Philippians: How Can Christians Be Content Despite Circumstances?

Class Outline:

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A Christlike attitude turns turbulence into trust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

An Online Christian Church

Teaching the Word of God

 

RORY CLARK

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning…and Happy Mother’s Day!

 

I’m Pastor Rory Clark welcoming you to a Bible lesson with Barah Ministries, an intimate online Christian community teaching the Word of God verse-by-verse to the hearers the Lord provides.

 

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.

 

Just a heads up for our regular listeners.  It’s the second Sunday of the month…the time we usually celebrate The Lord’s Supper.  We’re going to put off The Lord’s Supper celebration until next week so we have time to finish our study of this letter to the Philippians without rushing.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How Can Christians Be Content Despite Circumstances?

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

Sometimes life can feel like a roller coaster…with ups and downs and ups and downs and ups and downs.  While the ups and downs of life can be exhilarating, they can be exhausting as well.

 

During the college years, I was a member of the Northwestern University Basketball Team.  Before every game, we had a meal about four hours before game time.  Our star player, right after the pre-game meal…EVERY game…could be heard vomiting up the contents of his stomach as game time approached.  He would get so amped up that all he could do to calm himself was to puke.  I’m not talking bulimia…I’m talking nerves.

Fortunately, his angst did not affect his performance.  But can you imagine throwing up before every big event in your life?  There’s nothing I hate worse than puking, so that would be hell on earth for me.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ made it possible for Christians to have a lifestyle of contentment regardless of circumstances.  In other words, we’re never too high and never too low.  When planes are in trouble, it’s amazing to listen to the pilots on the black box recording moments before a crash.  They are completely calm, even in a nose down dive they won’t recover from.  They know they will be dead in twelve seconds, yet there is a calm in their voice.

 

“We’re going down.”

 

Those were the final words of a pilot moments before a crash that would claim the lives of everyone on board.  A voice in perfect calm saying, “We’re going down.”

 

As Christians and as human beings, we encounter life challenges we couldn’t have possibly anticipated.  We have problems over which we have no control….the economy…family problems…relationships problems...loss…setbacks…health issues…marriages falling apart are just a few of our many challenges.  How do we handle these things?  What happens to our mentality?  What do we feel in our hearts?

 

In the final passage of Paul’s letter to the Philippians he says, “I have learned the secret” when handling the circumstances of life.  What secret is he talking about?  You’ll find out in today’s lesson.

 

OPENING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s hear some music!  You’ll remember last week the Lord asks a rhetorical question in Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 11…

 

MATTHEW 7:11

“If, for the sake of argument, you human beings…being evil…know how to give good gifts to your children…how much more will your God and Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?!”

 

The Hebrew expression of this sentiment is Jehovah Jireh…which means the Lord provides.  Here’s Maverick City Music to sing about our JIREH!

MUSIC - OPENING SONG

Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises

 

JIREH

Maverick City Music

 

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 the countenance of Mothers…without them it would be pretty hard to raise children because Mothers are the human embodiment of Your unconditional love…thank you for these lessons you have given us in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians because through them, You have taught us how to be content regardless of circumstances…thank you for access to enabling power… Your divine power…that comes to us through God the Holy Spirit as He directs our paths…

 

…as we celebrate Mothers, whether they are with us here on earth or with You in heaven, let us remember to do what great Mothers do for their children…Moms are content with their children regardless of circumstances…and it’s something all of us can aspire to in our human relationships…

 

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

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How Can Christians Be Content Despite Circumstances?

 

LESSON PART ONE

 

We begin our study of the final passage of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  The main message of this letter, from the Lord’s own mind, is that believers in Christ can have the same attitude when we face life’s adversities that the Lord Jesus Christ had as He faced the horror of the Cross.  Remember the Lord’s mandate in Philippians, Chapter 2, Verse 5?

PHILIPPIANS 2:5

Keep on having this attitude in yourselves which was also the attitude in Christ Jesus…

 

We are to emulate our Lord in everything, especially in attitude.  What attitude does the Lord wants us to have?  He wants us to have an attitude of contentment regardless of our circumstance…regardless of our environment…and regardless of our choices, even when our choices are wrong.

