John: What is the Meaning Behind Jesus’ Signs?The one behind the miracles.
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RORY CLARK Pastor-Teacher
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TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Meaning Behind Jesus’ Signs?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
At the end of John’s gospel, he makes the reason clear as to why Jesus uses SIGNS. John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31 says…
JOHN 20:30 There were many SIGNS Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in the Bible…
JOHN 20:31 …but these things written in the Bible are written so all of you may BELIEVE that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah) … God the Son in human form … and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life (eternal life) in His name.
In today’s lesson you’ll learn the significance of Jesus’ first SIGN…the one He performed at the wedding feast at Cana.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music! Of what is our God capable? If we could only believe the truth the angel Gabriel told all of us in Luke, Chapter 1, Verse 37…
LUKE 1:37 “For absolutely not a single thing will be impossible with God.”
Here’s CeCe Winans to tell you to BELIEVE FOR IT.
MUSIC - OPENING SONG Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises
BELIEVE FOR IT CeCe Winans
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray...
We’re grateful to You Heavenly Father for providing us with the absolute truth of the Word of God…
Father, we know that all good gifts come from You…the gift of Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…the gift of salvation through believing in Him…the gift of a spiritual life…the gift of absolute righteousness imputed to our accounts… the gift of eternity in heaven when we close our eyes in this life…Your gifts give us peace and eternal security…
…thank you for giving me twenty-seven years of teaching Your Word…thank you for revealing the Lord’s glory to us…thank you for never letting us down…thank you for coming after us when we were lost…
…as we study the first SIGN Your Son performed during His ministry, open the eyes of our hearts so we can get the message You prepared to send to us…and let God the Holy Spirit make the truth clear to us…
…we ask these things through the divine power of God the Holy Spirit… omnipotence…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Meaning Behind Jesus’ Signs?
LESSON PART ONE
The study of John’s gospel is the study of Jesus’ life. John is out to prove to us that Jesus Christ is God. He wants us to know about the Deity of Christ.
With John, Chapter 1 behind us, we begin the study of the first passage in John Chapter 2. Just a quick reminder of what we learned about the beginning of our Lord’s ministry in Chapter 1.
THE BEGINNING OF JESUS CHRIST’S MINISTRY
Day 1 John the Baptist confronts the religious leaders
Day 2 John the Baptist announces the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world
THE BEGINNING OF JESUS CHRIST’S MINISTRY
Day 3 Andrew and John follow the Lord
Day 4 Andrew evangelizes to his brother Simon Peter (Cephas) who decides to follow the Lord
THE BEGINNING OF JESUS CHRIST’S MINISTRY
Day 5 Philip is called by the Lord Philip evangelizes to his friend Nathanael
Day 6
The Disciples (the Galilee Gang) Travel to Cana
THE BEGINNING OF JESUS CHRIST’S MINISTRY
Day 7 Jesus and His Five Disciples Arrive at Cana for the wedding
So, in the first passage of Chapter 2 we’ll study the significance of the Lord’s first SIGN…His first miracle…which occurred at the wedding feast at Cana. Miracles are a routine day at the office for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the KING of Miracles.
Chapters 2 to 11 of the gospel of John are referred to in commentary circles as the Book of Signs. As a preview of coming attractions, here are the seven signs John reports in his gospel, in order.
JESUS’ SEVEN SIGNS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
Turning Water into Wine (John 2:1-11) Healing the Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46-54) Healing the Man at the Pool (John 5:1-11)
JESUS’ SEVEN SIGNS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-15) Walking on Water (John 6:16-21) Healing a Man Born Blind (John 9:1-12)
JESUS’ SEVEN SIGNS IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
Resurrecting Lazarus from the Dead (John 11) All of the SIGNS point to Jesus and teach us something about Him. Each sign has meaning. As believers in Christ, we can learn the meaning of the SIGNS, and the Lord’s wants us to know the meaning of the SIGNS.
Let’s begin the study of John, Chapter 2 with a geography lesson. For those of you viewing the lesson, take a look at the map on the slide so you can see the location of Cana. It’s the city in red.
Cana is located in northern Israel. It’s sixteen miles from the Sea of Galilee…four miles from Nazareth…and sixty-eight miles from Jerusalem. Other nearby towns you may have heard of are Bethsaida…Capernaum…and Magdala.
It won’t surprise you that Cana is an insignificant town. The Lord always seemed to do His best work in obscure places (like Bethlehem as another example).
