Introducing Romans: The gospel is the heart of ministry and the only solution to our sin problem (Romans 1:1-17)
Main idea: Paul outlines the nature of the world's sin problem in order to point to the gospel as the only solution.
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That was terrific. was about half of my sermon. The kids sang the other half taught us well teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Great time together. Well, if you'll stand with me for the reading God's word and turn to the book of Romans, we're going to start a series in Dan's absence of going through the book of Romans kind of big picture of Romans as opposed to a verse by verse exposition. It'll be a section by section exposition. And we're starting this morning, and I'm excited. So I'm going to read Romans chapter one, verses seven through 17. They're Paul writes to all who are beloved of God in Rome called saints, Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith has been proclaimed throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of his son is my witness, as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers, making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God, I may succeed in coming to you, for I long to see you, so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you that you may be established. That is that I may be encouraged together with you all among you, each of us by the others faith, both yours and mine. I do not want you to be unaware brother in that often I've planned to come to you, and have been prevented thus far, so that I may obtain some fruit among you even as among the rest of the Gentiles. I'm under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So for my part, I'm eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome, for I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it's the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith. This is God's Word. God, we pray your help this morning, as we open up your word together, we pray that You would help us to see our need of Christ's help us to see the beauty of Christ and the gospel. We pray that Your Word would have sway in our hearts. And we ask especially that you would open the eyes of the blind, who may be here, even today to see the realities of sin and the need of Christ, their Savior, amen. You may be seated. In John MacArthur's epic series on the book of Romans, He began by starting to read and in Romans one, verse one and he said, Paul, I just couldn't get past that word. And he preaches an entire sermon on the life and ministry of the apostle Paul spent another week expositing, the rest of verse one, so two weeks and chapter one, verse one, and they asked me to preach the first three chapters for you today. So this will be a not so epic series, I suppose. But I think it'll be edifying because the book of Romans is an amazing letter, that expounds on the glorious nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Romans one is that it is a message about the gospel. That's why in his introduction, Paul ends with those words in verse 16, that we just read, I'm not ashamed of the gospel. For it's the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes, Jews and Greeks alike. Romans 10 Nine reminds us in the simplest of ways, right? That if we confess with our mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart, that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, there is a simplicity to the gospel message. One common way and useful way to remember and understand the gospel and I think this highlights how wonderfully and compactly the book of Romans includes the gospel is to share the gospel with others using that series of verses called the Romans road. Those passages and you can you can Google the Romans Road, it'll tell you which passages to use, but they hit on all the key points of the gospel in a very simple and rudimentary but effective way and so our goal in this year He's just to give you a more of a Romans road view of the gospel and of the book of Romans. In general Sunday, I think and I heard Dan say this, we may come back as a staff and do more of a deep dive into, into all of the details and the rich truths and the meaty passages of Romans. But for now, we thought a high level look at the logical argument of the book of Romans would be useful, and actually a very good complement to the learning the gospel together, which we've been doing in our groups. As Paul begins this lengthy letter to the church in Rome, he highlights first, how the gospel is the heart of ministry, and the only solution for our sin problem. As we've read his little introduction, notice, he says his own calling was summed up by being set apart for the gospel of God and verse one, set apart for the gospel of God, that was the heart of who he was. And what God had called him to do, was to preach the gospel. And he immediately begins to summarize for the Romans, who Christ is the Son of God, the Son of David, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and to summarize what Christ had accomplished, that he had died, and that by God's power, he was raised from the dead. And because Paul, loved Christ, and love the gospel and loves the people in the church of Rome, he says, He's praying for them, praying for them constantly and longing, to go to them, to teach them to, to equip them, to strengthen them, to know and to love and to serve Christ, even more, and that would be a mutually encouraging thing. He says in verse five, He longs to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for his namesake, recognizing that the necessary fruit of receiving the truth of the gospel and having the power of Christ in your life is a life of obedience. And so verse 15, he says, he was eager, eager to preach the gospel to you, who are also in Rome. So he's praying and longing, that all of those purposes would be worked out. All of these purposes are accomplished by and through that proclamation of the gospel, which he says is the power of God unto salvation. For those who believe you may know you may not know that the word gospel, it actually comes from an old English term, God's spell, which really means a good story. It's a translation of the Latin event gallium, the Greek Yuan Galleon, both of which mean good news. The gospel is the good news. It's the good telling of the story of God and friends, the fact that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners is indeed, good news for us. What makes it such good news, of course, is that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And that is what we are, Paul adds, in Timothy 115, where he says that he came into the world to save sinners, among whom I'm foremost I am the chief of sinners, Paul says, a sentiment that we should all share. If we understand the nature of our of our own hearts, I am the biggest sinner I know, you sin that maybe I've seen a few of you do do so. But I don't know the depths of your sin like I know the depths of my own. It should be the sentiment of all of our hearts, that I am the foremost of sinners, and I am I'm desperately in need of the gospel. And the gospel is indeed good news because of our nature, because of the condition of each and every one of our souls, apart from the saving grace of God. Apart from the saving grace of God, each and every one of our souls is bad news to the nth degree. And that's why the gospel is good news, right? Because our sin and its consequences is such bad news. How bad is it?
