This remarkable passage reveals that God ordained from the very first creation of humans that there would be an interdependence between men and women. I believe this is true, not only for those who are married, but for those who are not married as well. In order to create the first woman, God took something away from the first man, and the two parts would only be whole again when they worked together in harmony. As we examine these verses, we'll see how God expressed this truth and the profound ...
Aug 18, 2025•46 min•Ep. 453
So many Christians go through their lives feeling spiritually dry, without a sense of purpose, without divine guidance, drifting apart from family and friends and forgetting what it felt like to have God's Spirit carrying them through circumstances. These live daily with a quiet sense of despair and loneliness, but this is not how God intended us to live and from the very beginning He devised a plan to help us avoid this pattern. We learn from our text today that God planned to endue with power ...
Aug 14, 2025•52 min•Ep. 452
In this sermon we take a look at certain questions that may come up when doing an honest read of the beginning of Genesis. For instance, why did God even add the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden? Why would God give us an option to obey Him or not obey Him? And why would there be a serpent in the garden? These kinds of questions go to the very heart and character of God. This sermon was given the weekend after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. To receive a free copy of Dr. Ste...
Aug 11, 2025•45 min•Ep. 451
God has, in some degree, made us in His image and according to His likeness. There is no defi nite statement made in Scripture as to what this means, but we can infer some of the things it must mean from what the Bible tells us about mankind. First, being in God's image must include sharing the holiness of His character. Second must be the fact that man was not intended to die. Third, we are persons capable of having a person-to-person relationship with God. This is not to say that we are in any...
Aug 07, 2025•42 min•Ep. 450
God has, in some degree, made us in His image and according to His likeness. There is no defi nite statement made in Scripture as to what this means, but we can infer some of the things it must mean from what the Bible tells us about mankind. First, being in God's image must include sharing the holiness of His character. Second must be the fact that man was not intended to die. Third, we are persons capable of having a person-to-person relationship with God. This is not to say that we are in any...
Aug 04, 2025•37 min•Ep. 449
Paul says in Romans 12 to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In other words, we have to think differently. Many people who have become Christians still think like unbelievers, and that kind of worldly thinking brings trouble into their lives. If we are going to bring the blessings of the Lord, if we are going to make wise choices, we need to make good decisions. There isn't a book in the Bible that has more foundational concepts about life, the world, who we are, and how things work th...
Jul 31, 2025•53 min•Ep. 448
It's one thing to ask me to not make an idol, or profane the Lord's name, or work on the sabbath, or dishonor my parents, or murder, or break my marriage covenant, or steal, or lie, but it's quite another when you look at the hidden motives of my heart and command me to be content with my lot in life. Now you're in an area inside of me I hardly understand myself. You're asking me to control something that in reality seems to have control of me. Yet, the tenth commandment tells me not to covet, m...
Jul 28, 2025•44 min•Ep. 447
When it comes to stealing, the human mind can be so creative it would be impossible to write enough laws to prevent it in all its forms. There are flagrant, aggressive ways to steal and subtle, passive ways. Some types are obvious while others could never be proven In a court of law because they depend on hidden attitudes of the heart. Who's to say a misleading statement was intentional, or that a person did or didn't work as diligently as possible on a project, or whether a neighbor really forg...
Jul 24, 2025•44 min•Ep. 446
When it comes to stealing, the human mind can be so creative it would be impossible to write enough laws to prevent it in all its forms. There are flagrant, aggressive ways to steal and subtle, passive ways. Some types are obvious while others could never be proven in a court of law because they depend on hidden attitudes of the heart. Who's to say a misleading statement was intentional, or that a person did or didn't work as diligently as possible on a project, or whether a neighbor really forg...
Jul 21, 2025•54 min•Ep. 445
Today it's not uncommon to hear the term "sexual revolution" applied to the dramatic changes our society is undergoing in its thinking about sexual behaviors. Those who use this term assume that a new view of sex is emerging out of the uninformed bigotry of our cultural past. But that's not what's happening at all. The only real sexual revolution in human history has been produced by the Bible. What's happening in America and Europe is that many are simply returning to the primitive sexual behav...
