Saturday, February 15, 2025

Morning Message: Paul's Continual Sorrow












Sunday Morning Audio Message:  Because we are currently under a winter storm warning, with snow, ice and high winds, our Sunday morning service was cancelled due to dangerous road conditions.  This morning's message is rescheduled for next Sunday, and the recording will be uploaded afterward. 

Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Paul's Continual Sorrow"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

The title for today’s teaching reflects the Apostle Paul’s heartache, from the time of His Damascus Road Conversion. Having lived on both sides of the fence, first as a Jewish believer, following The Law to perfection, and then as a Believer in Jesus, enjoying the freedom of His new-found faith.

For Paul, this was still a battle between the flesh and the Spirit. His life in monotheistic Judaism was the perfect background to confront the multitude of Gentile gods worshiped everywhere else. The Triune God of the Jews had to be conveyed to the Gentiles in simple, but profound ways. The roles of multiple gods of idolatrous religions were all performed by the much more powerful and limitless authority of the God of the Jews.

As evidenced by the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), Jehovah was to be worshiped in mind, body, and Spirit. And this was the design and image to which human man was made. We too are 3-in-1 beings, mind, body, and in Christ, a renewal of the Holy Spirit (Psalm 51:10-12). Indeed, Paul saw the lack of the Spirit in his former faith and was grieved by what the Temple Leaders had missed for eons.

Paul’s joy was full in Christ, but he grieved for his former friends. What a loss; but for God’s grace to him, he would be as lost as they. The Spirit-life was so much more fulfilling. Sharing Christ with others was a work of the Spirit. Following The Law of the Levites was an endless work in the flesh, making one’s self righteous, rather than allowing Jesus to declare us righteous because of our faith. This was the true freedom from The Law.

And so, the battle between the flesh and the Spirit continues to this day.

So many are yet lost.

From Acts 13:46 - 

"Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version


Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 9:1-13 - "Paul's Continual Sorrow"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

This week we are in chapter 9 of Romans.  Chapter 9 starts a new section in Paul’s letter to the Romans. He had written extensively in the first 8 chapters about the non-partiality of God (Romans 2:11); that all have sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:26); and that Jews were in the exact same boat is the Gentiles, spiritually speaking (Romans 3:22, 29); that all are saved by faith not works of the Law (Romans 3:28).

A question about God’s faithfulness might arise from this kind of argumentation, so Paul wrote this chapter to address that issue. Has God rejected His own chosen people? And if God specifically chose Israel, and now says that they are no different than Gentiles, has He gone back on His promise? And if He has, can He be trusted to be faithful to the magnificent promises that were just declared in chapter 8?

Paul had just enthusiastically declared God’s faithful people to be overwhelming conquerors in Christ, and that no outside force could possibly come between them and the love of their Creator (Romans 8:37-39). And yet in the very next sentence he declares his “great sorrow and unceasing grief” (verse 2) for his “kinsmen according to the flesh” (verse 3), because they were “accursed” (verse 3) by God.

Israel was immeasurably blessed by God. The Lord had personally adopted them has His children, had shown them His personal “Shekinah” glory (Exodus 13:21-22; 40:36-38), established a unique covenant and Law with them, and most importantly, had brought the Messiah promised to the Patriarchs into the world, through them (verses 4-5).

So, does the fact that such a privileged people, hand-selected by God to give us the Christ, have now been rejected and “accursed” by God mean that God’s promises have somehow failed (verse 6)? The answer is, “Of course not!” The simple truth is that God chose Israel to fulfill His purposes, but He did not promise eternal salvation to each Jew unconditionally individually.

We will see the logic of this argumentation fleshed out in next week's teaching, but in today’s verses Paul shows us that not everyone who is a descendant from physical Israel can rightly claim to be a part of spiritual Israel (verse 6). There has always been a “faithful remnant” of God's people, even when the majority had disobediently rebelled against Him (consider 1 Kings 19:18).

Neither are all people called the children of Abraham just because they are physical descendants of Abraham (Matthew 3:9), or even of Isaac (verses 7-12). The point is that God chooses people in exactly the WAY that He does, and for the REASONS that He does, in order to serve His good purposes. And when all is said and done, only those who have been made righteous through faith will be saved by God’s grace and be considered his spiritual descendants (Romans 4:13-16).

Sunday Morning Audio MessageBecause we are currently under a winter storm warning, with snow, ice and high winds, our Sunday morning service was cancelled due to dangerous road conditions.  This morning's message is rescheduled for next Sunday, and the recording will be uploaded afterward. 





Key Words and Definitions with Reference: 

Conscience (9:1) - Only when the Spirit controls the conscience can it be trusted - but it remains imperfect, and its warnings must always be evaluated against the Word of God. (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:3-5).

Accursed (9:3) - The Greek word is anathema which means "to devote to destruction in eternal hell" (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3; 16:22; Galatians 1:8, 9).  Although Paul understood the exchange he was suggesting was impossible (8:38;39; John 10:28), it was still the sincere expression of his deep love for his fellow Jews (cf. Exodus 32:32). 

Israelites (9:4) - The descendants of Abraham through Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28).

Adoption (9:4) - Not in the sese of providing salvation to every person born a Jew (see notes on 8:15-23; cf. 9:6), but sovereignly selecting an entire nation to receive His special calling, covenant, and blessing and to serve as His witness nation (Exodus 4:22; 19:6; Hosea 11:1; cf. Isiah 46:3, 4). 