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And therefore, how good is the gospel? How bad is the news of our sin and his condemnation? Well, that's Paul's topic. In the opening chapters of Romans, in the first three chapters are most of the first three we won't we won't do the end. Paul outlines the nature of the world's sin problem. That's what he's doing. But he's doing it in order to point us to the Gospel, which is the only solution to that sin problem. He's outlining the nature of our sin problem in order to point us to the gospel as the solution. And I've tried in the four points in our outline if you got it on a weekly, you can find those there. I've tried to capture the nature and the intention and the meaning of each of these opening sections here. And the first one begins with the words in chapter one, verse 18. For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth. In unrighteousness, as Paul starts to unfold the nature of the world sin problem, I'd say this section is, is teaching us this, that God's judgment is an active and visible reality. In the world of sin today, God's judgment is an active and visible reality. In the world of sin. Today, the wrath of God is being revealed. And the way we're seeing it being revealed is through this proliferation of sinfulness in the world. The world suppresses the light of the truth, because the world loves the darkness, for its deeds are evil. And Paul is describing here, how the power and the nature of God is put on display through creation, so that all the world is able to know that he exists and to know that we must be accountable to this one who has made the world the one who has given us life and breath, and all things. That's why he says in verse 20, since the creation of the world, God's attributes power, nature have been clearly seen, through the, through the creation of the world being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Man, in in their sin is without excuse, knowing that they will be one day held accountable for it, but dead in our sin. Our default mode is to stay in that condition, to become even more futile in our speculations to have our foolish hearts darkened. Even more verse 21. though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks but became futile in their speculations and their foolish heart was dark and Professing to be wise. They became fools, and as man in their futility, as, as we foolishly and willfully reject God, the God that we know exists. This text tells us, God takes that futile, foolish, willful rejection of him and multiplies it he, he gives them over to that sin that they desire. So much. It says it three times in verse 24, therefore, God gave them over in the loss of their heart to impurity, verse 26, God gave them over to degrading passions. Verse 28, God gave them over to a depraved mind. And and God's giving the hearts of men over to sin is itself a judgment. It is itself, God's wrath being revealed. As as men rush headlong into their sin and begin to experience all of the consequences, the natural consequences of those and piling up for themselves, Wrath and the day of wrath. That is itself God's wrath being revealed that man is given over to unrestrained sin. And the result is not hard to see in our generation. It's not hard to see in any generation, if you read history, well, mankind is look at verse 29, filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, creed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanders, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful and Venters of evil, disobedient to parents without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, on merciful. That's the fruit of God giving people over to their willful rejection of him to their love of darkness. And as it relates to the theme of the gospel, what is Paul doing here? He's, he's recognizing in highlighting the sinfulness of sin and the depths of our depravity. He's highlighting the reality that no one listens to a message of how to escape danger unless they first think they are in the Danger. He's highlighting the danger. He's warning us of the danger of our sin, and have been given over to sin. And its consequences once man understands the danger, you can tell him the way of escape. Right? Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The good physician can't heal the healthy but the sick, right? But he does, in His love and grace rescue us, He delivers us from sin and his judgment for those who humble their hearts recognize their sin and their need of the of their Savior. Now these realities of God giving people over to sin and, and allowing them to rush headlong unrestrained into sin. This is not God creating evil. Evil is not a thing. Evil is, is a principle that is bound up in our heart of wanting to live life independent from God. But it's not a thing. If it was a thing, we could have it surgically removed, or we could try anyway. But it's not in there. Because it's an immaterial aspect of our fallenness. And so when God gives people over to what is naturally in their heart, it's simply him allowing, even decreeing for a time that they're going to live unrestrained. In their sin, He allows their feet to be swift to run into the evil that is already bound up in their heart. And I've heard many times people say they can't believe in a God who allows such evil to exist in the world. But when people say that, they're forgetting that Christ Jesus came into the world, to change all that. That's why he came to rescue us from sin and death and evil and all of its consequences. One day, God is going to vanquish all evil, and he is going to reconcile all things to himself. And so rather than evil being in the world, being evidence that somehow God is not good, or that God is not there, evil in the presence of sin in the world, even in its worst forms, is actually a reminder that we all need to be rescued. That's what it's reminding us of, we all need to be rescued, and that only Christ and the gospel can rescue us only Christ and the gospel make sense of all the sin and evil that's in the world, because it's the only message that reconciles all things to himself and vanquishes evil forever and ever, and ever. The presence of sin in the world, while Sad and Painful, shouldn't push us away from God, no, no, the presence of evil in the world and the presence of sin in your own heart. It should be the very thing that causes you to run to Christ, remind you how much you need God, how much you need. His forgiveness, sin is a real problem. And the gospel is the only solution to that problem, the presence and prevalence of sin even that which is allowed by God and the removing of his restraint and grace. The presence and prevalence of sin reminds us how badly we all need Christ to rescue us how all mankind needs Christ, to rescue them from sin, and all of its ugliness. Now, Paul knows he's writing this letter, he knows that folks might object to such an ugly diagnosis and presentation of the problem. Really, Paul? Really, Paul? I mean, I know that I know that there are those people in the world who are all those things you described. And then I know I'm not perfect, but I try to be a good person.
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And most everyone I know is trying to be a good person too. And so Paul addresses that mindset next starting in chapter two. The second way he outlines the nature of the world sin problem to point us to the gospel is he teaches us that moralism is not enough to solve our sin problem. moralism is not enough to solve our sin problem, this this mindset of moralism that there is such a thing as trying to be a good person trying to be moral. That, of course implies something. If you're trying to be a good person. It implies that you you know and believe the others are bad, that others are evil and that I can be good that I can be righteous. And so Paul begins dismantling this idea of the moralist by first confronting that attitude of self righteousness. The mindset that actually believes you can be better than someone else. liquidy says chapter two verse one. He's talked about sin and his pervasiveness, and he says, Therefore you have no excuse. Every one of you who passes judgment, who thinks you're better than someone else? For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things? No one, no one has an excuse. He says, we may see the unbridled sin of man. And we may think that we're better than that. But look back at the list. Look back at the list. Wicked greed, greed, me. Envy, also me. Strife can also be me. Gossips, oops. disobedient to parents, definitely guilty? Do you see yourself in the list? Do you see yourself in the list? Maybe my problem runs a little deeper than I would like to think. But Paul is not pulling any punches, you may think that you're righteous enough to pass the test before God. But if it's true, that you're guilty of even some of these things, and you are, what does he say in verse two? We know the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. And do you suppose this oh man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God, no escaping. There's no escaping accountability. For sin, God, God will judge then God must judge sin because of his inviolable nature, of being holy. And just he must verse six render to each person according to his deeds, Paul will go on to say. And Paul says men will be judged, no matter what standard they believe, or try to hold themselves to. Because there's no partiality with God, we're all going to find ourselves guilty. There's no partiality with God, you're not going to ever create a different standard and hold to that. Either. You believe the Bible, you'll be held accountable to obey the Bible. Never heard of the Bible. I'll bet you've got another standard of right and wrong you like and you'll be held accountable for not obeying that standard. That's exactly what he's saying in verse 12. For all who sinned without the law, will also perish without the law. And