John: Is Evangelism the Most Important Thing Christians Do?One breath changes everything.
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES An Online Christian Church Teaching the Word of God Verse-by-Verse
RORY CLARK Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
I’m Pastor Rory Clark welcoming you to a Bible lesson with Barah Ministries, an intimate online Christian community committed to learning the Word of God verse-by-verse. I’m happy to teach the Word to those who want a deep, intimate and personal relationship with the Savior of the world and the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord Jesus Christ.
No matter where you are in the world, no matter how the Lord gets this Bible lesson to you, thanks for listening!
Studying the Bible is one of the best gifts you give yourself every day.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Is Evangelism the Most Important Thing Christians Do?
LESSON INTRODUCTION
After the salvation phase of our life is taken care of by the Lord, and we become children of God as believers in Christ, the next phase of our lives is the sanctification phase. In sanctification, we are set apart by God for a set of privileges that stagger the imagination.
Among these privileges are Obedience to the Word of God, Prayer, and Evangelism. Obedience to the Word grows our relationship with God. Prayer grows our relationship with self. Evangelism grows our relationship with others.
As we continue our study of the Gospel of John, Chapter 3 the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus makes Christians wonder, “Is Evangelism the most important thing Christians do? We’ll investigate the question in today’s lesson.
And as we do regularly, honoring the Lord’s command, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper today. Get your bread and your wine…settle in…join us.
OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s hear some music! Shortly after the creation of the earth, all angelic creatures turned against the Lord, led by the enemy of God, Satan. Genesis, Chapter 1, Verses 1 and 2a…
GENESIS 1:1 In the beginning God (the Son…Jehovah Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.
GENESIS 1:2a But the earth became formless and void…and darkness was over the surface of the deep…
This was a terrible time for the angelic creatures….they rejected their relationship with the Lord and He shut down the planet, making a perfect planet formless and void.
But an unconditionally loving God made a reconciliation offer. Two-thirds of the angels took it. And God the Holy Spirit restored the planet…Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 2b…
GENESIS 1:2b …and God the Holy Spirit (with the Breath of God…like a mighty wind) was moving over the surface of the waters (to restore the planet).
Let’s hear Keith and Kristyn Getty sing about the HOLY SPIRIT who is the LIVING BREATH OF GOD.
MUSIC - OPENING SONG Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises
HOLY SPIRIT, LIVING BREATH OF GOD Keith and Kristyn Getty
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, thank you for continuing to give us examples of effective evangelism through the conversations our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has with unbelievers… thank you for giving Christians the privilege of evangelism…and thank you for providing us with divine appointments with the important people in our lives so we can invite them to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ…
…let this lesson strengthen our knowledge of evangelism…one of the most important things we do for others as Christians…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Is Evangelism the Most Important Thing Christians Do?
LESSON PART ONE
In our last lesson we began studying the first passage of John, Chapter 3. Let’s review what we learned in the first seven verses and then we’ll finish the study of the passage verse-by verse. John, Chapter 3, Verses 1 and 2…
JOHN 3:1 Now there was A MAN of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews…
JOHN 3:2 …and this MAN came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know You have come from God as a teacher…for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
Nicodemus was a well-respected and accomplished man of his day…a man from a prominent family whom people looked up to. John reminds us that in the spiritual realm, he is JUST a man, no better and no worse than any of us. While people may look up to us, the real measure of our importance is what God thinks of us.
Since Nicodemus probably had not considered how God sees Him, the Lord dropped a bomb on Nicodemus in John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…
JOHN 3:3 Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, Nicodemus, unless one is born again (born from above…the new birth) he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus was convinced that entering the kingdom of God is something human beings can earn by keeping the Mosaic Law and doing good deeds. The Lord shatters Nicodemus’ illusions, which made him every uncomfortable. John, Chapter 3, Verse 4…
JOHN 3:4 Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
Funny? Not funny. Now Jesus begins to give Nicodemus an evangelistic education. John, Chapter 3, Verse 5…
JOHN 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus is an unbeliever.
For unbelievers to enter the kingdom of God they must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ (the water of the Word of God) … they must respond positively to the message, investing their faith in Jesus Christ to be saved…and then they are placed into union with Christ through the Baptism of God the Holy Spirit. They become born-again ones, born of water and the Spirit.
