Transcript

Podcast Introduction

Today is Epistles Sunday. We’ll read Romans 7-8. And after the reading, I have some comments. This is Sunday, so I’ll be sharing a prayer request. I’m calling today’s episode “Outta the Park.”

Comments on Romans 7-8

Do you like baseball? I love baseball. Probably because my grandpa loved it. I remember sitting on my grandpa’s lap as he sat in his recliner, watching the Dodgers shortly after they moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Of course, I was too young to know that they were new to LA, and to me the Dodgers had always been here. Grandma and Grandpa lived just a little over 15 miles from the LA Coliseum, where the Dodgers played before Dodger Stadium was built, and the Dodgers were the home team. So my grandpa loved the Dodgers, and I loved my Grandpa, so I loved the Dodgers, and baseball.

Why am I talking about baseball? Because Major League Baseball has a Hall of Fame. In that Hall of Fame are some of the best players the game has ever known. Players who exemplified excellence. 

If there were a Hall of Fame of the best chapters in the Bible, I would most certainly nominate Romans 8, with runner up being chapter 7. Chapter 8 is Sandy Koufax, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig all rolled into one. And more.

Let me explain. In chapter seven, Paul talks about how the Law pointed out sin to us. It made us aware of sin. Then he showed us that we are slaves to sin. He said, “I want to do what is right but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.” Does that sound familiar? If you are a believer, you know it does. If you are not a believer, then maybe it sounds foreign to you. But believers are intimately aware of the struggle between the desires of the flesh and the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Word of God.

We know the feeling of despair when we fail. Paul ended chapter 7 with these words: “There is no happiness in me! Who can set me free from my sinful old self? 25 God’s Law has power over my mind, but sin still has power over my sinful old self. I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Yes! Yes! A thousand times Yes! I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord! 

Listen again to Paul’s opening words in chapter 8: “Now, because of this, those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin. 2 The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus.”

Home Run! Outta the park! “those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin”. Them’s shoutin’ words, Family!

Now as long as we’re in this Hall of Fame chapter, let me repeat for you some of the best, most encouraging verses ever written:

He gave Himself to take away sin. By doing that, He took away the power sin had over us.

Home Run!

if the Holy Spirit is the boss over your mind, it leads to life and peace.

Home Run!

 All those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God. 15 You should not act like people who are owned by someone. They are always afraid. Instead, the Holy Spirit makes us His sons, and we can call to Him, “My Father.”

Home Run!

If we are children of God, we will receive everything He has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share His suffering if we are to share His shining-greatness.

Home Run!

the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words. 27 God knows the hearts of men. He knows what the Holy Spirit is thinking. The Holy Spirit prays for those who belong to Christ the way God wants Him to pray.

Home Run!

We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan.

Home Run!

Since God is for us, who can be against us? 

Home Run!

God did not keep His own Son for Himself but gave Him for us all. 

Home Run!

It is God Who says they are right with Himself. 34 Who then can say we are guilty?

Home Run!

For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.

And that, my friend, is the Grand Slam Home Run!

It just does not get any better than that! There is nothing I can add. That’s better than any World Series victory. And since there’s nothing more to say, there’s nothing more to say.

Today’s Bible Translation

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 7-8 NLV

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Romans 7-8: Outta the Park (LSFAB S13E022)

[TEASER – 0:00]
If there were a Hall of Fame for the best chapters in the Bible, I would most certainly nominate Romans 8, with runner-up being chapter 7.

[INTRO S13E022 – 0:15]
Hello, this is the Lifespring Family Audio Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, and podcasting since 2004, I’m your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. This is the daily podcast where we’ll read through the entire Bible in a year and I’m so glad you’re here today. This is Epistle Sunday. We’ll read Romans 7 and 8. And after the reading, I have some comments. And being Sunday, this is one of our prayer request days. I’m calling today’s episode “Outta the Park”. But before we read, let’s pray.

[OPENING PRAYER – 0:44]
Our Father, as we open Your Word today, I ask that You open our minds, open our hearts and I ask that You teach us. Bless this time, I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

Okay, let’s begin.