 

What is contentment?

 

CONTENTMENT

Peace of mind in the midst of the spiritual battle, fueled by the realization that God has already provided everything Christians need for happiness.

 

The opposite of contentment is complacency.  What is complacency?

 

COMPLACENCY

An attitude of self-satisfaction, often in ignorance of potential dangers or actual defects in a situation.

 

 

The Lord warned the church at first-century Laodicea about complacency in Revelation, Chapter 3, Verse 17…

 

REVELATION 3:17

You people in the Laodicean church say, “I am rich…I have become wealthy…I have need of nothing” … and you don’t know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked…

 

Contentment is NOT complacency.

 

When we are content, our attitude is never too high and never too low.  In other words, we have a “good” attitude all the time.  In aeronautics, a plane with a good attitude is engaged in level flight.  Level flight is part of an aircraft’s performance.  The other foundational element of an aircraft’s performance is power.

 

The Lord demonstrates the proper attitude for us and He gives us the divine power

to execute it.  Attitude plus power equals performance, and these are the fundamentals of air travel AND contentment.

 

Someone who is content relies on resources from within…from the INSIDE…and not on resources from the outside.

 

As Christians, we are not self-sufficient.  We are GOD-SUFFICIENT because we are in union with our ALL-SUFFICIENT Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Our power comes from an internal center…the indwelling Trinity.  They influence us form the outside as well.

 

Well let’s hear the final passage of this insightful letter…Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 10 to 23…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:10

But I (Paul) rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now…at last…you have revived your concern for me.  Indeed, you were concerned before but you lacked opportunity.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:11

Not that I speak from want…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:12

I know how to get along with humble means…and I also know how to live in prosperity…in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry…both of having abundance and suffering need.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:14

Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:15

You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone…

 

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:16

…for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:17

Not that I seek the gift itself…but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:18

I have received everything in full and I have an abundance…I am amply supplied…having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent…a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:19

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:20

Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:21

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:22

All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:23

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

 

Here’s the structure of the passage…

 

STRUCTURE OF THE PASSAGE

 

Verse 10

INTRODUCES THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD

 

Verses 11 to 13

INTRODUCES THE POWER OF GOD

 

STRUCTURE OF THE PASSAGE

 

Verses 14 to 19

INTRODUCES THE PROMISES OF GOD

 

Verses 20 to 23

THE APOSTLE PAUL’S CLOSING COMMENTS

 

Let’s study the passage verse-by-verse beginning at Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 10…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:10

I (Paul) rejoiced greatly in union with the Lord, that you Philippian believers have revived your concern for me.  Indeed, you were concerned before but you lacked opportunity to help.

 

The Philippian believers may have lacked opportunity to help Paul, but he was an person within their concern.  And through the providence of our God, who has PERFECT timing, their help came to Paul exactly when he needed it, as he sat in a prison cell in Rome.

 

What is God’s providence?  It’s pretty simple…it means…

 

PROVIDENCE

God sees everything in advance

 

God knows when we need things, and as the great provider, he makes everything available at the right time.

 

 

Let’s not forget the comfort of God’s promise in Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, Verse 8…

 

DEUTERONOMY 31:8

“…the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…He will be with you…He will not fail you or forsake you…so do not fear or be dismayed.”

 

God prearranges circumstances to fulfill his purpose.

The distortion of this idea is fate…the thought that God pre-ordains everything, so there’s nothing we can do.  You’ve heard the stupid expression, “Everything happens for a reason!”  The truth about God’s providence is that nothing happens in the universe without God’s permission, and He is always able to coordinate circumstances TAKING INTO ACCOUNT OUR FREE WILL CHOICES, to make thing work out as he wishes.

 

 

Our God has the power to rule and our God has the power to overrule.  Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 28…

 

ROMANS 8:28

And we believers in Christ KNOW that God the Father causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God the Father…for the good of those who are called according to God the Father’s purpose.

 

His purpose in us believers in Christ is that we would trust His Son for our salvation and that we worship His Son who saved us.