Glory (9:4) - The glory that God had revealed to them in the cloud (Shekinah) that pictured God's presence in the Old Testament (Exodus 16:10; 24:16, 17; 29:42, 43; Leviticus 9:23).  His glory was supremely present in the Holy of Holies in both the tabernacle and the temple which served as the throne room of Yahweh, Israel's King (Exodus 25:22; 40:34; 1 Kings 8:11). The glory of God is the beauty of His spirit. It is not an aesthetic beauty or a material beauty, but the beauty that emanates from His character, from all that He is. The glory of man—human dignity and honor—fades (1 Peter 1:24). But the glory of God, which is manifested in all His attributes together, never passes away. It is eternal.

Covenants (9:4) - A covenant is a legally binding promise, agreement , or contract.  Three times in the NT the word covenants is used in the plural (Galatians 4:24; Ephesians 2:12).  All but one of God's covenants with man are eternal and unilateral - that is, God promised to accomplish something based on His own character and not on the response or actions of the promised beneficiary. 

Service (9:4) - Refers to the "temple service," the entire sacrificial and ceremonial system that God revealed through Moses (cf. Exodus 29:43-46).

Promises (9:4) - The promised Messiah, who would come out of Israel, bringing eternal life and an eternal kingdom (cf. Acts 2:39; 13:32-34; 26:6; Galatians 3:16,21).

Fathers (9:5) - The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through whom the promises of the Messiah were fulfilled.

Christ . . . the Eternally Blessed God (9:5) - This is not intended primarily as a benediction, but as an affirmation of the sovereignty and deity of Christ.

Word of God (9:6) - This refers specifically to the privileges and promises God had revealed to Israel (v. 4; cf. Isiah 55:1; Jeremiah 32:42).

Not All Israel Who Are of Israel (9:6) - Not all the physical descendants of Abraham are true heirs of the promise.

Children of the Flesh . . . Children of God (9:8) - Abraham's other children by Hagar and Keturah were not chosen to receive the national promises made to him. No Israelite would have disagreed with Paul's example in the previous verse. He pointed out that not all of Abraham's children were included in the line of God's promises to Israel. Only those who came through Isaac were included. So, while the promise was certainly given to Abraham's offspring, it was not promised to absolutely all his descendants.
Now, though, Paul gets to the point of his illustration: It's not enough to simply be born "of the flesh" into Israel. It is the children of the promise who count as offspring. They are the ones who are truly Israel and will inherit God's promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Paul will build from this argument to describe the difference between these two groups.
This parallels similar statements made by Jesus, who pointed out that being a true "child," spiritually, is not a matter of biology. It's a question of one's spiritual state, and their relationship with God (John 8:36–39).

The Children (9:11) - Referring to Jacob and Esau.

Done Any Good or Evil (9:11) - God's choice of Jacob, instead of Esau, to continue the physical line was not based on his personal merit or demerit.

The purpose of God According to Election (9:11) - Paul wants us to understand that God's choice was not based on behavior, good or bad, since the boys were still unborn. He repeats that it was not because of their works. Clearly, God's choice was not because one was born to one woman and not another. And as the following verse will show, God did not make the choice based on their birth order.
Paul used the word elect in the previous chapter (Romans 8:33) to refer to all of us in Christ chosen by God to be included in His family through faith in Christ. Now he uses the word election to describe God's action in choosing one son of Isaac over another to include in His covenant promises.


Jacob I have Loved, But Esau I Have Hated (9:13) - Quoted from Malachi 1:2, 3.  Actual emotional hatred for Esau and his offspring is not the pint here.  Malachi, who wrote this declaration more that 1,500 years after their death, was looking back at these two men - and by extension the nations (Israel and Edom) that came from their loins.  God chose one for divine blessing and protections, and not the other.  The bigger issue for Paul's argument is that God made this decision based on nothing more than the fact that God has the right to decide. Is that fair? Paul will address that in the following verses.

Is There Unrighteousness With God? (9:14) - Paul once again anticipating his readers' objection to Paul's theology.  Paul has just described how God chose to whom His covenant promises to Israel would be given—and to whom they would not be given. In the case of Rebekah's twins, God made this decision before they were even born. God's judgment was in no way based on either Jacob's or Esau's actions or birth order or parents. It was entirely a matter of His omniscience and sovereignty.
In the previous verse, Paul quoted the Old Testament prophet Malachi, who recorded God's words saying that He "loved Jacob" and "hated Esau" even before they were born. This was not a reference to the emotion we describe using the English word "hate" today. "Love" in Scripture is usually a reference to how one acts, and "hate" here is meant as a contrast to it. Exaggerated parallels were common in speech of ancient times (Luke 14:26). God simply chose to give extreme blessings to Jacob, and—relatively speaking—none to Esau.
Now Paul puts the question in the mouth of his readers, "Is that injustice on God's part?" By no means! But this naturally leads one to ask how is it just, then? Paul will address that in the following verses.






Friday, February 7, 2025

Morning Message: Predestined For Change

















Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Predestined For Change"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Today's look at the final third of Romans 8, brings us to one of the great promises of Jesus to every reader. Who would not want to have an assurance that everything will work out to benefit us, without the Lord’s backing it up. But this promise is spoken with two caveats: 1) that we love God, and 2) that we are the “called” of God, meaning we are His, called to do his will.

