Heaven and Hale

Today we are reading Romans 15:14-33, and friends, it is the beginning of the end. We have entered the “Closing” section of Paul’s letter form. This is where he tells those he is writing to about his plans, where he is, where he is going, and in the final chapter he will do a lot of name dropping. We will talk about that tomorrow. I love verse fourteen. I hope this won’t be the last or only letter you read, written by Paul, because the more you read of Paul’s writing, the more you hear his personality. I’m just thinking about all the really tough stuff that Paul wrote in this letter. Some of it was really difficult for me to swallow, so I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been to read and put into practice for the people to whom he was writing. People whose entire lives had been turned upside down by the life of Jesus and the grafting in of the Gentiles. Of course, when I say it like that, maybe we have more in common with them than I allow myself to think. Every one of us, if we don’t feel like the life and teachings of Jesus has turned our life upside down... well, we might be doing it wrong. And I wouldn’t be here talking about this today if the Gentiles hadn’t been added into the family tree.

Anyways, all of the things Paul has said throughout this letter, and then chapter 15, verse 14, “I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.” Seriously Paul?! Then why did you have to get so serious back in, you know, chapters 1-11? Well verse 15 tells us why. “But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God.”

Paul had a job to do, and he knew it.

You ARE a Bible reader.
You CAN understand God's Word.
You WILL be changed by what you learn.
And, in turn, the Word of God will change your family, your community, and your world.
SOCIAL:
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You all know I love a good Bible study resource, and you also know that one of my favorites is the Halley’s Bible Handbook. It literally gives a summary of every chapter of every book of the Bible. Halley’s broke chapter 8 into five sections, and we’re recapping it in two episodes, so all this to say, we’re covering a lot of scripture in each episode. I’m just hitting a few key spots, and really we could come back next week or next month and read it again, and I might think something else is key. What I’m sharing is what stands out to me this time through scripture, but if you ever have a question or something you want to share with me, you absolutely can! Send me a message!

Alright, so how is this section divided up? Verses 18-25 talk about the suffering of all creation. Verses 26-30 talk about the intercession of the Spirit, and verses 31-39 are the famous “Nothing can separate us” verses. Let’s look specifically at verses 31-39, some of the most beautiful verses in scripture. We’ve mentioned a lot of the “Ps” of BIble study over the past few days, perspective, prayer... Today let’s talk about “Purpose.” Our purpose in Bible study is always, always, always, first and foremost– what can we learn about our God? That’s why we pray “God teach me something about you that I haven’t learned before,” and even “correct anything I’ve misunderstood about you.” We study the Bible because we want to know God more.

So what does this section teach us about God?

You ARE a Bible reader.
You CAN understand God's Word.
You WILL be changed by what you learn.
And, in turn, the Word of God will change your family, your community, and your world.
SOCIAL:
Follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089907720186
Instagram: @heavenandhale_podcast
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Today we are talking about the first part of Romans chapter seven, verses one through twelve. I have got to say, up front, that chapter seven has been the HARDEST chapter to get through, for me. I read chapter seven multiple times, and I looked at all my resources, and I sat down to write some notes, and I just had nothing. I kept asking myself, “Do I really understand this?” I took my Bible and sat down with Joseph at his desk, and said I think this is what I’m reading, but I want to make sure. And then, Joseph used my own tools against me. He said, “Anna, you have to step back and remember who Paul was writing to, and why he was writing.” Well played Joseph, well played.

So I’m here to remind you that Paul is speaking to the church in Rome, made up mostly of Jewish Christians, and the most important thing to note here is that Paul didn’t know if he would ever make it to Rome, so he wrote this letter and gave it everything he had. He’s leaving no stone unturned, no corner unswept, if you will. I’ve heard it said that we don’t read to just get through the Bible, but we read to get the Bible through us. It’s like Paul is saying, “You’re going to get this concept through your thick skulls if it’s the last thing I do.” We are born into sin, every single one of us. We need, desperately, a savior.

Paul does this in chapter seven through an illustration about marriage... pretty simple, right? But there's a twist to this illustration, and we'll talk about it in this episode!

You ARE a Bible reader.
You CAN understand God's Word.
You WILL be changed by what you learn.
And, in turn, the Word of God will change your family, your community, and your world.
SOCIAL:
Follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089907720186
Instagram: @heavenandhale_podcast
Buzzsprout: https://heavenandhale.buzzsprout.com/?fbclid=IwAR0hzr9anklC161s66PzrAnqbkd7VErNHLrD8MQUMqTN2Mc30Qix5HhEZWQ

We are finishing up chapter five today. I told you yesterday that chapter five is broken into two parts: the blessing of justification, and an explanation of how it all works. Today we’re talking about how it works. Paul has spent most of the first five chapters telling us how ALL OF MANKIND sins. We are born into sin! You’ve probably heard that phrase before “born into sin.” What does that even mean? Verse 15 says that many died through one man’s trespass (death being the result of sin). Who was that one man? It was Adam.
Here’s the good news. Verse 14 says that Adam was a “type” of the one who was to come. Another person came, who is the “head” of the church. Chapter five says he brought a free gift, which was justification for everyone. Do you know who that man is? It’s Jesus Christ!
When Jesus came, he made a way for us all to be reconciled with him!

You ARE a Bible reader.
You CAN understand God's Word.
You WILL be changed by what you learn.
And, in turn, the Word of God will change your family, your community, and your world.
SOCIAL:
Follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089907720186
Instagram: @heavenandhale_podcast
Buzzsprout: https://heavenandhale.buzzsprout.com/?fbclid=IwAR0hzr9anklC161s66PzrAnqbkd7VErNHLrD8MQUMqTN2Mc30Qix5HhEZWQ

I can't believe Sunday has come and gone again! In today's episode I'm sharing about the importance of fellowship, why we sing songs about the blood, the details on my brother-in-law, JJ's mission trip, and recapping the message preached at our church this Sunday by Bro. Dee Stone. It's a packed episode that you don't want to miss!
"Are you going through the motions, or are you following directions?"
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Hebrews 10:1-10
Isaiah 30:21
Psalm 48:12-14
Sunday's Song Set:
Nothing but the Blood
There is Power in the Blood
I Know it was the Blood
Thank You Jesus for the Blood Applied (Charity Gayle)
I Will Rejoice (David and Nicole Binion)
The Blood

You ARE a Bible reader.
You CAN understand God's Word.
You WILL be changed by what you learn.
And, in turn, the Word of God will change your family, your community, and your world.
SOCIAL:
Follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089907720186
Instagram: @heavenandhale_podcast
Buzzsprout: https://heavenandhale.buzzsprout.com/?fbclid=IwAR0hzr9anklC161s66PzrAnqbkd7VErNHLrD8MQUMqTN2Mc30Qix5HhEZWQ