Expound: Romans 1:1-23 - Part A

We are made right before God. We are given a righteousness by our faith, great summary statement for the entire book can be found in chapter 1 verse 16 and 17 where he says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, you first and also for the green.

The gospel is good news to this will truly appreciate the gospel. You have to understand some bad news first, today on connect with Skip Skip shares the life transforming. Hope you can experience understanding the full weight of the gospel that we want to tell you about a recent boldface as you follow Jesus. Every leads you in life. When plaintiff's huge role in the difficult narrative from Esther to Betsy that Priscilla we find stories of faith family explores for Queens of the Bible and her new teaching theories. Here's where we see Bernice sitting right by his side. Unfortunately, Bernice flow come to peer pressure and remain silent hear more from Lynn yet. She explores four different queens in Scripture. And when you get $35 or more today will send you the Queens of the Bible collection of teaching saying thank you. Peer pressure is a powerful thing. The crowd was watching Bernice was watching Agrippa was watching and you know you do stupid things in peer pressure, you'll say you don't like the movie really like everybody else is they don't like it, whatever it is you, peer pressure get your copy of the special teaching visit connectwithskip.com/offer to get online securely today or call 892 1888, Skip pipe to start, in Romans two major section of test adjustment begins with a four testimony of the life of Jesus was of the Gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John. The second section is the historical section telling us about growth after the birth of the early church, how it spread to different areas of the world and how it was taken by Paul the apostle to different parts. Then we get in Romans through out the rest of the New Testament until the book of Revelation we get the letters correspondence written by men of God to different churches because of different situations they were going through so this is the first of that section of the epistles or the letters of Paul the apostle, you remember that Jesus in the book of acts told his followers that they would be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaica in all Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth as far as Jerusalem was concerned Rome was pretty uttermost, though it was the center of the world as far as Jerusalem was concerned it was way far away.

But Jesus said, you can it be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaica Samaria, and the uttermost parts of your what's interesting about that is at that time Paul the apostle was not a saved man and he would be the one to take the gospel to most of the uttermost parts of the earth at that time, God will get a hold of him.

In acts chapter 9 but when Jesus spoke that promise the very beginning part of acts. The uttermost parts of the earth had really remained untouched. The gospel was just taking root in Jerusalem, but was Jesus's intention that I go everywhere in Rome was the center of the world as far as Rome is concerned, it was like a magnet for Paul the apostle. He had always wanted to go there.

When we start reading the book of Romans, he will express his desire to go to Rome, having not been there when this book was written.

Now chronologically when we left off in the book of acts, which was some time ago but we Artie saw that Paul does make it to Rome and the 28th chapter of acts he gets there. But when he writes the letter to the Romans. It was still a desire in his heart wanted to go there. Try to go there. He mentions, but he couldn't make it something God in the way you remember I'm sure in the book of acts.

Paul the apostle was in the temple in Jerusalem one day he had gone there. He had taken a bow with four other men on that as a right now, he had paid the money for the completion of the Nazirite bow in the temple. The sharing of the hair, the sacrifice and when he was in the temple. Some of the Jews saw Paul the apostle recognized him that Saul of Tarsus turn Paul the apostle and since there was an Ephesian in the city that week name trophy mess that the Jews recognize a very famous Gentile. They made a mistake thinking that Paul had had brought trophy mess into the temple itself and so a riot broke out and they apprehended Paul. They wanted to rip him limb from limb. The garrison of the Roman guard got wind of it apprehended Paul to protect him and then Paul stood up and gave a testimony before his Jewish brethren which made them more unglued. He went into Roman custody again and while he was in prison that night. The Lord gave Paul a promise he said Paul don't fear as you have testified for me in Jerusalem, so you will bear witness of me in Rome also.

So it's like yes I've always wanted to go to Rome and now the Lord is made me a personal promise I'm going to go to Rome and bear witness of them can't wait to go there.

I'm already planning my missionary trip Artie got the agenda going in my mind what Paul did not bank on is how he would go to Rome.

I'm sure he thought it would be missionary journey number four. He had been on three missionary journeys.

He couldn't wait to make number for his trip to Rome he would make 1/4 journey. He would go to Rome though not as a missionary, but as a Roman prisoner, for he was arrested in Jerusalem as I mentioned taken to Caesarea. Later on he will spend three years in that city going through successive trials before the governor festers Felix. Felix festers and then King Agrippa King Herod Agrippa. He gets accused every time to make up accusations every time he thinks the trial is over. He keeps going through the same rigmarole for three years. Finally he pulls out a right that is the right of every Roman citizen called up to not deal up a lot. The always the Latin word for to make an appeal. It was the right of any Roman citizen if he felt his case was not being tried fairly justly with equity to make a personal appeal to have none other than Caesar himself. Hear the case was the right of every Roman citizen.

