Ephesians 4: Christians Grow Up When They Think as the Lord Thinks

Class Outline:

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We have a sheild of choice in a world of deception.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re in the resident congregation, turn off your electronic devices and put them away.  Let this be a place where you aren’t distracted by the world.

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with a worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Thanks for listening to this Bible lesson!

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Grow Up When They Think as the Lord Thinks

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Your thoughts are the engine of your soul.  There is an intimate connection between your thoughts and your actions as it says in Proverbs, Chapter 23, Verse 7…

 

PROVERBS 23:7a

For as a person thinks within himself, so he is…

 

That’s why Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2 warns us to care for our thoughts…

 

ROMANS 12:2a

And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thinking, and by the flesh resident in your body)...instead, keep having your thinking transformed by God the Holy Spiritthrough the renewing of your mind (as you study the Word of God)...

 

ROMANS 12:2b

...so that you may see clearly…through the testing of experience…what the will of God is...and the will of God is that which is good for you and that which is acceptable to Him and that which is perfect in result.

In today’s lesson, the apostle Paul contrasts right thinking with wrong thinking and unbeliever thinking with believer thinking to illustrate that the Lord wants us to think as He thinks.  Because, when you think like the Lord thinks. you won’t have a “you never know” approach to the information that infiltrates your mind.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  The Lord is a thinker, and YOU are constantly on His mind!  Here’s Matthew West singingabout it in the song ME ON YOUR MIND.

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

ME ON YOUR MIND

Matthew West

 

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 renovating our thinking with the Word of God…thank you for always being there to give us spiritual discernment and wisdom that helps us navigate the deceptions in Satan’s kingdom…thank you for being the perfect Father…someone we can always count on…thank you for the ultimate sacrifice, allowing Your Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to pay a price we could not pay, cancelling our sins with His blood…and thank you for the guidance of God the Holy Spirit who keeps on turning us into an exact reflection of Your Son…

 

…as we study the lesson today, let it put our thinking on the right track…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Grow Up When They Think as the Lord Thinks

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

We continue our study of the apostle Paul’s letter to the first-century believers in Christ in the church at Ephesus, a city in Turkey.  Today, we study the third and fourth passages of Ephesians, Chapter 4.

 

What have we learned in Ephesians Chapter 4 so far?

 

In Verse 1, we learned something the Lord wants for us…

 

EPHESIANS 4:1

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I (Paul) implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…

 

The Lord wants us to build a lifestyle that accurately reflects being on His team.

 

We learned that the Lord works in ONES…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 4 to 6…

 

EPHESIANS 4:4

There is ONE body…and ONE God the Holy Spirit…just as you believers in Christ were called in ONE hope of your calling…

 

EPHESIANS 4:5

…there is ONE Lord (God the Son who took on human form as Jesus…the Christ…the Messiah) …there is ONE faith…there is ONE baptism…

 

EPHESIANS 4:6

…and there is ONE God and Father of all…who is over all…and who is living through all…and who is indwelling all.

 

By working in ONES,the Lord eliminates confusion.

 

We learned that each believer in Christ has a gift from God to edify other believers…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 7…

 

EPHESIANS 4:7

But to EACH ONE OF US, a supernatural grace gift was given to us by God…a spiritual gift…according to the measure of Christ's gift.

 

You have charisma!

 

And we learned that God provides spiritual leadership gifts to men who help Christians grow up if we put ourselves in front of them…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 11 and 12…

 

EPHESIANS 4:11

And the Lord Jesus Christ…through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit…

gave some as apostles…and some as prophets…and some as evangelists…and someas Pastors and teachers…

 

EPHESIANS 4:12

…for the equipping of the saints…to edify believers in Christ for the work of service…for building them up as is fitting for those who are members of the Body of Christ (The Church) …

 

As we receive spiritual nourishment through these leadership spiritual gifts and share our own spiritual gifts with other believers, we live out the unity that God the Holy Spirit, placed us in at the moment of salvation.  Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse13…

 

EPHESIANS 4:13

…and one day we all will experience the standard of unity that is part of the faith…and all believers in Christ really will know the Son of God…as is fitting of someone who is mature in the faith…someone who demonstrates the stature which belongs to those with the fullness of Christ.