This will bring up the issues of predestination, election, calling, and God’s foreknowledge. Looking back to living at home with my parents, they never pressured me to make one choice or another. Yet they somehow knew me so well that when decisions came my way, they already knew what my decision would be. They didn’t make my decisions for me, they just always knew which choices I would make. Their intimate knowledge of me let them weigh the decision I faced, and compared it to my character. They simply knew me well. So well that they know what my decisions would always be.

The same can be said of God. His foreknowledge of each of His children allows our free will to work, and to make decisions. But He still knows whether we will choose light over darkness; holiness, over sin. And, that He also has the ability to funnel us into lives that glorify Him, is simply part of His foreknowledge of how we will respond to Him. This therefore, is election. And if elected to glorify God, that’s akin to predestination and God’s foreknowledge.

This is how I settle it in my own heart, and still come up with my own free-will choices able to direct me while God oversees my life, at a distance. Maybe you have a different take on these issues of faith. A simple trust in Him is also sufficient, for He is our God, and we are His people. He knows our hearts well!

Trust in the Lord with your whole heart, with all your mind, and in all your strength!

From Proverbs 16:9 -

“A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.”

Bobservations' ColumnAudio Version


Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 8:28-39 - "Predestined For Change"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

As we finish up the eighth chapter of the book of Romans, it cannot be stated enough that in the book of Romans, we find one of the most profound presentations of the gospel message.  It is all about what God has done through His Son, Jesus Christ in order to make us right with Him. 

As we have been, and continue to study this amazing book, we are blessed with the clear knowledge and understanding of what we have in Jesus Christ.  If we are in Jesus Christ, there is no condemnation for us. None.! If we are in Jesus, we are now indwelt by the Spirit of God. 
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ. He comes and lives within us. If we are in Jesus Christ, we have been adopted. God doesn’t just forgive us; he adopts us. He takes us into his family and loves and cares for us. Not only that, but as His children, we are His heirs, and joint-heirs with His Son, Jesus.  We will inherit everything that God has promised.

You have to admit, all of this is amazing.  Yet even with all of these great and precious promises, we can sometimes feel like our relationship is still at risk.  Life can be brutally difficult.  We go through plenty of hardships, sufferings, and tragedies that can push us to the breaking point.  But no matter what life can throw at us there is one sure thing... nothing can separate us from the Love of God in Christ! 
God’s purposes for us and God’s love for us are unbreakable.

This week we are finishing up chapter eight in the book of Romans. We have learned that when God grips you by his grace, He will never let you go! No one can snatch you from Him, and nothing can separate you from His love.

⁠Romans 8⁠ is arguably the greatest chapter in the Bible. It begins with "No Condemnation," and ends with "No Separation." ⁠Romans 8:35-39⁠ is the closing paragraph of Paul’s argument for eternal security. The text starts with the last of a series of questions that cannot be answered. Each rhetorical question affirms the eternal security of the believer. 

In these last few verses of Romans 8, Paul says that God is working everything together in order to accomplish His purposes in us. He is at work in every circumstance of our lives with the ultimate goal of completing that work in us.

Paul looks around at anything and everything that can separate us from God’s love. He throws out every worst-case scenario out there that could threaten God’s love. Death will not pull me away from God’s love. Neither will anything in this life, nor cosmic spiritual powers, nor anything in time. No disappointment, no neurosis, no disease, no broken romance, no financial crisis, no mental illness will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. God’s love for you has no outer limit.

There is very little in this life that can’t be broken. Everything around us is fragile. But the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ mean that two things are true: God’s purposes for us are unbreakable. God’s love for us is unbreakable.

The reality and security of our standing with God rests ultimately in His character and decision, not ours.  Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6, "
being confident of this very thing, that He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ."  Praise God!!


Sunday Morning Audio MessageSorry about the delay, folks!  Sunday's audio message is now available.


Key Words and Definitions with Reference: 

Foreknow (8:29) - God's "foreknowledge" is much more than just knowing what will happen in the future, but its full meaning is beyond our finite comprehension.  It is evident that foreknowledge precedes election from 1 Peter 1:2, and that it precedes predestination.  The same word (Greek - proginosko) is translated "foreordained" in 1 Peter 1:20, where it clearly speaks of more than merely knowing ahead of time what will happen.
God’s foreknowledge or knowing things or events before they exist or happen, is not the only basis for predestination. We know that His will and pleasure are also involved. God foreknowing and predestining reveals His sovereignty, but we also learn in the Bible that people are accountable for their choices (Joshua 24:14-15, Luke 10:42, Hebrews 11:24-25). The issue really is not whether or not God knows who will believe, but why some believe, and others do not. God’s desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). He offers salvation to everyone (Titus 2:11), yet we know that not everyone will be saved.

Predestinate (8:29) - Based on this sense in which He "foreknew" us, God predestined—determined, appointed, or ordained in advance—those who are saved to be conformed to the image of Jesus.

Conformed to the Image of His Son (8:29) - The goal of God's predestined purpose for His own is that they would be made like Jesus Christ.  This is the "prize of the high calling" (Philippians 3:14; cf. Ephesians 4:13; Philippians 3:20, 21; Colossians 1:28; 1 John 3:2).