On a side note, interesting facts about the Sea of Galilee. It’s circumference…the distance around the shoreline…is thirty-three miles.
The “Sea” of Galilee actually is a freshwater lake. It’s about thirteen miles long and eight miles wide, and it’s seven hundred feet below sea level. It is also called Lake Tiberias and the Sea of Kinneret. Check out Luke, Chapter 5, Verse 1…
LUKE 5:1 Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Jesus and listening to the Word of God, Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (the Sea of Galilee).
If you didn’t know the facts you might think the Lake of Gennesaret was a different body of water and that the Sea of Galilee is a sea instead of a lake. The Sea of Galilee was a hangout for the Lord and His disciples.
Now let’s hear the passage of study…John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 11…
JOHN 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there…
JOHN 2:2 …and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
JOHN 2:3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
JOHN 2:4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”
JOHN 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
JOHN 2:6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.
JOHN 2:7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
JOHN 2:8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him.
JOHN 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom…
JOHN 2:10 …and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine…but you have kept the good wine until now.”
JOHN 2:11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Cana is Nathanael’s hometown according to John, Chapter 21, Verse 2…
JOHN 21:2 Simon Peter…and Thomas (who is called Didymus)…Nathanael of Cana in Galilee…and the sons of Zebedee, James and John, and two others of Jesus’ disciples were together.
Some things you should know…
Wine is a symbol for joy. All winos listening should be happy to know that.
The normal day for a Jewish wedding is Wednesday. The celebration could last a whole week.
A shortage of wine is an embarrassment to the host and it would be the fault of the bridegroom.
Jesus produced an abundance of wine…perhaps one hundred twenty to one hundred eighty gallons of wine. For perspective, that’s 620 to 920 bottles of wine as we know bottles today.
The waterpots were not wine jars. Actually, they are bathing vessels for the Jewish ritual of purification.
The Jewish ritual of purification is immersion in a mikveh, a specially constructed ritual bath (the waterpots). This practice is a ritual to remove impurity and to create a spiritual renewal. The ritual symbolizes a move from impurity to purity.
The Old Testament had several rituals that provided external cleansing. The Lord was pretty clear that it’s not the outside that counts. Luke, Chapter 11, Verse 39…
LUKE 11:39 The Lord said to a Pharisee (He was having lunch with), “You Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter…but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness.”
The Lord was even more candid in Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 27…
MATTHEW 23:27 “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees…you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed Tombs…which on the outside appear beautiful…but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
SIGNS have a purpose. Miracles get people’s attention, attracting them to a message. A SIGN is a miracle with meaning.
SIGNS = MIRACLE + MEANING
The meaning of all the SIGNS Jesus performs point to His identity. Jesus Christ is God!
When we return from the break, we’ll request an offering, and then we’ll see what there is to learn from Jesus’ visit to the wedding feast at Cana.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK IT'S A MIRACLE Barry Manilow
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Meaning Behind Jesus’ Signs?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
Nike has it right about athletics…JUST DO IT! At Barah Ministries, we have this thought about generosity…JUST GIVE IT! In Proverbs 3, Verse 9 the Lord says…
PROVERBS 3:9 Honor the Lord from your wealth…and from the first fruits of all your produce…
The Lord doesn’t need you to give. He wants you to WANT TO give!
Don’t ever underestimate the power of your giving. Of course, Satan, the enemy of God influences you to be reluctant to give. He insinuates, “What are they going to do with the money?” “Why are they always asking for money?”
When you give to Barah Ministries you’re giving to a financially responsible organization. In addition, you change lives. You may not get to know how you make a difference while you are here on earth, but God knows the impact you make and will show you how you made a difference when you get to heaven.
So, give as if someone’s life depends on it, because it does!
Let’s listen to Deacon Denny Goodall present one of his always thoughtful and always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
JOHN 10:10 “The thief 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.”
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON What is the Meaning Behind Jesus’ Signs?
LESSON PART TWO
Let’s study the first passage of John, Chapter 2 verse-by-verse beginning at John, Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2…
JOHN 2:1 On the third day (the time it took to walk from where they were) … there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee…and Mary the mother of Jesus was there…
JOHN 2:2 …and both Jesus and His disciples (Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael) were invited to the wedding.
At this point, the GALILEE GANG are disciples. The formal definition of a disciple is a “technical students.” The informal name for a disciple is a “follower.”
