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The Advantage of Having the Bible - Romans 3:1-8

Taught on | Topic: the Scriptures | Keywords: advantage, the Bible, grace, heritage, history, Jews, Jewish, meditate, oracles, promise, study, word

Those who have been raised in a home with spiritual foundations and the teaching of Scripture have an edge over those who were never exposed to such benefits. The advantage of having access to the Bible is enormous, but it is not a fail-safe. Paul addressed the Jews who were caretakers of God’s own words, and much can be applied to anyone who has the advantage of revealed truth but fails to take it to heart.

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The Advantage of Having the Bible
Romans 3:1-8
Skip Heitzig
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Those who have been raised in a home with spiritual foundations and the teaching of Scripture have an edge over those who were never exposed to such benefits. The advantage of having access to the Bible is enormous, but it is not a fail-safe. Paul addressed the Jews who were caretakers of God’s own words, and much can be applied to anyone who has the advantage of revealed truth but fails to take it to heart.
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Heart & Soul: A Study through Romans

Heart & Soul: A Study through Romans

When the wrath of God meets the righteousness of God, where does that leave us? The apostle Paul says that we are marked by sin at birth but marked righteous at salvation. In this series through Romans, Skip Heitzig explains the essentials of Christian doctrine that can transform your thoughts, words, and actions. Move from sinner to saint, and from saved to Spirit-filled as you inscribe the essence of the gospel onto your heart and soul.

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Outline

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  1. The Arguments of the Skeptics (v. 1)

  2. The Answers of the Scholar (vv. 2-8)

  3. The Advantages of the Scriptures (v. 2b)

  4. The Admonition of the Scribe (vv. 3-4)

Study Guide

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Connect Recap Notes: Saturday, July 28, 2019
Speaker: Skip Heitzig
Teaching: "The Advantage of Having the Bible"
Text: Romans 3:1-8

Path

Those who have been raised in a home with spiritual foundations and the teaching of Scripture have an edge over those who were never exposed to such benefits. The advantage of having access to the Bible is enormous, but it is not a fail-safe. Paul addressed the Jews, who were caretakers of God's own words, and much can be applied to anyone who has the advantage of revealed truth but fails to take it to heart.
  1. The Arguments of the Skeptics (v. 1)
  2. The Answers of the Scholar (vv. 2-8)
  3. The Advantages of the Scriptures (v. 2b)
  4. The Admonition of the Scribe (vv. 3-4)
Points

The Arguments of the Skeptics (v. 1)
  • The Bible can change more than a life; it can transform a lifestyle. However, not everyone exposed to truth lives by it.
  • Romans can be viewed in four parts: the wrath of God, the grace of God, the plan of God, and the will of God. In Romans 1:18, the wrath of God was revealed; in Romans 2, we learned God will judge everyone. How can someone be saved? Through faith in Christ.
  • Paul asked questions from a Jewish point of view. He asked, "If our Jewish heritage does not make us right with God, what's the advantage of being a Jew?"
  • As Paul said in chapter 2, if you do not have the mark of God in your heart, the mark of Judaism on the flesh (circumcision) is worthless.
The Answers of the Scholar (vv. 2-8)
  • Paul answered the Jews as a scholar, writing in an ancient style of questions and answers, a one-man conversation about truth. Some of the questions may have been questions asked of Paul as he traveled and spoke in synagogues.
  • What was the advantage the Jews had as God's people? "Much in every way!" (v. 2) According to Paul, Jews had an edge over the Gentiles—they had Scripture.
  • Paul himself followed the Bible's commandments to remain connected to his Jewish background.
The Advantages of the Scriptures (v. 2b)
  • In verse 2, Paul addressed the advantages of having the Scriptures. Notice the word "chiefly" (NKJV), or "first of all" (NIV). Paul listed the most important advantages of being Jewish, which he continued in Romans 9:1-5. Here, he focused on the main benefit: "the oracles of God"—the Old Testament, God's words and promises.
  • God chose the Jews to reveal His Word to the world. Paul stressed this advantage because it's the basis of all other advantages. The Jews' advantage begins with Scripture. God spoke through the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob), kings, and prophets to communicate His will and wisdom.
  • As Christians, our chief advantage is the Word of God (Christ) and the words of God (the Bible). We have an anchor in the oracles of God.
  • The Bible is God's self-disclosure about both His nature and plan of salvation, and this leads to a question. Is the Bible a human or divine book? There are three basic positions:
    • The Bible is the word of God (the historical stance of the church).
    • The Bible is a collection of human ideas (the view of liberal and progressive theology)—the Bible may contain some truths about God but is a human book.
    • It's a combination of the two above—human and divine. Scholarship determines which is which; this leads to the scholar becoming the highest authority.
  • In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul stated, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God." Peter explained the source of Scripture: "holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).
    • Think of moved as a sailing metaphor—the wind carrying a ship; the Holy Spirit directs the boat. The writers had their own style as they recorded what God wanted to be expressed, through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Admonition of the Scribe (vv. 3-4)
  • Paul addressed the Jews who didn't believe and obey God's words. Paul also said that God promised to restore and redeem (see Romans 11:25-26). God has a plan for Israel. The fulfillment may be postponed, but it will never be prevented; lack of belief won't nullify God's promises.
  • Having the "oracles" of God can be an advantage and a disadvantage. Our advantage is we can know what God's will is (see John 5:39 and Hebrews 4:2). The disadvantage is we can disobey or ignore God's word.
  • Christians must use the advantage God gave us; we must read, study, meditate on, and obey the Bible. It's our duty to apply the power of the Bible to our lives.
  • The Bible is like an airport landing strip; no passenger wants the pilot to miss the narrow runway. It's essential for a safe landing—just like the Bible. The oracles of God lead to a fulfilled life when we apply their truths with care, consideration, and commitment.
Practice

Connect Up: Why do you think God communicated His plans for salvation through the Bible and not some other way? Discuss the similarity between Jesus as the Word, and the Bible as the word. Think of these analogies: both are called the Word of God, each has two natures (divine and human), the two natures are united by one medium, and both Christ and Scripture are without flaw (for more, see Norman Geisler's Systematic Theology, Volume 1, page 259).

Connect In: Why is biblical teaching and study crucial for a healthy church? How have you grown from systematic Bible teaching?

Connect Out: How would you defend the reliability of the Bible to an unbeliever? Theologians would argue that there are internal and external reasons, including historical, archaeological, and scientific evidence to confirm the reliability of the Bible. If time permits, download Dr. Geisler's insights at http://www.apologetics315.com/media/trustthescriptures.pdf and discuss.