Firstborn (8:29) - The preeminent one, the only one who is the rightful heir (cf. Psalm 89:27; Colossians 1:15018; Revelation 1:5). 

Justified (8:30) - To declare righteous.  God declares a sinner righteous solely on the basis of the merits of Christ's righteousness.  God imputed a believer's sin to Christ's account in His sacrificial death, and He imputes Christ's perfect obedience to God's Law to believers.  The sinner receives this gift of God's grace by faith alone.  

Glorified (8:30) - Paul uses the past tense (as though it had already occured) for a future event to emphasize its certainty (cf. vv. 18, 21; 2 Timothy 2:10).

If God Be For Us (8:31) - God is “for” us in the sense that He is on our side; He is working on our behalf and for our good. He has proved His benevolence in that He has adopted us (Romans 8:15), He has given us His Spirit (verses 16–17, 26–27), and He has determined to save us (verses 29–30).

Freely Give (8:32) - This phrase means "to bestow out of grace." Paul often uses it to denote forgiveness (2 Corinthians 2:7,10; 12:13; Colossians 2:13; 3:13) and may intend that here. 

All Things (8:32) - In the previous verses, Paul has offered ample evidence of a comforting truth. The subject of this promise is any person who has accepted faith in Christ. As with the rest of this section of Romans, Paul's focus is on the effects of saving faith, according to God's plan (Romans 3:23–26; John 3:16–18).
This profound truth is that the creator of the universe is right now for us—for saved Christians—because we are in Christ. He is working out his ultimate purpose for us which is to make us like Christ. He has predestined, called, justified, and will glorify us.  God freely and graciously gives to us. 
The God who is for us, who loves us, gives to us all good things based on His goodness and not on ours. They are truly gifts.

God's Elect (8:33) - This is Paul's first use of the word "elect" in Romans. In the previous verses, he detailed that God predestined those He foreknew to become like Jesus. In this sense, the elect are the chosen ones of God, all those who are children of God through faith in Christ.

It is God who Justifies (8:33) - Who can successfully accuse someone whom God has declared righteous?  No one. 

Condemns (8:34) - To declare guilty and sentence to punishment.  There are four reasons the believer can never be found guilty:
  1. Christ's Death
  2. Christ's Resurrection
  3. Christ's Exalted Position
  4. Christ's Continual Intercession for them
Intercession (8:34) - Jesus had the power to accomplish so great a work as reconciling us to God, how much more may we expect that He will be able to keep us now that He is a living, exalted, and triumphant Redeemer, raised to life and interceding on our behalf before the throne.

The Love of Christ (8:35) - Not our love for Christ, but His love for us (John 13:1), specifically here as He demonstrated it in salvation (1 John 4:9, 10).  As believer's, we have a loving companion for life. And no matter what we go through, He is there, and His love is ever available to us.

Tribulation (8:35) - affliction, trouble, anguish persecution, burdened. The kind of adversity common to all men.

Distress (8:35) - To being strictly confined in a narrow, difficult place or being helplessly hemmed in by one's circumstances. 

Persecution (8:35) - Suffering inflicted on us by people because of our faith in Christ (Matthew 5:10-12). 

More than Conquerors (8:37) - To conquer is to be victorious over an adversary. To be "more than a conqueror" means we not only achieve victory, but we are overwhelmingly victorious.

Principalities Nor Powers (8:38) - This refers to the vast array of evil and malicious spirits who make war against the people of God. The principalities and powers of Satan are usually in view here, beings that wield power in the unseen realms to oppose everything and everyone that is of God.

Nor Height Nor Depth (8:39) - The original Greek word Paul used (hypsōma), translated as “height” in Romans 8:39, means “that which is lifted up.” In this context, the word refers to the inhabitants of heaven, understood as occupying the transcendent heights. Thus, height here represents everything in the world above. Similarly, depth (bathos in Greek) refers to everything in the world below, in the transcendent depths. The wording “nor height nor depth” becomes “no power in the sky above or in the earth below” in the New Living Translation. No matter how high we climb or how low we descend, nothing can separate us from Christ’s love.
The psalmist affirms, “If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:8). As believers, we are constantly enveloped in God’s loving care. We are safe, secure, and protected, no matter where we go, because nothing in all the universe can separate us from His love.

Nor Any Other Creature (8:39) - In case anything or anyone might be left out, this covers everything but the Creator Himself... Nothing can separate us from His love.








Friday, January 31, 2025

Morning Message: Glorious Liberty








Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Glorious Liberty"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Upon teaching the reader of the difference between a fleshly life, and a Spirit-Filled life, the Apostle Paul informed the readers of this Epistle, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, and walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1, from last week)

The curse of the Law is undone when we find ourselves at the foot of Jesus’ cross, proclaiming Him as our Lord and Savior. It IS a humbling experience, and it’s also an admission that living OUR way, following OUR own hearts just isn’t working, after hearing the Good News brought by Jesus. Now, being humbled by a competitor is not something that this world teaches us to look forward to, but walking in the Spirit makes us forever aware that approaching Jesus humbly as Lord of lords and King of kings, is an enviable position. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

Was I too distracted by the world when He was knocking? I wonder how long He was outside knocking? Did I keep Him waiting? I also wonder about others as I see them struggling with one thing or another, waiting for the world to fulfill their desires. This is something that even Amazon Prime cannot supply. (Though you would never know it as the Amazon trucks are everywhere these days.) A worship song reminds us, “Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

The job of lifting us up is filled already. It’s His! We read today, “Abba, Father,” and He comes to us as our Holy and Loving Father, giving Himself to us as our new family. The pressure to perform is “off.” The unrealistic expectations of others dissipate like smoke, and all we want to do is be with Him and the rest of His family.