[ROMANS 7 (NLV) – 0:58]
Romans, chapter 7.

(1) Christian brothers, I am sure you understand what I am going to say. You know all about the Law. The Law has power over a man as long as he lives. (2) A married woman is joined by law to her husband as long as he lives. But if he dies, she is free from the law that joined her to him. (3) If she marries another man while her husband is still alive, she is sinning by not being faithful in marriage. If her husband dies, she is free from the law that joined her to him. After that she can marry someone else. She does not sin if she marries another man.

(4) My Christian brothers, that is the way it is with you. You were under the power of the Law. But now you are dead to it because you are joined to another. You are joined to Christ Who was raised from the dead. This is so we may be what God wants us to be. Our lives are to give fruit for Him. (5) When we lived to please our bodies, those sinful desires were pulling at us all the time. We always wanted to do what the Law said not to do. Living that kind of life brings death, (6) but now we are free from the Law. We are dead to sin that once held us in its power. No longer do we follow the Law which is the old way. We now follow the new way, the way of the Spirit.

(7) Then what are we saying? Is the Law sinful? No, not at all! But it was the Law that showed me what sin is. I did not know it was sin to follow wrong desires, but the Law said, “You must not follow wrong desires.” (8) The Law made me know how much I was sinning. It showed me how I had a desire for all kinds of things. For without the Law, sin is dead. (9) I was once alive. That was when I did not know what the Law said I had to do. Then I found that I had broken the Law. I knew I was a sinner. Death was mine because of the Law. (10) The Law was supposed to give me new life. Instead, it gave me death. (11) Sin found a way to trap me by working through the Law. Then sin killed me by using the Law.

(12) The Law is holy. Each one of the Laws is holy and right and good. (13) Then does it mean that the Law, which is good, brought death to me? No, not at all! It was sin that did it. Sin brought death to me by the Law that is good. In that way, sin was shown to be what it is. So because of the Law, sin becomes much more sinful.

(14) We know that the Law is right and good, but I am a person who does what is wrong and bad. I am not my own boss. Sin is my boss. (15) I do not understand myself. I want to do what is right but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. (16) When I do the thing I do not want to do, it shows me that the Law is right and good. (17) So I am not doing it. Sin living in me is doing it. (18) I know there is nothing good in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do good but I do not. (19) I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I am always doing the sinful things I do not want to do. (20) If I am always doing the very thing I do not want to do, it means I am no longer the one who does it. It is sin that lives in me. (21) This has become my way of life: When I want to do what is right, I always do what is wrong. (22) My mind and heart agree with the Law of God. (23) But there is a different law at work deep inside of me that fights with my mind. This law of sin holds me in its power because sin is still in me. (24) There is no happiness in me! Who can set me free from my sinful old self? (25) God’s Law has power over my mind, but sin still has power over my sinful old self. I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!

[ROMANS 8 (NLV) – 4:45]
Romans, chapter 8.

(1) Now, because of this, those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin. (2) The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus. (3) The Law could not make me free from the power of sin and death. It was weak because it had to work with weak human beings. But God sent His own Son. He came to earth in a body of flesh which could be tempted to sin as we in our bodies can be. He gave Himself to take away sin. By doing that, He took away the power sin had over us. (4) In that way, Jesus did for us what the Law said had to be done. We do not do what our sinful old selves tell us to do anymore. Now we do what the Holy Spirit wants us to do. (5) Those who let their sinful old selves tell them what to do live under that power of their sinful old selves. But those who let the Holy Spirit tell them what to do are under His power. (6) If your sinful old self is the boss over your mind, it leads to death. But if the Holy Spirit is the boss over your mind, it leads to life and peace. (7) The mind that thinks only of ways to please the sinful old self is fighting against God. It is not able to obey God’s Laws. It never can. (8) Those who do what their sinful old selves want to do cannot please God.

