Through the Bible - Romans

Father, what a blessing it is to come now before Your word and to be taught of You. Lord, we do want to lift up Jared and Kim into Your hands right now. We pray that You would just be with them, Lord, that You would touch Kim and take away any anxiety that she might have. We pray that if this baby is not ready to come, then the baby wouldn't come yet. We just lift them into Your hands tonight.

We also ask that You would fix our hearts and our minds upon You now as we study Your word together. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

When asked if you could teach from one book of the Bible for the rest of your ministry, 75% of preachers said the book of Romans. If you could only teach from one book, 75% said the book of Romans. This is now the first of the epistles in the Bible. We just finished the book of Acts, which is the history.

The New Testament is divided up just like the Old Testament was. The Old Testament had the Pentateuch, then the history, and then we looked at the poetry and the major and minor prophets. So, there are five different sections in the Old Testament. Now we come to the New Testament, where we have the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In the book of Acts, we have history, and now we move into the epistles, from Romans until Jude. After that, we'll get into the book of Revelation, which is prophecy.

For the next several months, we're going to be going through the epistles, and most of them, as you're going to see, were written by Paul. We met Paul last week in Acts chapter 8. In Acts chapter 1, it said that you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts. However, we remembered that the disciples stayed in Jerusalem until Acts chapter 8, verse 1, where it said, "And Saul made havoc of the church, and the people were dispersed."

Saul ultimately came to know the Lord in Acts chapter 9 on the road to Damascus. His name was ultimately converted from Saul to Paul, and this man went on to plant many of the early churches in Asia Minor and beyond.

Or in Galatia and on into Europe, the Lord used him in a mighty way to pen thirteen of the letters of the New Testament. Some people believe that Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, but we'll get into the correct understanding of that when we get to the book of Hebrews. I believe that he wrote thirteen of the books in the New Testament, and this is the first one, the book of Romans. It's not the first chronologically, but I think that when you consider what the book of Romans has to say, it's important to be the first one in our Bibles.

Romans is a powerful book that primarily focuses on salvation. When we get into this letter that Paul writes to a church he had never visited, we find that we don't really know how it was established or who started it, but it was a powerful church with a testimony throughout the whole world. We must recognize that Rome was the capital of the world at this point. The Roman Empire was the dominating empire, and so Rome, being the center of it, was the focus of everybody's attention. All roads led to Rome, essentially. From there, the gospel also spread throughout the world.

Some believe that the church at Rome started from the Pentecost Christians—those who came to know the Lord on the day of Pentecost and were from different nations. Perhaps they went back to Rome. Others believe that Aquila and Priscilla started the church at Rome. We don't really know who established the church, but we do know that it was Paul's fervent desire to go to Rome and minister there. He sent this letter ahead before he ever made it there. Ultimately, he did go. At the end of Paul's third missionary journey, when he was heading back to Jerusalem, it says that God spoke to him and said, "You must preach at Rome; you will preach at Rome." He had this promise from the Lord that one day he would go to Rome, and he was looking forward to that and hopeful for it.

Before he ever made it, he sent this letter ahead to speak to them. He gives his reason for it in the first chapter. Let's look at this. Romans chapter 1, verse 1 says, "So Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made 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, by whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name."

Among whom are you also called of Jesus Christ, to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be 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, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. The fervency of faith in the church was known everywhere. He had heard about Christians in Rome. 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 request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come to you. I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established. That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith, both by you and me.

Notice what Paul says here. He lays out so much in these first few verses of this letter as he establishes the lordship of Christ, the deity of Christ, and the resurrection and the miracles that Jesus performed. He also expresses his desire to speak to this church. I long to see you, verse 11. I want to come and minister among you. Why? That I may impart to you some spiritual gift to the end that you may be established.

Upon reading that, it's interesting to consider that this letter has been the very thing that has caused many to be established. Many great believers and many great movements of God have been established by this very letter that you and I are looking at here. In fact, it is this very letter that stirred the Protestant Reformation. When Martin Luther, that great Catholic monk and priest of the Catholic Church, was seeking the Lord and spending a lot of time in prayer and in the Word in Wittenberg, Germany, the Lord began to minister to him, especially through Romans chapter 1.