Once we are His, Shirley Goodness, & Anne Mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever. (Paraphrased from Psalm 23:6, and I think Joy Forevermore comes along with them!)

[ You will never again read Psalm 23 quite the same way! Read it with Joy! ]

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version


Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 8:14-27 - "Glorious Liberty"

Summary/Additional Commentary and Definitions:

The underlying theme in Romans chapter 8 is really about triumphant living. It's not only desirable, but also possible! First, because we have the Spirit dwelling in us (Romans 8:1-13). Second, because we have an honored position in God's family (Romans 8:14-17). The Spirit from God is not a spirit of slavery. God did not save us simply to compel us to do His bidding. Instead, this Spirit is a spirit of adoption. God makes us His sons and daughters. His Spirit enables us to cry out to God as a little child cries out to their daddy. Since we are heirs of God, we will share in all the glories of God's kingdom with Christ forever (Romans 8:12–17).

SEVEN ASPECTS OF THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FROM ROMANS 8:
  • The Holy Spirit frees us from sin and death – Vs. 2-3
  • The Holy Spirit enables us to fulfill the law of God because He gives us the righteousness of God – Vs. 4
  • The Holy Spirit changes our nature from the inside out, which is called regeneration – Vs. 5-11
  • The Holy Spirit empowers us to claim the victory God has already given us – Vs. 12-13.
  • The Holy Spirit guarantees that we will be glorified with the Lord one day – Vs. 17 – 25
  • The Holy Spirit intercedes for us – Vs. 26-27
  • The Holy Spirit confirms our adoption – Vs. 14-27
And now because, in spite of our present suffering, we have a glorious future to look forward to (Romans 8:18-30). Something wonderful is going to happen. And that can make a difference in the way we live our lives right now.

We also share in Christ's suffering, including the everyday suffering of living on this fallen planet. Paul is quick to say that our suffering here and now is not worth comparing to the glories of eternity, but he doesn't say that this suffering doesn't hurt. In fact, Paul writes that we groan right along with all of creation under the consequences of sin. We're all waiting. Creation waits for God's children to be revealed and all to be made right once more. We, God's children, wait for our adoption to be complete in the redemption of our bodies. When that happens, we can be with our Heavenly Father (Romans 8:18–25).

Until then, we wait, and we suffer. But we don't do it alone. God is with us spiritually in the form of His Holy Spirit, who helps us many different ways as our teacher and comforter.  The Spirit even intercedes for us (Romans 8:26–27).

Sunday Morning Audio Message:  



Key Words and Definitions with Reference: 

Led by the Spirit (8:14) - Believers are not led through subjective, mental impressions or promptings to provide direction in making life's decisions - something Scripture nowhere teaches.  Instead, God's Spirit objectively leads His children sometimes through the orchestration of circumstances (Acts 16:7) but primarily through illumination, divinely clarifying Scripture to make it understandable to our sinful, finite minds (Luke 24:44, 45; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; Ephesians 1:17-19).  Also, through sanctification, divinely enabling us to obey Scripture (Galatians 5:16, 17; 5:25).

Sons of God (8:14) - When a person experiences the Spirit's leading in those ways, he gains assurance that God has adopted him into His family.

Spirit of Bondage . . . to Fear (8:15) - Because of their life of sin, unregenerate people are slaves to their fear of death (Hebrews 2:15, 15), and to their fear of final punishment (1 John 4:18).

Spirit of Adoption (8:15) - Not primarily a reference to the transaction by which God adopts us but to a Spirit-produced awareness of the rich reality that God has made us His children, and, therefore, that we can come before Him without fear or hesitation as our beloved Father.  It includes the confidence that we are truly sons of God.

Abba (8:15) - An Aramaic term for Father that conveys a sense of intimacy.  Very much like the English terms "Daddy" or "Papa," it connotes tenderness, dependence, and a relationship free of fear or anxiety.

Bears Witness with Our Spirit (8:16) - God's Holy Spirit confirms the validity of our adoption, not by some inner, mystical voice, but by the fruit He produces in us (Galatians 5:22, 23) and the power He provides for spiritual service (Acts 1:8). 

Heirs (8:17) - Every believer has been made an heir of God, our Father (Matthew 25:34; Galatians 3:29; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 1:12; 3:24; Hebrews 6:12; 9:15; 1 Peter 1:4).  We will inherit eternal salvation (Titus 3:7), God Himself (Lamentations 3:24; cf. Psalm 73:25; Revelation 21:3), glory (5:2), and everything in the universe (Hebrews 1:2). 

Joint Heirs (8:17) - God has appointed His Son to be heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2).  Every adopted child will receive by divine grace the full inheritance Christ receives by divine right (cf. Matthew 25:21; John 17:22; 2 Corinthians 8:9).

If We Suffer with Him (8:17) - Proof of the believer's ultimate glory is that he suffers - Whether it comes as mockery, ridicule, or physical persecution - because of his Lord (Matthew 5:10-12; John 15:18-21; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Timothy 3:12).