The GALILEE GANG were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ at this point because they didn’t know Him very well. They’ve known Jesus for a week. They will become saints, which is the term that describes believers in Christ.
John, Chapter 2, Verses 3 and 4…
JOHN 2:3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
JOHN 2:4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with Me? My hour (referring to the hour of His death) has not yet come.”
Jesus’ comment to His Mother sounds disrespectful when translated into English, but it isn’t. Mary is playing the Jewish Mom card. Jesus had to set her straight. He’s saying, “Woman don’t ask me to do this. Don’t you know I’m oriented to My Father’s will now, and not yours?”
Perhaps Mary didn’t learn the lesson of Luke, Chapter 2, Verses 41 to 51…
LUKE 2:41 Now Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.
LUKE 2:42 And when Jesus became twelve years old, He and His parents went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the Passover Feast…
LUKE 2:43 …and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it…
LUKE 2:44 …and they supposed Jesus to be in the caravan. And after going a day’s journey, they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
LUKE 2:45 When they did not find Jesus, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.
LUKE 2:46 After three days they found Jesus in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
LUKE 2:47 And all who heard Jesus were amazed at His understanding and His answers.
LUKE 2:48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished…and Jesus’ mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.”
LUKE 2:49 And Jesus said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”
LUKE 2:50 But His parents did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
LUKE 2:51 And Jesus went with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them…and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Jesus’ respectful submission to His human parent’s authority transitioned now that He is a thirty-year-old man. As He had always been, but now exclusively, the Lord Jesus Christ was in submission to His Father’s authority and direction.
Realizing her Jewish Mother card had expired, Mary expressed her faith in her son… John, Chapter 2, Verse 5…
JOHN 2:5 Mary said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
There were other instances of Jesus making it clear to whom He was listening. One was in Luke, Chapter 11, Verses 27 and 28…
LUKE 11:27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.”
LUKE 11:28 But Jesus said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.”
Jesus is saying, “My orientation is vertical, not horizontal. Don’t elevate My Mother…she does not have a spiritual inside track with Me.”
Next, Matthew, Chapter 12, Verses 47 to 50…
MATTHEW 12:47 Someone said to Jesus, “Behold, Your Mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”
MATTHEW 12:48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My Mother and who are My brothers?”
MATTHEW 12:49 “And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!”
MATTHEW 12:50 “For whosoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
The Lord is always crystal clear. He is not a God of confusion.
Interestingly enough, after getting Mary straight about whom He was listening to, the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled Mary’s wishes. John, Chapter 2, Verses 6 to 8…
JOHN 2:6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, and they could hold twenty or thirty gallons each.
JOHN 2:7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
JOHN 2:8 And then Jesus said the servants, “Draw some water out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So the servants took the water to the headwaiter.
The waterpots are bathing vessels used for the Jewish rite of ritual purification. With His actions, the Lord made it clear that ritual is dead. John, Chapter 2, Verses 9 and 10…
JOHN 2:9 When the headwaiter tasted the water…(which had become wine)…and did not know where the wine came from…(but the servants who had drawn the water knew)…the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him…
JOHN 2:10 “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely (losing their ability to discern)…then he serves the poorer wine…but you have kept the good wine until now.”
Jesus provides, and He provides in abundance, even in situations where He has no obligation to do so. Why would He bother? John, Chapter 2, Verse 11…
JOHN 2:11 This is the first of His SIGNS Jesus did in Cana of Galilee…and the SIGN manifested (made clearly visible) Jesus’ glory…and His disciples believed in Him.
The disciples were now saints.
What is the glory of God?
THE GLORY OF GOD The visible manifestation of God’s infinite beauty, worth, and majesty. It makes visible the sum of all His divine attributes—like justice, righteousness, sovereignty, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, love, immutability, veracity, eternal life, and holiness—all put on display for all of creation to see.
Another way to look at glory…
GLORY Jesus showing Himself to people as if to communicate, “This is who I AM.”
Remember what John said about the Lord in John, Chapter 1, Verse 14?
JOHN 1:14 And the Word became flesh (He took on human form as Jesus…the Christ…the Messiah) and He lived among us here on earth…and WE APOSTLES SAW HIS GLORY WITH OUR OWN EYES (the Lord’s glory was manifested)…the glory of the only begotten One from God the Father…full of grace and full of truth.
What are some of the things we learn from Jesus’ first SIGN? How does this SIGN help us get to know Jesus?