(9) But you are not doing what your sinful old selves want you to do. You are doing what the Holy Spirit tells you to do, if you have God’s Spirit living in you. No one belongs to Christ if he does not have Christ’s Spirit in him. (10) If Christ is in you, your spirit lives because you are right with God, and yet your body is dead because of sin. (11) The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. If the same Holy Spirit lives in you, He will give life to your bodies in the same way.

(12) So then, Christian brothers, we are not to do what our sinful old selves want us to do. (13) If you do what your sinful old selves want you to do, you will die in sin. But if, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you destroy those actions to which the body can be led, you will have life. (14) All those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God. (15) You should not act like people who are owned by someone. They are always afraid. Instead, the Holy Spirit makes us His sons, and we can call to Him, “My Father.” (16) For the Holy Spirit speaks to us and tells our spirit that we are children of God. (17) If we are children of God, we will receive everything He has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share His suffering if we are to share His shining-greatness.

(18) I am sure that our suffering now cannot be compared to the shining-greatness that He is going to give us. (19) Everything that has been made in the world is waiting for the day when God will make His sons known. (20) Everything that has been made in the world is weak. It is not that the world wanted it to be that way. God allowed it to be that way. Yet there is hope. (21) Everything that has been made in the world will be set free from the power that can destroy. These will become free just as the children of God become free. (22) We know that everything on the earth cries out with pain the same as a woman giving birth to a child. (23) We also cry inside ourselves, even we who have received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the first of God’s gifts to us. We are waiting to become His complete sons when our bodies are made free. (24) We were saved with this hope ahead of us. Now hope means we are waiting for something we do not have. How can a man hope for something he already has? (25) But if we hope for something we do not yet see, we must learn how to wait for it.

(26) In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us where we are weak. We do not know how to pray or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays to God for us with sounds that cannot be put into words. (27) God knows the hearts of men. He knows what the Holy Spirit is thinking. The Holy Spirit prays for those who belong to Christ the way God wants Him to pray.

(28) We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan. (29) God knew from the beginning who would put their trust in Him. So He chose them and made them to be like His Son. Christ was first and all those who belong to God are His brothers. (30) He called to Himself also those He chose. Those He called, He made right with Himself. Then He shared His shining-greatness with those He made right with Himself.

(31) What can we say about all these things? Since God is for us, who can be against us? (32) God did not keep His own Son for Himself but gave Him for us all. Then with His Son, will He not give us all things? (33) Who can say anything against the people God has chosen? It is God Who says they are right with Himself. (34) Who then can say we are guilty? It was Christ Jesus Who died. He was raised from the dead. He is on the right side of God praying to Him for us. (35) Who can keep us away from the love of Christ? Can trouble or problems? Can suffering wrong from others or having no food? Can it be because of no clothes or because of danger or war? (36) The Holy Writings say, “Because of belonging to Jesus, we are in danger of being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed.” (37) But we have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much. (38) For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! (39) The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.

[COMMENTARY – 10:57]
Do you like baseball? I love baseball probably because my grandpa loved it. I remember sitting on his lap as he sat in his recliner watching the Dodgers shortly after they moved from Brooklyn to LA. Of course, I was too young to know that they were new to LA and to me, the Dodgers had always been here. Grandma and Grandpa live just a little over 15 miles from the LA Coliseum, which is where the Dodgers played before Dodger Stadium was built. And the Dodgers of course, were the home team. So my grandpa loved the Dodgers, and I loved my grandpa. So I love the Dodgers and baseball.

So why am I talking about baseball? Because Major League Baseball has a Hall of Fame. And in that Hall of Fame are some of the best players the game has ever known players who exemplified excellence.

If there were a Hall of Fame for the best chapters in the Bible, I would most certainly nominate Romans 8, with runner-up being chapter 7. Chapter 8 is Sandy Koufax, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and Lou Gehrig all rolled into one. And more.