Glory...revealed in Us (8:18) - Looking forward to the resurrection of the body (v.23) and the subsequent complete Christlikeness which is the believer's eternal glory.  See Philippians 3:20, 21; Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2.

The Creation (8:19) - This includes everything in the physical universe except human beings, whom Paul contrasts with this term (vv. 22, 23).  All creation is personified to be, as it were, longing for transformation from the curse and its effects

The Manifestation (8:19) - The Revealing, literally, "an uncovering," or and "unveiling."  When Christ returns, God's children will share His glory.

Firstfruits of the Spirit (8:23) - The fruit which the Spirit produces in us now (Galatians 5:22, 23) provides hope that we will one day be like Christ.

Groan (8:23) - With grief over our remaining sinfulness (&;24; Psalm 38:4, 9, 10).

Adoption (8:23) - The process that began with God's choice (Ephesians 1:5) and included our actually becoming His children at salvation (Galatians 4:5-7) will culminate with our inheritance (see vv. 29:30).

Redemption of our Body (8:23) - Not the physical body only, but all of man's remaining fallenness.

Groanings Which Cannot be Uttered (8:26) - Divine articulations within the Trinity that cannot be expressed in words, but carry profound appeals for the welfare of every believer (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:11).  This work of the Holy Spirit parallels the high priestly work of intercession by the Lord Jesus on behalf of believers (see Hebrews 2:17, 18; 4:14-16; 7:24-26).

The Mind of the Spirit (8:27) - No words are necessary because the Father understands and agrees with what the Spirit thinks.


Thursday, January 23, 2025

Morning Message: Victory In Christ


















Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Victory In Christ"
Written by:  Pastor Bob Lawrenz

Last week we read of the Apostle Paul’s frustration with himself, as he revealed two warring natures within himself, and therefore extant in every human being. Man’s sin nature reveals our appetite for sin, and the Spiritual nature to please God shows how we desire to worship and obey our Creator, for we are His. Paul admitted that he does the things in the flesh that in the spirit, he doesn’t want to do, and finds no strength within himself to change that sin nature. But, placing our trust in our Creator is a game changer. The battle of the flesh vs. the Spirit is simply evil vs. good. Both reside within us.

As we begin Chapter 8 of Romans, Paul tells us of the victory he has found: “No condemnation” for them that follow after the Spirit, in spite of the flesh demanding satisfaction. Our faithful God sees our hearts and minds, and He sees our flesh too. But for God, His judgment is an easy choice, for flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. The flesh is temporary; we all die, casting off the flesh, but our spirit is eternal, and that’s what God judges accordingly. His judgment of the flesh is completed, but He will not condemn the spirit to hell, unless our hearts and minds reject His Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ.

Jesus is our example: Born of the Spirit, but born in the likeness of our human flesh, Jesus lived a sinless life. He was not controlled by fleshly appetites, He lived to fulfill the will of His Father. And upon His crucifixion and death, released Himself from the grave after three days, raising up and revealing Himself alive to the Apostles, and many others before rising up into heaven, where He awaits the arrival of those that love Him, love the example He has shown us, who live in the same hope. Fighting with the flesh can consume us, but Jesus tells us to trust in Him. Like Jacob, when wrestling with an angel, give up, and win! Jesus leads us to victory!

As Jacob wrestled with an angel, neither prevailed for it was a fleshly match. But Jacob saw the day dawn, and the angel said let me go. Jacob said “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” The angel indeed blessed him, changing Jacob’s name from Jacob to Israel. “Isra-El, meaning “Prince of God,” and variously translated “Prince with God.”

“And I will give him a white stone, and in the stone, a new name written, which no man knows, saving he that receiveth it.” Rev. 2:17

Bobservations' Column:  Audio Version


Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 8:1-13 - "Victory In Christ"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:  

Romans 8 is one of the most loved chapters in all of Scripture. Paul begins and ends this passage with statements about the absolute security of those who are in Christ. First, there is no condemnation, at all, for those in Christ. Last, nothing will ever be able to separate us from God's love for us in Christ. By this, he refers to those who have been saved by their faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23–26). As Scripture makes clear, the promise of salvation is only given to those who believe in Christ (John 3:16–18). Those who reject Jesus reject God (John 8:19) and will not be saved (John 3:36). For those who come to faith, their salvation is absolutely secure (John 10:28–29). Hardships may test their faith and strengthen it (Hebrews 12:3–11), but they never imply that God has abandoned His children (1 John 3:1). In between these bookends, Paul makes the case for why this is true.

He begins with another simple explanation of the gospel, God's good news about His Son's life on earth as a man and death on earth for our sin. That allowed the law to be fulfilled and justice to be done for human sin. Those who come to faith in Christ are described as living according to God's Holy Spirit. We no longer live according to the flesh, as all non-Christians do. Those in the flesh—the world's way of living for self before and above all else—are hostile to God. They can't please Him (Romans 8:1–8).

God's Spirit lives in every Christian. If someone doesn't have the Spirit, he or she is not a Christian. The Spirit, given to us by God, is the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. He will resurrect us, as well, after these sin-wrecked bodies have died (Romans 8:9–11).