We learn that He is a provider.
We learn that He is completely oriented to God the Father’s will and that Jesus is voluntarily following His Father’s lead. He is an obedient Son.
By turning water into wine, He showed His concern for others. He bailed the bridegroom out of a situation that would have brought the bridegroom shame and ridicule during one of the most joyous times in his life.
We learned that when the Lord provides, He does so in abundance. There aren’t may parties that can consume 620 to 920 bottles of wine in a week!
We learned that Jesus deals with us on the basis of our faith and not on the basis of our family ties. He does not play favorites. Acts, Chapter 10, Verse 34…
ACTS 10:34 Opening his mouth, Peter said, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality…”
Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and all the other “uber-wealthy” people who think they can buy their way to heaven, or ignore their way to heaven, or wait-and-see their way to heaven would do well to take note. All creatures are saved by God’s grace, and not by pedigree. Jesus is influenced by despicable sinners who trust His grace.
We learned to lean on the Lord and no one else in times of trouble. Do you? When you’re in a jam, is the Lord the One you think of to bail you out?
We learned that doing rituals for the purpose of being acceptable to Jesus is not necessary. He loves all of His creatures unconditionally.
The water to wine analogy teaches us that the rituals of the Old Testament are through. Grace and truth are the order of the day. 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…behold, new things have come.
Jesus fulfilled the law. The law pointed things out but did not save anyone. The law comes short of the grace of God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the end of the law for those who believe. Most people in the world are under the law, following meaningless rituals so their “higher power” will be satisfied with them. John, Chapter 1, Verse 17 reminds us…
JOHN 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses…grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
The only way to be pure before God? Revelation, Chapter 7, Verse 14…
REVELATION 7:14b He said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
Faith in Christ alone is the ultimate miracle for each of us. He and He alone purify us from our sins. Thanks be to our God.
What is the meaning behind the Lord’s SIGN? He is our all-sufficient Savior when things get rough. In Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 19, Paul says… PHILIPPIANS 4:19 And my God will supply ALL your needs according to His glorious riches for all of you in union with Christ Jesus.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
The final ten minutes 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
…and what He wants for you is that you make the most important decision of your life.
God wants a RELATIONSHIP with you! The Lord’s half-brother says in James, Chapter 4, Verse 8…
JAMES 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
The enemy of God, Satan wants you to be part of a RELIGION. Religion is Satan’s strategy against the human race and it is designed to make you either indifferent or antagonistic to God. Religion works very well at keeping you off track! The Bible describes religion in Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verse 5 as…
SECOND TIMOTHY 3:5 …a superficial form of godliness (a counterfeit to Christianity) … that denies godliness’ divine power…
You have a choice…RELATIONSHIP or religion…what’s your choice?
Religion can’t get you to heaven! Religions propose that if you don’t do everything their “god” expects, their god will be disappointed. Regardless of your best efforts to follow religious rituals, which CAN’T and DON’T get you a relationship with God, even IF you do them, the religion does not GUARANTEE you will get to heaven.
Every time a pope of the Roman Catholic church dies, the whole world turns in fascination to a false church that sells a counterfeit to Christianity. Roman Catholicism is one of the many religions, and it is bought “hook, line, and sinker” by nearly a billion and a half people…almost 20% of the world’s population.
Roman Catholicism is a COMPLETE DECEPTION. In Matthew, Chapter 23, Verses 27 and 28, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself excoriates religion…
MATTHEW 23:27 “Woe to you religious scribes and Pharisees…you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs…which on the outside appear beautiful…but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
MATTHEW 23:28 “Outwardly you appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (in other words you are ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers).”
The Bible is a gift from God that introduces you to the possibility of a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 12 describes the power of the Bible…
HEBREWS 4:12 The Word of God is alive and powerful…sharper than any two-edged sword…and it’s piercing…as far as the division of soul and spirit…of both joints and marrow… and it’s a critic of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
God’s provides the Bible to teach you the truth about how to have a relationship with Him. Satan’s plan is to teach you lies that obscure the truth of the Bible.
One day, each one of us will die. What happens when we close our eyes in this life? If you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, counting on Him to save you, good things happen. If you are counting on religion to save you, bad things happen. Let’s examine Luke, Chapter 16, Verses 19 to 31 to see the difference between RELATIONSHIP and religion.
LUKE 16:19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple (the color of royalty) and in fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.”