Nicodemus is even more perplexed. The Lord continues by giving Nicodemus another example a learned man of Scripture should understand. John, Chapter 3, Verse 6…
JOHN 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh…and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
Human flesh, men and women, cannot reproduce the spiritual being. They produce a natural being…an unbeliever. Only the Lord can turn an unbeliever into a child of God. In John, Chapter 3, Verse 7 the Lord tells Nicodemus…
JOHN 3:7 “Do not be amazed (shocked) that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Nicodemus is shaken by the news, but he still doesn’t understand. The lesson continues in John, Chapter 3, Verse 8…
JOHN 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes…and you hear the sound of it…but you do not know where it comes from and you do not know where it is going…so it is with everyone who is a born-again one from the Baptism of God the Holy Spirit.”
The wind is a symbol of God’s breath. The Lord is telling Nicodemus that God’s breath goes wherever He wants it to, and God’s breath produces the results He wants it to. Unbelievers want to produce their salvation through good works. The only way to get saved is to let God do it. As human unbelievers, God tells us we are totally depraved and completely helpless to do anything to save ourselves.
The Greek word for breath is pneuma. The Hebrew words for breath are Neshamah and Ruach dependent on the context. The power of God’s breath, which is like a wind, shows up all over the Bible. Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 2…
GENESIS 1:2 The earth became formless and void…and darkness was over the surface of the deep…and the Spirit of God (the Breath of God, like a mighty wind) was moving over the surface of the waters.
Human beings are body, soul and spirit. We are made in God’s triune image. At the moment of salvation, believers in Christ are given a spiritually alive human spirit…unlike the dead human spirit we have as unbelievers...from the breath of God. What is the human spirit?
HUMAN SPIRIT The part of each person that has God-consciousness
Adam had an alive human spirit from the moment he was created…Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 7…
GENESIS 2:7 Then the Lord (God the Son) formed man from dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives…and man became a living being.
Biological Life (The Flesh) + Soul Life (The Breath of God) = Human Life
Adam’s human spirit died when he committed the first sin.
Those who are the born-again ones have God’s life breathed into them. People are born-again only when God breathes His breath into them. What the Lord is telling Nicodemus is that his human works can’t produce a spiritual life. Only God’s breath can do it.
These life changing revelations from the Lord continue to astonish Nicodemus. John, Chapter 3, Verse 9…
JOHN 3:9 Nicodemus said to Jesus, “How can these things be?”
Nicodemus was forever changed by this conversation, yet Nicodemus was still incredulous. He thought, “This can’t be possible! I did everything right in my life and you’re telling me nothing I did matters!” The thoughts came from his mouth in a weakly whispered words, “How can these things be?” The Lord is getting to him. John, Chapter 3, Verse 10…
JOHN 3:10 Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, “Are you the Israel’s teacher and do not understand these things?”
As the Lord’s half-brother James says in James, Chapter 3, Verse 1… JAMES 3:1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
Teachers can lead people astray. Nicodemus was devastated because he thought with his credentials and his good deeds, he could earn a place in God’s kingdom. That’s what he was teaching to all of Israel. Now Nicodemus knew he was deceived and he was passing on the deception to others. He was dead wrong, and the Sovereign God of the Universe was chastising him for it.
Nicodemus is still a natural man. The natural man considers the things of God to be foolishness. So Jesus teaches the next lesson…John, Chapter 3, Verse 11…
JOHN 3:11 “Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am saying to you things we know for sure and I am testifying to you what we have seen with spiritual discernment, and none of you accept our testimony.”
Nicodemus must have brought his friends with him, because the Lord goes from speaking to Nicodemus in the singular to speaking to all who were there in the plural. Nicodemus and his friends are rejecting the things the Lord is saying. So the Lord asks them to consider the evidence. John, Chapter 3, Verse 12…
JOHN 3:12 “If I told you things that pertain to the earth, and I did, and you do not believe… how is it possible you will choose to believe if I tell things which pertain to heaven?”
The Lord is saying, “If you ignore the evidence of earthly things, how could you ever understand supernatural, heavenly things?”
A person who is born-again is saved. This salvation, the new birth, changes everything. The RESULT of the new birth is evident. There is no more “natural man.” There is now a spiritual man who understands spiritual things.
The born-again one is a new creation and is convinced of the divine power of God because of the changes it experiences. Those who are transformed by God are different than those who are conformed by Satan.