 

Another way to look at God’s providence is the term Jehovah-Jireh, a Hebrew expression which also means “the Lord will see to it.”  It’s just another way to say the Lord provides.  John, Chapter 10, Verse 4…

 

JOHN 10:4

When the shepherd brings forth all of his own sheep, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

 

The providence of our God…His ability to see things in advance…means nothing and no one sneaks up on our God…no one and nothing surprises Him…He works everything out for His good purpose because He can see how things will unfold in advance.

 

For believers in Christ, His good purpose is to always be on our side and to always work things out for our good.  Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 31 and 32…

 

ROMANS 8:31

What then shall we believers in Christ say face-to-face with all these things? If

God the Father is FOR us believers in Christ, and He is, who is ever going to be

successful in opposition against us?

 

ROMANS 8:32

God the Father, who did not spare His own Son (the Lord Jesus Christ), but delivered Him over for us all…how will the Father not also, with our union with Christ, freely give us all things?

 

We know the answer.  He is eager to give us ALL THINGS.

 

When we return from the break, we’ll request an offering and then we’ll learn about God’s power and God’s promises as we close our study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  The break songs are a tribute to Mothers everywhere.  Take a five-minute break.

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

M-O-T-H-E-R

Henry Burr

 

FIVE-MINUTE BREAK

M-O-T-H-E-R

Java Live

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How Can Christians Be Content Despite Circumstances?

 

OFFERING INTRODUCTION

 

King David asks an interesting question in Psalm 116, Verse 12…

 

PSALM 116:12

What shall I give to the Lord in repayment for all His goodness toward me?

 

What can we, mere humans, give to the Almighty, All-Powerful, All-Sufficient God?  The Lord wants us to give the things He gifts to us…our time…our talent… and our treasure…for the benefit of others.  The offering is the treasure part.  It’s your chance to redirect the funds God has given to you to help others.  Give with an abundance mentality!  Whatever you give the Lord will multiply to others AND back to you.

 

Let’s listen to Deacon Denny Goodall present one of his always thoughtful,

sometimes funny, and forever inspiring offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSES

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:12

I (Paul) know how to get along with humble means…I also know how to live in prosperity…in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret…of being filled and going hungry…of having abundance and suffering need.

 

OFFERING VERSES

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I can do all things through the Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens me.

 

OFFERING SONG

THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU

Instrumental Version

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

How Can Christians Be Content Despite Circumstances?

 

LESSON PART TWO

 

Welcome back!

 

How can Christians be content despite circumstances?  We have access to divine power!  In Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 11 to 13 Paul says…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:11

It’s not that I speak from want…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:12

I know how to get along with humble means…and I also know how to live in

prosperity…in any and every circumstance I have learned THE SECRET…of being filled and going hungry…of having abundance and suffering need.

 

What is the secret of being content whether in adversity or prosperity?  Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I can do all things through the Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens me.

 

What we have learned in this letter is that CONTENTMENT is not dependent on circumstances, or environment, or people, or things.  CONTENTMENT does not come from the source of poverty.  Nor does CONTENTMENT come from the source of prosperity.  In fact, prosperity is more dangerous than adversity because when we are prosperous, we tend to get complacent.

 

Our calm and our confidence come from the source of our POWER.  Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 13…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

I can do all things through the Lord Jesus Christ who strengthens me.

 

There are things outside of us we can’t control.  You’ve heard Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer…

 

THE SERENITY PRAYER

 

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change

The courage to change the things I can

And the wisdom to know the difference.

 

For the Christian, our serenity comes from Christ’s power…a divine power within us.  Paul assures believers in Christ in Philippians, Chapter 1, Verse 6…

 

PHILIPPIANS 1:6

For I (Paul) am confident of this very thing…that God the Father…who began a divine good work in you believers in Christ will keep on perfecting it until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

The day of Christ Jesus is the day the Lord returns for His Church Age believers.

