Episodes
-
Uniters, Dividers and the Benedection (Romans 16:17-27)
Have you ever spent weeks, maybe months or years, trying to reason with a divisive person with a silver tongue? Whether it’s your extended family, your church, or your business—almost every place has a person who divides. Maybe the best policy is to stop listening to their speeches, give them a...
-
A Woman Named Phoebe (Romans 16:1-16)
The Samsung 500 powers up at the Texas Motor Speedway today. What makes NASCAR fans brave even the threat of Fort Worth tornados is not the speed, but the connections. NASCAR has become the largest spectator sport in the country because they have rushed to fill a vacuum. In a culture with no…
more -
Aid Programs from Heaven (Romans 15:14-33)
For two chapters, Romans 14 and 15, the Apostle Paul struggled to get believing Jews and Gentiles to unite as brothers and sisters.But Paul doesn’t just talk about the uniting power of Christ’s blood, he lives it. In his conclusion of chapter 15 in vv. 22-33, he explains his present mission. He…
more -
Keeping the Promises (Romans 15: 1-13)
It’s one thing to be excluded from a pick up basketball game. It’s another to be excluded when you come to church. Tragically, Sunday morning groups of believers can become one of the hardest games in town to crack. In the 1st Century Roman believers still keeping the Jewish law condemned those…
more -
My Rights vs Stumbling Blocks (Romans 14:13-23)
"I've got my rights!" "Why should his conscience dictate my behavior?" "Didn't Christ call us to be free?" The strong believer stands on solid ground. Jesus did declare all foods clean; thus destroying the legalistic system of the religious rigorists of His day who tried to conquer evil on the...
-
Food Fights and Jesus (Romans 14:1-14)
What are the triggers that ignite fights, disunity, and then fracturing in a local church? To drink or not to drink? Hymnals or projected contemporary praise? Coats and ties or jeans and open shirts? African-American Soul and Tony Evans type oratory or Bach fugues and Max Lucado’s quiet story...
-
Christ’s Return-A Second Away (Romans 13:11-14)
"Did you know that Baghdad has the largest international embassy complex in the world and that there are already ten major Islamic nations united to make their mark on the stage of power politics?" My friend was breathless with excitement. Could the coming of Christ be near? Then in my Bible...
-
An Unpayable Debt (Romans 13:8-10)
There are many reasons why we disobey the Law of the Land—“The speed limit was designed for power cars like mine!” “The politicians are only a bunch of liars. What right to they have to legislate my life.” “I don't need to report that income I received in cash. They will never know and they only...
-
The Government Official—God’s Servant from Law Enforcement to Taxes (Romans 13:1-7)
There are many reasons why we disobey the Law of the Land—“The speed limit was designed for power cars like mine!” “The politicians are only a bunch of liars. What right to they have to legislate my life.” “I don't need to report that income I received in cash. They will never know and they only...
-
Overcoming Evil With Good (Romans 12:9-21)
This present world is full of feigned love, jokes about sex, and biting disrespect for all in authority. It’s 2008 and the world hasn’t changed, but have we? What does it look like for a believer in Christ to live as a living sacrifice? What concrete actions result when believers are renewed in...
-
Gifts of Grace (Romans 12:3-8)
Christmas Gifts…unless you’re Scrooge, I pray that all the driving, sizing, debating, searching, and returning, and finally giving don’t smother your Christmas cheer. After all, we do all this not just to make sure that our friends in retail can make salaries for the year, we do it to get in the...
-
A Living Sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2)
In the TV ad the self-reliant, gorgeous woman finally buys herself the gift that she deserves--a brand new Cadillac. During this Christmas season, we will be challenged again and again to indulge ourselves, but deep inside we know that somehow this is exhortation to self indulgence doesn't ring...
-
Glory (Romans 11:33-36)
Mention theology and it brings to mind professor types arguing over how many angels can stand on a needle point. Actually, true theology is more awe-inspiring than 50, 000 foot thunder heads leading a powerful charge into Texas from Oklahoma, and as Paul catches a glimpse of God's amazing mercy...
-
Jews in Love with Jesus (Romans 11:11-32)
A Christian believes in Jesus. Jews do not. But as we open up Paul’s 1st Century letter to the Romans, he tells us about a future time when the majority of Jews will believe in Jesus and about the need in the present to try to turn as many Gentiles and Jews as we can toward Jesus as their Messiah...
-
Outstretched Arms (Romans 10:16-11:10)
When you stretch out your hands to your eight-year-old, their usual response is to thrust their hands out to you so that you can grab them up into a big hug. Imagine a situation when instead of responding, your child obstinately turned away. That would hurt and amazingly that's what some of God's...
-
Closer than a Hearbeat (Romans 10:1-15)
Have you ever been driving on a road totally convinced that you were headed to a certain destination and then discovered, you were wrong? Sincerity and fervency is not enough when it comes to driving from New York to Washington. If you head north you'll be in Montreal, not D.C. We all know this...
-
Clay in the Potter's Hand (Romans 9:19-32)
Have you ever seen a skilled potter shaping a vase? Now animate that picture. Suddenly, the clay jumps off the wheel and declares to the potter, "You don't exist!” or “You're an idiot. I'd rather do it my way!" Sound ridiculous? It’s what a lot of us do with our Creator. Romans 9:19-32 declares...
-
Mercy Me (Romans 9:6-18)
Already the promises are flowing from all the candidates running for office. The big question I have has to do with security. Can President Bush promise us that the United States will not be struck by another terrorist attack? In fact can any political leader provide us this kind of security?...