 

Now let’s begin our study for today with the next two passages in Ephesians.  The first is Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 14 to 16.  Let’s listen to the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD TRANSLATION of the passage…

 

EPHESIANS 4:14

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming…

 

EPHESIANS 4:15

…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 4:16

…from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint

supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the

growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

 

The second passage is Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 17 to 24…it’s a comparison of unbeliever thinking with believer thinking…

 

EPHESIANS 4:17

So this I (Paul) say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles walk (unbelievers)…in the futility of their mind…

 

EPHESIANS 4:18

…being darkened in their understanding…excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them…because of the hardness of their heart…

 

EPHESIANS 4:19

…and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

 

EPHESIANS 4:20

But you believers in Christ did not learn about Christ in this way…

 

EPHESIANS 4:21

…if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus…

 

EPHESIANS 4:22

…that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…

 

EPHESIANS 4:23

…and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind…

 

EPHESIANS 4:24

…and that you put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

 

Let’s study the next passage verse-by-verse.

 

What’s the difference between right thinking and wrong thinking according to the Lord?  Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 14…

 

EPHESIANS 4:14

As a result of having leadership spiritual gifts available to edify us, we believers in

Christ are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and blown here and there by every kind of deceitful teaching and by the trickery of men in their craftiness and deceitful scheming…

 

The Lord doesn’t want His believers to be gullible and naïve.  The Lord doesn’t want us to be pushed around by propagandic thought…or to be bullied in our minds by lies…or to vacillate between right thoughts and wrong thoughts…or to be influenced by fads…or to be seduced by what’s popular…or to follow what the crowd thinks.

 

The Lord wants us to be mature…to grow up.  Maturity comes throughBiblical training.  InEphesians, Chapter 4, Verse 15 the Lord tells us He wants us to keep on growing in maturity…

 

EPHESIANS 4:15

…instead of being blown all over the place, we are to live propelled by the truth in unconditional love, and we believers in Christ are to grow up in all aspects…following the direction of Christ who is the Head of the Body…

 

The Greek language says we are to keep on “TRUTHING.”  That’s an amazing expression!  We are truthing when we believers in Christ are living the Lord’s truth which involves working together just as our physical body works together.  Allparts of our body count on each other to do a share of the work.  One part of the body compensates for the deficiency of another part. 

 

For example, when we get cut, we start to bleed.  The blood is cleansing the wound.  Then the rest of the body clicks into action.  The white blood cells multiply to fight infection.  Clotting agents stop the bleeding.  Our brain tells us to seek help, either from a band-aid or at the emergency room of a hospital, depending on the severity of the cut.

 

Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 16…

EPHESIANS 4:16

…from which Christ the whole body is joined and held together by every supporting ligament…and the growth of the body and the building up of the body occurs in unconditional love as each part of the body does its work with its spiritual gift.

 

What’s the point?

 

The Lord wants us, as a body, to think the right way.  Each member of the Body of Christ has afunction.  And as each member functions, it affects the whole.  When a member fails to function, it affects the whole as well.

 

The Lord doesn’t want us to operate our own version of Christianity.  He wants us to live His version of Christianity.  He wants His believers to be part of a church.

Because when we aren’t part of a church, it’s easy not to give an offering, and it’s easy not to investigate your spiritual gift.

 

In Hebrews, Chapter 10, Verses 24 and 25 the Lord exhorts us this way…

 

HEBREWS 10:24

…let us believers in Christ consider how to stimulate one another to unconditional love and to doing good deeds…

 

HEBREWS 10:25

…not forsaking our own assembling together…as is the habit of some…instead,  let’s encourage one another…encouraging one another all the more as we see the day (of the return of the Lord) drawing near…

 

Church isn’t just a place to get.  It’s a place to give.  When believers in Christ go to church it is a way to get “the full measure of Christ” … which means getting everything the Lord has to give us.