As we will see in just a moment when we get down to verse 16, Paul says, "The just shall live by faith." Those words started the Protestant Reformation, first in the heart of Martin Luther, and then in the body of believers that he ministered to there, and ultimately...

As he went and nailed the 95 Theses to the church door, the Schlosskirche, the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, they say that the clanging of that hammer reverberated through all of the Catholic Church. It started with the statement, "The just shall live by faith," and from there, the Protestant Reformation began.

Several hundred years later, we move forward to England, where there was a man of God who, from his youth, had been taught the Scriptures, Greek, and Hebrew. He had determined that he was going to be a minister of the gospel. The Lord used him to come to the Americas to preach the gospel, but ultimately, he was kicked out of America and sent back to England. On his way back, he almost lost his faith until he attended a Bible study on Aldersgate Street in London. The man teaching the Bible study read the preface to Martin Luther's commentary on Romans, and John Wesley said that his heart was strangely warmed as he heard the gospel preached from the book of Romans.

This man, who had tried to preach the gospel in his own strength, became known as the father of the Methodist Church. They called him a Methodist because of the way he lived; he was so structured and disciplined, and really, he was a legalist. However, he wasn't saved until his heart was strangely warmed by the reading of the preface of the book of Romans in Martin Luther's commentary on Aldersgate Street. He noted that his heart was strangely warmed, and you can look through many revivals and movements of God's Spirit that have begun with these words from the book of Romans.

When Paul says in Romans chapter 1, verse 11, "I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual gift to you to the end that you may be established," we can't even begin to number the multitudes of believers that have been established and the great movements of God that have started because of the words of this letter that Paul penned nearly 2,000 years ago. In the summer of the early 50s AD, he was in Corinth when he wrote this letter to send to Rome. His whole intent was to go there, but he hadn't had a chance to get to Rome yet, so he sent this letter ahead to minister to them and to try to impart some great gift to them.

I am so thankful that God hindered Paul from getting to Rome so that he would write this letter. If we didn't have this writing, I wonder where the church would be today. God can still move miraculously by His Spirit, but I believe it was God, by His Spirit, that withstood Paul from actually making it to Rome so that he would write these 16 chapters that we have, which help establish us.

If you want to see someone established in their walk with the Lord, then the book of Romans is a good place to start because it focuses on salvation, the great message that we have in Christ. We see this powerfully pictured in verse 16, but we'll get there in just a second. Notice what Paul says in verse 13: "Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you but was hindered that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles."

Paul continues, "I am a debtor both to Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also." Underline that in verse 15: "I am ready to preach the gospel." Are you ready to preach the gospel? Are you ready to share it with the people you come in contact with?

Paul told Timothy, as we will see in a few months when we get to his letter, to be instant, to be ready in season and out of season. He instructed him to convince, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. He said, "Preach the word, Timothy. Preach the gospel and be ready." Paul says here to the church at Rome, "I am ready to preach the gospel among you." This presents a real challenge to us: Are we ready, or are we afraid?

In the very next verse, Paul states, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ." He is not fearful to preach this message; he is not ashamed of it. Paul also told Timothy not to be ashamed of the messenger, even though at the time he wrote to Timothy, he was in prison and looking forward to his imminent death by beheading because of his preaching of the gospel. Yet, he declares, "I am not ashamed of the gospel."

Why was he not ashamed of the gospel? Because it is the power of God unto salvation. Notice that: The gospel we preach is the power of God. It doesn't merely display the power of God or speak about it; it is the power of God. The message we bring is the very power of God to bring salvation.

To Romans chapter 10, we see it very clearly outlined for us where we are told, "How shall they hear without someone who preaches? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things, bringing the gospel of peace. We must preach the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation. Notice what he says at the end of verse 16: it brings salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. It is not just to one small group of people at one specific time in history; it is to anyone who believes.

I had a great conversation while driving our team to LAX on Friday, who were going to China. During the drive, a question came up about Calvinism, leading to a discussion that lasted about 45 minutes. We talked about this whole doctrine and teaching that emerged from the Reformation, not long after Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation, particularly focusing on the passage of Scripture that states, "The just shall live by faith."