This Spirit from God is not a spirit of slavery. God did not save us simply to compel us to do His bidding. Instead, this Spirit is a spirit of adoption. God makes us His sons and daughters. His Spirit makes us able to cry out to God as a little child cries out to their daddy. Since we are heirs of God, we will share in all the glories of God's kingdom with Christ forever.


Sunday Morning Audio Message




Key Words and Definitions with Reference: 

We apologize in advance that this week's reference materials will be posted at a later date. We will be posting online as soon as possible.

Friday, January 17, 2025

Morning Message: Paul's Conundrum Is Ours



















Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Paul's Conundrum Is Ours"
Written By: Pastor Bob Lawrenz



Conundrum”: A riddle, enigma, brainteaser, or problem.

In the days of silent films, the entertainment world included the comedy team of Laurel & Hardy. Stan Laurel was the straight man, and Oliver Hardy played the victim regularly. Stanley Laurel played the quiet simplistic man, and Oliver Hardy was always figuring out how to get out of their messy situations. A familiar line in many of their skits was Oliver’s:

“Well, Stanley, this is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into!”

Their plots were then, how to get out of the mess. But Oliver always over complicated things, and over-thought their next moves, while Stanley usually chose a more direct and less twisted path, but went along with the “smarter” Oliver. Stan always trusted that justice would prevail, regardless of what Oliver would do. It was slap-stick humor at its finest! Their popularity lasted from the 1920’s to TV in the 1950’s.

Impossible problems were overcome. Can that apply to us also? Stan put his faith in justice and simplicity. Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, of Who the scriptures say, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

God has made it simple and direct for us to be made righteous. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Put your faith in Christ for He is faithful and just.

On the Spiritual level, we are to count ourselves as dead to sin, and alive in Jesus Christ. Being lead by the Spirit will always work out to our good, and therefore God’s best for us.

From Hebrews 10:10 - 

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the Body of Christ once and for all.”

Bobservations' Column: Audio Version


Sunday Morning Message:
Romans 7:14-25 - "Paul's conundrum Is Ours"

Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:

Romans 7:14–25 is a passage that has caused some confusion among Bible students because of the strong language Paul uses to describe himself. How can the greatest of the apostles characterize himself, and by extension, all Christians, as “unspiritual,” a “slave to sin” and a “prisoner of the law of sin”? Aren’t these descriptions used in Romans 7:14–25 descriptions of unbelievers? How can Paul describe himself in these terms if he is truly saved? The key to understanding Romans 7:14–25 is Paul’s description of the two natures of a Christian. Prior to salvation, we have only one nature—the sin nature. But once we come to Christ, we are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), but we still abide in the old flesh which has the remains of the sinful nature within it. These two natures war constantly with one another, continually pulling the believer in opposite directions.

The desires of the believer’s spiritual nature pull him in the direction of good while the flesh in which he lives pulls him in the other. He wants to do one thing but has something within him that does the opposite. So how do these evil desires differ from those of an unbeliever? Simply put, the believer hates the evil flesh in which he lives and desires to be freed from it, whereas unbelievers have no such desire. So strong is Paul’s desire to live godly and so frustrated is he that his flesh wars against his spirit that he finally cries out in desperation, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Of course, the answer is Jesus Christ our Lord (verse 25). One day believers will be completely freed from the body of death in which we live when we are glorified with Christ in heaven, but until that day we rely on the power of the Spirit who indwells us and gives us victory in the ongoing battle with sin.

In Romans 7:14–25, the apostle Paul puts into practical language the fact that he is a redeemed sinner who still has a carnal body, the flesh that wars against the indwelling Spirit. In another place the apostle says, “That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). The personal pronouns in these passages are not just an artifice but a statement of reality and the honest evaluation of a man who examines himself in the light of who he is and who our Lord Jesus is and comes to the conclusion that he is a wretched man in need of deliverance. This is not the deliverance from the penalty of sin—that was paid for on the cross—but deliverance from the power of sin.

As a faithful teacher, the apostle Paul in Romans 7:14–25 uses his own experiences and what he has learned through them to teach other believers how to use God’s provision and our position in Christ to overcome the struggle with our carnal nature. Praise God that we have such a wonderful thesis that not only truthfully exposes the struggle between the spiritual nature and the flesh in which it resides, but most importantly presents us with the tremendous hope and confidence in our salvation: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Salvation begins the moment we receive, by faith, God
’s offer of forgiveness through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 1:12). Jesus called it being “born again” (John 3:3). In repenting and giving up our old life, we receive the new life Jesus purchased for us with His blood (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). We are washed clean, and God chooses to remember our sins no more (Psalm 103:12). But we soon notice that our propensity to sin is still part of us. How can that be, since we are new creatures in Christ? We still sin because we, though forgiven, are still fallen human beings.

Salvation breaks the power that sin once had over us. We were slaves to sin and served it willingly (Romans 6:20–23, 7:14–15). While slaves to sin, it was impossible to please God (Romans 8:8).

Upon surrender of our lives to the lordship of Jesus, we became God’s sons and daughters (Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:15). But just as children sometimes disobey their parents as they grow, God’s children sometimes disobey Him. We rebel, get angry, or doubt for a while; the difference is, we can no longer live lifestyles of sin because our nature has changed (2 Corinthians 5:17; 1 John 3:4–10). A fish may long to live on the beach, but once it has flipped itself onto the sand, it wants nothing but to return to the water because its nature is not designed for dry land. A fish was created for the water. So, it is with us. The nature of those indwelt by the Holy Spirit is to live in righteousness. We may flip ourselves into sin at times, but we can’t survive there. The new nature thrives in righteousness and obedience to God. The degree to which we allow the Holy Spirit access to every area of our lives is the degree to which we live as God intended us to live.

