Elder Chris begins a series on Romans 8, examining the chapter in its entirety. He shows how it gives God’s people great confidence in times of deep struggle. Paul establishes our position in the Lord Jesus Christ and our standing before God. When Paul was born again, he came to see that everything he had been striving for under the law fell far short, and he realized that by nature there was no good within him. But thanks be to God for the covenant of grace made before the world began: we are in Christ Jesus, and in Him the law is fulfilled. Therefore, there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. As Satan seeks to accuse and condemn us, we can take great comfort knowing how God sees us.

The Lord commands Saul to completely and utterly destroy the Amalekites. Amalek was the grandson of Esau, and Esau is often used as a picture of the non-elect, whose lineage produced wicked nations. Elder Chris points out that in Exodus, the Amalekites attacked the Israelites from the rear. Now that Israel had a king and had become strong, the Lord commanded Saul to destroy them. But Saul did not fully carry out the Lord’s commandment. Elder Chris considers the nature of Amalek as a picture of wickedness, while also showing that the children of God must deal with the nature of sin within themselves. We are commanded to mortify our carnal desires and the deeds of the body. The problem with Saul was that his ego got the better of him. Elder Chris encourages us to always see ourselves as little, and to let the Lord exalt.

Elder Chris explains the background of how David was constantly pursued by Saul. Despite this, there is a beautiful story of the great love between David and Saul’s oldest son, Jonathan—a wonderful example of biblical friendship. Jonathan was not upset that David would be king instead of himself. David later showed kindness to the house of Jonathan. In 2 Samuel 9, the kingdom is at peace, and we see the heart of David. Jonathan’s only son, Mephibosheth, who was lame, received kindness from David for Jonathan’s sake. Mephibosheth went from being abased to being exalted, not because of anything he had done, but because of covenant. This is a beautiful picture of God’s view toward us. We were by nature the children of wrath, separated from God, but we were quickened by grace. Later, when David was absent from his throne, Mephibosheth mourned. Despite the lies of Ziba, Mephibosheth showed kindness, and he rejoiced that David the king was restored to his rightful place. We can rest assured that our King of kings is in His rightful place, and one day He will take us home. While we live here, we are privileged—though wholly undeserving—to sit at the King’s table, serve Him, and show kindness to others.

The Apostle Paul closes the Hebrew epistle by declaring that we have something better than the altar under the law of Moses. We have an altar to which those who continue to serve the old covenant system have no right of access. Elder Chris explains that works and grace are contrary to one another and cannot be mixed as a means of salvation. He proclaims that this altar points to the finished work of Jesus Christ, who willingly went to the cross, suffered, died, and legally made His people holy before God. The epistle concludes with a prayer to the God of peace, power, care, and enduring love, asking that He would work within His people that which is well-pleasing in His sight, all to His praise and glory.

Elder Chris preaches on Abram and Lot and the strife that existed between their herdsmen. Abram understood that it would eventually affect their family relationship. He asked Lot to choose which path he would take, and Abram would go the other way. This serves as a great example of how we are to deal with strife. Elder Chris explains that we are to be observant of those who have departed from Biblical teaching. The Apostle Paul instructs us to admonish twice and then separate. Elder Chris encourages us to be like Abram, who lived as a stranger in this land, looking to eternal things rather than temporal ones.