Ephesians 6: Christians…Who are You IN CHRIST?

Class Outline:

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Dividends of grace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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…Who are You IN CHRIST?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

In Exodus, Chapter 3, Verses 10 and 11…

 

EXODUS 3:10

The Lord said to Moses, “Come now…and I (God the Son)…will send you to Pharaohso you may bring My people…the sons of Israel (the Jews)…out of Egypt.”

 

EXODUS 3:11

But Moses said to the Lord, “WHO AM Ithat I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?”

 

One of the most famous and influential rock bands of all time had a song that asked the same question.  They were a power packed group with lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon.  If you’re old enough you remember one of their songs, it asked, “WHO ARE YOU?  I really want to know…”

 

What if Jesus asked this question of you?  WHO ARE YOU?  How would you answer?  It’s a question that paralyzes people.  By the end of today’s lesson, you’ll have an answer to the question.  In addition, following the Lord’s command, we’ll celebrate of The Lord’s Supper.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  The Lord Jesus Christ knows Himself!  On Mount Horeb He introduced Himself to Moses…

 

EXODUS 3:13

Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”

 

EXODUS 3:14

The Lord said to Moses, “I AM IS WHOI AM.”  Sothe Lord said, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

 

June Murphy teaches us in song.  WHO is our Lord?  He is the great I AM!

 

MUSIC

OPENING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

I AM

June Murphy

 

OPENING PRAYER

 

Let us pray...

 

Thank you,Heavenly Father,for giving believers in Christ an identity…and thank you for the Word of God which teaches us our identity if we bother to examine all the things You say about us…and thank you for the security Your thoughts give us so we can be comfortable in our own skin because of the things the entire Trinity does for us…

 

…today, as we learn who we are IN CHRIST, sear these truths into our memory centers and help us to recall them every time we look in the mirror of the Word of God…

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians…Who are You IN CHRIST?

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
 

Let’s begin with a few announcements.

 

This is the last lesson on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and it’s the next to last lesson of the year.

 

Next week we’ll celebrate the Christmas lesson, and the start time for the lesson is one hour earlier than usual…8:00AM Mountain Standard Time.

 

There will be no “Ask the Pastor” sessions the rest of this year.  We’ll pick them up in the New Year.

 

The next two lessons will be our last face-to-face lessons.Our three-year lease at our current church location expires at the end of this month, and the landlord has other uses planned for the space.  It’s actually pretty timely because we’re no longer able to bear the ,000 a year for rent.

 

So from now on, Barah Ministries will be an online only ministry.Our first online lesson will be posted on February 1, 2026. We’ll begin our study of the final prison epistle, Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  The subject matter of the letter is JOY! As you know we have already studied Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians…the other three prison epistles.

 

During the month of January, we’ll be learning and practicing how to get the lessons online and we’ll be getting familiar with the platform we’ll be using to record the lessons.

 

An online ministry will make it easier to attract listeners.  In addition, I’ll no longer have to rush back to Phoenix to record a lesson.  Lessons can be recorded from anywhere in the world, which is pretty exciting considering my travel aspirations!

 

It’s the end of the year, so this is a good time to make a tax-deductible contribution to Barah Ministries.  Help us get the New Year off to a great financial start.  You can contribute online via the APP or the website, via the Newsletter, or by check to the Post Office Box.  We appreciate your generosity.

 

Keep those who have lost loved ones this year in your prayers.  The Christmas season is a particularly hard time for them.

 

The final Barah Leaders meeting of the year is next Saturday, December 20, 2025 fROM 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM.

 

LESSON PART ONE
 

Let’s close out our study of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

 

At the end of studying a letter or a book of the Bible, it’s fun to look back, to read over the Word, and to see how our spiritual eyes see the words of our Lord differently after studying them.

 

As I read the first two chapters of Ephesians, a question popped into my head, no doubt from the encouragement of God the Holy Spirit.  They question?  Who are you?

 

My initial response was, “I am a Christian.”  It’s the first sentence of my obituary.

 

RORY CLARK’S OBITUARY

 

The first and only thing you need to know about Rory Clark is that he is a Christian.  At eight years old he heard the gospel message for the first time, and he responded with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation.  He is a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he has a relationship with the Lord, and Rory is now in heaven, face-to-face with his Lord.

 

So, I pass the question on to you.  WHO ARE YOU?

 

You may answer the question with roles you play.  Perhaps you think who you are is a parent, or a spouse…a son or daughter…or a sibling.  Perhaps you think who you are is a role you play at work…a doctor, a salesperson, a lawyer, a hair dresser, a life coach, a grocery clerk, a landscaper, and electrician…whatever you do for a living.