Jul 17, 2025•39 min•Ep. 444
The Lord needed only two words to produce the sixth commandment. He engraved into a flat plate of stone this simple statement, "Murder not!" Out of ten words which are associated with killing in the Old Testament, He chose the one which refers specifically to the killing of a human whether that person's death is intentional (murder) or accidental (manslaughter). He did not use a word that would include hunting, lawful execution or a morally-justifiable war. He picked the word that would deny us ...
Jul 14, 2025•49 min•Ep. 443
It's interesting that the first lesson on learning to love my neighbor as myself has to do with honoring those God has placed in authority over me as a child. And then He bundled into this commandment a warning that says my life expectancy, the availability of His resources and my progress toward achieving His plan for my life are contingent upon my obedience here. This is not easy for me to hear as a typical American. I live in a culture that viciously criticizes and ridicules its leaders, that...
Jul 10, 2025•56 min•Ep. 442
So far in our study of the Ten Commandments we first learned that God will not allow other gods in our lives. He forces us to choose whether we want His blessing or the help these other spirits can give. Next, we learned that He measures our love for Him in part by the way we speak of Him. We trouble our lives when we profane His name. If, at times, we feel the need to say something emphatic we'd be wise to leave references to Him out of our statements. Instead we should always seek to glorify t...
Jul 07, 2025•47 min•Ep. 441
Our mouths expose our hearts. Sooner or later our real beliefs and attitudes pour out of our lips. As hard as we may try to hide them it's impossible to filter everything, and in those moments when we drop our guard, our hearts speak what we really believe. That's why in these lessons on how to love God (Ex 20:3-11) He draws our attention to how we use His name. His purpose isn't simply to get us to patrol our speech more carefully; His concern lies much deeper than that. He wants us to love and...
Jul 02, 2025•43 min•Ep. 440
We learned in our study of the "law of Moses" that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to teach us how to love: first, to love God with all our heart, soul & might (Dt 6:5), and then to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev 19:18). Considering these commandments as a whole, we see that the first four focus on loving God, and the final six focus on loving our neighbor. Today, we're going to look more deeply at the first two: 1) You shall have no other gods before Me (v 3); 2) You shall not m...
Jun 30, 2025•49 min•Ep. 439
The Law of Moses was the code of rules and regulations which Israel agreed to live by as people in covenant with God. Moses didn't invent these laws; he just wrote them down as God dictated them to him. And the "heart" of these laws is the Ten Commandments which the Lord Himself wrote down on two flat tablets of stone (24:12; 31:18; 32:15,16; 34:1-4,28). He gave Israel these laws so they would know how to lead holy lives, and therefore God's presence could dwell among them. His goal was to use t...
Jun 26, 2025•42 min•Ep. 438
In order to be fruitful for God, it is not enough to simply realize that we are called to service, nor even to discover what that call is. We must give God time to produce fruit through us, and that means we must learn to be consistent in what we do and persevere in doing it over the long haul. But realizing this truth is much easier than living it out. There are many forces that are both within us and outside us that undermine our best intentions. Today's lesson will look at the last of ten dif...
Jun 23, 2025•50 min•Ep. 437
In order to be fruitful for God, it is not enough to simply realize that we are called to service, nor even to discover what that call is. We must give God time to produce fruit through us, and that means we must learn to be consistent in what we do and persevere in doing it over the long haul. But realizing this truth is much easier than living it out. There are many forces that are both within us and outside us that undermine our best intentions. Today's lesson will look at the next few of ten...
Jun 19, 2025•45 min•Ep. 436
In order to be fruitful for God, it is not enough to simply realize that we are called to service, nor even to discover what that call is. We must give God time to produce fruit through us, and that means we must learn to be consistent in what we do and persevere in doing it over the long haul. But realizing this truth is much easier than living it out. There are many forces that are both within us and outside us that undermine our best intentions. Today's lesson will look at the first few of te...
