• S22 || Jesus Opens the New Covenant || Hebrews 9:13-28 || Session 22
    Jan 7 2026

    Continue in Hebrews chapter 9 with us and watch the old system of sacrifices meet its match. We start with the red heifer—ashes, water, and the relentless push for ritual purity—and move to the heart of the chapter: only Jesus' blood reaches the conscience. The priests never stopped working; blood pooled, smoke rose, and still guilt lingered. That grisly scene teaches us that sin is not a paper cut but a wound that demands life. Then everything changes. Jesus, unblemished and willing, enters not a man-made sanctuary but heaven itself as our Mediator, offering one sacrifice that finally ends the cycle.

    We dig into covenant logic and why blood seals promises. Moses sprinkled the book and the people; Jesus seals the new covenant with His own life. Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness, not because God loves gore but because justice and mercy meet at the cross. The earthly tabernacle was a copy that needed constant cleansing. The heavenly reality required a better sacrifice—once for all, never to be repeated. That’s why Hebrews says He appears before God for us. The result is profound and practical: a cleansed conscience, freedom from dead works, and a life reoriented to serve the living God.

    There’s also a quiet drumbeat of hope running through these verses. We’re living at the consummation of the ages, looking toward a world to come. People die once and then face judgment, and Jesus will appear a second time for those who eagerly wait for Him. Salvation has a past, present, and future; assurance now blossoms into sight then. If you’ve ever wondered whether grace can carry the full weight of your guilt or if one sacrifice could truly be enough, this conversation offers clarity, courage, and hope.

    If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review. What part of Hebrews 9 most challenges or comforts you? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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    30 mins
  • S21 || Eternal Redemption or Endless Rituals || Hebrews 9:6-12 || Session 21
    Jan 7 2026

    Step past the tabernacle curtain with us as Hebrews chapter 9 guides a tour from the bronze altar to the mercy seat—and then beyond the veil. We trace the daily grind of earthly priests, the solemn entry of the high priest once a year, and the stunning claim that Jesus entered the true Holy of Holies with his own blood, once for all. If rituals could never clean the conscience, what finally can?

    We unpack the tabernacle’s symbolism, where God’s glory hovered over the Ark and blood covered the law that condemned us. The picture was powerful, but it was provisional. The moment the veil tore, the message changed: access is open. No more annual returns to keep judgment at bay. Jesus' sacrifice doesn’t roll guilt forward; it removes it. We discuss sins in ignorance, the danger of willful sin, and why fear can be a faithful warning that drives us to grace rather than back to dead works.

    From there, we dig into “eternal redemption.” Redemption is debt-settling language: the guilty are bought back by a price they could never pay. Hebrews stacks terms—eternal salvation, eternal inheritance—to show that the work is complete and permanent. That anchors assurance without cheapening obedience. We lift our heads, not to boast in ourselves, but to draw near with confidence and serve the living God. We also connect the dots across Scripture: no one was ever saved by the blood of bulls and goats. Faith has always looked to Jesus Christ [The Messiah], the better priest, the true tabernacle, the once-for-all offering.

    If you’ve been carrying a heavy conscience or circling the same spiritual routines, this conversation invites you to rest where the Bible points—at the mercy seat fulfilled in Jesus. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a review with the one question you still have about assurance or access to God.

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    31 mins
  • How to Confidently Defend Your Faith || An RTTB Apologetics Session
    Jan 5 2026

    Tired of conversations that stall at “that’s your truth”? We map a simple, humane path that starts with Jesus, honors real questions, and ends with a clear invitation to take the next step. Our framework moves in a logical sequence—objective truth, the existence of God, and the reliability of the Bible—so you always know where to begin, how far to go, and when to come back to the heart of the gospel.

    We walk through a five-minute way to share the core message using the Romans Road, then dig into the most useful reasons to believe: the Kalam and Contingency arguments, the Moral argument, and a suite of Design considerations that include information in DNA and our deep pull toward the beauty of creation. Along the way we show how two quick questions cut through relativism and bring the conversation back to reality without sounding combative or cold.

    From there, we turn to whether Scripture deserves our trust. Acts reads like lived history—names, titles, routes, local slang, and nautical detail that match what historians know. External historical sources such as Josephus and others corroborate people and events. The New Testament’s manuscript evidence is both abundant and early, and archaeology keeps surfacing anchors like the Pilate inscription and Caiaphas’s ossuary. Prophecy adds cumulative force, and the empty tomb remains the unavoidable center of the Christian claim.

    If you’ve ever wanted a clear, kind way to engage friends who have honest doubts, this conversation gives you a roadmap and the words to use. Start with Jesus, answer what’s actually asked, and return to Jesus with a genuine, hopeful ask. Subscribe for more verse-by-verse studies, share this with a friend who’s asking big questions, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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    You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

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    May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

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    48 mins
  • RTTB End of Year Announcements
    Dec 29 2025

    RTTB's brief end of the year announcements of thanks and what's coming in 2026.

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    2 mins
  • The Day After Christmas a Poem by Doug Brendel || Performed by Glenn Smith
    Dec 26 2025

    The day after Christmas can feel hollow—muddy streets, drooping lights, long return lines, and a nagging sense that the moment slipped through our fingers. Glenn shares in a moving dramatic monologue authored by Doug Brendel about an elderly department store clerk who faces that familiar scene and quietly re-centers what matters. Between a counter stacked with refunds and a chorus of frayed tempers, he serves with patience and prayer, offering a living reminder that the heart of Christmas isn’t found in a receipt, a sale tag, or a perfect photo.