The mainline doctrine from John Calvin and the Calvinist and Reformed groups posits that there are those who are elect, and those who are elect are the only ones who will go to heaven. If you are not elect, you cannot be saved. However, that is not what Scripture teaches. Here we see that God's gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. The gospel came to the Jew first, but it was also for the Gentile, for the Greek, as Paul states.

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." God's righteousness, we are told, is revealed by faith. His righteousness is revealed by faith, just as we see in Genesis chapter 15, verse 6, where it says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him as righteousness." Even at the very beginning, the father of our faith was saved and given righteousness. He was accounted righteousness by faith. It is from faith to faith; the just shall live by faith.

Not only is the righteousness of God revealed, but we also see in the very next verse that the wrath of God is revealed. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. God's righteousness is revealed by faith. As we place our faith in Christ, we receive God's righteousness and are clothed in His righteousness. However, Paul also states that those who are not clothed in His righteousness, those who do not believe, will receive the wrath of God.

That one day will be revealed. As we've gone through the Old Testament and looked at the major and minor prophets, I hope you, like me, have gained a new reverence for the wrath of God. God's wrath is an awesome thing. It is not something that any of us would hope for or look forward to upon any person. Even the worst enemy of ours, we would never wish the wrath of God upon them. If we do, then we don't understand what the wrath of God is like.

We are told this very clear truth: the wrath of God is going to be revealed. It is revealed upon two things, as stated in verse 18: unrighteousness and ungodliness. This wrath is going to be poured out in full measure at the end of the age, on that day we call the great and terrible day of the Lord, when the wrath of God is poured out upon the unrighteousness and ungodliness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. There are those who withhold the truth by their unrighteous deeds. They want to, in a sense, cover over and mask the truth of God by their unrighteousness.

In the book of Romans, as we look at this first condemnation spoken in chapter 1, verses 18 through 32, we see the guilt of the Gentile, the guilt of the unbeliever. We will talk a little bit about it in just a moment. But then we move into the guilt of the righteous in chapter 2. We examine those who believe themselves to be religious or righteous by their works. Even further, in chapter 3, we look into the guilt of the super-religious, the people who think they have it made.

Basically, what Paul does in the first three chapters of the book of Romans is show that every single person is guilty before God. This is an important passage of Scripture, and I think it is good in evangelism to take people to the book of Romans. Whether they are a total unbeliever and a heathen in chapter 1, a pretty good religious person in chapter 2, or the most super-religious person like Nicodemus in chapter 3, everyone stands guilty before God.

Paul shows us just what it is that brings that guilt out in Romans chapter 3, verse 20. He says, "Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

By the law is the knowledge of sin. God's law brings our sin into clear light. In fact, Paul says in Romans chapter 7 that he would not have known that he was a sinner but by the law. It is the law of God that exposes our sin and makes it exceedingly sinful, as Paul states in this book.

He shows us that if we want to bring someone the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, we must first show them that they are lost without God and that they are going to hell. The wrath of God is going to be revealed upon their ungodliness and unrighteousness because, whether they like it or not, they have suppressed the truth in unrighteousness. They have withheld or covered over God's truth by their unrighteous deeds. They have not been a good conduit of His worship and a true reflection of His image. Therefore, God's wrath is going to be revealed.

The first part of the book of Romans deals with this revelation of God's righteousness in chapters 1 through the end of chapter 8. God, through the Apostle Paul, makes it very clear that every single one of us needs the justifying, sanctifying, and glorifying work of Jesus Christ. The first eight chapters of the book of Romans reveal salvation in its fullness. Salvation is not just a one-time event; it is not merely that I put my faith in Christ and He forgave me. He is also saving us because the Scriptures reveal salvation in three different tenses.

The Bible talks about us being saved, and then it discusses that we are in the process of continuing to be saved. We once were saved, we are being saved, and we shall be saved. These three different tenses of salvation are clearly revealed in the first eight chapters of the book of Romans.

