Podcast
Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell
Hosted by Steve Schell · EN
Pastor Steve Schell comprehensively teaches through entire books of the Bible pulling out the deep, eternal truths in each section of Scripture without skipping over challenging passages. These sermons will help foster true discipleship for the committed Christian, both young and old.
48episodes
Episodes
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Ep 30 Answering Doubts, Ro 8:31-39
2w ago00:51:10Tap to summarizePaul pictures someone in Rome responding to his gospel this way: "As I listen to you, I hear you assuring me that God has provided all the resources I need to live a life that pleases God, but I'm such a weak person, and the forces that want to pull me away from Him are so strong that I don't feel confident that I'll make it to heaven. Paul, you sound so sure of your salvation. You talk like you already have it. Why are you so confident?" In this magnificent passage Paul tells us why he's so confident and why we should be too. He shows us how to answer the doubts that come to erode the inner certainty that we are, and will stay, saved. Whether these doubts arise from the devil or our own flesh, every Christian remains painfully aware that we continue to sin and wonders whether God's patience with us has run out. And we also wonder how we would respond if faced with severe persecution. So nagging doubts try to pursue us. Have I sinned so much that when I stand before Him at the judgment He will find me guilty? Am I so weak that sooner or later the hardships of persecution will break down my resolve until I deny Him? Is it possible that someday I might encounter demonic forces powerful enough to tear me away from Him? In these nine verses Paul raises and answers six questions that sooner or later every Christian will ask. He tells us what to say when the winds of self-doubt and condemnation blow. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
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Ep 29 Foreknown, Ro 8:28-30
3w ago00:39:40Tap to summarizeIn these verses and in the chapters ahead of us, Paul shows us the mind of God. It's as though he had lifted us up into the heavenlies to observe the world from the perspective of eternity. As we read, time drops away, and all history lies before us, and we watch as God sets into motion His plan to save broken, sinful people and transform them until they become like His Son. Before we ever existed, God knew us. He saw who would repent and come to Him by faith and who would not. And for those He knew would come He laid out a plan for their lives... before they were born. This concept of God's foreknowledge is confusing for many. There are those who assume it to mean God even decided who will and who won't repent and believe, which, if that were true, would mean that humans have no part to play in deciding their eternal destiny. Some are chosen for heaven, and the rest are abandoned to an eternity apart from God. But one need only read carefully what Paul says in these chapters of Romans (9-11) to see that God never takes that freedom away. In fact, He remains always ready to forgive and restore even those who stubbornly reject Him (Ro 9:30-32; 10:3; 9-13; 11:19-23, 32). But though God does not take away our freedom to choose Him, neither does He stand by passively and merely watch as our lives unfold. He is actively at work in our lives long before a prayer of surrender is ever prayed. He sets His grace upon us even before we've been conceived in the womb. You might say we who are "foreknown" have always belonged to Him. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep 28 Chosen and Called, Ro 8:28-33
3w ago00:43:59Tap to summarizeThe word "elect" sounds cold and doctrinal, and it certainly has been used that way. The way some people use the term it refers to those few, happy, dare I say "lucky" souls who have been arbitrarily picked by God for salvation based on absolutely nothing in their lives. Those who teach this type of election say it is a wonderfully comforting doctrine that assures the "elect" that they did nothing to earn their salvation. But the picture of God it presents is very different from the Person we see when we look at Jesus or listen to His passionate calls to come to Him to be saved. The God He shows us is a loving God who longs to save all who will come to Him. On this episode, from a passage containing many important theological terms, we're going to look at two: we'll focus on the word which is translated here as "elect" and then on the word "called." When we're done, we'll find a beautiful and remarkable picture of God emerges–not a God who arbitrarily chooses to save one and ignore another, but a great-saving, promise-keeping God who loved us before the worlds were made. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep27 Creation Groans, Ro 8:17-28
4w ago00:55:27Tap to summarizeThe road to the promised land travels through a wilderness of suffering. And there’s no getting away from that reality. We aren’t in heaven yet. This planet is still cursed, and our bodies are still dying, so indeed suffering in one form or another comes to all of us – not because we’ve done something wrong, or because God has failed to protect us, but simply because we aren’t home yet. We’re travelers, sojourners, strangers dwelling for a season in a harsh land and enduring along with everyone else the sufferings of that troubled place. Yes, God provides much protection, but He gives us no promise we won’t suffer, in fact we’re assured we will. In these last few chapters of Romans (6-8), Paul has been teaching on the spiritual realities that take place inside a person, but here at the end of this discussion he turns our attention outward and shows us the fallen world in which we live. He wants us to face reality boldly. Though glorious changes take place inside every believer and an amazing future is waiting for us all, we still wake up day after day in the “wilderness” of this present age, so he needs to teach us some foundational truths so we can walk this path victoriously. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep 26 Heirs of God, Ro 8:14-29
4w ago01:00:35Tap to summarizeGod had a special goal in mind when He created the human race. It was no accident that we were made "in His image" (Ge 1:26,27), rational, spiritual beings who exist forever after begin conceived, persons who share enough of His personhood to interact with Him as friends. His great, loving heart wanted a bigger family–not because He needed us, as though somehow He were incomplete without us, but simply because He desired to share His love more broadly. After all, the fellowship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one of perfect unity and love, so He wasn't lonely. Yet His most essential characteristic is love, and love rejoices to love more, to delight in the unique beauty of each person and let them delight in Him. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep 25 Healing Memories, Ro 8:5-8