The unbeliever is ungodly and unrighteous. The born-again ones have the righteousness of God credited to them by God at the moment of salvation. The born-again ones are no longer sinners, they are made saints by God. The born-again ones are placed into a union with Christ they cannot get out of rather than being totally separated from God. The list of privileges goes on and on.
The new creation is a shift from “I can do my own salvation” to “Let Christ do my salvation!”
If you’re a believer in Christ, the Lord changed you at the moment of salvation. People outside of you notice the differences. Why couldn’t the natural man, Nicodemus, see the changes? They were foolishness to him. Now he knows. John, Chapter 3, Verse 13…
JOHN 3:13 “No one has ever gone into heaven, but He who came from heaven…the Son of Man.”
At this point in divine history, no one has gone into heaven. The souls of Old Testament believers were in Paradise, a compartment of Hades under the earth. The Lord went to get them after His crucifixion.
The Lord Jesus Christ concludes this portion of Nicodemus’ lesson by saying to him, “No human has ever been to heaven so there is no way for a human teacher to talk about the things of heaven. They haven’t seen it. I have been there and I come from there.”
Nicodemus has a lot to learn.
As we believers in Christ witness this conversation with Nicodemus, and as we witness the Lord’s compassionate evangelism, we must begin to realize that evangelism is one of the most important things Christians do. Let’s not neglect sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Let’s do what the Lord is teaching us to do.
When we return from the break, we’ll request an offering, and then we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
FIVE-MINUTE BREAK I CAN ONLY IMAGINE MercyMe
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON Is Evangelism the Most Important Thing Christians Do?
OFFERING INTRODUCTION
When you’re giving, what’s important to God is your attitude. Second Corinthians, Chapter 9, Verse 7…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 9:7 Each one must give just as he has purposed in his heart…not giving grudgingly or under compulsion…for God loves a cheerful giver.
When we give, God wants us to give voluntarily, thoughtfully, cheerfully, prayerfully, generously, and enthusiastically. I urge you believers in Christ to check your attitude as you give. Make sure your attitude is an EXACT reflection of the voluntary, thoughtful, cheerful, prayerful, generous, and enthusiastic sacrifice that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, made on your behalf at the Cross to provide for you a “so great” salvation.
Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
SECOND CORINTHIANS 10:5 We believers in Christ are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God…and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU Instrumental Version
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Gave All Mankind Two Choices
Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our deep, intimate, and personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In this celebration, the Lord reminds us of the unity all believers in Christ possess from the moment of salvation by sharing His body and His blood with us. 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 Chris’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.
Every month, we celebrate The Lord’s Supper to REMEMBER…that we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, dependent on Him for our “so great” salvation; that we are in union with Christ and nothing can separate us from this union; that the Lord loves us unconditionally; that we are forgiven for every sin past, present, and future; and that we have the Lord’s grace to help in times of need, especially when we make mistakes.
The Lord’s Supper Celebration is often called communion. It’s our chance to commune with the Lord.
The Lord’s Supper Celebration is sacred, so it’s not something we take for granted. It’s not something we do “on the fly.” So have bread and wine in front of you, and as we enjoy the elements, let’s remember our total dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ, both for physical and spiritual sustenance.
As 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 gave all mankind TWO CHOICES…heaven or hell.
What was it like for Nicodemus when the Lord said to him in John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…
JOHN 3:3 “Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, Nicodemus…unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
One Pastor describes the news as “unsettling.” That’s probably the understatement of the century. The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was probably like a tsunami…a tidal wave of truth rolling over Nicodemus’ soul. Or maybe the Good News was like a hurricane, picking up Nicodemus’ emotions and tossing them back and forth. Or maybe the Good News was like an earthquake which shook Nicodemus to his very core.
Have you ever had one of these life shattering moments?
When the realization hit me that my Mother had died, I cried so hard I thought I was going to vomit up one of my organs. When I learned that Romans Catholicism was a deception after twenty-one years of in-depth study, I curled up in the fetal position on the floor and cried my eyes out. I couldn’t accept that I allowed myself to be deceived after such an intense investment of time.
With one comment, the Lord knocked the Pharisee to his knees. John, Chapter 3, Verse 3…
JOHN 3:3 “Truly, truly, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, Nicodemus, unless one is BORN AGAIN he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 9 reveals all Nicodemus could whisper after hearing this…
JOHN 3:9 “How can these things be?”
The two choices the Lord offers are simple.