 

And if you are giving Christianity all you’ve got, you won’t be looking around and asking, “Why isn’t everyone else giving like me?”  You’ll simply do your part and you’ll let the Lord take care of the rest.

 

So if the Lord wants us to think the right way…if the Lord wants us to grow in maturity, it means He doesn’t want us to be immature, thinking the wrong way.  First Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse 11 says…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 13:11

When I was a child, I used to speak as a child speaks…I used to think as a child thinks…and I used to reason as a child reasons…but when I became an adult (when I matured)…I put an end to childish thinking.

 

What are believers in Christ doing when they are immature?They disregard the Word of God, which is a crucial component for knowing the Lord.  Immature believers in Christ accept cheap substitutes to drive the engine of their thinking…things like The Prayer of Jabez…The Secret…The Purpose Driven Life…Jesus as CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership.

 

To be sure, many books contain wisdom, and these are no exception.  But they are not the Bible.  The thoughts of men are not the thoughts of the Lord.  So let’s not settle for human viewpoint.  We don’t learn about the Lord by reading the written works of men, except the writing of the men who received and wrote down the God-breathed Word of Godunder the direction of God the Holy Spirit.

 

When we return from the break, we'll take the offering, and then we'll see how the Lord differentiates between unbeliever thinking and believer thinking.  Take a five-minute break.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Grow Up When They Think as the Lord Thinks

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

The best givers are those who help others without any expectation of receiving anything in return, and who give without any ulterior motive.

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always encouraging and always insightful messages about giving.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

OFFERING VERSE

 

ROMANS 8:18

For I (Paul) know for a fact that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us believers in Christ (in the future).

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians Grow Up When They Think as the Lord Thinks

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

We live in a world of unbelief, directed by unbelievers.  We’d probably be mad about it if we didn’t know that the Lord placed us into this environment for our edification.

 

Think about what the people in first-century Ephesus went through.

 

They were unbelievers.  They were idol worshippers.  They hung out at the temple of Artemis.  They were around people who did any perverted thing they wanted to do because they didn’t know another way.  It’s the equivalent today of men today who occupy their time with sports, video games, gambling, porn, and beer.

 

It’s an empty life.

 

Then all of a sudden, they get evangelized.  They hear the gospel message, the salvation offer of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They now know there is a God and He wants a relationship with them.  Then, they believe.  They learn there is another way.  Then, with spiritual eyes, they look at the lifestyle they just left.

 

Imagine how hard it must have been for them.  It’s just as hard for us.  Let’s continue our study with the second passage of the day and the fourth passage of Ephesians, Chapter 4.  The Lord asks Paul to give us the contrast between the unbelieving life and the believing life beginning at Verse 17…

 

EPHESIANS 4:17

So this I (Paul) say to you…and I insist, together with the Lord…that you believers in Christ must no longer walk just as the Gentiles walk (a reference to an unbelieving…atheist…pagan lifestyle)…who live in the futility of their thinking…

 

What is futility?

 

FUTILITY

Pointlessness…uselessness…emptiness.

 

Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 18 tells us why not to take on the unbeliever lifestyle…because they are people…

 

EPHESIANS 4:18

…who are darkened in their understanding (of life)…who are excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them (ignorance meaning a lack of knowledge about spiritual things)…because of the hardness of their heart…

 

Unbelievers INTENTIONALLY build a wall of repulsion around their hearts to keep spiritual things like the gospel message from penetrating.  Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 19…

 

EPHESIANS 4:19

…and unbelievers…having become callous (losing all sensitivity to spiritual things) … have given themselves over to sensuality and they practice every kind of impurity…and they are greedy about it (always lusting for more).