Detailed Notes

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"The Advantage of Having the Bible"
Romans 3:1-8
  1. Introduction
    1. The Bible doesn't just change a life—it changes a lifestyle
      1. However, not everyone who is exposed to the truth lives by the truth
      2. Some hear the truth and twist it
    2. The theme of the book of Romans is the gospel
      1. How an unrighteous human can be made right with a righteous God
      2. The book of Romans is divided into four sections:
        1. The wrath of God (1:1-3:20)
        2. The grace of God (3:21-8:39)
        3. The plan of God (9-11)
        4. The will of God (12-16)
    3. Paul took apart each component of the gospel, examined each piece, and reassembled it
      1. The theme of the first section was introduced in 1:18: "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven"
      2. Paul pronounced judgment on the raunchy crowd in chapter 1 and the religious crowd in chapter 2
      3. Paul said that God judges everyone so He can save anyone
      4. Once you realize you're at the bottom, there's only one way to turn, and that's up
    4. Paul also anticipated objection
      1. Romans 2:1
      2. Romans 2:11
      3. Romans 2:29
    5. This is not an easy passage to understand
      1. 2 Peter 3:15-16
      2. If an apostle found it hard to understand another apostle, we can be comforted in our own struggle to understand
  2. The Arguments of the Skeptics (v. 1)
    1. Paul expected them to respond with these questions:
      1. "What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision?" (v. 1)
      2. "What if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect?" (v. 3)
      3. "If our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath?" (v. 5)
    2. Essentially, they would ask, "If the Jewish heritage doesn't make us right with God, what's the advantage of the heritage at all?"
      1. Anyone who has studied the history of Judaism might ask this question, because, of all people, the Jews have the most difficult history
        1. Slavery
        2. Deportation
        3. Persecution
        4. Dispersion
        5. Intimidation
        6. Mass genocide
      2. The reality is that they are God's chosen people
        1. They knew it, Paul knew it, and Scripture affirmed it
        2. Deuteronomy 14:2
        3. Isaiah 43:21
    3. It's great to be God's chosen, but they concluded that this alone made them acceptable to God
      1. Paul explained that being physical descendants of Abraham did not make them spiritual descendants of Abraham
      2. If God hasn't put a mark on your heart, the mark on your flesh (circumcision) is worthless
  3. The Answers of the Scholar (vv. 2-8)
    1. Paul wrote this chapter as a scholar
      1. He used a diatribe method, which was an ancient Socratic teaching method
      2. The writer asked rhetorical questions then answered those questions in order to lead those who were listening from error into truth
        1. The questions Paul asked and answered were probably questions Paul had heard as he visited the synagogues in different cities
        2. These also may have been questions he, as a Jew, had once asked
    2. Paul anticipated these questions and objections from his audience because he had just demolished the Jews' false security in their external religion
      1. Paul never said that their heritage was not important—just that it wasn't enough
      2. Heritage is good—it gives you an edge—but heritage by itself is never enough
      3. Paul himself was a Jew and respected that heritage
        1. He worshiped in the temple whenever he was in Jerusalem
        2. He had Timothy circumcised as a concession to the Jewish believers in Galatia (see Acts 16:3)
        3. Paul paid for the purification rites of four men in the temple so that they could fulfill their Nazirite vows (see Acts 21:26)
  4. The Advantages of the Scriptures (v. 2b)
    1. What's the advantage of being a Jew?
      1. "Much in every way!" (v. 2)
      2. Paul said they had many advantages, but he focused on one
        1. If you were raised in a Christian home, you have advantages that nobody else has
        2. Don't depreciate your own testimony in favor of others' testimonies
        3. If your testimony is that you were raised in a Christian home with a framework of biblical truth and you still follow Him today, you have the best testimony, because it testifies to the keeping power of God
    2. Paul's answer: "Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles of God" (v. 2)
      1. In the NIV, chiefly is translated "first of all," which implies a list
        1. Paul finished this list in Romans 9:1-5 and included eight advantages
        2. The Greek word is prōton, which means primarily, most importantly, or first in rank
      2. Paul said that the most important advantage the Jewish people have is "the oracles of God" (v. 2)
        1. The Greek word used for oracles is logia, which means word or words
        2. Paul was referring to the Old Testament
          1. God chose the Jews in that He revealed Himself to the world through them
          2. God spoke to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc.
    3. Paul stressed this advantage above all others because this is the basis for all the others
      1. Paul answered his first question, but not his second
      2. Paul zeroed in on their primary advantage—the Scripture
    4. This is also our chief advantage as Christians
      1. Giving our lives to Christ is not the end; He doesn't leave you adrift in a sea of human speculation about the meaning of life
      2. He gives us the Holy Spirit as a guide, as well as His Word
    5. This leads to an important question: What is the Bible? There are three positions you can take:
      1. It's the Word of God
        1. 2 Timothy 3:16
        2. The Greek word for inspiration here is theopneustos, which means breathed out by God
        3. How does God inspire writing?
          1. Each writer had his own style, education, circumstances, and experiences
          2. God "moved" each of them (2 Peter 1:21); moved is a sailing metaphor that refers to a ship being carried along by the wind
      2. It's the words of men
        1. Liberalism does not accept the Bible as the Word of God; it's inspired on the same level as a Picasso
        2. In this view, the Bible embodies the highest human ideals, ethics, thought, and aspirations, but at the end of the day, it's just a human book
      3. It's a combination of the two
        1. It's both the Word of God and the word of men; some things are the true Word of God, and some things are from men, so they're wrong
        2. Their scholarship is what tells you which is from God and which is from man; this leads to the scholar taking preeminence over God
        3. Everybody's a sinner, including scholars (see Romans 3:23)
  5. The Admonition of the Scribe (vv. 3-4)
    1. Jewish history is filled with failure
      1. They failed to believe God's promise
      2. They failed to obey His Word, especially when Jesus came into the world—He was rejected (see John 1:11)
    2. God has promised in both the Old and New Testaments to one day restore and redeem the nation of Israel
      1. It's happened in part, but it's been delayed
      2. Romans 11:25-27
      3. All of these are unconditional promises, and the fulfillment may be postponed, but it will never be prevented; God still has a plan for the future of the nation of Israel
      4. Not believing God's promises won't nullify God's promises
    3. The advantage can become the disadvantage
      1. You can have the oracles of God, but if you don't read, believe, and apply them, they're worthless
        1. John 5:39
        2. Hebrews 4:2
      2. Outward identity with God's people is one thing, but inward conformity to God's principles is another
  6. Conclusion
    1. Being in a Christian environment where the Bible is taught has many advantages
      1. But to take advantage of the advantage, you have to read it, study it, apply it, and share it
      2. The Bible has the power to change a life, but it also has the power to do more—only when you apply it
    2. In studying the Bible, you will find things you like, and others you don't want to hear
      1. Many truths sound very narrow; so is every landing strip in every airport—but every passenger would have it no other way
      2. The oracles of God may seem very narrow, but they lead to the gateway of a fulfilled, happy life
Figures referenced: Pablo Picasso, Alexander Smith, Mark Twain, John Wesley

