Welcome to another Thursday UNFILTERED blog post, the only blog that thinks “some assembly required” is a Greek phrase meaning “you will soon need therapy.”
On Sunday, I shared about my recent ministry weekend in Texas.
The message I delivered Friday night was called “The Greatest Chapter in the Bible: Unveiling Romans 8.”
Based on the testimonials I received from attendees so far, it changed lives, leaving some speechless and others cheering.
I’m deeply humbled and thankful.
While we usually drop episodes on the CHRIST IS ALL podcast on Tuesdays, we’re dropping the messages I shared in Texas twice a week.
There are five in all with an additional Q&A session.
The message on Romans 8 is now available on the podcast.
If you’re not yet subscribed to CHRIST IS ALL, you’ll want to do so. It’s on all podcast platforms, and there’s no charge.
You are welcome to binge on the previous episodes as you wait for the new ones to drop also.
Here is the Romans 8 message on Spotify.
My intention was to rip a hole in the sky by the time I finished. You can decide if I accomplished that or not.
I look forward to hearing your reactions to it.
What follows is the transcript of the first four minutes of the message.
Enjoy!
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Transcript (First Four Minutes)
Romans 8 is the greatest chapter in the Bible.
It’s absolutely exquisite. It’s explosively transforming.
And if properly understood, it will intensify your desire for God, and it will set you free from so much.
There are two reasons why Romans 8 towers over everything else in Scripture. One is what it says, and two is how it says it.
Content and style, lyrics and rhythm.
Virtually every major theme in the New Testament shows up in these 39 verses.
It’s as though Paul took the whole sweep of Christian truth and compressed it into a single dense diamond.
And that’s what Romans 8 is.
Here’s what’s unpacked in Romans 8. I’m going to rattle them off quickly.
- The Incarnation
- The Crucifixion
- The Resurrection
- The Ascension
- God’s Law
- Redemption
- Adoption
- Salvation
- Justification
- Sanctification
- Glorification
- New Creation
- The Triune God
- The Holy Spirit
- The Indwelling Life of Christ
- Christ’s Intercessory Ministry
- The Holy Spirit’s Intercessory Ministry
- Union with Christ
- Election
- Divine Foreknowledge
- Predestination
- Our Calling
- Hope
- Love
- Peace
- Prayer
- Suffering
- Perseverance
- Assurance
- Inheritance
- Sonship
- Grace
- Freedom
- Victory
- Dying to Self
- Cosmic Renewal
- The Flesh versus the Spirit
- Deliverance from Sin
- Deliverance from Fear
- Deliverance from Death
- The Renewal of the Mind
All of that is in Romans 8.
Every one of those themes, brothers and sisters, is a mountain that we could spend a lifetime climbing.
Yet Paul stacks them all in this one spectacular chapter.
That’s the content. But content alone does not make something great.
What lifts Romans 8 into a category all its own is the style. It’s the way it moves.
Romans 8 rises and builds. It does not sit flat.
It escalates the same way a great anthem does.
Now, I love music. Matthew and I have talked a lot about music. He’s a musician
And there are certain songs that are called anthems and power ballads.
Some examples are:
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin
Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Don’t Get Fooled Again by The Who
And Purple Rain by Prince
These are songs that climb and build until they detonate into something enormous.
And if Romans 8 were a song, it would follow that same arc.
It begins as a slow, deliberate build. Then it soars, note by note, until it erupts into a rapturous finale of triumph.
Consequently, brothers and sisters, if I deliver this message properly, and the Lord speaks through it, I expect you to be left breathless and standing on your feet in applause, praising God.
So stay with me, because the crescendo is coming.
A Timely Prayer Request
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