 

EPHESIANS 4:20

But you believers in Christ did not learn about Christ in this way (that’s not your lifestyle…

 

EPHESIANS 4:21

…if indeed you have heard of Jesus Christ…and you have…if indeed you have been taught about Him…and if you have been taught the truth that is in Jesus…

 

EPHESIANS 4:22

…so that in reference to your former manner of life (as an unbeliever)…you would lay aside the old self…which keeps on being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…

 

EPHESIANS 4:23

…and you would be renewed in the spirit of your mind (by studying the Word of God)…

 

EPHESIANS 4:24

…and you would pick up and put on the new self (because you believers in Christ are a new creation)…a new self created in the likeness of God…in righteousness and in holiness and in truth.

 

In this passage, the Lord reminds us of the lifestyle that is not worthy of His calling, and tells us the lifestyle that is worthy of His calling.

 

What a gift the Lord has given us!  As believers in Christ, we OWN the believer lifestyle that the Lord gifted to us.  We are members of the Lord’s team.  We are  new creations living in a corrupt world run by the master of darkness, death, and deceit…Satan…the enemy of God.  Yet no one and nothing is more powerful than our God.

 

Here's the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION of the passage…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 17 to 24…

 

EPHESIANS 4:14

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies that are so clever, they sound like the truth.

 

EPHESIANS 4:15

Instead, we will speak the truth in unconditional love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the Head of His Body, the Church.

 

EPHESIANS 4:16

Jesus makes the whole body fit together perfectly.  And as each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of unconditional love.

 

EPHESIANS 4:17

With the Lord’s authority I (Paul) say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.

A reminder…Gentiles is a reference to unbelievers…atheists…and pagans.

 

EPHESIANS 4:18

Their minds are full of darkness…they wander far from the life God offers because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against Him.

 

EPHESIANS 4:19

They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

 

EPHESIANS 4:20

But that isn’t what you learned about Christ (and the Christian lifestyle).

 

EPHESIANS 4:21

Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from Him…

 

EPHESIANS 4:22

…throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

 

EPHESIANS 4:23

Instead, let God the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and your attitude.

 

EPHESIANS 4:24

Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

 

How does the Lord shape your thinking?  Just as Paul shaped Timothy’s thinking with the sound advice of the Word of God.  Second Timothy, Chapter 3, Verses 14 to 17…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:14

Timothy…continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:15

…for from childhood you have known the Sacred Writings which are able to give

you the wisdom that leads to salvation through the faith which is invested in Christ Jesus.

And know that…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed…and it is profitable for teaching…for reproof…for correction…and for instruction in righteousness…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 3:17

…so that the man of God may be mature, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

As believers in Christ, we are to keep on growing in the sphere of grace in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, so that every decision we make in our lives will come from right thinking…so tha we will grow up…so that we will be mature.

 

So have a great week as you follow the advice of Second Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 5…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 10:5

We believers in Christ are destroying speculations (offered as truth by the world) and we are rejecting every thought raised up against the knowledge of God…and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…

 

Amen?

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race

 

The closing moments of this lesson could be the ten most important minutes of your life.  You’ll be introduced to the good news concerning how you can spend all eternity in heaven when you close your eyes in this life.  We want you to know that…

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

He Wants You to 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.

 

Even if you don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you matter to God.  The Lord’s enemies matter to Him as much or more than His friends matter to Him.  The Lord created you and He wants the best for you.

 

While sharing this truth recently, a friend asked, “How do I get right with God?”

 

When we are born, we are not right with God.  Everyone is born in a state of unrighteousness, physically alive and spiritually dead as ungodly, unrighteous unbelievers in God’s eyes.  We were born sinners and we need a Savior.

 

It’s not our fault we were born this way, but it is our circumstance.

 

In First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22, the Bible 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…

 

To God’s enemy, Satan…the ruler of this world…you don’t matter at all.  First Peter, Chapter 5, Verse 8 says…

 

FIRST PETER 5:8

Be of sober spirit…be on the alert! Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

 

You are the “someone” on Satan’s list.  Satan does not want you to be right with God.  He’s hasn’t been right with God since the day he declared God to be his enemy.  Here’s what the Lord says about that fateful day when Satan gave up his privileges...Ezekiel., Chapter 28, Verse 15…

 

EZEKIEL 28:15

“You (Satan) were blameless in your ways from the day you were created

until unrighteousness was found in you.”