Cross references: Deuteronomy 14:2; Isaiah 43:21; John 1:11; 5:39; Acts 16:3; 21:26; Romans 1:18; 2:1, 11, 29; 3:23; 9:1-5; 11:25-27; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:2; 2 Peter 1:21; 3:15-16

Greek words: logia, proton, theopneustos

Transcript

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The Advantage of Having the Bible - Romans 3:1-8 - Skip Heitzig

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[HEART BEATING SOUND]

[APPLAUSE]

Could you turn in your Bibles, please, this morning to the Great Book of Romans Chapter 3. I want to talk today about the advantage of having the Bible. I bet most of you have heard of or know about the story The Mutiny on the Bounty, yes? You may not know the back story. You might not know how the Bible played a key role in that story.

So there was a ship that sailed from England called the bounty, the HMS Bounty in 1789. The crew was commissioned by the British government to make the islands of the South Pacific more habitable, bringing fruit trees, food producing plants, organize that life on those islands. So it took 10 months to go from England to their destination.

Then they lived there for six months. So they were 16 months in and it was time for them to leave. So get the picture, you're from England, you are now in surf and palm trees, and perfect weather. And your captain says, time to go back. And so they didn't want to go back.

They loved the climate. They loved the local girls. So there was mutiny on the Bounty. They sent their captain back, tied him up, put him on the ship, along with a few loyal sailors, and let the ship drift out to sea. They stayed on the island. An expedition was then sent from England to recover the captain and loyal crew members, and find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

In the meantime, nine of those sailors who stayed behind went to another island, formed a colony. That became a debauched, immoral lifestyle. They learned how to distill whiskey. They fell to various diseases. They murdered each other.

And in that colony, every single one of those men died, except for one. And that one man was named Alexander Smith. And he was one day going through the belongings of one of the sailors who had died. He is now all alone on this island with some of the women and children who are left behind. And he finds, in digging through the belongings of that soldier, a Bible.

He had never really read a Bible. This was all new to him. So on that island with those women and children, he began to read the Bible. As he began to read the Bible, he began to believe the Bible. And as he began to believe the Bible, he then began to apply the Bible. And after applying the Bible, he thought I want to teach this to others. So he did.

He had daily classes where the children and women were brought in and he taught them the scriptures. Fast forward 20 years, it took 20 years for the British government to catch up with those who were living on that island. And when they came, they were astonished. What they found essentially on that island was a miniature utopia. It was an island of people living in harmony, and prosperity, and peace. There was no crime. There was no disease. There was no immorality. There was no illiteracy.

And all of it was accomplished by reading, believing, and applying scripture. It goes to show you that the Bible doesn't just change a life, it changes a lifestyle. However, not everybody exposed to the truth lives by the truth. In fact, some people hear the truth and they twist it.

Mark Twain said having spent considerable time with good people, I can understand why Jesus liked to be with tax collectors and sinners. Paul has good people in mind when he writes this section of the book of Romans. Let me remind you that there is a theme of the book. And the theme is the gospel. He introduces it in Chapter 1.

Paul is in the book going to explain to his readers the gospel, the good news. And essentially, it is how an unrighteous human can become a righteous human. How somebody not right with God can be made right with God. That's the gospel. And Paul breaks it up into four sections in the book.

The first section is all about the wrath of God. That's Chapter 1 Verse 1 to Chapter 3 Verse 20. The second section is all about the grace of God, the unmerited favor of God. That's Chapter 3 Verse 21, all the way to the end of Chapter 8. The third section is the plan of God. That's Romans 8, or 9, 10, and 11. And then the last section, the fourth section is the will of God. Those are the four components that form the book of Romans.

What Paul does is take the components of the gospel, takes them all apart, examines each part, and then he reassembles it. We are still in Section 1. And the theme of Section 1 was introduced to us back in Chapter 1 verse 18, where Paul wrote this, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth and unrighteousness.

Paul then goes on in Chapter 1 and 2 to pronounce judgment on the raunchy crowd and the religious crap in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Essentially, Paul says God pronounces judgment on every one so that he can save anyone. Because once you realize you're down at the bottom, there's only one way to look, and that's up. So whether you're a raunchy person, Chapter 1, or a religious person, Chapter 2, you're left at the bottom facing God's judgment, you go, I need Him. I need help. I need His hope.

Now, Paul also knows that what he just said is not going to sit well with everybody. That he can anticipate some objection to this. Do you remember when you went to your religious family and told him that you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Some of you remember that? They weren't too excited about that.

I went to my religious mother and father and told them that I now was following Jesus personally. I wasn't just a religious kid anymore. It meant more to me than that. I'm following Jesus as Lord and Savior. And I expected them to go, ya. They did not. They did this, oh, really? They were not elated. They were insulted.

So Paul anticipates a reaction, because he has just said things like this, you are inexcusable. Oh, man. He said things like, there is no partiality with God. He said things like unless your circumcision is inward and not just outward, if you're a Jew outwardly, but not inwardly, it's of no effect. That would raise some eyebrows. So he continues in Chapter 3 Verse 1. And before we read, I want to warn you, this is not an easy section to work through. By the time we're done reading, in fact, you might even say something like, what did he just say? I'll show you why.

Romans Chapter 3 Verse 1, what advantage then has the Jew? Or what is the prophet of circumcision? Much in every way. Chiefly because to them we're committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not.

Indeed, let God be true and every man a liar, as it is written that you may be justified in your words and may overcome when you are judged. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? I speak as a man.

Certainly not. For then how will God judge of the world? For if the truth of God is increased through my lie to His glory, why am I also still being judged as a sinner? And why not say, let us do evil that good may come? As we are slanderous reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just.