Let me explain. In chapter 7, Paul talks about how the Law pointed out sin to us. It made us aware of sin. Then he showed us that we are slaves to sin. He said, “I want to do what is right, but I do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate.” Does that sound familiar? If you’re a believer, you know it does. If you’re not a believer, then maybe it sounds foreign to you. But believers are intimately aware of the struggle between the desires of the flesh and the promptings of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Word of God.

We know the feeling of despair when we fail. Paul ended chapter seven with these words, “There is no happiness in me! Who can set me free from my sinful old self? God’s Law has power over my mind, but sin still has power over my sinful old self. I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Yes! Yes! A thousand times Yes! I thank God I can be free through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Listen again to Paul’s opening words in chapter 8. “Now because of this, those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin. (2) The power of the Holy Spirit has made me free from the power of sin and death. This power is mine because I belong to Christ Jesus.”

Home Run! Outta the park! “Those who belong to Christ will not suffer the punishment of sin.” Them’s shoutin’ words, Family!

As long as we’re here in this Hall of Fame chapter, let me repeat for you some of the best, most encouraging verses ever written:

“He gave himself to take away sin. By doing that he took away the power sin had over us.”

That’s a home run!

“If the Holy Spirit is the boss over your mind, it leads to life and peace.”

There’s another home run!

“All of those who are led by the Holy Spirit are sons of God. (15) You should act not like people who are owned by someone, they’re always afraid. Instead, the Holy Spirit makes us his sons, and we can call to him, ‘My Father.'”

Another home run!

“If we are children of God, we will receive everything he has promised us. We will share with Christ all the things God has given to Him. But we must share his suffering if we are to share his shining-greatness.”

And another home run!

“We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love him and are chosen to be a part of his plan.”

Outta the park!

“Since God is for us, who can be against us?”

Another long fly ball out of the park!

“It is God Who says they are right with Himself. (34) Who can say we’re guilty?”

Home run!

“For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! (39) The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.”

And that, Beloved, is the Grand Slam Home Run!

It just doesn’t get any better than that! There’s nothing I can add. That’s better than any World Series victory. And since there’s nothing more to say, well, there’s nothing more to say.

[LIFESPRING FAMILY HOTLINE – 15:30]
What do you have to say? I’d love to hear your thoughts, call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511. If you’re outside the US remember to put a +1 at the beginning of that number. You can also comment on the show notes page for this episode at lifespringmedia.com/s13e022. You can also go to comment.lifespringmedia.com and leave a comment there. And you can always email me at st***@*************ia.com. If you call the hotline or if you send a comment in the form of some sort of text, chances are good that I’ll share your audio comment or read your comment on the show.

Tomorrow we’ll be back in the book of Genesis we’ll read chapters 12 through 15. We’ll meet Abram whose name was changed by God to Abraham, and we’ll see how God made a promise to him that affects us today.

[LISTENER FEEDBACK – 16:22]
I got an email this morning from Phil Colburn. He said “ITM Steve, I’ve been meaning to donate for, well, far too long. I wanted to set up Bitcoin to do it that way. But I have not done that first step. I’ve cancelled PayPal. So that’s not an option, now. I only used it for one scheduled payment, so it wasn’t hard to express my disappointment that a financial organization would attempt to do anything other than its legal requirements. Revelation 13 comes to mind,” he said. “Anyway,” Phil continues, “It seems I have no option but to get Bitcoin working, but I thought I would first check. Is there any other way? Credit or debit cards, bank transfer? Although I’ve not done this from Australia to US before.” And he signed it simply “Phil”.

Well, Phil, first of all, let me say it’s great to hear from you again. Thanks for asking the question. Personally, I’ve had the idea that PayPal would try to do something like they proposed a few days ago. And so since that’s been in my mind, I’ve had several different ways that you can donate to the show. PayPal is just one way. You can also use MasterCard, Visa, Diners’ Club, American Express, Discover, the Cash App, Venmo, Zelle. You can mail a check or you can ask your bank to send a check. And of course, there’s always streaming sats, which I have not yet fixed. I’m hoping that by the end of today, I will have something going. As I mentioned a few days ago, my Bitcoin node has gone wonky somehow. And I haven’t yet figured out a way to fix the node. But there are other ways that I can accept sats. I’ll probably do it through the Fountain app. That doesn’t mean that you have to use Fountain to send sats, but I can use the address that they give you there. And no matter what app you use, it will go into that address. I just simply haven’t had time yet to fix my node. But with that said, you can choose any one of the other options that I just mentioned at lifespringmedia.com/support.

