s a joy you can celebrate in every lesson if you so choose. When you give to Barah Ministries you express your love for God, your love for God’s ministry, your love for your Pastor, and your love for each other…thus fulfilling the Lord’s request of Christians.
Many words describe a love-gift offering. GIVING with liberality…giving to express AFFECTION…giving to provide ABUNDANCE. With joyful insistence, these believers in Greece expressed their concern and gratitude for the impoverished saints in Jerusalem, and gave from the heart to provide for their needs.
Money is a ministry. Giving is a ministry. Giving money is an expression of love.
Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 27…
ROMANS 15:27 Yes…the churches at Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to give a VOLUNTARY offering and they are indebted to the impoverished Jewish saints in Jerusalem. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jewish SPIRITUAL THINGS…and they have…the Gentiles also are indebted to minister to the Jewish saints in material things.
This is one of the reasons why Anti-Semitism is an ABSOLUTE ABOMINATION in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of Christians. SPIRITUAL THINGS. The gospel message…the GOOD NEWS of the Lord Jesus Christ’s salvation offer…was given to Jewish believers and they shared it with us Gentiles.
First and foremost, Jesus Christ is the Jewish Messiah. He came to serve the Jews. You’ll remember Matthew, Chapter 15, Verse 24 where the Lord describes His ministry…
MATTHEW 15:24 Jesus said, “I was sent ONLY to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
However, if it were not for the work of the Jewish saints, the Lord would have had to find a different way to get the gospel message to the Gentiles. As it is, the Jewish saints were pleased to share the gospel message with us goyim…people they had been taught to hate. That’s true love.
As we learned in the first passage of Romans 14, the only debt we can't pay off is the debt of unconditional love…toward our God, toward ourselves, and toward others. The saints in first-century Greece not only understood this request from the Lord intellectually, but they also demonstrated their understanding with action.
Isn’t it interesting that the Lord asks us to be ministers to the helpless? He was the King of ministers to the helpless…US!Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 28…
ROMANS 15:28 Therefore, when I have finished this (trip to Jerusalem)…and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs…I will go on by way of Rome to Spain to visit you.
We have a saying…put your money where your mouth is. It’s the challenge to back words with cash! You demonstrate commitment with action. Paul says his actions put a seal on this fruit. Action is encouraging…here’s Paul praising the saints in Greece for their offering…Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 13…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:13 Because of the proof given by this ministry (your love-gift), the impoverished Jewish saints will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them…
Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 29…
ROMANS 15:29 I know that when I come to you…I will be coming in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
Even though Paul preferred to follow his own plan…he acquiesced to God’s plan and God’s timing concerningthe right time to visit Rome. As it turned out, Paul got an all-expenses-paid trip to Rome in chains! He was arrested and transported to Rome to be imprisoned. God's plans are better than our plans.
There is nothing better blessing we could ever have in this life other than “the fullness of the blessing of Christ.”
In Romans, Chapter 15, Verses 30 to 32, Paul indicates that he knows traveling to Jerusalem is ALWAYS fraught with peril…
ROMANS 15:30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the unconditional love from the source of God the Holy Spirit…to AGONIZE together with me in your intercessory prayers to God the Father for me…
ROMANS 15:31 …that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea (Jewish unbelievers who want to kill me)…and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to these saints…
ROMANS 15:32 …so that I may come to you in joy…by the will of God the Father…and find refreshing rest in your company.
The unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem hated Paul for being a minister to the goyim…the Gentiles. Paul describes these unbelieving Jews in First Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Verses 15 and 16…
FIRST THESSALONIANS 2:15 (The unbelieving Jews in Jerusalem) both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets…and drove us out (of the city). They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men…
FIRST THESSALONIANS 2:16 …hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that the Gentiles might be saved…with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But (God’s) wrath has come upon them to the utmost.
The fate of unbelievers is the WRATH of God, a fate that we would never wish on our worst enemy.
Second, the Jews were often filled with pride and reluctant to accept offerings. You know the type…the person you compliment who doesn't know how to just say thank you. Paul is praying the saints in Jerusalem will not reject the gift.
Third, the Roman governors of Jerusalem always sought favor from the unbelieving Jews to "keep the peace." Thus they were always willing to give in to what they thought were the religious practices of the Jews.
With these three challenges to contend with on the trip, the apostle Paul NEEDED prayer to overcome these obstacles by using the divine power of God. Through prayer he sought God’s divine deliverance.