 

I assure you…those things are not who you are, they are merely things you do.  All

of those things end, but who you are does not ever end.

 

What is identity?

 

IDENTITY

The unique set of qualities, beliefs, and characteristics that distinguish a person.

 

I ask again…who are you?  What set of qualities, beliefs, and characteristics distinguish you.  The first two chapters of Paul’s letter to the first-century believers in Christ at Ephesus offer answers.

 

Today as we reflect on the identity content of these two chapters, I’d prefer that you are sitting somewhere with a physical Bible and a notepad so you can write a list that comprises who you are in Christ, so that you can feel yourself writing it, so you can look at it, and so you can marvel at the identity a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ has given you.  Let’s get started.Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 1…

 

EPHESIANS 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God the Father, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful and who are in union with Christ Jesus…

 

What of your identity can we excerpt from the first verse?  Please write with me…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a saint

 

I am in union with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Notice the identity statement.  I AM.  It’s the same thing the Lord says about Himself.  He is the great I AM.  Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 2…

 

EPHESIANS 1:2

…grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am an owner of God’s grace

 

I am surrounded by the peace of God

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 3…

 

EPHESIANS 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us believers in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…for all who are in Christ…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

I am blessed with every spiritual blessing, stored up for me in the heavenly places by the Lord Jesus Christ…the safekeeper of

my blessings

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 4…

 

EPHESIANS 1:4

…just as God the Father chose us believers in Christ to be in union with Christ before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before God the Father. In unconditional love…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am chosen by God the Father

 

I am the object of God the Father’s concern and always have been, even before the world was created

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am made holy by God

I am seen as blameless by God…no one can successfully accuse me of anything

 

I am loved unconditionally by God

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 5…

 

EPHESIANS 1:5

…God the Father predestined us believers in Christ to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am predestined for greatness by God the Father

 

I am an adopted son of the living God

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the object of God’s will

 

I am showered with God’s kindness

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 6…

 

EPHESIANS 1:6

…to the praise of the glory of God the Father’s grace, which the Father freely bestowed on us believers in Christ in the Beloved One (the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am given all the gifts of God freely, without hesitation or reservation

 

I am a believer in Christ

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 7…

 

EPHESIANS 1:7

In union with the Lord Jesus Christ, we believers in Christ have redemption through Lord Jesus Christ’s blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of God the Father’s grace…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am redeemed…purchased from slavery to sin

 

I am forgiven for every sin…past, present, and future

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am cleansed by the Lord’s blood

 

I am the owner of all the riches of God through His grace

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 8…

 

EPHESIANS 1:8

…which God the Father lavished on us believers in Christ. In all wisdom and insight…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the recipient of all the Lord lavishes on me

 

I am filled with the Lord’s wisdom and insights

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 9…

 

EPHESIANS 1:9

…God the Father made known to us the mystery of His will, according to the Father’s kind intention which the Father purposed in the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a part of the mystery of God’s will

 

I am the owner of purpose through God the Father

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 10…

 

 

EPHESIANS 1:10

…with a view to a dispensation suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, both things in the heavens and things on the earth. In union with the Lord Jesus Christ…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am of the most special dispensation in human history, the Church Age

 

I am a member of the Body of Christ

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 11…

 

EPHESIANS 1:11

…also we believers in Christ have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to God the Father’s purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am an heir of the Lord Jesus Christ

 

I am a sharer in Christ’s inheritance from God the Father

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 12…

 

EPHESIANS 1:12

…to the end that we believers in Christ who were the first to place our hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am among the first to place faith in Christ

 

I am the possessor of hope…I have absolute confidence and certainty that God’s promises will come true

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 13…

 

EPHESIANS 1:13

In union with Christ, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in union with Him with God the Holy Spirit of promise…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a responder to the gospel message of salvation

 

I am sealed…I have a signature guarantee from God the Holy Spirit that I am saved, so I am eternally secure

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 14…

 

EPHESIANS 1:14

…the Spirit who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God the Father’s own possession, to the praise of the Father’s glory.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the owner of a pledged inheritance

 

I am a possession of God

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verses 15 and 16…

 

EPHESIANS 1:15

For this reason, I (Paul) too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you believers at Ephesus and your unconditional love for all the saints…

 

EPHESIANS 1:16

…do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the object of the apostle Paul’s prayer…he remembers me before the entire Trinity when he prays

 

I am in the unceasing concern of God and the apostle Paul

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 17…

 

EPHESIANS 1:17

…that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you believers in Christ a spirit of wisdom and a spirit of revelation in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the owner of a spirit of revelation

 

I know my Lord

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 18…

 

EPHESIANS 1:18

I (Paul) pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of God the Father’s calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance in the saints…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the possessor of spiritual eyes as a gift from God