all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. See, Paul knows the heart and the will of mankind can't live up to its own standard, whatever it might be, and certainly not God's standard. We all know right from wrong, we all have a conscience we've all been made in the image and likeness of God, we've been given a conscience, which he describes in verse 14, when Gentiles who do not have the law, Gentiles, who aren't who are trying to walk or live or understand the the moral righteous standards of God's law, when they who don't have the wall do instinctively the things of the wall. These not having the law or a lot of themselves. They might not know that it's in the Bible, but they they've made that standard they know it's wrong to lie and to steal, and to kill. They know it because why they have a conscience verse 15, they show the work of the wall written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. I'll sometimes ask that person who's convinced that they can think and try to be a good person. And Mary something before before God, I sometimes will ask him, do you believe lying is wrong? No. Well, that's, that's horrible. If they say yes. And they always will say yes, I ask them, Have you ever lied? No. Gotcha. If they say yes, I've lied, I got them. If they say no, I've never lied. I still got them. Now, we all know you're not a good person. Thank you. Thank you for participating in the evil of the human race. There's always some banter and objection. But ultimately, when people are honest, they have to concede whether they believe the Bible or not. They have to concede they have a moral standard. And they don't keep it I've yet I've yet to meet someone who has an even an unbiblical moral standard that they've created for themselves, who actually keeps it per Basically, that's kind of Paul's point, whether you're not obeying the Bible and you're guilty or you're not obeying your conscience, you're still guilty. And having established that fact, Paul concludes the whole section by reminding us that this moral failure that every person participates in, invites the judgment of God. Verse 16, there's a day coming when according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. moralism being the best person you you think you can be, no matter what standard you apply is not enough, can never be enough to enable you to be truly right with God. moralism will never be enough to rescue you from sin from your own sin. moralism can't save you from your sin problem. Paul continues to logically unpack and dismantle objections that people might have to being under God's judgment. Perhaps there were some who weren't just being moral in some, some broad general sense. Perhaps they were convinced, no, no, my, my morality, my my way as a religious way. In fact, he goes on to address Jews specifically, in the next section. They have a religious way. And basically Paul says what we would expect him to say religion is not enough either to solve your sin, problem, religious piety, religious practices, religious rituals, they're not going to save you either, because the not good enough problem is still going to be hanging around in your religious piety. This is the third way he's outlining the nature of the world sin problem to point us to the gospel religion is not enough to solve our sin problem. And I think he outlines it clearly starting in verse 17. If you bear the name, Jew, and rely on the law and boast in God, if you're a religious, Orthodox Jew, and you know His will, and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the law, and are confident that you yourself are our guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish a teacher of the immature, having in the law, the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth. If you think you're all those things, that's pretty impressive, actually. But even if you think you're all those things, and you're trying to do all those things, to the best of your ability, look at verse 21. You therefore who teach another Do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal? Do you steal? Check? You say one should not commit adultery? Do you commit adultery? Check lust in your heart. You who abhor idols? Do you rob temples you who boast in the law, through you're breaking the law, do you dishonor God? He's he's walking through basically the religious version of moralism, right, and mankind is not able to keep their own standard. And if your standard is God's law, as it would have been for a Jew, then you just have a higher standard. And you'll find yourself not living perfectly by those ideals. Even when those ideals are things you teach, you hold them so strongly that you teach them not practicing what you preach. It isn't just a hypocrite problem. It's a nature of man problem. It's a universal problem. And we we tend to get a little bit defensive, maybe apologetic. When an unbeliever says something like, I don't like Christianity, because I've known too many Christians who just don't live like it.