 

As believers in Christ, we are confident because Philippians, Chapter 2, Verse 13 assures us…

 

PHILIPPIANS 2:13

…for it is God the Father who is at work in us believers in Christ…both to will and to work for His good pleasure…

 

God’s work is done with divine power.  We are as confident as Paul when he says in Philippians, Chapter 3, Verse 10…

 

PHILIPPIANS 3:10

…I know the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings…being conformed to His death…

 

WE CAN…through Christ!

 

 

As Christians, how do we release the power of Christ?  We remember John, Chapter 15, Verse 5 where the Lord says…

 

JOHN 15:5

I am the vine…and you believers in Christ are the branches…the believer in Christ who abides in Me and I indwelling him, bears much fruit…for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 

In nature, vines provide the power.  Vines exist to nourish, to feed, and to grow the branches.  The branches bear the fruit.  In the spiritual realm, for believers in Christ ,we display the fruit of God the Holy Spirit.  We were created by the Lord to display the Spirit’s fruit.  As branches, believers in Christ draw our resurrection life from the vine.  During the sanctification phase of our Christian lives, God the Holy Spirit provides the sap…the divine power to do all things through the agency of Christ.

 

Christ…the vine…is all sufficient.  Christians…the branches…get the benefit.

 

Finally, in this passage we learn of the promises of God.  God makes well over

seven thousand promises to us in the Bible, all of which come true because in God

there is no deception, only perfection.   Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 14 to 16…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:14

Nevertheless, you Philippian believers have done well to share with me in my affliction.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:15

You yourselves know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel after I

left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:16

…for even when I was in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

 

Paul is grateful for his believer friends in Philippi and for their financial gifts.

Philippians, Chapter 4, Verse 17…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:17

Not that I (Paul) seek the gift itself, but I seek the abounding fruit which increases to your account when you give.

 

What is Paul’s attitude about the financial gift?  He knows the Philippian believers will get rich spiritual dividends from God.  They give one thing to Paul…they receive many things…ALL things…from the Lord even though the gift came from God.

 

What is Paul’s internal condition?  He is filled!  Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 18 and 19…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:18

As for me, I (Paul) have received everything in full and I have an abundance…I am amply supplied after having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent…it is a fragrant aroma…it is an acceptable sacrifice…and it is well-pleasing to God.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:19

And my God will supply ALL your needs according to His glorious riches for all of you in union with Christ Jesus.

This is a man talking from a prison cell.

 

The Philippian believers met ONE of Paul’s needs…his financial needs…on more than one occasion.  God meets ALL of the Philippian believers needs.

 

When we experience adversity, as is Paul in prison…God provides us with His glorious riches.  We do God’s work in God’s way for God’s glory and God keeps on supplying us with His glorious riches.  Amen?

 

The letter concludes with Paul’s closing comments…Philippians, Chapter 4, Verses 20 to 23…

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:20

Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:21

Greet every saint in union with Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me here in Rome greet you!

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:22

In fact…all the saints in Rome greet you…especially the saints of Caesar’s household.

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:23

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

 

What a letter!

 

Paul encapsulates the Christian experience in four chapters and one hundred and four verses.  As believers in Christ we can accept all things…we can do all things…and we have all things because of God’s providence, His power in us, and His promises which never fail.  We have the perfect life.  And God wants us to share His perfection with everyone.  Keep on praising Him at every opportunity by being content regardless of circumstances.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

The final ten minutes of this lesson could be the ten most important minutes of

your life.  You’ll be introduced to the good news concerning how you can spend all eternity in heaven when you close your eyes in this life.  We want you to know that…

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

He Wants You Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

…and what He wants for you is that you make the most important decision of your life.

The Fifth Dimension is a world famous American vocal group from the 1960’s and 1970’s.  For those too young to remember them, scurry off to You Tube and type in “The Fifth Dimension - Aquarius  Let the Sunshine In.”  Then sit back and enjoy a great song.

 

Next, type in “The Fifth Dimension - This Is Your Life” and listen to these chilling lyrics in the song…

 

THIS IS YOUR LIFE LYRICS

 

This is your life you’re living

And it’s the only one you’ve got

It’s your life you’re giving

Don’t you think it’s time you asked yourself for what?