LUKE 16:20 “And a poor man named Lazarus laid at his gate every day, covered with sores…”
LUKE 16:21 “…longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table…and besides, even the dogs were coming and licking the poor man’s sores.”
LUKE 16:22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (a compartment of Hades called Paradise) … also, the rich man died and was buried.”
LUKE 16:23 “In Hades the rich man lifted up his eyes, being in Torments (a compartment of Hades reserved for dead unbelievers) … and the rich man saw Abraham far away…and he saw Lazarus, the poor man, in Abraham’s bosom (a place of comfort).”
LUKE 16:24 “And the rich man cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus over here so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’”
LUKE 16:25 “But Abraham said to the rich man, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things (you had wealth) … and likewise Lazarus had bad things (he was poor and sick) … but now Lazarus is being comforted here in Paradise, and you are in agony (in Torments).’”
LUKE 16:26 “‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a GREAT CHASM FIXED, so that those who wish to come from over here to you will not be able…and none may cross over from where you are to us.’”
LUKE 16:27 “And the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, that you send Lazarus to my father’s house…’”
LUKE 16:28 “‘…for I have five brothers—in order that Lazarus may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of Torment.’”
LUKE 16:29 “But Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the Prophets…let your brothers listen to them.’”
LUKE 16:30 “But the rich man said, ‘No, father Abraham…if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent (they’ll change their minds about having a relationship with Christ)!’”
LUKE 16: 31 “But Abraham said to the rich man, ‘If, for the sake of argument, your brothers do not listen to Moses and the Prophets…absolutely they will not be persuaded…even if one should rise from the dead.’”
When you die, you’ll go either to heaven or to the Lake of Fire for all eternity. You get to choose where you spend eternity. The determining factor is RELATIONSHIP or religion.
God wants a RELATIONSHIP with you because He doesn’t want ANYONE to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. 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 of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire…but wishing for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).
Believe the Bible. Don’t believe the doctrines of your religion. In fact, compare them!
For example:
The Bible says you are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Galatians Chapter 2, Verse 16…
GALATIANS 2:16 …nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Mosaic Law but through faith in Christ Jesus alone …since by the works of the Law no flesh (no creature) will be justified.
Roman Catholicism says justification is conferred by the sacrament of water baptism (CCC, 1992).
“If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone…let him be anathema (accursed).” (Council of Trent, Canon 9).
Justification is an instantaneous change to your legal status before God whereby as a condemned sinner you are acquitted and declared righteous…Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 3…
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...THE LORD…AND ABRAHAM’S FAITH WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Roman Catholicism says “justification is a process that renews the inner man,” and it is not his legal status before God. (CCC, 2019).
Justification is permanent and is never lost by sin. The legal status of a justified man is as unchangeable as the righteousness of Christ. Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verse 14…
HEBREWS 10:14 For by ONE OFFERING the Lord Jesus Christ has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
Roman Catholicism says justification is temporary…it can be lost by sin and regained through the sacrament of penance (confessing your sins to a priest) … and through good works (CCC 1446 and 1861). The Bible and the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church are saying opposite things. Roman Catholics call themselves Christians, yet their religion is not selling a relationship with the Lord.
If religion can’t save you, can a relationship with the Lord save you? The Bible says YES in 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.”
John, Chapter 14, Verse 6…
JOHN 14:6 Jesus said to the doubting apostle Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation) … and I am the truth (through the gospel of Jesus Christ 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 all of 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…
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…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.”
For those who embrace a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, an eternity in heaven is their eternal future…Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:8 …we believers in Christ are of good courage, I say, and prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home face-to-face with the Lord.
For those who embrace religion, Torments to the Lake of Fire is their destiny at the end of this life. 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).
RELATIONSHIP or religion?
It’s your choice.
Make the RIGHT CHOICE…RIGHT NOW…RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT… RIGHT THIS MOMENT!
Choose a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ 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!
First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 57 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:57 …thanks be to God the Father, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty and Matt Boswell say we have the victory, too! We have VICTORY IN JESUS.
MUSIC - CLOSING SONG Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises
VICTORY IN JESUS Keith and Kristyn Getty with Matt Boswell
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
…thank you for being the source of every miracle in our lives…thank you for giving us hope that when someone on earth says, “You can’t” we know You say, “You CAN because I’ll do it for you!”
…remind us daily to take advantage of divine power in every challenge we face in this life…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS OR WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?
Ask the Pastor pastor@barahministries.com
KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!
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