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They do apologize I was planning on getting here on Monday, and then thinking maybe yesterday. My grandmother is now with the Lord. And so plan to go to California has been kind of a little bit rough for me thinking through things and not because my faith has been lacking, but sometimes you just need to take a step back and spend some time praying and enjoying some time with family as you wrestle through and think through things. So anyways, why don't we go ahead and pray now and we'll get into the Lord's word and so excited to get into God's good news with you today.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you for Jesus Christ. We thank you for the eternal hope we have in our Savior. And we pray now that as we read these words, our hearts would be filled with things for all of your love and kindness in Jesus's name, Amen. Here we go. We're at Romans chapter one verses one through 15. Romans chapter one verses one through 15. Let's go ahead and go to God's Word together now. Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name, among whom you also are the cold of Jesus Christ, to all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you in peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. First I think my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world, for God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making requests if by some means now at last, I may find a way in the will of God to come to you, for I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so you may be established that is that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. Now, I do not want you to be unaware of brethren, that it often planned to come to you, but was hindered and tell now that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor both to Greeks and barbarians, both to wise and to unwise, such so much as is in me. I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome. Also, we need to stop and ask ourselves a What is this about be what's best versus sunrises and see, what are we called to do in response to these words, so what is this about what what's Paul getting that right this is the introduction to his letter to the Romans. This is the epistle to the Romans. This is the this is the big dawg of the of the of the epistles. It's not like any other as of them. It is a systematic letter of the Christian faith and it probably would have taken the people back a little bit right over 7000 words in the Greek, the longest of the epistles, and a class in and of itself, a treasure of Christian wisdom, a gift from the spirit to the church in Rome and to us today. And it would have taken the Romans aback a little bit this is not the normal letter there used to be see Paul knew people in Rome, but Paul hadn't been able to get to Rome. Paul knew people there as we go to chapter 16. Were able to see that he knew all sorts of people from there he had met people who had been expelled from from Rome during Claudius his reign, and had interacted with them. We dealt with those people in the book of Acts that we had just looked at a few months ago. But now, he's sitting here and he's, he's loving on the people, and he's gonna give them God's word. And he's excited to meet with them. And he gives one of the longest introduction right most of the time and in Greek letters. The introduction is really small, from person A to person B. Haley, greetings, right and, and he would just say or if it was a group headed, right, so greetings to y'all. But here he's got this long introduction who he is he is Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ. And what does he say he is called to be an apostle.
He wasn't this wasn't done by human hands, but it was God himself who called Paul to be an apostle when he had this miraculous road on Damascus experience where Jesus Christ Himself, calls him to be his apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures and he goes on and he qualifies what this good news is what his apostleship is. He is the one sent by God himself. He is a slave of God. And he's got one thing he's supposed to do, to go and herald the gospel, to go and proclaim the good news to go and speak truth to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles to go and proclaim His Lord Jesus Christ in the coming of the Kingdom of God. It is this that that he points out in verse to whom he promised before His prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Paul is absolutely consumed. With the idea that is Jesus who is his Lord, and he is going to preach Jesus Christ. He is going to proclaim him he's going to proclaim His life and His death and His resurrection from the dead. And we get hints of this all over the place here, right it talks about his his life. As incarnation concerning His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who was born of the seed of David See, he was truly man, but he was not just born of any ordinary stock. What does this tell us? It says that he was born of that royal line of David. He is the Messiah. He is the Christ. He is the Anointed One. He is the King of kings. according to the flesh, though, because see, there's something different about Jesus even though he was born according to the flesh, what is versus forcing and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Holy Spirit, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection, from the Dead Sea, he is not just by the flesh, the seat of David, but he is the very Son of God itself. Through him, this is through Jesus. I love it. Through Him we have received grace and a partial ship for obedience to the faith among the nation's for his name, among whom you also were called, of Jesus Christ. He he says that it's this grace that he's received. He was saved by His grace. And now he's, he's excited to tell them you were saved also by that grace. And as with that foundation laid the he gets the actual form of formal greeting and verse seven, to all who are in Rome. And so as he talks to those who are in Rome, what is it called them, beloved of God, called to be saints. Every single one of those who is beloved of God is those who have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness and into his kingdom of light. They have been taken from a normal use and put to a royal use. You are a child of God. You were beloved of God. And this is what he's telling them in Rome. And he says, In the second part of verse seven, Greece to you, right, God's favor shines upon you, and peace from God our Father, in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no more immunity between God and man, but in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have God's favor, and we have reconciliation, we have peace. Paul's going to unpack this as he writes out his letter. I'm sure the Romans when they picked up this letter at first or their years were tuned in their minds repeat what is going on here. This is a weird introduction, and the I hope it's as good as what this introduction is and that's going to prove to be the case. And then he talks about his prayer life. I think my God always for you. All. Right, then he He commends them for their faith. Everybody knows the reputation of their faith and in verse eight, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. And then he says in verse nine, for God is my witness and what is God his witness for what is what would God testify on his behalf? That without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making requests, if by some means, now that at last, I may find a way in the will of God to come to you, right? He says, he goes to the Lord. He goes to his father and he prays, he prays always he remembers them. He thanks God for their faith. He hasn't even met them face to face, maybe some of them, but most of them no. And he says, he wants to go and he keeps praying that somehow he'll be able to make his way to Rome.