It shows us that Jesus' death on the cross demonstrates God's love, but it is also the very thing that, as Romans chapter 5 makes clear, deals with the punishment for our sins. This first tense, justification, indicates that His death addresses the punishment for our sins.

As we move into chapters 6 and 7, we see that Jesus' death on the cross and the work that He did on our behalf, His perfect life, deal with the power of sin in our lives. In Romans chapter 6, we are told that we shall no longer be slaves of sin. We have died to sin. How shall it any longer take us captive?

As slaves? Romans chapters 6 and 7 deal with God working in us His saving work and addressing the power of sin in our lives. However, Romans chapter 8 looks forward to the day when God will deal with the presence of sin. The punishment of sin is justification. Jesus' death on the cross justified us, just as if we had never sinned. His perfect life and His death for us also sanctify us; He is the one who is able to cleanse and purify us. This is the message of Romans chapters 6 and 7.

At the end of Romans chapter 8, it says that the whole of creation groans, looking forward to the manifestation of the sons of God. We are all anticipating that great day when we shall be glorified and ultimately and completely saved. Perhaps you were saved at a Billy Graham crusade, a Harvest crusade, or maybe here at Calvary Chapel, where you made a profession of faith and placed your faith in Jesus Christ. He has justified you, but today, by faith—remember Romans chapter 1, verse 17, which says "from faith to faith"—God is sanctifying you. He is sanctifying me; He is cleansing us.

Ultimately, He is looking forward to the day, and we are groaning for the day when He shall glorify us and give us a new glorified body. Is there anyone not looking forward to that? I don't see any hands. For the record, we are all looking forward to that great day when He is going to, by His power, redeem these wicked, mortal, corruptible bodies and give us new bodies. Then we shall all say we are saved. Right now, we are being saved, and we have been saved—justified. We are being saved—sanctified. We shall be saved—glorified.

Romans chapters 1 through 8 speak very clearly about justification, sanctification, and glorification. However, before Paul ever gets to the point of being justified, he first shows people in the first three chapters that we are all guilty before God and that God's wrath abides upon us. In fact, Romans chapter 2 tells us that we are storing up wrath for the day of wrath. The ungodly and the unrighteous are storing up God's wrath for that day. It is almost as if God is pulling back the bow of His wrath, with the arrow of His wrath ready. Every single time you sin, every time you are stubborn or rebellious, He continues to pull it back a little bit more, storing it up.

Wrath for the day of wrath is coming, and on that day, God will let the arrow fly. Judgment shall come; the wrath of God shall come upon all unrighteousness and ungodliness. However, Jesus' death on the cross is significant because it is as if He stood in our place and took the full force of the wrath of God upon Himself there on the cross. It is not as if He did that; He did do it. By faith, we can lay hold of the salvation that He gives.

This truth sent shockwaves through the church in the 15th century when Martin Luther, on October 31st, initiated what we now recognize as Reformation Day. While many see this date as Halloween, I prefer to call it Reformation Day because it was a time when the church was shaken up once again. We recognized, through the Word of God, that the just shall live by faith—not by indulgences, not by penance, not by confession, not by sacraments, and not by any other means, but by faith.

The concept of living by faith is not a New Testament doctrine; it is rooted in the Old Testament. We see it quoted in Habakkuk 2:4, where God speaks to the prophet Habakkuk, stating that the just shall live by faith. This quotation appears in three books of the New Testament: first in Romans, then in Paul's letter to the Galatians, and finally in the book of Hebrews.

It is interesting to note that when we break it down, the book of Romans focuses on "the just," the book of Galatians emphasizes "shall live," and the book of Hebrews centers on "by faith." We will explore these themes as we go through these books.

The first part of the book of Romans deals with God's righteousness being revealed in chapters 1 through 8. In chapters 9 through 11, we find an illustration of God's righteousness, or the vindication of God's righteousness, through the children of Israel, the people He had chosen in the Old Testament.

Some intriguing insights are revealed in this passage. We see Paul's sorrow that most of his brothers, the Jews, had not turned to Christ. God's sovereignty is clearly presented in this passage, as He chose the children of Israel. In fact, we read, "Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated," a quote from Malachi 1. We discussed this a bit when we went through the book of Malachi.