Now when I read sections like this, and at first, I go, what was that? Or what am I reading? I am comforted by something Peter said about Paul. Peter, another apostle, second Peter Chapter 3 said our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him speaking of the things in all of his letters some of his comments are hard to understand. I love that verse.

And here's why, you have one apostle saying it's hard to understand that other apostle. And if an apostle found it hard to understand another apostle, the little old skip coupled, you know, 20 centuries later, I feel better. So what I want to do is narrow my remarks down to one particular advantage that Paul highlights here, that this religious group, the Jewish people he is referring to had, the most important one, and that is the scripture.

So we want to look at four levels of what we just read-- the arguments, the answers, the advantages, and the admonition. Let's begin with the Arguments of the Skeptics. And I'll explain how this is put together as we go through. Let's look at some of these questions we just read.

Number 1, Verse 1, what advantage has the Jew? Well, what is the prophet of circumcision? Verse 3, what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Verse 5, if our own righteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust, who inflicts wrath?

Paul is supposing that some are going to ask these questions. In effect, Paul if what you say is true, then God's covenant is no good. Then God is not faithful. And God is unfair to judge anybody.

Paul, if you're going to attack God's chosen people, you are in effect attacking the integrity of the God who chose those people. So the bottom line is if our Jewish heritage doesn't make us right with God, what's the advantage of being Jewish? Now stop right there, hold that thought, hang on to that thought. What advantage then has the Jew?

Anybody who has studied the history of Judaism might ask that question, because of all the peoples who have ever lived, talk about a hard history. They have seen slavery, deportation, persecution, dispersion, intimidation, mass genocide. They were slaves 400 years in Egypt. They wandered 40 years to get into their land. Once they got into their land, they fought war after war after war.

Ever since they've been in that land, everybody else in that neighborhood wants them out of the land. They had a civil war that split the nation. The northern kingdom taken captive by Syria. The southern kingdom exiled by Babylon. That's not even to mention the Holocaust of World War II. 6 million Jews killed. That's not even to mention the Spanish Inquisition in Europe and in our own state years ago. That's not even mentioning the anti-Semitism that has been around for generations.

What possible advantage does a Jew have? It reminds me of that movie Fiddler on the Roof, and the patriarch Tavye walking one day despondent because of all the hardship. And he looked up to heaven he goes, I know, I know we're your chosen people. But once in a while, couldn't you choose somebody else?

If being God's chosen people means this, that's a tough life. What advantage, then, has the Jew? Now, what's the reality? The reality is they were God's chosen people. They knew it. Paul knew it. Scripture affirmed it.

Deuteronomy 14, you are a holy people to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you. To be a people for himself, a special treasure above all peoples who are on the face of the earth. Isaiah 43, my people, my chosen, this people I have formed for myself to declare my praise. It's great to be called God's chosen.

The problem is they concluded that being Jewish alone made them acceptable to God. Paul is already overturned the argument. Paul has already written in Chapter 2 that physical descendants of Abraham doesn't make them spiritual descendants of Abraham. In effect, he has already said, if God hasn't put a mark on your hearts, the mark you have on your flesh is worthless. So now he anticipates the argument. And the argument is this, Paul you are undermining the very foundations of our faith. To which he gives an answer.

After the arguments of the skeptics, there's the answers of this scholar. After asking the question in Verse 1, what advantage has the Jew or what profit is there in circumcision, Verse 2 much in every way. Down Verse 4. After they said, will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect, he says certainly not. Or we would say no way, Jose. Or not in 1,000 years.

Indeed, let God be true and every man a liar. Verse 5, what if our unrighteous demonstrates the righteousness of God. You got a really bad person next to a perfect God. It just shows him off. What shall we say, is God unjust who inflicts wrath? Certainly not. Verse 6, for then how will God judge the world?

Now, let me explain. Paul writes this chapter like a scholar would write. He is using a particular method called the diatribe. Now, I know the word diatribe today connotes something bad, like an attack on somebody. But diatribe was an ancient method of teaching, a Socratic method. Socrates used it. Other philosophers used it.

It was a literary tool where the writer or speaker asked rhetorical questions and then answered the questions to lead people who were listening from error into truth, as if a critic were there. It's an imaginary conversation that is set up. That's what Paul is doing. Now, the questions asked and answered are probably questions Paul heard before. Whenever he traveled to different cities, he always went into the synagogue first, right?

He was preaching to the Jew first. Then also to the Greeks. So he'd go into the synagogues and he'd share Christ. And he probably heard accusation and questions and attacks for years. And perhaps these are they. Or these are questions Paul himself once had.

He was a Jewish rabbi before he was Paul the Apostle. He struggled and wrestled with truth from the Old Testament. And he probably wrestled through this and now he brings light to these questions. Either way, Paul is anticipating objections from his Jewish audience because he has just demolished the false security that the Jews had in their external religion.

I love his answer, what's the advantage? Much in every way. You see, Paul never said that Jewish heritage is not important. He just said Jewish heritage is not enough. Oh, it's good. It has advantages. It gives you an edge. But that by itself is not enough. Paul was a Jew. Paul attended the temple. Whenever he went to Jerusalem, he worshipped in the temple. He was found in the temple.

In Acts Chapter 16, Paul had Timothy circumcised as a concession to the Jewish people in Galicia. In Acts 21, Paul even paid hard cold cash for the purification rite of four men in the temple doing their nazarite vow. All of that is Jewish. Paul subscribed to that.

So anticipating the question, what's the advantage, Paul says much in every way. You have many advantages. But I want to zero in on the one he zeroed in on. Before we do that, I want to say this if you were raised in a Christian home, you have advantages that nobody else has. And if you were raised in a Christian home and that's all you know, you think, I was raised in a Christian home. I was even homeschooled. You know, and you even depreciate some of that. I've always believed in God.

But then you hear other people's testimonies and you're kind of like wowed by them. The guy who says I was a raging drug addict, alcoholic, murderer. Then God saved me. Wow, that's a dramatic testimony. I need one of those things. How do I get one? I better go out and do something bad.

Listen, if your testimony is that I was raised in a Christian home, given a framework of truth, given a spiritual stability, and I never strayed from that, I believed at five years old, and I still follow Jesus today, you have the best testimony in church. Because your testimony is the keeping power of God. God can keep a person through a lifetime. You have advantages.

So after the arguments and the answers, let's consider the advantage of the scriptures. After Paul says much in every way, notice the next sentence, chiefly, because to them we're committed the oracles of God. I want to camp on that for a moment. Chiefly, because to them we're committed the oracles of God.