And so he says, he wants to go there and why does he want to do that verse 11, and 12. For I long to see you that I am may impart to you some spiritual gift. So you may be established right? He wants to root till Monday, Jesus Christ. He wants to build them up and Jesus Christ. He wants to be established in their faith. He wants the foundation of their faith to be firm he wants to be a gift and a blessing to them. He says that is that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith, both of you and me. Isn't this wonderful? Sometimes we think of the apostles right? They're like the guys way up here. And he's saying, I want to be encouraged by you. And I want to encourage your faith. And then he goes on and in verse 30, of 13 through 15. And what is he saying? He says that he's He longs to be with him. He wants to go there. He's often planned to come to you, but he was hindered and tell now that I may have some fruit among you also. Just as among the other Gentiles, right? He wants to see their their gifts of the Spirit growing and abounding. He wants to see them United do Jesus Christ and abounding in much good fruit he wants to see them flourishing in their Christian faith. And he says I am a debtor, both the Greeks and the barbarians and both to the wise and to the unwise. So much as is in me, I am ready to preach to you the gospel to you who are in Rome also. He wants to go and he wants to proclaim to them he wants to preach the Word of God to them. He wants to open up the whole counsel of God this is his This is his practice for ego into to the synagogues and then when they get tired of him showing from the Old Testament all the way through the prophets, how Jesus Christ had to come and how he fulfilled all the promises. Then he would go to the Gentiles and he would do the same. He would proclaim to everyone Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And he longed to do that with them. Well, so what's this all about? Paul says, Hey, he says, is his greeting. But it is a rich theological greeting. That grace and peace come in Jesus Christ and He is praying for them. And He longs to speak with them more about this grace and peace in Jesus Christ. What's the best first to underline this? Well, man, that's gonna be hard. Probably verse seven. For me, there's more here. Let what would you underline nearby? Well, let me know down in the comments if you're on Facebook or YouTube, what would you comment in your Bibles? Calling? What are we called to do? How does this apply to us? Let me ask you Are you a servant of Jesus Christ? Now we're not apostles, right? None of us are those who were specifically set apart and to go do that work of establishing the firm foundation of the church, the foundation, this immense dry, right the stones have been laid but Are you a servant of Jesus Christ? Is your identity bound up in Christ? Do you love to tell others about Jesus Christ? Do you know that it is in Jesus Christ? That God's face shines upon you? Do you know that it is by the seat of David, that you have a king who has brought peace between you and God? Did you know that you have a mediator and that Jesus Christ has unshackled you and has made you to come into God's presence? Without fear? Do you come to God through the God man Jesus Christ? Do you follow after Him? Do you love him? I'm so excited to get into this passage with you. I hope that you will pray for me that I won't be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Because what we're about to read here in these passages is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes both the Jew and the Gentile. And so I pray that you might experience the power of God in your life as you as we work through this, this Book of Romans together. And I pray that you come face to face with sin, and you know that God has made a way for you to be made right with Him. So excited to proclaim to you the good news of Jesus Christ. And I pray that you would be built up in your faith. I'd encourage you to build other people up in their faith. Thank you for praying for me and my family. I know many of you have been doing that over the last couple of days. Thank you for building me up in my face as well. Let's pray now. God, I thank you so much for this day and for this word.
Thank You that You have given us your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray for all those listening today that they would be built up in their faith. That they might find their identities in Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that they would know that you have called them Your Beloved. If they know you if they love you if they believe in you, and that they would attain to even greater hope. We thank you for Jesus. In His name we pray. Amen. May the Lord bless you today. May you walk in the joy and peace of Jesus Christ, and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
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