What does it mean that God said, "I have hated Esau"? Why would God express such a sentiment?

Why would He say, "I've loved Jacob"? In fact, I have a much harder time with God saying, "I love Jacob," because we see how much of a scoundrel he was when we go through the Book of Genesis. What it reveals is God's sovereignty and His knowing all things. Hebrews chapter 12 reveals that Esau was a profane man; he was a wicked man within his heart, and he refused to repent. As a result of that, God chose Jacob and rejected Esau.

God's sovereignty is revealed in Romans chapter 9 and Romans chapter 11. In Romans chapter 11, we see that God still has a plan; He still has a purpose for these people, the Jews, and it's something that is still yet to be revealed. I don't think we in the church fully understand it yet—just what it is that God is seeking to do.

You have the revelation of God's righteousness in chapters 1 through 8. Then, you have the illustration of God's righteousness in chapters 9 through 11. Finally, in chapters 12 through the end of the book, you have the application of righteousness. God reveals to us what we should do. How shall we then live after seeing God's righteousness that is revealed by faith and after seeing a perfect illustration of it through the children of Israel?

What effect should that have in my life and in yours? Well, Romans chapter 12, verse 1, clearly shows what our response should be to the righteousness of God. "I beg you therefore, brethren, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Paul says, in light of all that God has done for us—in justifying us, sanctifying us, glorifying us, and calling us and choosing us to be His own people—how should we respond? He says this is what you ought to do: you ought to present your body as a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable act of worship. Some Bibles translate "service" as "worship," and it's a better translation. It's your reasonable worship to lay your life down for Christ.

After all that He has done, after all that He did for you and me, the only reasonable response is that we would lay ourselves down and reject the things of this world. Look at verse 2: "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Our response is that we should separate ourselves from the things of the world.

We lay ourselves down on the altar of God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto Him. Now, what is it that has made us holy enough to be laid down upon His altar as a sacrifice that is acceptable to Him? The work that He did on our behalf. Romans chapter 7 declares that in my flesh dwells no good thing. There is nothing intrinsically good in me or in you. Nothing that, if we offered ourselves to God, He would say, "Thank you so much! I was sure hopeful that you'd do that." No, the only thing that has made me holy, the only thing that has made you holy, is the work that God has done on our behalf.

As a result of everything that He has done, He says to lay yourself down as a living sacrifice. Chapters 13, 14, and 15 really deal with how that practically plays out in my life and in your life, whether it's within the context of the church, the family, or the world. Paul lays out a very practical application for us. He explains how our life in Christ and being laid down as an offering unto Him looks practically as we live and move in this world.

The Bible is very practical, and we will see this as we read through and study the epistles, the letters of the different apostles. Apostles wrote epistles; I know it can be confusing, but it's a good thing. When we go through these letters, we will see clear practical applications. How ought we, as Christians, to be? What ought we to do? How ought we to live in this world?

It is important to recognize that many of these letters were responses to questions that Paul received from these churches, especially the books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians and the book of Ephesians. They were responses from people who were Christians just like you and me, 2,000 years ago. They didn't have the internet or MP3 players with sermons from all kinds of different people. They had questions and wanted to understand how they were supposed to live. They used to be slaves, heathens, and wicked people, but now they had been radically transformed by God. They asked, "What are we supposed to do?" Paul responded, "Well, here is what you're to do," and it is very practical.

I encourage you strongly to read through and study the book of Romans in its entirety, slowly. It is very hard to give enough time to really look into this book in just 45 minutes or an hour. I know you may not believe me, but this is my favorite book.

I say it every week, but it's one of my favorite books. I have 66 of them, but this book is powerful. It's one of those books that we should know and understand because there are going to be times when we interact with people who need the verses in the Book of Romans at every level of life. This book has application for everyone.