Paul closes the passage with a benediction…a prayer for blessing to the saints in Rome…Romans, Chapter 15, Verse 33…
ROMANS 15:33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
Paul was at peace, knowing that his life and actions are in our Almighty God's will.Here is the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION of our passage…Romans, Chapter 15, Verses 25 to 33…
ROMANS 15:25 But before I come to Rome, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there.
ROMANS 15:26 For you see, the believers in Macedonia and Achaia have eagerly taken up an offering for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem.
ROMANS 15:27 They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News of the gospel message from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.
ROMANS 15:28 As soon as I have delivered this money and completed this good deed of theirs, I will come to see you on my way to Spain.
ROMANS 15:29 And I am sure that when I come, the Lord Jesus Christ will richly bless our time together.
ROMANS 15:30 Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God the Father for me. Do this because of your unconditional love for me, given to you by God the Holy Spirit.
ROMANS 15:31 Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God the Father. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem.
ROMANS 15:32 Then, by the will of God the Father, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other.
ROMANS 15:33 And now may God the Father, who gives us His peace, be with you all. Amen.
When we return from the break, we’ll take the offering and then we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper. At the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ inspired us to give.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK NOBODY Casting Crowns
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Giving is the Truest Expression of Love
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
Did Jesus ever think about money? Rarely! What the Lord did think about was giving. As you think about giving, today, and every day, let your attitude reflect the Lord’s giving attitude as communicated in Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 35…
ACTS 20:35b “…remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Since you benefit from the Lord’s thoughts in these Bible lessons, it just makes sense to contribute to the workers who communicate His thoughts to you. Give generously just as the Lord gives and watch what the Lord credits back to your account.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
FIRST CORINTHIANS 3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me as a skilledmaster-builder, I (Paul) laid a foundation with the gospel message, and another teacheris building on it. But each teachermust be careful how he builds on the foundation.
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord’s Giving Nature Inspires Our Giving
Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ in The Christian Way of Living.
The Lord demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with His believers by creating a way to keep on sharing His body and His blood with us, just as He did with His apostles on the night before His death. Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16…
LUKE 22:14 When the hour had come (and His crucifixion was near) …the Lord Jesus Christ reclined at the Passover table…and the apostles reclined with Him.
LUKE 22:15 And the Lord said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passovermeal with you before I suffer…”
LUKE 22:16 “…for I(the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you that I shall never again eat this Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God the Father.”
In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26a …as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26b …you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead… until He comes again at the second coming.
During the Lord’s Supper Celebration, Jesus wants His believers to REMEMBER. We look back to the Cross for a moment and we REMEMBER how the Lord rescued us from the kingdom of darkness.We REMEMBER the Lord’s sacrifice of shedding His blood to cover our sins. We REMEMBER the gift of the resurrection life the Lord orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light. We REMEMBER with anticipationthat the Lord is coming again.
As believers in Christ, when we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, we ask ourselves in reflection, “What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?”At the Cross, the Lord’s Giving Nature Inspires Our Giving
The Cross could easily be described as an act of JOYFUL GENEROSITY. It was the Lord’s pleasure to GIVE generously to sinners by GIVING His life for us. What does it mean to give? It means…
GIVE To feely hand over something to someone…to provide for others…to supply something for the benefit of others
John, Chapter 15, Verse 13 said a different way than usual…
JOHN 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one GIVES his life for his friends.
If you want to become spiritually wealthy, the easiest path is GIVING.Giving is an investment. In God’s “stock market” giving provides a very certain return on investment. When we give God responds…Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verses 8 to 11…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:8 And God the Father is able to make all grace abound to you (at all times, but especially when you give) so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:9 …as it is written, “He scattered abroad…he gave to the poor…His righteousness endures forever.”
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and who supplies bread for food will not only supply but also will multiply your seed for sowing…to generate an increase for the harvest of your righteousness…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:11 …and you will be enriched in everything for all liberality which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
One of the commentaries mentions that “the true riches of grace and joy are the returns on the investment of generous giving.”
At the Cross the Lord’s GIVING put infinite divine resources at our disposal. His generosity saves sinners from the wrath of God the Father. The only way to accomplish this was to GIVE His life.