First John 1:9 tells us that we can confess our sin and be forgiven. Confession means we humbly agree with God about how bad sin is. We admit we were wrong and ask His forgiveness. The awareness of our sin and the confession of it should be a regular practice.

As we “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), we overcome besetting sins (Hebrews 12:1). Peter lists steps we can take in developing our new nature and ends with the promise that, if we do these things, we “will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:3–10). Our holiness is the goal, but John acknowledges that we still sin: “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1).

God’s desire for us is that we not sin, and one day our sanctification will be complete (1 John 3:2). But, until that time, we still inhabit fallen bodies in a fallen world, and we struggle with the flesh and sometimes lose the battle. But we will not be lost; Jesus Himself intercedes for us as our High Priest (Romans 8:34).

Sunday Morning Audio Message:  


Key Words and Definitions with Reference:

The Law Is Spiritual (7:14) - It reflects God's holy character

Carnal (7:14) - Meaning "of the flesh."  This means earthbound, mortal, and still incarcerated in unredeemed humanness.  Paul does not say he is still "In the flesh" but the flesh is in him.

Sold Under Sin
(7:14) - Sin no longer controls the whole man (as with an unbeliever; cf. 6:6), but it does hold captive the believer's members, or his fleshly body (v. 23; cf. v. 18).  Sin contaminates him and frustrates his inner desire to obey the will of God.

I Allow Not (7:15) - In other words I "understand" not. This refers to knowledge that goes beyond the factual and includes the idea of an intimate relationship (cf. Galatians 4:9).  By extension, this word was sometimes used to express approving or accepting (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:3).  That is its sense here, i.e., Paul found himself doing things he did not approve of.

I Consent with the Law that it is Good (7:16) - Paul's new nature defends the divine standard - the perfectly righteous law is not responsible for his sin (v.12).  His new self longs to honor the law and keep it perfectly (v. 22).

No Longer I Who Do It (7:17) - The Greek adverb for "no longer" signifies a complete and permanent change.  Paul's new inner self no longer approved of the sin that was still residing in his flesh, like his old self did (cf. v. 22; Galatians 2:20), but rather, strongly disapproved.  Many have misconstrued Paul's comments as abdicating personal responsibility for his sin by embracing a form of Greek dualism (which would later spawn Gnosticism).  Paul has already acknowledged personal guilt for his sin (v. 14; cf. 1 John 1:10).

Sin that Dwells in Me (7:17) - His sin does not flow out of his new redeemed innermost self, but from his unredeemed humanness, his flesh "in me" (Galatians 5:17).

My Flesh ... Dwelleth No Good Thing (7:18) - The flesh serves as a base camp from which sin operates in the Christian's life.  It is not sinful inherently, but because of its fallenness, it is still subject to sin and is thoroughly contaminated.  The part of the believer's present being that remains unredeemed. Paul, before his conversion, could boast that he was, as "touching the righteousness, which is in the law, blameless" (Philippians 3:6).  But then he came to see that all his "righteousness [were] as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6) and accepted "eternal life through Jesus Christ" (6:23).  If such a man as Paul would have to confess that in his flesh there was nothing good at all, then surely every Christian must say the same.

Law (7:21) - Not a reference to God's law, but to an inviolable spiritual principle.

I Delight in the Law of God (7:22) - The believer's justified, new inner self no long sides with sin, but joyfully agrees with the law of God against sin (Psalms 1:2; 119:14, 47, 77, 105, 140; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 3:16).

Inward Man (7:22) - The "inward man" is evidently here the same as the "new man," for the "old man" (6:6) could never "delight in the law of God."

Another Law (7:23) - A corresponding spiritual principle to the one in verse 21.  But this principle, which Paul identifies as "the law of sin," operates in the members of his body - that is, his unredeemed and still sinful humanness - waging war against his desire to obey God's law.

Law of My Mind (7:23) - Equivalent to the new inner self (2 Corinthians 5:17), which longs to obey the law of God.  Paul is not saying his mind is spiritual and his body is inherently evil.

Law of Sin (7;23) - The "law of sin," which is in our members, is the sin-nature inherited from Adam.

Wretched Man (7:24) - In frustration and grief, Paul laments his sin (cf. Psalms 48:14; 130:1-5).  A believer perceives his own sinfulness in direct proportion to how clearly he sees the holiness of God and perfection of His law.

Deliver (7:24) - This word means "to rescue from danger" and was used of a soldier pulling his wounded comrade from the battlefield.  Paul longed to be rescued from his sinful flesh (8;23).

Body of Death (7:24) - The believer's unredeemed humanness, which has its base of operation in the body.  

With the Mind...I Myself...The Flesh...Law of Sin (7:25) - The first half of this verse answer the question Paul has just raised (v. 24) - he is certain that Christ will eventually rescue him when He returns (cf. 8:18, 23; 1 Corinthians 15:52, 53, 56, 57; 2 Corinthians 5:4).  The second half summarizes the two sides of the struggle.

WhitestoneCF Media - Web TV

WhitestoneCF Media - Web TV
CLICK TO VIEW