So finally he just had enough of the going round and round and round and he thought I appeal to Caesar and King Herod Agrippa said you know this guy could've gone free but he appealed the Caesar to Caesar.

He will go. Now Paul is taken and put on a grain ship as a prisoner and he makes his journey to Rome so he goes incarcerated in chains. But what's cool about that is, instead of raising money from the church is to send the money. Fourth journey. The Roman government pays for his trip to Rome. I love that you're going to Rome. Paul and all expenses are paid, I've got you covered. I'm to make sure you not only go to Rome but you don't have to raise money from the brethren. You don't have to raise money under own you not to use any of your own funds. The Roman government will pay for your trip to Rome. I do believe that God is interested in economy and if you're looking for a deal. God can get you a deal. Although the outcome may not be what you intended. So he goes is a prisoner and he makes his way to Rome, but here in this book he has not yet gone. It's his desire as we will see and what can we say about the book of Romans. Well, it is been called the manifesto of the Christian life. The great Christian manifesto. Another are some repeated words, you need to know about in this book. The word law appears 78 times it doesn't just refer to the law of Moses.

Sometimes it is used like a principal Paul will say for the law of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death is not speaking of the law of Moses is speaking of the principal of life in the principle of faith versus the principle of death, but 78 times the word law is used in the book of Romans. The word righteousness appears 66 times and the word faith appears 62 times so by looking at the repetition of keywords we get an idea of what the theme of the book is the theme of the book put those words together it's how we are made righteous before God by faith. The principal or the law of faith, not the law of Moses or the principle of death. We are made right before God. We are given a righteousness by our faith. The great summary statement for the entire book can be found in chapter 1 verse 16 and 70 where he says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek or the Gentile. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written, the just shall live by faith. The book of Romans can be traced. A study of the book of Romans can be found in every major revival in church history. Just think that for a moment, every major revival in church history you will find the leaders transformed touched by influenced by their study of the book of Romans one is the great Protestant Reformation. This is the book that transformed the life of Martin Luther.

Martin Luther became an Augustinian monk at 21 years of age he was in the. The halls of airport in Germany as an Augustinian monk, but he struggled, he struggled with the burden of his own sin. He wanted to be free from that he found the book of Romans, and he decided to make a prolonged study of the book of Romans and Paul the apostle said the book of Romans is the chief part of the New Testament. It is the purest gospel to be found. But let me tell you a little bit about what he found to get there.

Martin Luther, as I mentioned, was burdened with his own sin and as he started reading the book of Romans we just read that little phrase in chapter 1 verse 16 and 17. His greatest impediment was a phrase that bothered him greatly was the phrase the righteousness of God that bothered him because Martin Luther interpreted that to mean that God is righteous and the righteousness of God is the righteousness that God has, by which he punishes the unrighteous, but as he kept reading through the book of Romans.

He found that he had defined it wrongly interpreted it wrongly.

The righteousness of God that Paul was speaking about isn't a righteous God judging in unrighteous world as much as a righteous God imputing righteousness to an unrighteous world by faith that he would use his righteousness to forgive the unrighteous and it totally changed his life.

God justifies the ungodly, so one of the great commentaries on the book of Romans and I know I'm I'm belaboring give you a long introduction and I believe me I intended to go to chapters 1 and two, but I always bite off more than I can chew and sometimes I feel you need to know a little bit of the background so Martin Luther wrote a commentary on the book of Romans and in the 18th century, a guy by the name of John Wesley started reading it and it so greatly influenced John Wesley, John Wesley, just reading the introduction of the commentary by Martin Luther on the book of Romans as my heart was strangely warmed by the truth that I was reading in the introduction of the commentary and that provoked a great evangelical revival of the 18 century under John and Charles Wesley so again every great revival you just fight it over and over again will trace some of its influence back to the book of Romans.

In the book of Romans. Just about every major doctrine biblical doctrine is found usually articulated and spelled out, but at least found every major biblical doctrine. Let me give you a quick outline of the book. The book about the book of Romans falls into four categories. Easy to remember the wrath of God the grace of God. The plan of God and the will of God.

That's the entire book, so chapter 1 to chapter 3 verse 20 is about the wrath of God actually beginning in chapter 1 verse 17 the wrath or 18 the wrath of God becomes the focus from chapter 1 verse 18 to chapter 3 verse 20 Paul will painted dark background about the wrath of God, followed by the grace of God.