The best time to give is when you can least afford it…Second Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verses 1 to 4…the Macedonian believers we learned about earlier in this lesson were actually in poverty themselves…yet they GAVE…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 8:1 Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 8:2 …that amid a great deal of affliction, their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
SECOND CORINTHIANS 8:3 For I (Paul) testify that according to their ability, EVEN BEYOND THEIR ABILITY, they gave voluntarily…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 8:4 …begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the Jewish saints at Jerusalem…
When we give, we are inspired by the Lord’s example…Second Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 9…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 8:9 For you believers in Christ know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ…who even though He was rich, for your sake He became poor, so that through His poverty might you become spiritually rich.
By giving, the Lord redeemed us…by giving, the Lord saved us…the riches of His grace give us everything we need.
Giving is done in grace…not through coercion and not in expectation of a return. Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 7…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:7 Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart…not grudgingly or under compulsion…for God loves a cheerful giver.
What we give, God gives back to us in abundance…Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 19…
PHILIPPIANS 4:19 And my God will GIVE you all your needs according to His glorious riches…for those of you in union with Christ Jesus.
When we give, we experience the truth of the Lord’s contention in Acts, Chapter 20, Verse 35…
ACTS 20:35b “…remember the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
In Luke Chapter 6, Verse 38 the Lord says…
LUKE 6:38a+c “Give, and it will be given to you…for by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
It is blessed to give to the helpless…Luke, Chapter 14, Verses 13 and 14…
LUKE 14:13 “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind…”
LUKE 14:14 “…and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you…for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
In God’s plan, first we receive from Him, and then we give. Our God inspires ambitious generosity. We give knowing with certainty that the Lord has our backs…Mark, Chapter 10, Verse 29…
MARK 10:29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left his house or his brothers or his sisters or his mother or his father or his children or his farms for My sake and for the gospel’s sake…”
MARK 10:30 “…but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age… houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions…and in the age to come he will receive eternal life.”
We celebrate the giving of our Lord during this and every Lord’s Supper. We know we can never outgive God. James, Chapter 1, Verse 17…
JAMES 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above…coming down from God the Father…the One of the heavenly of lights…with whom there is no variation nor shifting shadow.”
The Lord gives us everything, including life…Acts, Chapter 17, Verse 25…
ACTS 17:25b …the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gives to all people (who want it) the resurrection life and breath and all things…
Let’s enjoy our relationship with the Lord and let’s reflect His giving spirit to all we meet, one person at a time.
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.
Obeying God's command, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross regularly…we eat to remember who He is as a PERSON…we drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made on our behalf as our sin sacrifice.
We are grateful for what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done for us. Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…
MATTHEW 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body which is being broken for you.”
MATTHEW 26:27 And when He 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…blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.”
As you enjoy the bread and the wine, enjoy the memory of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as well.
Now and always, let us keep on giving thanks that we are loved unconditionally and accepted fully by a Lord who is always there for us…the One on whom we depend…and let’s keep on being transformed by His life, His death, His resurrection from the dead, and His Word…and let’s enjoy His unconditional love, His forgiveness, and His grace.
Enjoy the elements as we hear Donna Summers and the Musical Youth remind us of the power of giving love.
THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE Donna Summer and the Musical Youth
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.
When food manufacturers noticed your fast-paced, mobile lifestyle they created INSTANT food…instant coffee…instant oatmeal…instant potatoes…and instant gravy were among their initial culinary creations. Most of them were awful!
This message is for you if you want an INSTANT relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You may be wondering what’s going to happen to you the INSTANT you close your eyes in this life. There is an INSTANT answer to your curiosity, and the Lord Jesus Christ guarantees that in an INSTANT you can become a child of God.
You may not know your unfortunate circumstance at the moment of your physical birth. It’s called spiritual death. You were born physically alive and spiritually dead as an ungodly, unrighteous unbeliever.
It’s not your fault, but it IS your circumstance.
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 being who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…
Because Adam was appointed by God as the federal head of the human race, his first sin was credited to the account of all human creatures, resulting in spiritual death. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12…
ROMANS 5:12 Therefore…just as through one man, Adam…sin entered into the world… and spiritual death entered the world through his sin…so spiritual death spread to all men…because all men were considered by God to have sinned when Adam sinned.
In addition, just so you don’t have Adam to blame, you commit personal sins. Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23 says…
ROMANS 3:23 …all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Adam’s sin credited to you plus your personal sins create an insurmountable barrier between you and God.