 

I am enlightened

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am the owner of God’s glorious riches

 

I am aware of the significance of the hope I have from God the Father

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 19…

 

EPHESIANS 1:19

…and what is the surpassing greatness of the Father’s power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of God the Father’s might…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I have complete access to God’s power

 

I am the possessor of the strength of God’s might

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 20…

 

EPHESIANS 1:20

…which He brought about for those of us in union with Christ, when He raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him at the Father’s right hand in the heavenly places…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am raised from the dead because of my union with Christ

 

I am seated at the right hand of God the Father, along with my Savior Jesus Christ, right this moment

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 21…

 

EPHESIANS 1:21

…far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am above all rule and all authority because of my union with Christ

 

I am ageless

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 22…

 

EPHESIANS 1:22

And God the Father put all things in subjection under the Lord Jesus Christ’s feet, and gave Jesus as head over all things to the Church…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am under the head…the Lord Jesus Christ

 

I am part of the group of believers who benefit from the Lord’s feet

 

Ephesians, Chapter 1, Verse 23…

 

EPHESIANS 1:23

…which is the body of Christ, the fullness of the Lord who fills all and who indwells all.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am filled with God

 

I am indwelled by God

 

I don’t know about you, but my hand is tired and I’m out of breath!  So let’s take a ten minute break.  When we return from the break we’ll take the offering, we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and we’ll take a look at more of our identity being revealed in Ephesians, Chapter 2.

 

TEN-MINUTE BREAK

WHO AM I?

Casting Crowns

 

TEN-MINUTE BREAK

BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN
Plumb

 

TEN-MINUTE BREAK

OVERCOMER

Mandisa

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians…Who are You IN CHRIST?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

God appreciates generosity because it is consistent with His own character.  Generosity reflects unconditional love, compassion, and a desire to help others, virtues that are impressive to our God.  Proverbs 11, Verse 25 says…

 

PROVERBS 11:25

The generous person will be prosperous…and the one who waters others will be watered by God.

 

Today, we ask that you are more generous in your end of the year offering than you are normally.  We can use the help.  In fact, we would not exist as a ministry without your financial support.

 

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for always being there for us financially…and for always providing enough.  Thank you!

 

Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with one of his always inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

MARK 11:24

Therefore, I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, that all things you pray for and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON (A)

Christians…Who are You IN CHRIST?

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

 

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 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 Christ’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 REMEMBERthat 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 in times of trouble.

 

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 dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ, both for our physical and our spiritual sustenance.

 

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.”

 

The Lord’s work on the Cross gives us hope.  As believers in Christ, we have the assurance of an amazing future.  Enjoy the elements as Lauren Daigle reminds us what the Lord thinks about us in her song YOU SAY.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER SONG

 

YOU SAY

Lauren Daigle
 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Christians…Who are You IN CHRIST?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

What does the Lord have to say about your identity in Ephesians, Chapter 2?  I’ll give you a break from writing these things.  Just relax and enjoy them.

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 1 to 4 remind us of our identity before we became believers in Christ…

 

EPHESIANS 2:1

And you believers in Christ were spiritually dead in your trespasses and sins…

 

EPHESIANS 2:2

…in which sins you formerly walked according to the curriculum of this world, under the direction of Satan…the prince of the power of the air…whose spirit is now working in the sons of disobedience.

 

EPHESIANS 2:3

While we were among these unbelievers, all of us who are now believers in Christ formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh…indulging in the desires of the flesh and the desires of the mind…and we were by our very nature…our identity…children of wrath…just as the rest of the unbelievers were.

 

EPHESIANS 2:4

But God the Father, being rich in mercy, because of His great unconditional love with which He loved us believers in Christ…

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 5…

 

EPHESIANS 2:5

…even when we were spiritually dead in our transgressions, made us spiritually alive in union with Christ (by grace you believers in Christ have been saved)…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am spiritually alive

 

I am no longer spiritually dead

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 6 to 8…

 

EPHESIANS 2:6

…and you have been raised us up with Christ in resurrection from the dead, and you believers in Christ have been seated with Him in the heavenly places because youare in union with Christ Jesus…

 

EPHESIANS 2:7

…so that in the ages to come God the Father might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

EPHESIANS 2:8

For by grace you believers in Christ have been saved through faith…and that grace and faith and salvation not from the source of yourselves…it is the gift of God the Father…

 

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am saved by God’s grace

 

I am the possessor of every gift from God, including salvation

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 9…

 

EPHESIANS 2:9

…and it is not as a result of your works, so that no one may boast (about saving himself).