When I come in contact with a person who is proud and arrogant and refuses to repent, I take them through Romans chapter 1, or Romans chapter 2, or Romans chapter 3. If I come across a Christian who feels deflated or defeated because they constantly see their sinfulness, I take them to Romans chapter 7 and show them what it is that God desires them to do. If I find a person who is struggling and trying to fight off sin, Romans chapters 6 and 7 are just powerful because God is sanctifying us; He is cleansing us.

This whole book is something that we, as believers, should have a good grasp of. We should know it pretty well. It is even still studied in some secular universities because the way that Paul lays out his defense of the faith in this book is perfect for law students or anyone. He clearly lays it out and anticipates the questions that we might think of.

Romans chapter 6 is a perfect example. He reveals God's grace through His love in Romans chapter 5, and then in Romans chapter 6, he anticipates the question that any thinking person would have. In verse 1, he asks, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" If you go through the Book of Romans verse by verse, chapter by chapter, and lay it out for people, they come to the end of chapter 5 and think, "Boy, that just sounds like too good a truth. This grace, this love that God has given to us, and He has freely given it to us."

People might wonder, "Aren't they going to continue in sin?" No, no, no! "Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid! How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore, we were buried with Him in baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so, we also should walk in newness of life.

He anticipates the questions people will have as they go through this revelation of God's righteousness in the Book of Romans.

That are key and important, of course, is Romans chapter 3, verse 23: "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." This is the clear fulfillment of the first three chapters, showing the heathen that they are sinners before God and guilty. It shows the religious in chapter 2 that they too are sinners before God and guilty. Finally, it reveals to the ultra-religious, the Jew in chapter 3, that they are also guilty before God. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Of course, the next verse, and I know you're probably already thinking of it, is Romans chapter 6, verse 23: "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus." God has demonstrated His love towards us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, as stated in Romans chapter 5, verse 8.

When we get over into Romans chapter 9, we begin to see the great truth of the salvation message. In Romans chapter 10, verse 9, it says that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. The scripture says, "Whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed." There is no difference between Jew or Greek, for the same Lord is over all and is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

So, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life because God demonstrated His love towards us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We call it the Romans Road, and it's that road to salvation. It's one of those great things that we share with people, but you have to lay out the truth: the fact that they are dead in trespasses and sins and that they have no hope apart from the work that Jesus has done on our behalf.

The book of Romans is that great, powerful passage that clearly reveals this more than any other. As Paul wraps up this book, he begins his conclusion. Paul has a way of having five or six endings in a lot of his letters; it's kind of like a Calvary Chapel pastor's message. But I want you to look at Romans chapter...

At the end of Romans chapter 8, we find a powerful conclusion. In verse 33, it asks, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died; yea, rather, that is risen again, who even is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

The passage continues, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" As it is written, "For thy sake we are killed all day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter." Nay, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That's the end of that section. If there's ever a passage of Scripture to memorize, I can't think of a better one. I challenge you to commit verses 33 through 39 to memory this week. You may say, "This week? You can do it!" I'll give you a secret on how to do it: go to blueletterbible.com and grab the audio Bible that's available for free download. Just listen to it five or six times. I guarantee you'll start to have it drilled into your mind.

I'm persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. How awesome that declaration of Paul is!

However, I do want to take a moment to consider some things from chapter one. I probably got ahead of myself, but let's go back to chapter one for a minute. "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

In verse 16, it states, "For therein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'" For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven.

Against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it unto them.

The first thing I want you to note here is that God has given all mankind the knowledge of Him by the moral law, by the conscience He has written into us. You could say it is written into our genetic code, into our hearts. God has written His moral law, and He has given us a conscience that either excuses us or convicts us as we walk in this world. He says that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.

The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Paul is the king of the run-on sentence, and you will see that in this passage. But he says, first and foremost, God has revealed Himself to mankind through the conscience—this internal understanding, this internal law about what is right and what is wrong.

I highly recommend C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, which does a great job of philosophically laying this out for us. This understanding of right and wrong is written into our fiber, into our being. We have this internal understanding of right and wrong even from a very young age. Little kids run around saying, "What you did was wrong." You feel really bad when a little kid tells you that you lied or did something wrong. There is that internal understanding from a very young age because God wrote it into us.