Despite this unfortunate circumstance, there is good news from God that INSTANTLY frees you from the negative effects of sin, from spiritual death, and from the kingdom of darkness into which you were born. You're invited to be born again…the spiritual birth…into a spiritual life in God’s kingdom of light where sin is no longer sovereign over you. The Lord Jesus Christ offers you a “so great” salvation, and it is His will that you accept the free gift He made possible for you at the Cross. Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 says…
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 TO PERISH IN THE LAKE OF FIRE…but wishing for all unbelievers to come to repentance (a voluntary change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
If you end up in the Lake of Fire the INSTANT after your physical death, it will not be because the Lord wants you there. It will be your choice.
So, how can you get to heaven in an INSTANT when you close your eyes in this life? By obeying God’s plan for your salvation! RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can be saved in an INSTANT. You can tell God the Father you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the INSTANT of eternal life for you. Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
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.”
To BELIEVE means to accept God’s word for what it takes to be saved. God says the ONE WAY…the ONLY WAY to get to heaven is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostleThomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel message in the Word of God) … and I am the resurrection life (eternal life) …and no one comes to God the Father in heaven but through believing in Me.”
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…
The Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead proved that He is Deity, and it qualified Him to save you.
Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgment that you can’t do a thing to get to heaven on your own. You can’t buy your way into heaven…you can’t “good deed” your way into heaven…you can’t “be a good person” and get to heaven. You can only get to heaven by accepting the INSTANT gift of salvation from a God who loves you so unconditionally that He sent His Son to die for you on a Cross to pay your way into heaven. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…
ROMANS 5:8 God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankindin that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers), Christ died a sacrificial deathfor us.
God has an enemy, Satan, who deceives the whole world, including you, with a strategy to exploit human beings…RELIGION. The religions of the world deceive you into thinking that you can work your way to heaven…that you can work to please God. No religious ritual has ever been good enough to get you to heaven.
It’s wise to let God save you because once God does something, He never changes His mind. John, Chapter 10, Verse 28 says…
JOHN 10:28 “…I (the Lord Jesus Christ) give eternal life to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
You can’t lose your salvation. If anyone says you can, they’re lying to you.
There is no reason to be uncertain about what happens at the moment of your physical death. 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 right at that moment (IN AN INSTANT) …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 reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, the Bible makes it clear there is a consequence. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 40 to 42…
MATTHEW 13:40 …just as tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
MATTHEW 13:41 The Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) will send forth His elect angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks (unbelievers)…and those who practice lawlessness (unbelievers)…
MATTHEW 13:42 …and the elect angels will throw unbelievers into the furnace of fire (The Lake of Fire)…and in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (for all eternity).
Believers in Christ have a different fate.Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 43…
MATTHEW 13:43 Then the righteous…(believers in Christ)…will shine forth as the sun shines in the kingdom of their God and Father.
What’s your choice? Are you for or against Christ?
A relationship with the Lord does not require blind faith. In fact, there is no such thing as blind faith. For the wise, faith is invested after an examination. You have faith as a gift from God, and you can place your confidence in the object of your faith. To place your confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to let Him save you is a delicious move. You can reject a relationship with Christ, or you can make an INSTANT choice for Christ, and the result…your salvation…stands finished forever. Matthew, Chapter 13, Verse 44 encourages us…
MATTHEW 13:44 He who has ears…let him (really) hear (these things).
Some INSTANT things are quite tasty! Take a moment right now to wrap your mind around the only INSTANT thing that lasts forever…a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! The apostle Paul makes a request in Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 1…
ROMANS 12:1 Therefore, I (Paul) beg you, brethren (fellow believers in Christ)...as you keep on being persuaded because of the many mercies of God...TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES (by choice, not by command...as) A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE... acceptable to God the Father... which is your spiritual service...worship.
When we do this, we understand what Don Moen sings about in the song WE ARE AN OFFERING. Yes! In our very person, we are an offering.
MUSIC CLOSING SONG Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises
WE ARE AN OFFERING Don Moen
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for the constant reminders of how to live the life you want us to live…our very best life…and thank you for providing me with the opportunity to glorify you in the number of days You have given me on the earth…and thank you for all the mistakes designed for teaching…thank you for encoding the mistakes into my psyche in the hopes that repeating them is not my wish…
…give all of us to see Your hand in our lives in all things…keep on reminding us that You work all things together for our good…and help us to see the evidence of Your presence in our lives…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
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DISCUSSING THE LESSON AND PRAYER CIRCLE
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