My version says chiefly. Some of you, if you have a New International version, or maybe a New Living Translation that says first of all. First of all. Now whenever somebody says first of all, you expect a list of some kind to follow. If a guy says now first of all, he'll say something. And then you expect him to say second, third, fourth. You expect a list. So he says first of all, and that's all he talks about.

He doesn't give a list here. But he does give a list. He finishes the list, but not until Chapter 9. So hold this thought, it's going to be a while before we get to Chapter 9. Chapter 9, he gives a whole list of advantages. Here, he gives one.

In the whole list of advantages, he gives this one. So let me just read it to you. This is Romans 9, beginning in Verse 1. I tell the truth in Christ. I'm not lying. My conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit. That I have a great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I wish that I myself were a curse from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, the Jewish people.

Now, here's the list. To whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises of whom are the fathers, and from whom according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all. Eternally blessed God. Amen.

He gives eight advantages. Here he says, chiefly. Here he says, first of all. The Greek word is proton. Don't think of something in a nucleus. Proton is a word that means primarily, most importantly, first in rank. What Paul is saying is this, the most important advantage you have as Jewish people is this. And what is that advantage? He says to them we're committed to what? Oracles of God.

You go, what are oracles? The Greek were logia. Lagos means word or words. Words of God, all the words, all the promises, all the Old Testament scripture, that's the oracles of God. This is what he says gives you the edge, gives you the advantage over anybody else. God chose you. You are God's chosen people, in that God revealed himself to the world through you. God spoke to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and Josiah, and Joel, and Amos, Zephaniah, Zachariah, Malachi, and all the rest. All of them were Jewish people that God spoke to.

So Paul is stressing this one advantage over all the others, because this is the basis for all the others. Its first. Its primary. Something else just in passing, you'll notice the Paul answers his first question, but not his second. His first question, what advantage has the Jew? He answers that. Second question, what profit has earned circumcision? Doesn't answer it. Didn't touch on that ritual, because he has already done so.

Now he is zeroing in on the advantage that they have, and that is they have the scripture. Did you know that's also our advantage, our chief advantage? One of our primary, most important advantages is that we have the scriptures.

You see when we gave our lives to Christ, that's not the end of it. It's not like you come to Jesus and then he leaves you to drift in a sea of humans speculation about the meaning of life. No, he gives you oracles, man. He gives you words. He tells you what to do in your marriage. How to get along with people. How to forgive others. How to humble yourself. What that will do.

He gives you a guide, the Holy Spirit, as well as the book, the word, the oracles. Now I have no problem with God writing a book. Some people do. How can God write a book?

Well, I kind of look at it this way, if God has the power-- let's call it technology to create the world by speaking a word and the world exists-- then God has the technology to get a book written. Heck, I got a book written. I think God can do it. I think God can manage to preserve his word through different people, through time and space, so that what we have of the result is the very oracles of God. And by the way, notice they're called not just oracles, but oracles of God. Of God.

Which leads me to a question I pose to you. It's a question I think we all have to answer. And in fact, I think we need to answer it periodically. And the question is, what is the Bible? What is it exactly?

Is it a human book? Or is it a divine book? Is it of natural origin or is it of supernatural origin? Is it just a collection of wise sayings by smart men? Or is it much more? Well, in answering that question, there's basically only three positions you can take.

Number one, it is the word of God. Position number two, no, it's just the words of men. Position number three, it's a combination. Now, I don't think it's any mystery that I fall into position number one. I think most of you know that I believe the Bible to be the word of God, the oracles of God. It's not only my position, it is, if there is one, an official position of this church. It has been the official position of the church throughout history. So that when church councils got together in the past and wanted to wrangle things like the nature of Christ, the Trinity, justification, resurrection, they got together, and they argued, and they spoke, and they argued again, and they spoke again, and they came to a resolution, and they appealed to one thing, the Bible.

That's what they were dealing with. They were looking at the text of scripture, and trying to find its meaning, and make the statement of faith accordingly. Why? Because they believe the Bible to be inspired. Second Timothy 316, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable. Inspiration, [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH], breathe out by God.

Every time you bring this up somebody goes, well, how did that happen? How does that work? How does God inspire writing? Did he say, Isaiah take a note. Get your pen ready. Here goes a dictation.

And then Isaiah is writing wait, wait, wait, wait. Will you say that again? I missed that. No, that's not what happened. Isaiah had his own style, his own education, his own set of experiences going on around him. Jeremiah had different ones. Other prophets had different ones. But God moved them all.

Now, Peter explains inspiration in one verse. In the second, Peter Chapter 1, Peter wrote, prophecy never came by the will of man. He didn't have Jeremiah saying, I got something to say. If I say, the say is the Lord, people will really listen to me. So prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. That word moved is a sailing metaphor. It comes from the Maritime world.

It speaks of a ship being carried along to its destination by the wind. Sometimes sailing ships, especially in antiquity, we're at the mercy of the winds. The winds would take them where the winds were blowing. What that means here is that the writers had their own styles, their own set of circumstances. But they raised their sails, so to speak, so that what they ended up saying is exactly what God wanted to express. That in a nutshell is the doctrine of inspiration of the scriptures. That's my position. It's the word of God.

Second position, however, somebody would say, well, the Bible is just words of men. They are good words. There are lofty words. They're inspiring words. But they're just men's words.

That is the view of the liberal. Liberalism does not believe the Bible to be the word of God. But they'll say it's inspired in this way. It's inspired like on the level of a Picasso. It's really good work.

In this view, the Bible embodies the highest human thought, ideals, ethics, and aspirations. But at the end of the day, it's just a human book. Third position, somewhere in between the first and second. It's a combination of the word of God, as well as the word of men. Some things are from God, and therefore truthful. Other things are written by men and are not truthful. So it's a mixture. It's a mixture of truth and error.

Some guys said some things, but we can't really believe that. So it's a mixture. And here's the deal, and their scholarship is going to tell you which is which. Now, you can see we have a problem. Because in this framework, the scholar becomes God, telling you what is true and what is not true. It's a dangerous position for this reason. Everybody is a sinner, including scholars.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, including scholars. And in this case, maybe they're greater sinners than the rest of us. Because they're saying, God didn't say that. But he said this. And then the scholars disagree. So you're going to play God, deciding who's scholarship you're going to listen to.

So it does come down to what is your view of the Bible. Are these the oracles of God? Or just the opinions of men? I'm going to read to you before we move to our last and closing section. I want to read to you what one man believed the Bible to be. I think you've heard of him, he was an 18th century evangelist by the name of John Wesley.