And again, Phil, it’s great hearing from you. And I do appreciate your asking. God bless you, Phil.

Now, Beloved, if you’re thankful for the Lifespring Family Audio Bible, I would be thankful for your support with either time, talent or treasure. Please pray about what the Lord would have you do. To donate financially go to, like I said, lifespringmedia.com/support. And if you’ve got artistic talent, I can always use help with episode art. But don’t let that constrain you. If you have another talent that you’d like to use for the show, let me know. Email me at st***@*************ia.com. And let me know what’s on your mind.

[PRAYER REQUESTS AND PRAISE REPORTS – 18:51]
Prayer requests. This is the time in the show that I’ve set aside for us to pray for each other. We do this every Wednesday and Sunday. You can send a prayer request or a praise to me by going to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. And you’ll find an easy form to fill out there where you can tell me whatever you want the family to pray about. And if you want to remain anonymous, you can tell me that on that form.

So, of course, we had been praying for Kathi and Del quite a bit. Kathi was supposed to get the second dose of the new cancer drug this past Friday, but her blood count was too low so they sent her home. The plan is for her to go back this coming Friday for more tests and then on Saturday, they will hopefully do the next infusion. The good news is that her lungs seem to have cleared up. She has been taking some antibiotics for several days and they seem to have done the trick. She is feeling very tired probably because of the low blood count. She’s at home and Del is taking care of her. We need to pray for both of them. So let’s pray.

Our heavenly Father we lift up Kathi to you now and ask you to touch her Lord. Bring comfort and rest and healing. We know that she’s in your hands and you have a reason and a plan for both Kathi and Del. They have trusted you all of their lives practically, and they trust you now. I pray, God, that you would bless them. Lord, we know that your will is perfect. And I thank you for all that you’ve done and for what you will do. You are the Great Physician and you could heal her in an instant if you wanted to. But you’ve chosen not to do that. It hurts to see Kathi so sick and Del is worried for her. But as I said, we have learned to trust you. So I ask only that you minister to them in your own perfect, loving way.

And Lord, where there are needs in the Lifespring family, I asked the same thing. You know each need and I lift them up to you now. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

[OUTRO S13E022 – 20:53]
Thanks to the team. Sister Kirsty does the newsletter, which she just sent out a couple of days ago.

And I think what I’m going to do for the next newsletter… I told you a few days ago that my oldest son and his wife and the four grandkids came to visit and that I fed them a pasta with my bolognese sauce. I think what I’ll do is give you that recipe in the next newsletter. I’ve been making this sauce now for several years. And every time I serve it to somebody, they just rave about it. So I thought maybe you’d like to have it and I’ll even throw in my garlic toast recipe which has been in the family since I was a little bitty boy. And again, everybody says this is the best garlic toast I’ve ever had. So since you’re family, I thought I’d share it with you. Be looking for it in the next newsletter.

And if you’re not signed up yet for the newsletter, go to news.lifespringmedia.com. I won’t spam you and I certainly won’t sell the information to anybody else. So Sister Kirsty will be sending that out next week. Thanks to Brother Sean of San Pedro, who does the chapters and Sister Denise who corrects the transcripts.

And thank you, Phil, for sending in the question and being a part of the Lifespring family now for a little over a year right?

Please do call the Lifespring Family Hotline at 951-732-8511 to leave a comment or a question. And if the Lifespring Family Audio Bible has value for you, please do support it at lifespringmedia.com/support.

Until tomorrow, may God bless you richly. Thank you for sharing your day with me today. My name is Steve Webb and Hooray for Jesus. Bye.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Transcript corrected by Denise