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And that actually might be a problem for another day. But rather than let them think they've actually made a point, I like to just go, Oh, good. We're all on the same page. Now. You're starting to see that everyone is sinful and condemned and need of saving you, me, every Christian, every unbeliever, we're all sinful and in need of saving. Of course, we don't perfectly live up to any religious or moral standard. That's Paul's point. Though he's making the argument here to professing Jews are trying to keep the Old Testament law. He's not making the argument to Christians, but it's not hard to just extend it right into that. He's saying you can't keep God's standard of religion and rarely, so stop pretending that you can. And further than that, he reminds them that, that religious practices and piety are things that are only performed he's using so circumcision and Chapter Two as his example of a religious ritual that can just be performed outwardly without inward reality. God isn't a God of performance. Right? Because of the sins of Israel, he's like, your animal sacrifices are a stench to me. Why not? Because he didn't, didn't outline them as the right religious practices. It was because they were following the right religious practices without a heart of faith and belief and love and devotion and affection to God without the love and devotion to God, the ritual is nothing to him, because he's not in the performance. He wants our hearts. He wants us to worship from the heart, he calls his people to worship Him in spirit and truth, not just rituals. God actually feels so strongly about that they hear through Paul, he says it would be better for you, Jews to be a Gentile who lives out the law from a pure heart than to be a Jew who just goes through the motions of religious rituals. That's where you start to say in verse 25, circumcision is a value if you practice the law, like the rituals I prescribed, can can be useful to you in your ethnicity, if you're practicing the law, if you're truly loving and obeying Christ are obeying God from the heart. But if you're a transgressor of law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision it's useless. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law, which is Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? That uncircumcised sighs guy who loves me, his better than the circumcised guy? Who doesn't I know, these religious ritual things, they're awkward. We can we can plug in modern day rituals, right? I mean, baptism, we could throw that in there, and use the same logical argument. To make Paul's point that religion is not enough to solve our sin problem. Our deepest problem is one of the heart. Not one of religion, not one of religious practices. I have counseled unbelievers who went to church every Sunday, who read their Bible every day, who prayed every day without fail, but who did not know and follow Jesus Christ from the heart? That sad? That is so sad. But that highlights it just in another way, right? Why the gospel is the only solution to our sin problem. We can do so many right things. But if we're not really loving the Lord from our heart, they're just rituals, they mean nothing. Now, in the last section, we're going to cover today, I think Paul recognizes wisely. This presentation of universal sin, of universal judgment of the pervasive nature of our sin for both Jew and Gentile. I think Paul knows, he knows this blanket condemnation of mankind is going to create a few objections. And he answers those objections. In verses one through eight. We don't we don't have time to unpack those objections, and his answers to them this morning. It took me 20 sermons to get through these verses when I was preaching them in New Hampshire. So you just got one today. That's all I got time for. But here's how he answers those objections. He says, I want to be clear. As I'm speaking about the pervasive nature and the universal nature of sin, I'm not disparaging God's law or disparaging keeping it. So don't take me take me wrong about religious practices they can they can still be done with piety and a pure heart. I'm not disparaging God's law or keeping it so don't make that mistake. Second, he's saying I'm also not saying that somehow our sin is so bad that it Trump's God's promised to save. No, no, God is loving and gracious. I'm going to spend the rest of the letter teaching you how God is the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation and how it flows out of His love, and grace. I'm not saying sin, makes it impossible for God to keep His promises. And third, I'm definitely not implying that the inevitability of our sin, the fact that we can't help it, that we sin and can't stop sinning apart from God. I'm not implying that the inevitability of our sin makes it unjust for God to judge us. And that again, was an objection that some would make equal if I can, if I have to sin, how can God judge me for it? And Paul's like meaning? I'm not saying that. Hang on. So he answers those objections. And it's helpful. It's a helpful section, I encourage you to go read it. He's making the broad point here that mankind has a sin problem. And the pervasive nature of our sin problem points us to the Gospel, how pervasive it is overwhelmingly pervasive. That's the fourth point the gospel is the only solution to this overwhelming nature of our sin problem. The nature is so universal, as he begins to describe it starting at verse 10. none righteous, not one nun who understands and under seeks for God, all have turned aside. Together, they become useless. There's none who does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave with their tongues, they keep deceiving the poison of asps is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood destruction and misery are in their paths. And the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. I mean, he quotes a series of Old Testament packet passages, and he just kind of stacks them on one another. And he kind of paints what I think most people reading it go, Well, that is just a little over the top. I mean, pick it, pick a guy on the street and read that passage to him. So you do believe this is what the nature of man is like? And they're gonna think you're a kook, right? They're certainly not going to believe it. But it is impossible. To conclude, from this simple reading of the scriptures simple. snippets from the Old Testament, impossible not to conclude that our sin problem is not overwhelmingly pervasive. The very biblical doctrine of total depravity reminds us there is not an area of our life, there is not a recess of our being that has not somehow been infected with the plague of sin. We're, I mean, clearly, we're not as sinful as we could be. We don't commit every sin possible. But I always say, that's just because I don't have enough time and opportunity. Give me more time and more opportunities. The heart of every sin is in there. I've learned to never say I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I said that. I mean, I'm sad that I do some things and say some things. But I recognize right away where it comes from, that that sin nature that flesh, which still dwells in me, remind myself I'm capable of any sin. Which is why we also overwhelmingly need the gospel. Because our sin problem is overwhelmingly pervasive, we overwhelmingly need the gospel to save us to rescue us from sin and death and hell, all sins, consequences. That is our greatest need. That is the glorious message of Paul's letter to the Romans. Friends, have you seen all that? Are you recognizing this? Do you see yourself have you heard yourself this morning? Have you seen truly and acknowledged in reality, that your sin problem also runs that deep and that wide? Have you allowed your understanding of the depths of your sin problem? Have you allowed that, to cause you to run to Christ and to his death and burial and resurrection?