Not only has God given us a conscience, but He has also given us creation. The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. What God created is enough to reveal, and notice what He says: it is enough to reveal His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.

God reveals through His creation that He exists, that He is powerful, and that He is quite intelligent. He has existence, power, and intellect by the things we see in creation. Therefore, the conscience that God has given to us and His creation around us are enough, on the day of Christ Jesus, to convict us and to subject us to the wrath of God for eternity. Some people say...

What about the pygmy in Africa who doesn't have the word of God? What about the person way out there in Burma who has not heard? They say it's not fair that God is going to send that person to hell. No, Paul clearly outlines for us that God has given man conscience and creation to declare His invisible attributes. It is enough evidence to convict beyond a reasonable doubt, enough evidence to convict on the day of Christ Jesus.

You know Hebrews chapter 11, that great passage that speaks of faith, the hall of faith. I want you to notice what Hebrews chapter 11 says as it relates to this whole concept of faith. Verse 1 states, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were created by the word of God," or framed by the word of God, "so that the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. By it, he being dead yet speaks. For by faith, Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him. Before his translation, he had this testimony that he pleased God.

Notice verse 6: "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him." For he that comes to God must believe, number one, that He is—His existence. That's the first thing that man needs to recognize: that God exists and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

You see, conscience and creation show us that there is a God. If man will make that step of faith and believe that there is a God and seek Him, God will reward him, as the Scriptures reveal. If we will seek God, He will reward. If there is a seeker out there, God will make sure that they find. Because if we seek, we shall find; if we knock, it will be opened unto us. God promised it.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth shows forth His handiwork. Psalm 19 states, and David says in Psalm 8, "When I consider the heavens, the moon, and all the stars, what is man that You are mindful of him?"

You see, David, in just looking at creation, could see that there is a God. That’s the phenomenal thing about the atheist; they check their brains at the door. They say that we check our brains at the door when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, but the fact is, they have conscience and creation, and yet still they say, "No, there’s no God. We all just came here from the goo to the zoo to you over millions and millions of years."

The Bible is clear. The Psalms say, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" The conscience declares it; creation calls out to us. His eternal power and Godhead are clearly seen in creation, so that they are without excuse. When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were they thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. God gave them a knowledge and an understanding of the fact of God, of His existence, and yet, while they knew God, they would not glorify Him. They refused to turn to Him; they refused to worship Him.

That great British atheist who wrote the book "Why I Am Not a Christian"—oh man, his name just escaped me. Does anybody remember? It’ll come to me in a minute. But anyway, when asked why he was not a Christian, why he refused to yield to Christianity, it wasn't because of insufficient evidence. It ultimately came down to the fact that he did not want to yield to God. There have been a lot of philosophical atheists for whom the whole thing came down to the fact that they refused to submit and yield to God.

Even Friedrich Nietzsche, that great German philosopher who coined the phrase "God is dead," did you know that Nietzsche, before he became an atheistic philosopher, was about to go to seminary to become a minister? I believe it was in Geneva, Switzerland, where he had gone to attend a seminary. He could not find a place to stay, and the only inn available turned out to be a brothel. He stayed at that brothel and was radically transformed—not for the good—and ultimately, as a result of that...

In his desire to go after all his fleshly appetites, he finally rejected God and denied that God existed to him. To him, God was dead because he didn't want God to be alive. He ended up dying in an insane asylum because his foolish heart was darkened. As we see here in verse 21, because that they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were they thankful. They became vain in their imaginations; their thoughts became empty and vain, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Professing themselves to be wise, they became as fools. They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, into birds, into four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. They changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

There is a progression that takes place in the sinful heart when a person rejects the knowledge of God. They turn away from the knowledge of God that is internal and all around them, surrounding them in creation. There is a downward slope, a downward slide that begins to take place, and it is clearly revealed to us here. Their imaginations become empty and vain, their hearts become dark, and they profess themselves to be very wise, but they are actually quite foolish. They begin to worship and serve creation.

You can see this focus on being green and trying to fix the world and creation; it is birthed primarily out of an atheistic worldview that rejects God. Ultimately, that slide continues downward because God now gives them over to uncleanness and allows them to go after whatever their hearts lust after, whatever their hearts desire. They begin to dishonor their bodies, and as they change the truth of God into a lie, they worship creation.

