The Epic Life - Bob Hallman

It has been described as the sweetest sound a person can hear. It can have a lifelong impact on the identity of an individual. It is one of the most defining aspects of our lives. Of course, I’m talking about our names.  As parents prepare for the arrival of a newborn, they pour over baby books and  contemplate the virtually limitless combinations available -- and their meaning – being particularl...

Paul’s burning, driving ambition in life was to faithfully discharge the trust God had given him in preaching the gospel. Obedience to the Great Commission was what motivated everything he did. In 1 Cor 9:16-17, Paul tells us that he was compelled to preach. “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” David Brainerd, Missionary to the North American Indians in the mid-1,700s, put it this way:  “I c...

In the past several weeks we have been discussing disputable matters – those issues that are neither prohibited nor commanded in scripture. With Paul’s’ help we concluded that, In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity. Or in the language of our day: Major in the majors and minor in the minors. In other words, we need to keep the main thing, the main thing. And the m...

Unfortunately, some Christians take such strong positions on issues like these that their motto could be summed up in the following brief poem:  “Look as I look, Do as I do … Then and only then, Will I fellowship with you!” Instead, in Romans 14:1-12, we concluded that when it comes to disputable matters: 1. The strong should accept those who are weak in the faith 2. No one should pass judgment on...

The greatest need of every man and every woman is love. Most of our behavior is driven by the need for love and acceptance. It’s a need designed by God to be ultimately fulfilled only by God.  Our number one problem in life, from a human perspective, is our inability to express or receive love. Enjoy the message The Epic Life 3-2600 Kaumualii HWY STE 1300 #513 Lihue, HI 96766 https://www.theepicli...

In Romans 1-11, Paul revealed to us the glorious mercies of God expressed to us in a reconciled relationship with the Father through faith in the finished sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Then in chapters 12-15, Paul indicates that God’s mercies should produce tangible, measurable, and obvious changes in the way that we live our lives.  1. In our relationship with God: Romans 12:1-2 We are...

In Matthew 22, Jesus summarized the whole Old Testament Law in two simple statements:  "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,”  and "Love your neighbor as yourself.” 1. Love God by offering your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him. 2. Love others  In Romans 12:9-21, Paul gives 25 distinct characteristics that should mark the lif...

Romans 12 represents a major transition in the book of Romans. In the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul addressed the doctrine of salvation – how a man or woman can be reconciled to God simply based on faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. In chapters 12-16, Paul spells out some of the ways our faith and doctrine should be demonstrated in our daily lives.  In fact, the more we understand wha...

John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. … Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  "I am the vine; you are the branche...

There are few experiences more devastating than rejection. Rejection means the denial of love, acceptance and approval. In the Greek (Apotheomai) it means to be “thrust away.” At one time we have all experienced being “thrust away.”  More often than not, the deepest wounds were delivered by those from whom we most seek affirmation and approval – our parents, family, spouse, and boss. The ultimate...

I’ve been accused of many things in my life, but having nice-looking feet wasn’t one of them! First of all, my feet are rather large and wide -- the result of growing up on Oahu with an aversion to shoes. Second, I’ve always thought that my big toes resembled an astronaut with his helmet on. Third, my feet have a tendency to sweat. Fortunately, they don’t smell – at least not that I am aware of! F...

In Romans chapter 9, Paul presented God’s elective sovereignty in salvation In Romans 10, He presents the role of human responsibility in salvation The fact is that the Bible teaches both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. They are two sides of the same coin and, though difficult to fully understand, it must be accepted by faith. It is not our responsibility to try to determine whom God h...

There was a time when almost everyone believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that all the other planetary bodies rotated around the earth. But in 1543 a Polish Astronomer named Copernicus published a book showing that the Sun, not the Earth, was the center of our solar system. But his theories were scoffed at and rejected as the musings of a “mad scientist.” However, in the ear...

In chapters 1-8, Paul has established the Biblical principles of salvation. And in Chapters 12-16 he will discuss the practical effect of salvation in the life of a believer. However, before he does, Paul addresses the problem of salvation in chapters 9-11.  What is the problem of salvation? It is the question of the spiritual welfare of the Jews and the nation of Israel. Enjoy the rest of the mes...

We Can be Confident in God’s Sovereignty A. We know that in all things God works for the good [Verse 28a] Work together = Sunergeo = “To co-operate” It is the root from which we derive our English word, “Synergism”; The simultaneous  the action of separate forces which, when combined, have a greater total effect than the sum of the individual parts. Application: It is often difficult for us to bel...

In the opening verses of Romans 8, we discovered that we, who are in Christ, are set free from the law of sin and death. Our lives are now marked by the empowering ministry of the Holy Spirit who can do in and through us what we were unable to accomplish in our sinful and weak flesh.  However, life’s challenges are not immediately over. There is still the inescapable reality of suffering and pain...

Romans chapter 7 was Paul’s autobiographical description of what it is like to live the Christian life in the strength of the flesh or self-effort. It is impossible! Paul’s agonizing conclusion is that his own strength was insufficient to conquer his fleshly tendency to sin.  In exasperation, he cried out in verse 24 of Chapter 7, “What a wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body...

Romans 7:14-15 is quite challenging and the subject of much debate. The question is this: Is Paul talking about his life as an unbeliever, as a carnal Christian or as a struggling believer? Some believe that Paul is describing his life before Christ because the life he  describes is in too much bondage to sin to be considered Christian. a. He identifies himself as “unspiritual, sold as a slave to...

In Romans 6, Paul declared that in Christ we died to sin (Rom 6:2). As a result we have: 1. Died to our old nature and now have a new nature 2. Died to our old way of life and now have a new relationship with God through Christ. a. We have a new nature. b. We have a new power to overcome sin. c. We have a new power to walk in holiness. d. We have a new promise of eternal life. e. We have a new opp...

In Romans 6:1-14, Paul taught that the key to living a life free from sin’s dominance was to: 1. Know the corporate solidarity we have with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection! 2. Count yourself dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus The power of sin has been broken and we now have a new nature. 3. Offer your bodies as instruments of righteousness Paul anticipated that the statement...

One of the dangers of preaching salvation by grace in Christ alone is that there will always be a few who will pervert that grace of God to suit their wishes – usually manifested in two distinct and equally erroneous responses: 1. Some will think that grace gives them a license to sin Jude 1:4 “For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They a...

1. In Romans 1:18-3:20 we discovered that the whole world stands accountable to  God for our sin and rebellion against God. And that His wrath is being revealed against all ungodliness. And against those who suppress the truth in  unrighteousness. 2. However, we also discovered in Romans 3:21-5:11 that circumcision, the keeping of the Law, or any religious ritual can't remedy our situation. The on...

In this section of Romans, the hopelessly lost sinner who received a right standing simply by believing in the promised Messiah of God, now stands justified before Him. The believer who was once under the wrath of God is now set free to exult with great joy in the salvation of Jesus Christ. There are several notable characteristics of this passage: 1. The bold confidence of its chain of assertions...

Last week, we discovered that Abraham was not justified by circumcision, but by faith in God. In the text we are considering today, Paul takes his teaching on justification by faith alone a step further by saying that just as Abraham was not justified by circumcision, neither was he justified by observing the Mosaic Law Enjoy the rest of the message,    Blessings, The Epic Life 3-2600 Kaumualii HW...

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible teaches that salvation is by faith alone! But this offends our natural thinking because we assume that justification (or a right  standing with God) should be the reward of those who do good -- and withheld from  those who do evil. We want to get our salvation the old-fashioned way, “We want to earn it!” This has been one of the most successful ploys of Satan...