 

THIS IS YOUR LIFE LYRICS

 

This is your life…not a game that you play

It’s your life…are you throwing it away?

 

On the day of your physical birth the Lord (God the Son) gifted you with life the same way He gifted Adam with life as the federal head of the human race. Genesis, Chapter 2, Verse 7…

 

GENESIS 2:7

Then the Lord (God the Son…Yahweh) formed man from the dust of the ground

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives…and the man became a living being.

 

Our parents do not give us life.  They each participate in giving us birth.  God the Son gives us the gift of life by breathing His breath into us.

 

What will you do with the gift?  So many squander the gift and fail to make the most important decisions of their lives.  This gospel message is an invitation for you to stop, right now, right this minute, right where you are, to make the most important decision of your life.

 

Perhaps you don’t know you were born with a problem.  You were born in a state of sin.  Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 12 says…

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.

 

It’s not your fault you were born in a state of sin, but IT IS YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE.

 

Who says so?  The Lord says so in His Word…the Bible…the inerrant Canon of Scripture.  First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…

 

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…

 

Luckily a “state” is a temporary condition.  The Lord…Jesus…the Christ (the Messiah) knew He would do something for us we could not do for ourselves.  He fulfilled God the Father’s plan by taking our sin problem upon Himself.

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ you are about to hear is the Lord’s message to you, informing you how He took care of your sin problem.  What He wants you to do is to accept His plan for your salvation.

 

There is nothing for you to DO to take advantage of God’s plan for your salvation.  You cannot save yourself.  In fact, anything you do to save yourself interferes with God’s plan for you.

 

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 work is not credited to

his account as a favor from the grace of God, but his wage is credited as what is

due for the work.

 

Yet your hardest work is not perfect enough save you.  It’s best to take the Lord’s advice on how to be saved.

 

RIGHT WHERE YOU SIT, RIGHT NOW, you can make a one-time decision and be saved for all time.  In 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 (of 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.”

 

Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 exhorts…

 

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.”

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verses 3 and 4 tell you about the One who saves you…

 

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…

 

The only perfectly satisfactory payment for your sin in the eyes of God the Father is what the Lord Jesus Christ did to pay for your sins with His blood at the Cross.

 

In John, Chapter 3, Verse 36, the Lord provides 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.”

 

Your soul, once born, never dies.  It is everlasting…it has a beginning and no end.  You have the free will to make a choice where your soul spends eternity.  You can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and spend eternity in heaven with Him when you close your eyes in this life.  Or you can spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, commonly known as hell, a very real place with very real, eternal consequences.  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 Lake of Fire…and in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for all eternity.

 

What’s your choice?  Do you choose an eternal relationship with an eternal God or would you prefer to work at saving yourself?

 

Put your pride aside and take the free gift of salvation.  In John, Chapter 6, Verse 37, the Lord says…

 

JOHN 6:37b

…the ones who come to Me…to believe in Me…I will certainly not cast out into the outer darkness…the Lake of Fire.

 

There aren’t many sure things in life.  This is one of them.  BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

 

THE GOSPEL MESSAGE

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

 

CLOSING SONG INTRODUCTION

 

Let’s close with music!  Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ has so many benefits, among them a peace which surpasses comprehension…a calmness in the soul that makes us invulnerable to the forces of evil which seek to disturb our serenity as we take the Lord’s advice.  Proverbs 19, Verse 23 says…

 

PROVERBS 19:23

The respect of the Lord leads to life so that we may sleep in contentment, untouched by evil.

 

Audrey Assad describes contentment as she sings IT IS WELL.

 

MUSIC - CLOSING SONG

Let’s Hear the Singing of the Lord’s Praises

 

IT IS WELL

Audrey Assad

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…

 

Thank you for teaching us how to be content…may the rest of our lives not be subject to the ups and downs of circumstances…instead, may we find Your hand and Your JOY in everything we encounter…

 

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

 

GOT BIBLICAL QUESTIONS OR WANT US TO PRAY FOR SOMEONE?

 

Ask the Pastor

pastor@barahministries.com

 

 

KEEP ON STUDYING THE WORD OF GOD DAILY!

 

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