And he said this, I am a creature of a day passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God, just hovering over the great Gulf till a few moments, hence, I am no more seen. I drop into an unchangeable eternity. I want to know one thing, the way to heaven. How to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way. For this very end he came from heaven, he hath written it down in a book. Oh give me that book. At any price, give me the book of God. I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be Homo unius libri, or a man of one book.

Essentially, at the end of the day, that's what I am, I'm a one trick pony. I'm a man of one book. My life has always been all about what the Bible says. So you're going to have to answer that question for yourself, what is the Bible? That is the advantage of the scriptures.

Now, let's finish this out, because he asks more questions and gives an admonition. This is the admonition of the scribe. Verse 3, what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not. Indeed, let God be true, but every man a liar, as it is written that you may be justified in your words and may overcome when you are judged. Quoting Psalm 51. But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say, is God unjust, who inflicts wrath? I speak as a man, certainly not. For how will then God judge the world?

Here's their question, OK, what about all those Jews who didn't believe all of God's words? If these are oracles of God, you've got plenty of people in history-- Jewish people-- who didn't believe those oracles. Does that mean that God's promises to Israel are empty? One thing about Jewish history, if you just read your Bible, there's is a history of failure.

God called them stiff necked. God called them rebellious. They failed to believe His promise. They failed to obey His word, especially when it came to sending the Lord Jesus Christ into the world, by in large, He was rejected by them. He came to His own. His own did not receive Him.

However, do you know that God has made a promise in both the Old and New Testament to one day restore and redeem the nation of Israel? Now, we're still waiting for that. Hadn't happened yet. It's happened in part. But not totally.

Yet, Paul will say-- this is the same book, Romans Chapter 11-- Paul will write this, blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles will come in. And then all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the deliverer will come out of Zion and he will turn away on godliness from Jacob. All of those are unconditional promises. And the fulfillment of those promises may be postponed, but it is never prevented. It's still going to happen. God still has a plan for the nation of Israel in the future.

So let's apply it. Not believing God's promises will never nullify God's promises. If somebody goes, I don't believe that. So? You didn't hurt the promise. God says something of his work-- I don't believe that. That's not the word of God. So? Not believing God's promise doesn't nullify God's promise. It just ruins it for you, personally.

And this is where the advantage becomes the disadvantage. You can have the oracles of God. You can be exposed to it, but if you don't read, believe, apply, no value. Jesus to the leaders of his day, the crowd in John 5 said, you searched the Scriptures. For in them, you think you have eternal life. But these are they which testify of me.

The writer of Hebrews Chapter 4, writing of the promises God made wrote, for we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did. But the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard it did not combine it with faith. Outward identity with God's people is one thing. Inward conformity to God's principles is another thing.

Now for some people, it's all about human tradition, the outward, the ceremony, the denomination. And for some people, the ceremony, the tradition, the denomination in their minds supersedes the revelation of God in the scriptures. When I was a young believer, I shared my faith with a girl that I worked with. She was a Roman Catholic. I explained the gospel to her.

When she found out that I came from a Roman Catholic background, she got so mad at me. Her face started getting red. She started tightening up. And she was so mad, she goes, how dare you leave the church to become a Jesus freak. That's what she said. Those were her words.

I said, did you hear what you just said? I told you about my personal relationship with Jesus and you're more angry about the institution that you claim and they claim follows the same Jesus I now have a personal relationship with. I even ran into a gal up in Santa Fe, she recognized me. She goes, oh, I listen to you all the time. And I am praying you'll come back to the church. That would be quite a thing, wouldn't it?

So being in a Christian environment with the Bible taught has many advantages. But like Alexander Smith, who found that Bible and started reading it, and believing it, and applying it, and sharing it, that's where you take advantage of the advantage. The Bible has the power to change the life, but it has the power to do more, to change a lifestyle. But only when you apply it. If you don't apply it, if you just get exposed to it, so?

Now, you know this to be true, if you've spent any time at all in any book of scripture, there's certain things you read that you like. They're happy. They're encouraging. Then there's other things you read-- am I right on this-- you don't like. That's a hard truth, you say. Or boy, that sounds narrow. Right?

Many truth, many a truth sounds very narrow. Let me respond by saying so is every runway at every airport in every city around the world. It's a very narrow little strip that pilot has to land on. But you as a passenger would want it no other way. If the pilot said, hey, there's a bunch of grass out to the side of the runway, it's a big field. Do you mind if I land there?

You wouldn't feel too excited about that, because you know that that narrow little way leads to your safety and well-being. So it is with the oracles of God, they might seem narrow to you, but they lead to the gateway of a fulfilled and happy way of living. That is our advantage. We have the advantage of having the Bible, not just the old, but the New Testament. The very oracles of God. Not just the words of men, these are the words of God.

Men wrote them. God inspired them. And they were carried along so that what was expressed is exactly what God wanted to say. Thank you, Father, for your word. Thank you, Lord, for a man like Paul the Apostle. Knowing his audience, knowing the arguments, had a planned response, an apologetic way to defend what the scriptures call the glory of God, the righteousness of God. That God is right and God is true. And even if everyone else on Earth lied, God would still be true and accomplish what he wants to accomplish.

That's a big view of God. And that's a big view of scripture. I pray it's one we all share. And that we on our little islands, so to speak, in discovering the Bible, the book, the oracles of God would find ourselves reading it, and then believing it, and then applying it, and then even sharing it. Make us strong as your people, for we are chosen in Christ before the foundations of the Earth. What a privilege. What an advantage. In Jesus name. Amen.

We hope you enjoyed this message from Skip Heitzig of Calvary Church. How will you put the truths that you learned into action in your life? Let us know. Email us at mystory@calvarynm.church. And just a reminder, you can support this ministry with a financial gift at calvarynm.church/give. Thank you for joining us for this teaching from Calvary Church.