Jun 16, 2025•43 min•Ep. 435
What more appropriate response can there be of Jesus giving His life for us than us giving our lives back to Jesus? If we want Jesus, we come and give our life to HIm. We are talking about the call of God on our lives for the next few episodes. The first call is to a wedding. That's the call of salvation. But the second call is to service. It may be difficult for a person to know where to start serving God, so this episode focuses on where to begin. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's n...
Jun 12, 2025•59 min•Ep. 434
Our lives are meant to be lived with clear purpose and direction. God doesn't waste anything. He doesn't waste any part of your life. If you feel that you are somehow on hold and being wasted, you simply don't understand what He is doing. The reality is God has much for us to do. There is a call, a purpose and a plan for your life. This episode focuses on understanding the call that is on our lives.
Jun 09, 2025•42 min•Ep. 433
In this episode, Pastor Steve goes into the practical aspects of worshipping God and gives some boundaries to worshipping in the Spirit so believers do not take the focus off the Lord. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews , email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materi...
Jun 05, 2025•49 min•Ep. 432
A person who is maturing in worship has learned that they have a continual need to be transformed in the Lord's presence, no matter how old. When I am in the flesh, I will still be grumpy; I will still be the old me. God does not come and so change me that I become a really nice person with or without Him. Rather, a mature Christian becomes more and more dependent on the working of the Holy Spirit because I realize I can be filled with the Holy Spirit at one point but then slip back into my fles...
Jun 02, 2025•40 min•Ep. 431
We were created to worship and be in love with God. In this new four-part series, we look at how and why we worship. God actually looks for people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He goes after men and women who are worshippers. We must see the importance of worship in our life, and we each must become a true worshipper, growing in our understanding and commitment in worshipping God. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews , email us at info@...
May 29, 2025•37 min•Ep. 430
We were created to worship and be in love with God. In this new four-part series, we look at how and why we worship. God actually looks for people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He goes after men and women who are worshippers. We must see the importance of worship in our life, and we each must become a true worshipper, growing in our understanding and commitment in worshipping God. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews , email us at info@...
May 26, 2025•32 min•Ep. 429
Listeners, this episode is a out of chronological order in our study of Luke, but the message is so good we included it anyway! People suffer hardship and rejection for different reasons. Sometimes we reap the bitter fruit of our own mistakes or rebellion. Some times we reap the bitter fruit of others' mistakes or rebellion. Yet, sometimes we suffer precisely because we are doing what God has asked us to do. Obedience to Him can bring hostility from people and oppression from the devil, and thes...
May 22, 2025•50 min•Ep. 428
You might say this passage describes the first Sunday night service. It takes place on Sunday evening (the first day of Jesus' resurrection). The disciples were gathered for a meal (Mk 16:14) in a room with the door barred against intruders. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in their midst. They had been arguing about the validity of His resurrection, so the first thing Jesus did was to prove He was physically alive. Then He took them through an extensive Bible study of the Old Testament, as well as desc...
May 19, 2025•1 hr•Ep. 427
If Jesus stood in front of us in white robes, it wouldn't make us believe in Him. Faith doesn't come by seeing. Rather, it is a choice we make. It has to do with our character. In moments when we are caught off-guard, what we really believe comes out of our mouths and shows on our face. We are going to see this fact occur with two disciples who are walking on the road to Emmaus. These disciples have a remarkable encounter with the risen Jesus. We are going to watch their level of faith get teste...
May 15, 2025•56 min•Ep. 426
Not all the seventy elders of the Sanhedrin agreed with the decision about Jesus. At least two were secret followers of His who disagreed with the majority and watched in dismay at the brutalization and crucifixion. They were prominent, influential men who believed Jesus was sent from God but were still afraid to confess Him publicly. They knew if they did they would lose their positions and probably their lives. They had seen Jesus' miracles and had heard His teaching, and these had convinced t...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 425
You and I need to understand what it means when we say Jesus died for us on the cross. We say it often with real faith, and we mean it. But what Jesus really did for us isn't particularly clear in our minds. We know He somehow died on a cross. But the more we understand Jesus' suffering and the dignity with which He went through the crucifixion, the more we see Him as the Son of God, and the more grateful we are that He carried our sin. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans...
May 08, 2025•52 min•Ep. 424