The Lord asks each of us, “When you close your eyes in this life, do you want to go to heaven or do you want to go to the Lake of Fire?” John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 is an invitation and a warning…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
The simplicity of two choices is brilliant.
It’s an absolute fact that having more than two choices triggers decision paralysis, a phenomenon also known as choice overload and the paradox of choice. Moving from a binary choice (either this or that) to a broader array of choices makes decisions EXPONENTIALLY difficult.
You know this from ordering a salad at a restaurant. “I’d like a salad please.” “Sir what kind of dressing do you want?” “What do you have?” Ruh-Roh! Ten choices evoking decision paralysis.
Finally we say, “Just give me a beer.”
“Sir what kind of beer would you like?” O hell! Ten choices. Decision paralysis. One of Satan’s tactics against the human race is to bombard us with choices to paralyze us, and it works.
What does it mean to be “born again?”
BORN AGAIN The spiritual birth when the Lord Jesus Christ takes a person from a state of spiritual death to a permanent state of spiritual life. Through investing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, there is a new creation that will live in heaven for all eternity when life on earth is complete.
Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 17 describes what happens when a person is born again…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:17 …if anyone is in union with Christ (a born-again one) … and all believers in Christ are…there is a new creation…the old things passed away (they died) … behold, new things have come.
The Bible uses other terms for being “born again” … terms like “born anew” … “born from above” … “regeneration” … “being made spiritually alive” and “born of God.”
ARE YOU BORN AGAIN?
Only one answer counts in your favor. The answer YES. Without question, the choice to be born again is the most important choice you make in your lifetime. Choosing where you live, where you work, what you will eat every day, who you marry, and where you will vacation all pale in comparison to the decision to be born again.
The kingdom of heaven is like the most beautiful sports arena you have ever seen. As you stand outside the arena, you almost don’t care what’s going on inside. You just want to get in!
Imagine the Northwestern Wildcats Football Team (my alma mater) is playing for the national football championship. Obviously I’m being delusional. Sure, I want to see the game, but the stadium is so gorgeous I want to see it more.
Unfortunately, I am unable to get tickets. Luckily, there are “scalpers” at every game, individuals who purchase admission tickets to certain events and resell them at a marked-up price.
I say, “I need two tickets!” Two scalpers run toward me. One says, “I have two seats on the fifty-yard line in the thirtieth row. A perfect view! Face value on the tickets is 0 per ticket. I’ll give them to you for 00 each.”
It’s a more than reasonable offer.
Another scalper says, “I understand you don’t have tickets to the game. But you’re a graduate of Northwestern, and you’re passionate about the purple and white, so here are two tickets in a suite on the fifty-yard line. Several people you know are in the suite. In addition, there is more food and drink than you could ever consume.”
“That sounds amazing! How much,” I ask. “No charge,” the scalper says. “Free?” I said. “That sounds too good to be true.” “Well…it is true,” the scalper says, “So make your decision.”
Two choices. Pay your way into the stadium with money or get in free.
Heaven is like that because of the payment the Lord Jesus Christ made on everyone’s behalf at the Cross. Heaven is an eternal suite experience for anyone who wants it. All expenses are paid by the Lord.
The Lord Jesus Christ is seeking a relationship with every one of His creatures. But the Lord is a gentleman. He is not one to coerce. He offers two choices. Live with Him for all eternity in heaven when your life is over OR live with Satan, the enemy of God, in the Lake of Fire.
The apostle Paul put it best in Second Corinthians, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:8 …we…prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home face-to-face with the Lord.
Make the right choice.
You can be a citizen of heaven, courtesy the Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at the Cross. He died for you. He died for me. And He wants everyone to take advantage of His “so great” salvation offer.
Perhaps the most important thing we do as Christians is evangelism…sharing the news of this free gift with others. Salvation is one free thing that is not a con. It’s not too good to be true. It’s very true and available to everyone right now. So make the right choice!
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION Enjoying the Elements
Bread and wine.
The Lord gave us these things to remember Him. We will enjoy the elements together in a few moments as we listen to The Lord’s Supper Song.
Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28 tells us the reason the Lord wants us to celebrate this meal together…
MATTHEW 26:26 While the apostles were eating, Jesus took some bread…and after a blessing…He broke the bread, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body which is being broken for you.”
MATTHEW 26:27 And when Jesus had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it…all of you…”
MATTHEW 26:28 “…for this is My blood…the blood of a new covenant…My blood…poured out for WHOSOEVER…for the forgiveness of sins.”