 

Satan wants followers.  He doesn’t want you to be with God in heaven when you close your eyes in this life.  He wants you to be with him in the Lake of Fire, and he wants you so badly that he sends false teachers with false teachings to deceive you.  In Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 15…the Lord warns us about this…

 

MATTHEW 7:15

“Beware of the false teachers…who come to you in sheep’s clothing…but

inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

 

A ravenous animal has an insatiable desire to tear you apart.  Ravenous teachers pretend to be for you, yet they want you to be twice the sons of hell that they are.

 

This gospel message offers GOOD NEWS concerning how to get right with God.  John, Chapter 3, Verses 16 and 17 reveal what God wants for you…

 

JOHN 3:16

“For God the Father loved the world unconditionally…and He loved the world so much…that He gave His uniquely born Son (the God-man…the Lord Jesus Christ…to be crucified on a Cross) … so that WHOSOEVER believes in Him shall not perish, but haseternal life.”

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son (the Lord) into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.

 

God wants you to respond positively to the good news of this gospel message so you can be right with Him.

 

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…

 

Getting right with God is easy.  There is no work involved.  Anyone who says you

have work to get right with God is a false teacher giving you a false gospel message.  Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says you don’t have to work to be saved…

ROMANS 11:6

…if salvation is by grace (a free gift from God) … and of course it is…it is no longer on the basis of your works…otherwise, grace (as a free gift) is no longer grace (it is not free).

 

Romans, Chapter 4, Verse 4 says you CAN'T work for salvation…

 

ROMANS 4:4

Now to the one who works for salvation, his wage for his workis not credited to

his accountas a favor from the grace of God, but his wage is creditedas what is

due for the work.

 

Your hardest work is not perfect enough to get you right with God.  So relax!  You can get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life free of charge and free of work.  Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved by God, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 36 warns you and invites you…

 

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.”

 

You have a choice.

 

You can spend eternity with God’s enemy, Satan, in the Lake of Fire…OR…you can have the free gift of eternal life right this minute!  RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW God can make you right with Him.  You can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is the moment of eternal life for you.

 

Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10 encourages you…

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you

believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead…you will be

saved…

 

ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness by God (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone)resulting in salvation.

 

You are right with God the moment He gifts you with His righteousness.  There is a consequence for rejecting the righteousness gift from the Lord Jesus Christ…in Matthew, Chapter 8, Verse 12, the Lord says…

 

MATTHEW 8:12

“…the sons of Satan’s kingdom (unbelievers) will be cast out into the outer darkness…and in that place (The Lake of Fire) there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 

Many parents are false teachers leading their children to an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Do you want to know if you’re a good parent?  Just ask yourself a simple question.  Are you influencing your children to get right with God by having a relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the Sovereign God of the Universe?

 

He is the ONLY WAY to get to heaven according to 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…the Word of God), and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”

 

You are either right with God or you aren’t.  There’s no time to waste!  GOD WANTS YOU.  If you want to be right with God, simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!  Take His word for it concerning salvation, and the resurrection life is yours free of charge!  You’ll be right with God for all eternity.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

The Good News of Jesus Christ’s Salvation Offer to the Human Race

 

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  Psalm 34, Verse 8 says…

 

PSALM 34:8

Taste and see that the Lord is good…how blessed is the person who takes refuge in Him!

 

Here’s CeCe Winans to sing about the GOODNESS OF GOD.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

GOODNESS OF GOD

CeCe Winans

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…where would we be without you?  How futile would life be without the knowledge that You are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow of our lives on earth?  How encouraging is it that we get to spend all eternity with You?

 

As we face a week of unknown challenges, remind us every moment that You are here for us…that we have a Power Team on our side…and that together with You and Your Son and the Holy Spirit, we can face any adversity…and we can be unfazed by prosperity, avoiding the tendency to think we are creating our successes rather than thinking that You provide us with the proper balance of adversity and prosperity…You ALWAYS give us exactly what we need…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

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