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am neither able nor required to work for my salvation

 

I am saved through a gift from the Lord

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 10…

 

EPHESIANS 2:10

For we believers in Christ are God the Father’s workmanship, created to be in union with Christ Jesus…and designed for divine good works, which good works God the Father prepared beforehand (in eternity past) so that we would walk in them.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a piece of God’s art…His workmanship

 

I am designed by God to do His works

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 11…

 

EPHESIANS 2:11

Therefore, remember that formerly you believers in Christ, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision” … a circumcision which is performed in the flesh by human hands—

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a Gentile (a non-Jew)

 

I am spiritually circumcised

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 12 and 13…

 

EPHESIANS 2:12

…remember that you believers in Christ were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

 

EPHESIANS 2:13

BUT NOW in union with Christ Jesus you believers in Christ who formerly were far off have been brought near to God the Father by the blood of Jesus Christ.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am near to the Lord because of His blood

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 14…

 

EPHESIANS 2:14

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our peace, who made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one group and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am in union with the Jews

 

I am on God’s side

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 15…

 

EPHESIANS 2:15

…by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in union with Himself Jesus Christ might make the two groups into one new man, thus establishing peace…

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a new creature…the new man…the old man in me is dead

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 16…

 

EPHESIANS 2:16

…so that Jesus might reconcile them both Jews and Gentiles in one body to God the Father through the Cross…by the Cross having put to death the enmity.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am reconciled with God the Father

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 17 and 18…

 

EPHESIANS 2:17

And the Lord Jesus Christ came and preached peace to you Gentile unbelievers who were far away, and peace to those who were near…

 

EPHESIANS 2:18

…for through the Lord Jesus Christ we believers in Christ both have our access through God the Holy Spirit to God the Father.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I have direct access to God the Father, God the Son, and

God the Holy Spirit through prayer

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 19…

 

EPHESIANS 2:19

So then you believers in Christ are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God the Father’s household…

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am a citizen of heaven

 

I am part of God the Father’s household

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 20 to 22…

 

EPHESIANS 2:20

…having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone…

 

EPHESIANS 2:21

…in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in union with the Lord…

 

EPHESIANS 2:22

…in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God the Father in union with the God the Holy Spirit.

 

YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

 

I am part of the Lord’s foundation

 

I am a temple of the Living God

 

All I can ask now is, “How do you like yourself now?”  You are special.  You have an identity.  Your identity is a gift from the Christ, the Lord, God the Son in human form…Jesus.  Enjoy it!

 

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.

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 indifferent or antagonistic to God.  And, it works!  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.  Romans Catholicism is one of the many religions, and it is bought “hook, line, and sinker” by a million and a half people, nearly 20% of the world’s population.

 

Roman Catholicism is a COMPLETE DECEPTION.  In Matthew, Chapter 23, Verse 27 and 28, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself excoriates religion…

 

MATTHEW 23:27

“Woe to you religiousscribes and Pharisees…you hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombswhich on the outside appear beautiful…but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”

 

MATTHEW 23:28

“Outwardly youappear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (you are unrighteous, ungodlyunbelievers).”

Without following the guidance of the Bible, it is almost impossible to know how to have a relationship with the Lord.  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 Scripture…

 

HEBREWS 4:12

For the word of God is alive and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword…and it’s piercing…even as far as the division of soul and spirit…of both joints and marrow…and it is a critic of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

 

God’s plan is to teach you the truth about how to have a relationship with Him in the Bible.  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 to each of us 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 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 to lick 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)…and the rich man also 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 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)…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 there 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 your brothers do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

 

When we die, it is heaven or the Lake of Fire for all eternity.  We get to make the choice where we 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 salvationas some accuse Him of… instead, He is patient toward unbelievers…not wishing for any of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire) … but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

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…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 (an unbeliever) 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.”

Abraham was saved by faith alone.

 

Roman Catholicism says justification is a process that renews the inner man, but 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 regainedthrough 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.  Romans Catholics call themselves Christians, yet their religion is not selling a relationship with the Lord…it’s selling a relationship with the Roman Catholic Church.

 

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 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 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 Christ, and you will be saved!

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  Who are you?  Christians…as Hillsong Worship tells you in song, you are who God says you are.  Here’s WHO YOU SAY I AM.

 

MUSIC

CLOSING SONG

Let’s Sing the Lord’s Praises

 

WHO YOU SAY I AM

Hillsong Worship

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

…thank you for the enlightenment concerning who we are IN CHRIST…we examined only two chapters, but the Bible goes on to describe believers in Chrsit in many other places and in many other ways…thank you for making us aware of who we are…

 

…let who we are shine during this holiday season so that all who see Your light in us will be attracted like moths to a flame so that our God the Holy Spirit can get the gospel message across to all unbelievers on the earth…

 

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

 

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

 

www.barahministries.com