We celebrate to REMEMBER…that Jesus Christ’s BLOOD paid for our sins…that Jesus Christ died as our sin substitute…that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead to prove His Deity…that Jesus Christ saved us from the wrath of God the Father… that Jesus Christ will come again to gather us unto Himself.
As believers in Christ, we are grateful for His work on the Cross. It gives us hope, the assurance of an amazing future.
Enjoy the elements as you listen to a song we can never hear enough of…BORN AGAIN by June Murphy.
THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG
BORN AGAIN June Murphy 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 want to travel to a country where you are not a citizen, you require a passport. By using this official document issued by the government of your country certifying your identity and your citizenship, you are entitled to travel under its protection to countries where you are not a citizen.
All of us are born citizens of the world.
Unfortunately, this citizenship was given to us by the federal head of the human race, Adam, as a result of his sin. Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12…
ROMANS 5:12 …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.
If you die a citizen of the world your eternal future will not be pleasant. Lucky for you, the God who created you does not want you to be a citizen of the world. If you’re a citizen of the world when you close your eyes in this life, your destiny is an eternity in the Lake of Fire. Yet Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9 makes God’s will for you clear…
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).
Through His work on the Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ made it possible for you to renounce your citizenship in the world, instead becoming a citizen of heaven. It’s the equivalent of becoming a naturalized citizen of a new country, much like people who are not born in America can become naturalized citizens of the United States.
God’s plan for all His creatures is to save you from an eternity in the Lake of Fire by offering you a new possibility called salvation. When you are saved, you are a citizen of heaven. When you close your eyes in this life, you’ll be absent from the body and face-to-face with the Lord.
Yes! You can be saved! Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 invites you to…
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.”
Why?
Because expressing your faith in Jesus Christ’s Person and His work at the Cross on your behalf changes your citizenship. 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 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.”
You can’t do a thing to change your citizenship from the world to heaven on your own. God has to do it for 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 your 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…
If you don’t have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ… RIGHT NOW… RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT…RIGHT THIS MOMENT…you have a choice. You can remain a spiritually dead citizen of the world, or you can choose to be a spiritually alive citizen of heaven. First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22 For all those in union with Adam (the citizens of the world) are spiritually dead…for all those in union with Christ (the citizens of heaven) are made spiritually alive by God.
What’s your choice? In John, Chapter 3, Verse 36, the Lord offers the ONLY two choices…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment (they are made citizens of heaven by God) … 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 (they remain citizens of the world for all eternity).”
Believers in Christ have made their choice according to Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 20…
PHILIPPIANS 3:20 (As believers in Christ)…our citizenship is in heaven…from which heaven also we eagerly wait for a Savior…the Lord Jesus Christ…
God’s enemy, Satan, is the ruler of this world. He welcomes you to remain a citizen of the world because he’d be pleased to have you live with him in the Lake of Fire for all eternity. If you choose to remain a citizen of the world by rejecting the relationship offer of the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew, Chapter 8, Verse 12 explains your eternal destiny…
MATTHEW 8:12 “…the sons of Satan’s kingdom (unbelievers…the citizens of the world) will be cast out into the outer darkness…in that place (the Lake of Fire) there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
That is NOT God’s will for you. If you end up in the Lake of Fire for all eternity it will be your choice, and God will honor it. Do yourself a favor…BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ. Take His word for what it takes to be saved. It’s the easiest, smartest decision you will ever make. Place your faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ on your behalf and He will be more than happy to welcome you as a citizen of heaven, inviting you into His kingdom.
A relationship with Jesus is much better than a passport. You can reside in His kingdom forever and ever with one simple choice.
THE GOSPEL MESSAGE The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race
CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s close with music! Human life is a gift from God according to Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 7…
GENESIS 2:7 Then the Lord (God the Son) formed man from dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives…and man became a living soul.
All of us are grateful for the gift that comes from God’s breath and we proclaim… BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD.
MUSIC - CLOSING SONG Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises
BREATHE ON ME, BREATH OF GOD Christian Hymn
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
Almighty God and Father…
Thank you for making it easy for anyone to get to heaven…teach us dependence on You for salvation rather than dependence on ourselves…
…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!
Thanks for watching! Thanks for listening!
SHARE THE LESSON WITH OTHERS
On the APP or on the website
www.barahministries.com
|