-
The Jewish Messiah? Not Jesus? (Romans 9:1-18)
"Moses is for Jews and Jesus is for Gentiles." It's a commonly accepted fact of religious life in today's pop culture, but the truth is that neither Moses nor Jesus would ever put up with such a lie! In Romans 9-11 the Apostle Paul deals with a pressing question, If Jesus was the King of the…
more -
Bonded to God's Love (Romans 8:28-39)
Floods in Texas, as well as other parts of the U.S., have taken lives this summer. One of the most tragic was a mom who had her little child ripped out of her arms by the deadly current. Are there deadly currents that can rip us from the arms of God in the floods of this life? The Apostle Paul...
-
From Groaning to Glory (Romans 8:18-27)
Americans are obsessed with working out, yet they have never been fatter. Al Gore has made the environment a top news story, yet plastic bags and other trash continue to choke our planet. Christians often get attacked for heath and environmental problems, yet maybe Jesus is the only one who can...
-
The Spirit, the Law, and the Children of God (Romans 8:1-17)
"Condemned to death!" These are the most fatal words that a criminal can ever hear. Can we be sure that we will never hear these words from the divine Judge of the Universe? Men like Martin Luther broke down when faced with the horror of this question. Post modern men and women smile and say…
more -
The Deadly Command (Romans 7:14ff)
Do you ever feel that you are in an internal wrestling match with sin and sin is winning? Now there are some super spiritual believers who present an image that they have moved beyond this struggle with the evil inside, but the Apostle Paul is not one of them. Want some authentic revelation about...
-
A Second Marriage That Lives (Romans 7:1-14)
Do you find yourself in a second marriage? Because of death or divorce millions do. Often you feel pressure from step children or from friends, and even at church you can feel like you have not lived up to God's ideal. Take heart! In a sense the Lord wants all of us to be in a second marriage....
-
Whose Slave Are You? (Romans 6:15-23)
Airlines sell tickets by challenging us to Celebrate Our Freedom by jetting around the country, but what happens when we feel free to celebrate our passions without restraint? You probably won't buy it, but true freedom is found in making a decision to become totally enslaved. Check out Romans...
-
True Body Language (Romans 6:1-14)
Americans are obsessed with their bodies. We starve them, have surgeon artists cut on them, and rub youth producing oil on them seeking to conquer the wrinkles. It's assumed that our bodies belong to us; therefore, we can feel free to use them as we see fit. But suppose that this is a crock—that...
-
Breaking the Reign of Terror (Romans 5:12-21)
Damien Hirst, the bad boy of English art, released his latest work of art early in June-- a platinum skull imbedded with 8, 601 diamonds. The skull is worth $98 million and wears a big grin of real teeth, but is death a joke, a friend we can smile at? The Apostle Paul in Romans 5:12-21 has a far...
-
Peace with God (Romans 5:1-11)
Hamas gunmen stormed the Fatah strongholds in Gaza last week dragging men into the street and gunning them down. On June 13th Sunni extremists with links to Al Qaeda finished their destruction of the twin golden minarets of the al-Askari mosque in Samara, Iraq’s most revered Shiite shrine, and...
-
True Credit Forever (Romans 4:13-25)
Ever feel like you're drowning in credit card debt and there’s no way you will ever get things in the black? The good news is that you can pull yourself out of the credit card blues. The bad news is that you have a worse debt and the advice you get from many experts about how to make these…
more -
Faith's Father (Romans 4:1-11)
From Little League Trophies to a cruise in the Caribbean for winning a sales contest in your company most of us understand the thrill and the pride of standing before a reward stand and winning. There is a legitimate pride of accomplishment and the sweet satisfaction of a well-earned reward for...
-
The Gift--Not Guilty (Romans 3:9-31)
Jews do have an advantage when it comes to possessing the revelation of the true God in His Word, their Old Testament Scriptures. This does not mean that they will be excluded from God’s judgment against sin because they had the book that defined what sin is. Neither will Gentiles. In His…
more -
Total Depravity--The Most Politically Incorrect Revelation in the Bible (Romans 3:1-20)
From Imus' vocal violence on the Beltway to Cho Seung-Hui real shots in Blacksburg, VA our entire culture again grapples with the thorny question--how do basically good human beings do such hurtful, violent things to one another. In a by-gone era the word "sin" would have been raised, and the…
more -
Radical Heart Surgery (Romans 2: 1-29)
Heart disease, like the Stealth Bomber, flies in to destroy under the radar. Physical heart disease can shorten this present life, but spiritual heart disease can cause us to lose our life forever. This is the stealth disease the Apostle Paul tries to expose in Romans 2:17ff. He was Jewish and he...
-
Hypocrites in the Hands of an Angry God (Romans 2:1-16)
Will God judge fairly at the final judgment? Will those who judge others and do the same destructive things duck by? Paul declares that God’s judgment will be totally fair and just. The person who persists in doing good, who seeks God’s glory, and honor will achieve immortality and life, and the...
-
The Horror of Suppressing the Truth (Romans 1:18-32)
If you suppress the truth about God and flagrantly worship false gods and live for degrading, destructive passions, what will the just holy God do about it? Our society says, “I’m okay, you’re okay!” How does God weigh in on this question?
-
Power for Salvation (Romans 1:8-17)
There's power in a reputation. It takes years of concrete actions to build up a good reputation and it can be destroyed in a few minutes of craziness. What do our daily actions this week have to do with the reputation of Jesus Christ? Dave Wyrtzen begins our study in Romans chapter 1 today with...
-
God’s Good News (Romans 1:1-7)
These days everyone feels that things will work out on the other side. The materialists believes there is nothing after death, but the vast majority of people I meet think that things will work out okay for them when death strikes. After all, they are as good as the next person. But the Book of...
About this show
How can we be sure everything will be alright when we die? Written 23 years after crucifixion of Jesus, the book of Romans has provided the most influential answers in Christian history about our ultimate destiny.