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As the solution. This whole book is going to outline that gospel for us. This is just a start. I got assigned the bad news today. But I'm not going to stop there. I can write, we need that good news. That is the rest of this letter. Paul has written Romans under the inspiration of the Spirit of God so that we would understand these things so that we will understand how it is that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gave up the glories of His heavenly throne, to become one of us to become human, taking on a human nature and living a perfect life, so that we could have that righteousness given to us as he takes his sin upon him, and has he dies a death as he offers his wounded body and shed blood to pay the wages of our sin, which is death. and that he was raised to life and just as he was raised to life, so you too, can walk in newness of life. When you put your faith and trust in Him, and what he has done for you, he causes you to be born again, to a living hope. That's what he does. That is the beauty of the gospel. He, Romans 425 was delivered over because of our transgressions, and he was raised because of our justification so that we could be right, even with a holy God. Have you put your personal faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus for that, so great salvation, we read it earlier, again, the simplicity of it, Romans 10 Nine, if you confess with your heart, confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. That's what the gospel causes us to do. And it is so very simple. And it's the nature of our sin problem. This overwhelming, pervasive, universal problem that points us to our need of that gospel of Jesus Christ as the solution as our rescue. That's going to be our joyful journey, actually, over the next few months. Now that I've given you the bad news, we're gonna get to learn and meditate on the glories of the good news in different ways over the coming weeks. From different different voices, we're going to hear why it is that the apostle Paul is not ashamed of the gospel and how it is that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Ian gets the blessing of preaching the next passage, which might be my favorite passage in all of Scripture. For good reason, Alva J. McClain talks about Romans 321 through 26. He says, If I could only have six verses out of the entire Bible, it would be Romans 321 through 26. Leon Morris said possibly that passage is the most important single paragraph ever written in the history of mankind. But not even Ian can blow this one. Just read it, dude. Martyn Lloyd Jones says it's no exaggeration to say of this section that is one of the greatest, most important sections in the whole of Scripture because it it paints the beautiful picture of Christ bearing the wrath of God on our behalf of God being both just because he doesn't violate his holiness. Instead, he pours out His wrath on Christ and and the justifier of him who puts their faith in Jesus Christ, that is the heart of the gospel friends. And my hope and prayer is that the bad news has led you to the place where if you've not embraced that, for your own heart and soul perfectly, that you would do so tomorrow. call on the name of the Lord, and you shall be saved. Let's pray. God, we do thank you, thank you for your word. The realities that are hard to hear all but the greater and sweeter realities that it points us to that you have not left us in our sin, but you have sent Christ to die and be raised so that we might be rescued from our sin. And we thank you for that. love and grace. God, I pray for every soul hear that they would either be basking in gratitude for what you have done and rescuing them from sin. Or Lord, that You would stir their heart to flee to you for that grace and forgiveness that can only be found in Christ. Do that for the glory of your name we pray, amen.
Brian is the Pastor of Counseling & Equipping at Faith Bible Church. He is passionate about the local church, and equipping the saints to effectively serve one another. Before coming to Spokane, he spent 14 years serving God's people as a pastor in rural New England (Vermont & New Hampshire).
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