    As the crowd presses in, small stories reveal a larger truth: a Bible traded for a toy, a holiday unraveled by mishaps, and a watch that won’t keep time. Then a woman drops a broken nativity on the counter. Piece by piece, the clerk restores the scene—until he finds the Christ child stuck to a price label, hidden under glue. That single image captures the tension of modern Christmas: the sacred buried under the urgent, the essential masked by the marketed. With gentleness, he returns Jesus to the manger, and something shifts. The woman softens. The store quiets, if only for a moment. And a city, through one ordinary act, sees what it has been missing.

    We reflect on how easily meaning gets displaced by noise and how hope returns when we put Jesus back at the center—of our schedules, our spending, our serving, and our celebrations. This is a story for anyone who’s felt the post‑holiday slump, who’s wrestled with consumer culture, or who’s longing for faith that feels near and real. Walk with Glenn as he recites this tender tale and into a new year with hearts reset on what lasts: love, presence, and the joy that outlives the season.

    If this resonated, share it with a friend, subscribe for our verse‑by‑verse studies, and leave a review to help others find the message. What will you put back in place today?

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    You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

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    May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

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    12 mins
  • Is Christmas Really a Pagan Holiday? || An RTTB Topical Study
    Dec 24 2025

    Discover the origins of Christmas as we unwrap (pun intended) the holiday's rich history and address the long-debated question: Did Christmas begin as a pagan festival? Our festive foray cuts through the tinsel to provide clarity on how December 25th became the cornerstone of Christian celebration. We share how scriptural verses about bringing trees into a home are misinterpreted and set the record straight on Martin Luther's influence, which transformed this evergreen into a symbol of celebrating Jesus' birth. Join us for an episode that not only offers historical insights but also a heartwarming reminder to keep the Lord Jesus at the center of our Christmas festivities.

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    You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

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    May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

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    25 mins
  • S20 || How Jesus Opens the Way to God || Hebrews 8:9 - 9:5 || Session 20
    Dec 22 2025

    What if God’s law moved from stone tablets to your heart? We walk through the end of Hebrews chapter 8 and venture into the beginning of chapter 9 to show why Jesus is the better priest who brings a better covenant with better promises—and why that changes everything about how we know God, obey, and worship. We unpack Jeremiah chapter 31’s promise of an inner work of the Spirit, explore how the covenant speaks to Israel while blessing the nations, and clarify a key tension: the Mosaic Law is obsolete, yet God’s moral will is fulfilled in us through the law of Christ.

    From there, we step into the tabernacle. Picture the outer court, the holy place, and the Holy of Holies sealed by a veil. Only the high priest entered once a year with blood for the mercy seat. Every detail shouted distance. Then the cross tore the veil. Jesus, our great High Priest, presented His own blood, opened a living way into God’s presence, and continues interceding for us. The smoke of incense that once hovered before the curtain now imagery-richly belongs inside, because our Advocate is already there.

    This conversation connects theology to hope and practice. If the Spirit writes God’s ways on our hearts, obedience grows from desire, not fear. If the law of Christ guides us, we live led by the Spirit rather than by ritual. If access is open, we come boldly to the throne of grace. Along the way, we address Israel and The Body of Christ [The Messiah], the promise of future belief, and how Gentiles share in covenant blessings without erasing the text’s plain meaning. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Hebrews, and leave a review telling us: what part of the new covenant gives you the most confidence today?

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    You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

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    May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

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    25 mins
  • S19 || Majesty at the Right Hand of God || Hebrews 8:1-8 || Session 19
    Dec 19 2025

    A single claim reframes everything: Jesus serves right now as our high priest in the true tabernacle—the one God set up, not man. From that vantage point, Hebrews chapter 8 unfolds a better ministry, a better covenant, and better promises, showing how the Old Testament doesn’t get replaced but revealed in full through Jesus Christ [Messiah]. We walk through the text line by line to explore why the earthly sanctuary was only a copy and shadow, how Psalm 110 and Jeremiah 31 anchor the argument, and what it means that The Law moves from stone tablets to living hearts.

    We also tackle a question that splits commentaries and coffee tables: who is the new covenant for? By following Jeremiah’s wording—“the house of Israel and the house of Judah”—and Jesus’ words at the table of His last Passover supper—“the new covenant in my blood”—we make space for both biblical specificity and gospel breadth. Israel is named, The Church is grafted in, and all of it centers on union with Jesus. The first covenant wasn’t flawed; the people of Israel were. The new covenant doesn’t lower the bar; it changes the heart, producing real righteousness through The Spirit.

    Along the way, we challenge a popular but thin habit of reading the Old Testament [Hebrew Scriptures] through a New Testament lens that erases its original meaning. Hebrews doesn’t rewrite the Hebrew Scriptures; it lets them speak and then shows their fullness in Jesus. That approach deepens assurance: our mediator is seated at the right hand of Majesty, His once-for-all sacrifice secures access, and His present ministry anchors our hope beyond the veil. If you’ve wondered how priesthood, sacrifice, Israel, and The Body of Christ fit together without forcing the text, this conversation offers a clear, Scripture-first path forward.

    If this helped you see Hebrews with fresh eyes, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves Bible theology, and leave a review with your key takeaway so others can find it too.

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    Thank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners.

    You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible

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    May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

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    32 mins