Chapter 3 verse 21 to chapter 8 verse 39 of the end of chapter 8 is all about God's grace, he will really in depth dissect that idea of God's grace then bitten chapters 9, 10, 11, it's the plan of God for the Jew and the Gentile because they had all sorts of questions about well if were saved by faith. What about the Jewish race. What about the Jewish nation does God have plans for Israel, the chapters 9, 10, 11, and then beginning in chapter 12 to the end of the book is all about the will of God in the life of the believer.

So we begin, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an apostle literally the words to be are not found called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God.

Ancient letters always put the authors name first in our Western culture. We put the authors name last. We put the recipients name first. If this were a Western letter would say dear Romans, and we have 16 chapters and finally, it would say Paul the apostle servant of Jesus Christ and so we would get this long scroll book of Romans that it would be to us. The Romans, and you look at ago who wrote this thing you go all the way to the end of the scroll turn it over. Go all the way to the end. All Paul wrote it so I think it's just better to begin the letter by saying hi this is me I'm writing this letter so you don't have to go to the end and find out who wrote it, that the author always names himself or herself first in ancient literature. So Paul Paul writes this letter Paul writes so many of the letters in the New Testament the word Paul the name Paul means little courses Hebrew name was Saul, and Saul means ask of God, he, he was named after King Saul, who was the first king of Israel from the tribe of Benjamin Paul the apostle was also a Benjamite from the tribe of Benjamin, and he was named after one of the heroes in antiquity King Saul Saul of Tarsus was his name. He was from the area of soliciting ancient region which is today Eastern Turkey. And he was from the city of Tarsus. The name Saul I get the name Paul as I mentioned, means little. Now we don't exactly know why he was named Paul that's his Gentile neighbors is great name Paul. I have told you before, though, that in ancient times, people would name their children based on circumstances of their birth. It could be. Paul was a small child and he could have grown up to be a small man know we don't know. However there's only one piece of information regarding how Paul the apostle looked from from ancient records only one and it could not be. It could be true, it could be false.

We don't know, but the only surviving description. We have about Paul the apostle look like is interesting. It says he was a very short man and he was sort of hunched over. He had a hooked nose.

According to this description. Losing his hair on top and he had one his eyebrows. It's is joined in the middle so a unibrow hooked nose, unibrow, balding short guy and the description says bowlegged so maybe it's true maybe it's not true. It is interesting. If that's the way he looked because he will mentioned that you know when you look at me, you might not think I'm impressive what you read my stuff is very very powerful. Not much to look at in person, but quite bold and quite persuasive in his speech and in his letter. So Paul and introduces himself as a servant of Jesus Christ, not Paul, the great apostle Paul, a slave, it's one of his favorite titles for himself due to loss is the Greek term called an apostle and I like this separated to the gospel of God before Paul was saved. He was a Pharisee.

He says in Galatians, Philippians, when he writes a letter. I was a Pharisee Hebrew of the Hebrews as touching the law Pharisee concerning righteousness which comes from the law.

I was blameless, perfect. The word Pharisee means separated potash team is the Hebrew word, it means to be separated and the ideas separated from people separated from activities separated from sinfulness. I live a life of separation from these things very stringent Pharisees prided themselves and in being unlike everybody else separated from them, and so you would see devout Pharisees walking down the streets and if Gentiles were coming their way they would. The Pharisees would take their robes and place them very tight across their bodies as if to say I won't even get close you are, let my robes rustle in your general direction you are so stinking the file view Gentile that I'm knocking to get cooties from you. I'm Skinner be separated from you, but here Paul, this is a I'm separated from something he says I'm separated to something that's important. A lot of people take refuge in a negative righteousness. I don't do this.

I don't do that and I don't do the other thing cool what you do. What is it you do what you separated unto I think it's possible to have us save the soul, but a lost life. Your soul is Savior going to heaven but you don't do anything with your life are not separated to some grand purpose to be used by God I'm separated to the gospel. I want to make sure people hear this good news. That's what gospel means of Jesus Christ, which he promised before through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. The Old Testament anticipated the New Testament the prophet Jeremiah and chapter 39 said, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, not like the old covenant. So it was promised before in the holy Scripture.

The prophet Isaiah predicts the coming of Christ predicts his sacrifice on the cross in Isaiah 53 concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, God began to promise the Messiah very definitely unmistakably when David was born and began to grow in God began to make a covenant with King David skintight the message from the series exponent room. We want to tell you about a special opportunity you have.

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