For this cause, notice that when man rejects God and turns away from Him, God allows him to do so. He becomes dark in his heart, vain in his imaginations, and God gives him over to wickedness in the way that he lives. God then gives them over to vile affections, for even their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature. Likewise, also men, leaving the natural use of a woman, burned in their desires and lust one toward another—men with men, working in them that which is unseemly and receiving in themselves the recompense of the error which is due.

Ultimately, I know this is the most politically incorrect thing to possibly say ever.

Homosexuality is the result of a heart that is turned away from God. It is the progression of sin and the last stop towards the destruction of a nation, a society, and an individual. It is the quintessential picture of a person that God has allowed to pursue whatever they want. This is a downward spiral, a downward progression. It is not that a person cannot be saved out of it, but we need to recognize that it is the result of a heart that has departed from God. They receive in themselves the recompense of the error that is due.

Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient. Notice that in verse 28, they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. They hate the thought of God and want to eliminate it, but it is complete foolishness because God has written it into their very being. They cannot get rid of it unless they go insane. However, they desire to rid themselves of the knowledge of God.

It is very clear what is behind the whole marriage issue here in California and in the United States. Ultimately, they want to silence the church. They do not want to hear about God anymore; they do not want the conviction of the Word of God. In fact, in certain places in the world today, what I am teaching you from Romans chapter 1 is against the law—in Denmark, in Canada, and it is moving in that direction here in California as well. I guarantee that if Proposition 8 does not pass, this will ultimately become illegal.

We need to recognize what God is saying here: they do not want to retain God in their knowledge. That is why the homosexual agenda seeks to silence the church. They do not want to hear about God anymore because it convicts them. This is a good thing; praise God that they still have conviction of sin because their conscience has not yet been seared as with a hot iron.

It is good to bring the Word of God before a person. If they do not like it, if they get angry at you, and if they do not want to talk to you anymore, praise the Lord! That means there is still conviction. Keep on preaching and keep on bringing the gospel because it is first that conviction of the Holy Spirit that brings a person to the place where they are ready to receive Christ. Just as Jesus said in John chapter 16, the Holy Spirit is in the world to convince the world, or convict the world, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. God convicts a man of his sin, God's righteousness, and the judgment that is coming.

To come upon their sin because of God's righteousness is essential. If a person is still experiencing conviction of sin, and maybe you have family members who are on this progression of sin and have moved into the homosexual lifestyle, keep preaching the gospel to them. Even if they don't want to talk to you, it shows more your love for them than anything else. You don't want them to spend eternity without God. Amen.

The book of Romans is a good starting point for that because it declares the gospel, which justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies. The gospel is the power of God. Don't be ashamed to preach it. We have a whole bunch of banners for Proposition 8 in the lobby of the sanctuary. When I first looked at that banner, a thought went through my mind, and it was satanic. I thought, "Oh, but what would my neighbors think?" I don't care what my neighbors think. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; it is the power of God unto salvation.

I know that the enemy wants to sow that thought in me as your pastor and even in you as well: "Oh, what would my neighbors think?" No, who cares what your neighbors think? They need to know the truth of the gospel. They need to know the truth of morality that is declared in the Word of God. The book of Romans is a good starting point. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. God, we thank You that You stirred Paul and hindered him from going to Rome so that he would write this letter. We ask that You would give us the boldness that Paul had by Your Spirit, to be ready in season and out of season to preach the Word and not to back down, even if that meant his arrest and ultimately his death.

Lord, there may come a day, there may come a time in our own nation where the things we are looking at in Your gospel here in the book of Romans become against the law as man sees it. But Lord, I pray that You would give us boldness to speak the truth, to stand, and to not be ashamed, because this is Your power to bring salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification in the life of all who would believe.

Lord, give us opportunities to share Your Word with those in our families, those in our workplaces, and those we spend time with as friends, that they would know the truth and that the truth would set them free as it has set us free. Thank You. We praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thank you, author.