[HEART BEATING SOUND]

Additional Messages in this Series

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5/5/2019
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The Heart and Soul of the Gospel
Romans 1:1-7
Skip Heitzig
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Today we embark on a thirty-two-week journey through the book of Romans. Considered to be Paul the apostle’s magnum opus, this book is largely responsible for igniting the fires of the Protestant Reformation and the Wesleyan Revival. As Paul introduced himself to the church at Rome, he got right to the heart and soul of the matter—the gospel—the good news that presents Jesus Christ as God’s great answer to the pressing need of the human race.
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5/19/2019
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Unashamed!
Romans 1:16-17
Skip Heitzig
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Standing up for and speaking out about our faith in Jesus Christ can sometimes feel awkward and intimidating. Often our message is not received with glad faces or with open arms by the people we work with and live next to. As Paul was planning to visit Rome, he expressed eagerness rather than hesitation to herald this message. Why was that? The apostle gives us five reasons for his readiness and enthusiasm.
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5/26/2019
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Is God Mad?
Romans 1:18-32
Skip Heitzig
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The Wrath of God Is Revealed God is full of love, right? Right! That’s the good news. And Paul gets back to that theme and develops it fully in the chapters ahead. But first, there’s some bad news. Like a powerful prosecuting attorney, Paul made the case as to why we need the good news of Christ. God’s grace is necessary because of our guilt. In this section, we learn about the wrath of God—an attribute that many people can’t wrap their heads (and hearts) around.
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7/7/2019
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Four Mistakes Religious People Make
Romans 2:1-11
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus was not a religious leader. He was a righteous leader. And He was often confronting the religious leaders of His day. Likewise Paul found many enemies among the religious elite of his day, among both Jews and Gentiles. After announcing his theme of good news in Jesus, Paul promptly plunged into the bad news of God’s wrath—a subject that religious people sometimes love (but for all the wrong reasons). Paul tells us some of their most common mistakes.
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7/14/2019
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Hypocrisy Gets an Audit
Romans 2:17-29
Skip Heitzig
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All businesses, corporations, and individuals have blind spots. Auditors can help by giving a clear and unbiased reading of practices and procedures, and then give appropriate recommendations for change. Here, Paul played the role of auditing the hypocrite—the one who has spiritual style but no substance. Let’s consider the assets, the deficits, and the net appraisal of the one who wears a spiritual disguise.
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8/4/2019
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How Prisoners Go Free
Romans 3:9-26
Skip Heitzig
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Freedom is a huge word for the Christian believer. Picture yourself nervously standing in a courtroom before a judge who has just read the pile of evidence against you. Just before the gavel strikes the bench proclaiming your guilt, a piece of evidence strikes his gaze and he unexpectedly announces your innocence. You can now go free! Here Paul explains how any person anywhere can find hope and freedom because of the gospel.
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8/11/2019
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Old Age; Young Faith
Romans 4
Skip Heitzig
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Our skin may wrinkle but our faith never has to. Abraham’s faith was vibrant and youthful even when he was nearing one hundred years of age. As Paul points to the patriarch Abraham as an example for justification by faith, we can learn what it means to believe God through all the ages of life. How vibrant is your Christian faith? Have you let cynicism and doubt choke out your confidence in God?
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8/18/2019
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Our Benefits Package
Romans 5:1-5
Skip Heitzig
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Why is being a Christian so great? Every unbeliever you meet is asking that question as they observe your life. What are the benefits of living with a committed faith in Jesus? After explaining what it means to be right with God by believing in Christ, and after illustrating that principle with Abraham, Paul gives a short list of some of the benefits of a saved life.
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8/25/2019
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Unrivaled Love
Romans 5:6-11
Skip Heitzig
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Modern wisdom continually tells us, “Love is a verb,” rather than a sentimental feeling. Love is a commitment that involves action. For the first time in the letter to the Romans, Paul introduced the word love and a very singular kind of love—God’s love for us. Wanting to show how secure we are in this salvation, he described the greatest demonstration of love—its proof, its provision, and its product.
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9/1/2019
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A One-Man Show
Romans 5:12-21
Skip Heitzig
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Just one person can do a lot of damage, and conversely just one person can do a lot of good. Paul here showed the effect that Adam brought on by his rebellion and the effect that Jesus bought with His blood on the cross. One caused death. One conveys life. One brought guilt. One bought the gift of grace. The big question is, have you received the gift?
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9/8/2019
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Don’t Look Back
Romans 6:1-7
Nate Heitzig
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Returning to a life of sin after becoming a Christian is like winning the lottery but choosing to continue to live in poverty. Pastor Nate Heitzig poses this question: Can one be a Christian and continually pursue a sinful lifestyle? In examining Romans 6:1-7, we find the biblical answer: No. Because of what God has done for the Christian, the Christian's rightful response to God should be to pursue a transformed lifestyle.
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9/15/2019
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Winning the War with Sin
Romans 6:11-14
Skip Heitzig
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There is not a person I know who doesn’t struggle with sin. Evil thoughts, bad habits, immoral impulses, and recurring temptations all rear their ugly heads, leaving us exhausted and disappointed in ourselves and wondering if any deliverance is possible. This struggle is real. The war can be fierce. How can we believers (who still have our old natures) win in these battles? Consider this four-step strategy.
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9/22/2019
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The Struggle Is Real
Romans 7:14-25
Nate Heitzig
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Christians can struggle with consistency. Like everyone, we sin and fall short in many areas. It's easy to get discouraged and think to ourselves, "I'm weak," or "I must not be called to the Christian life." The struggle with sin is real for every Christian. In this message, Pastor Nate Heitzig examines the believer's situation and struggle with carnality as well as the solution for victory.
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9/29/2019
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Safe and Secure
Romans 8:1-11
Skip Heitzig
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As the old saying goes, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” That’s certainly true of Paul’s authorship of this book. He closes chapter 7 on a low note, only to crescendo to a swelling high point in chapter 8. “Don’t despair! You’re in secure hands and you’re safe,” Paul tells us. He reminds us of four facts that should settle every heart.
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10/6/2019
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The New You
Romans 8:12-18
Skip Heitzig
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Most people love new stuff: a new car, a new set of clothes, a new puppy, a new haircut, a new adventure. But the best new thing you could have is a new you! Being a Christian isn’t a temporary reformation but a total transformation. When the Holy Spirit gets hold of a person’s life, He begins the process of a total makeover—changing you from the inside out. As a Christian believer these are among the changes you can expect to see.
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10/13/2019
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The Steady Hand of a Caring God
Romans 8:28-30
Skip Heitzig
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The world to many people seems to be a random place where anything can happen. But a believer can (and should) step firmly onto the soil of life. Why? Not just because God exists, but also because God cares! There is not a single atom nor molecule out of place in God’s universe; His hands and heart are steadily controlling your every breath. Let’s examine some of the richest truths about the quality of care from a loving God.