Jun 2200:51:59Tap to summarizeI would be surprised if anyone could grow up in this sinful world without emotional scars. There's too much cruelty, selfishness, lust, anger and fear to escape. And even those who do grow up in a safe family sooner or later engage the larger society, and the damage begins. Not only are we wounded when bad things are done to us, but we also end up wounded when we do bad things to others. As the years pass, we become both victim and perpetuator. There are people we need to forgive, but there are also people from whom we need to beg forgiveness. And through it all our subconscious mind is recording everything. Even if we succeed in driving these thoughts out of our conscious mind, they don't disappear. They merely go "underground." And the passing of time doesn't heal the damage either. A lifetime can go by with the scars of childhood or youth still influencing a personality as if they happened yesterday. So we end up carrying around toxic memories that seep their poison into our feelings, attitudes, thoughts and emotions, though we're unaware it's happening. A reaction today is actually a reaction to something that happened long ago. Fear, low self-esteem, depression, anger, sexual vulnerability, shame, greed, lying, etc. often have a root that's buried in the soil of the past. And toxic memories accumulate so it's possible to end up with so many we are unable to find peace. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep 24 Two Minds, Ro 8:3-15
Jun 1800:59:35Tap to summarizeMy flesh has a mind of its own, and becoming a Christian does not stop the flow of thoughts coming out of that mind. Sadly, it keeps generating bad attitudes, passions and images as long as I live. The good news is it won't be there after I'm resurrected into my new body. The bad news is I'll have to learn to cope with it and silence its voice day by day and moment by moment for the rest of my life or until Jesus comes again. Facing the prospect of this lifelong struggle Is not pleasant, but if I refuse to acknowledge this truth, I'll never live in the freedom God has promised. Over and over again in this passage Paul confrasts two minds: the "mind of the flesh" and the "mind of the spirit" and then appeals to us to follow one and warns us of the danger of following the other. In order to do this, I first have to learn to distinguish between the two and recognize which is talking to me at the moment. One always lures me back to slavery and tries to damage whatever or whoever I'm dealing with. The other calls me to draw closer to Him and to listen and trust. When you describe it this way the choice seems easy. Of course I want to follow the mind of the spirit, but in actual practice, it's not easy at all, especially at first. It requires faith. It requires humility. It requires diligence... day by day and moment by moment. And that's hard work until It becomes a habit. But if I accept the responsibility to govern my flesh and consistently redirect the attention of my mind back to the Spirit, then I actually discover God's will for my life, and with it the greatest blessing of all: that everyday I can walk beside Jesus. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep 23 Setting the Mind, Ro 8:1-5
Jun 1600:40:58Tap to summarizeOne of the greatest crises of Christianity is that we've lost our understanding of how to actually do what Paul Is teaching in this passage of Romans. I'm not exaggerating! By and large over most of the past 2,000 years church leaders have tried to make God's people holy by warning them not to do bad things and scolding them when they did which, as we all know, doesn't work. Like the man Paul describes in Romans 7:15-25, after a good scolding we grow sorrowful and try to exert our willpower to change our behavior or attitudes only to find our flesh is too strong to resist. We end up feeling like prisoners trapped in our own bodies. After enough attempts and failures, people generally resort to one of two options: either they live a double life pretending to be a good Christian while secretly carrying on some kind of hypocrisy, or they grow exasperated with themselves and God and quit trying altogether announcing they simply aren't able to live the Christian life, so they might as well enjoy a life of sin. The tragedy here is that there really Is a way to experience genuine transformation. That cycle of frustration and condemnation so associated with Christianity is absolutely unnecessary. But in order to find freedom and live a victorious Christian life, a person must learn to "walk according to the Spirit." Isn't it time to stop scolding and start teaching people how? Somewhere over the centuries the Church forgot how to access the power of the Holy Spirit, but that's what Paul is teaching us again today. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
Transcribe →Ep 22 The Change Agent Ro 8:1-4
Jun 1100:52:55Tap to summarizeThis episode was originally recorded on the first weekend of Advent, that season of the Christian calendar when believers all over the world begin preparing their hearts to celebrate the "comings" of the Lord, both His first and second coming. For thousands of years believers waited for Messiah to come, and now thousands of years later we wait for Him to come again. We wait full of thankfulness for what He's done and full of hope that the day will come when our prayers will be answered in full: His kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The focus for this first week of Advent Is hope. We want to let the amazing truth of the incarnation stir us to fresh faith. We want to marvel again that God's eternal Son put on human flesh and became one of us forever. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.
Transcribe →Ep 20 When God Speaks, Rom 7:1-25
Jun 800:52:12Tap to summarizeThis portion of Paul's letter is specifically addressed to the Jewish members of the churches in Rome. He is explaining to them a spiritual truth based on their common experience as Jews in reading and trying to obey the Law of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy). Today two thousand years later as we listen in on that conversation, it's easy to miss how it applies to us. But it does apply. In fact, Paul is talking about an area of relationship with God in which we all struggle. There is an odd phenomenon we observe in ourselves. When God speaks to us, whether through His written Word, or by the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, or prophetically through another human vessel, there can be an initial, momentary flash of stubborn resistance even though we may be certain we just heard from Him. As a born-again believer I love Him and have made a sincere, general commitment to follow Him in every way. Yet there's something about His specific ways of doing things that runs counter to the way I would expect or prefer to do them. Often, no almost always, when God speaks some kind of command to me, I find my first reaction is to argue with Him. My emotional response, if put into words, might be summarized as, "Oh no! You've got to be kidding!" This passage helps to explain why I react that way, and that insight is essential for me if I am going to let God train me to become like His Son. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's book Understanding Romans, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge. The book has all the notes from each sermon in this series. Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. And if you would like to receive a copy of Pastor Steve's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Revelation at no charge, we are still giving this book out as well!
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