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10/20/2019
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A Midterm Exam: Five Questions to Test Your Understanding
Romans 8:31-34
Skip Heitzig
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In the middle of any given course or semester, a test consisting of questions is given. This does two things: it measures the student’s grasp of the course materials, and it helps identify any areas that need work. Right in the middle of his sixteen-chapter book, Paul gives his readers a series of questions to jog our spiritual memory and face some wonderful realities about the love of God. Let’s consider five questions in these verses.
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10/27/2019
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For the Love of God
Romans 8:35-39
Skip Heitzig
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Can anyone really comprehend unconditional love? Perhaps the love that parents have for their children is the closest to unconditional love from a human point of view. But life’s circumstances certainly can challenge the idea that God loves us unconditionally. We’ve all heard about God’s love, we’ve sung about it, and we’ve affirmed it with our “Amens!” But as Paul closes out this section of Romans, he moves us into a fixed and secure confession that no matter what life can throw at us, we need never doubt God’s love for us.
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11/10/2019
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God, the Jew, and You
Romans 9:1-26
Skip Heitzig
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We now come to the third major section of Paul’s letter to the Romans that reveals God’s plan for Jew and Gentile. The early church in Jerusalem was entirely Jewish, but by this point, in most other parts of the world, it had become predominantly non-Jewish. But if God made so many promises to the Jewish nation, does that mean those promises are all now annulled? How does Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah fit into God’s sovereign strategy, and where do we fit in?
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11/17/2019
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Salvation: Reverse Engineered
Romans 10:1, 14-17
Skip Heitzig
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Right in the middle of Paul’s great trilogy about Israel (Romans 9, 10, and 11), he gave an expanded view of how salvation operates. These are the seven components that make up the journey for anyone (Jew or Gentile) who comes to know Christ. Evangelism always begins with God’s sovereign election, but it also involves human cooperation. It takes both someone who will transmit the gospel and someone who will receive it.
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11/24/2019
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God’s Plan for Israel—and the World
Romans 11:25-27
Skip Heitzig
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Can God be trusted? More to the point, can God’s promises be trusted? If He promised to the Jews a kingdom, won’t their rejection of Christ cancel out His promises to them? Wouldn’t that mean that God is finished with Israel as a nation? Does their blindness forfeit God’s blessing? Today we’ll get the big-picture view of Israel, the church, and the kingdom age, and I think you will have a few loose ends tied up about God’s future plan for the world.
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12/8/2019
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Now It’s Your Turn
Romans 12:1-2
Skip Heitzig
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The blessings of God and the work of Christ have been flowing like a dynamic stream for eleven chapters so far. He saves, He justifies, He promises, He gives peace, He works everything together for good in our lives, and He plans an epic eternity for us. So how should we respond to all of this? What is our part? That’s what the next five chapters of Romans are all about. The thrust of this next section is: Based on all that God has done for you, now it’s your turn!
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12/15/2019
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Made for Purpose
Romans 12:3-8
Nate Heitzig
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The beauty of God's creation is evident all around us, yet nature is not God's greatest work; mankind is God's greatest masterpiece. It's estimated that to write down one person's DNA blueprint would require 200,000 pages. And God knows every sentence on every page. For the Christian, there's a custom design—a purpose in life to partner with God through gifts from the Holy Spirit. Pastor Nate Heitzig explains how believers can find their purpose in Christ in this message from Romans 12:3-8.
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12/22/2019
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Exercise for Your Soul
Romans 12:6-8
Nate Heitzig
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Americans seem obsessed with fitness and exercise, yet the U.S. is one of the most obese nations in the world. It’s similar in the body of Christ—many Christians are idle, preferring to sit around rather than exercise our spiritual gifts. The key to both spiritual and physical health is balancing exercise and rest. In this teaching, Pastor Nate Heitzig discusses why God gives certain gifts to each member of the body of Christ as well as how those gifts are given so that the entire body might grow and be strong.
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1/5/2020
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Love Is a Verb
Romans 12:9-21
Skip Heitzig
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Perhaps the most overused (but under-practiced) word in human language is the word love. We use the word for everything that includes a mild liking of a meal to having intense affection for another human. Paul is far more practical, knowing that love will show itself in the form of action. Love is a verb. He shows us how the hallmark virtue of Christianity, love, is shown among other believers and in the world, even when they hate us.
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1/12/2020
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The Christian and Government
Romans 13:1-7
Skip Heitzig
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There has always existed a tension between God’s people and human government, especially when we are not in favor of those who are in power. We may find it hard to “render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21) while being faithful to God. The Christians in Rome were no different when Paul wrote this letter. Let’s consider five principles that form a practical theology for Christian believers in relationship to secular human government.
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1/26/2020
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Wake Up Call
Romans 13:11-14
Nate Heitzig
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We are a fallen people living in a fallen world. Romans 3:10 says "none is righteous." There is evidence all around us that Jesus is setting the scene for His return, and Romans 13 is Paul’s call for the church to prepare for that event. Jesus Himself told us to "occupy till [He] comes" (Luke 19:13, KJV). In this message, Pastor Nate Heitzig explores the apostle's wake-up call to believers and helps us understand how we can effectively occupy until Jesus returns.
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2/2/2020
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Acceptance, Judgment, and the Essential Point of Nonessential Points
Romans 14:1-6
Nate Heitzig
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Today it seems that the church has become known for being judgmental and critical, not just toward unbelievers but even among fellow Christians. That's why we must focus on our commonality in Christ alone. In Romans 14, Paul addressed two groups of Christians—Gentile believers and legalistic Jews—who were causing division and friction among the early church. In this teaching, Nate Heitzig shares how to navigate the nonessential points of our faith while embracing unity in the essentials.
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2/16/2020
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The Cure for "I" Disease
Romans 15:1-6
Skip Heitzig
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Selfishness is part of our basic human nature. It is the default position for every human being. Left unchecked, everybody would focus on himself and live only to please himself. But redemption brings with it a different lifestyle—one that is focused on others, patient with faults, and motivated by a sense of unity in the church. Let’s consider a fourfold strategy to counteract selfishness and promote harmonious living.
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3/15/2020
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How to Treat Your Family
Romans 16:1-24
Skip Heitzig
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I am so honored and thankful to be part of this spiritual family. You are one of God’s greatest gifts in my life! In this last chapter of Romans, Paul’s tone and subject matter is familial—he approaches them not as Paul the theologian, but Paul their brother in Christ. It’s unfortunate that many believers don’t pay much attention to chapter 16 because in it we get a great example of how to treat our own spiritual family.
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There are 30 additional messages in this series.
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