WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Well, good morning, everyone. 00:00:03.980 --> 00:00:08.960 It'd be great if you get out your Bibles and the St. Paul's app, if you've got that in 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:12.439 front of you and you'll find an outline for today's message. 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:19.179 Romans is perhaps the most written about book in the whole of the Bible. 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:27.039 Its structure, its purpose, its content has been the subject of debate throughout church 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:27.539 history. 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:37.119 This book is both disarmingly simple and yet devastatingly profound and deep at the same 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:37.640 time. 00:00:38.439 --> 00:00:47.239 Much of my framework of thinking as a Christian finds its foundation in this book as it does 00:00:47.239 --> 00:00:52.219 for so many Reformed evangelicals. 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:59.119 Having said that, I have never preached through the book of Romans in nearly three decades 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:00.320 of pastoral ministry. 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:05.120 Now, for those of you who are currently questioning, yes, I am a Christian. 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:09.500 You may now be questioning whether I'm a pastor. 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:15.640 But we are going to spend two terms in this book together. 00:01:16.820 --> 00:01:18.800 That's how crucial I think it is. 00:01:19.160 --> 00:01:26.780 One of the things I might just add by way of encouragement as well is that we have developed, 00:01:26.780 --> 00:01:34.239 we have formed a little preaching development group here that for some who have never preached 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.820 before and some who are a bit more seasoned at it. 00:01:38.460 --> 00:01:41.560 And collectively, we're working through the book of Romans together. 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:46.599 And so throughout this series, you will see some new faces from amongst our congregation 00:01:46.599 --> 00:01:50.520 up preaching from this book in the next two months. 00:01:50.519 --> 00:01:53.459 So I'm very much encouraged by that. 00:01:53.920 --> 00:01:59.819 And I hope that you would be too and be encouraging of them when they have their term to do so. 00:02:00.679 --> 00:02:05.739 So four points today in your app, the power of Romans, who is the gospel? 00:02:05.899 --> 00:02:08.840 What is the gospel and the power of the gospel? 00:02:09.180 --> 00:02:10.740 First of all, the power of Romans. 00:02:11.479 --> 00:02:17.000 Paul's letter to the Romans is one of the most powerful and influential pieces of literature 00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:18.120 ever written. 00:02:18.120 --> 00:02:26.300 It has been the force behind some of the most significant transformations in history. 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:34.039 Saint Augustine, the most brilliant theologian of the early centuries, possibly at the time, 00:02:34.180 --> 00:02:40.060 the smartest guy in the world at the time, came to conviction of sin and salvation after 00:02:40.060 --> 00:02:43.900 reading some verses from the 13th chapter of Romans. 00:02:43.900 --> 00:02:56.240 Martin Luther recovered the doctrine of salvation by faith from his study of Romans 1.17 and went on to lead the 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:57.379 Protestant Reformation. 00:02:57.939 --> 00:03:01.860 He is the father of us sitting here today in a Protestant church. 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:08.879 John Bunyan was so inspired as he studied the great things of Romans as he sat in Bedford 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:12.340 jail that he wrote the immortal pilgrim's progress. 00:03:13.139 --> 00:03:20.439 It is regarded as one of the most significant works of theological fiction in English literature. 00:03:20.439 --> 00:03:28.879 It has been translated into more than 200 languages and has never been out of print since it was first 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:31.560 written in 1678. 00:03:31.560 --> 00:03:34.420 never been out of print. 00:03:35.939 --> 00:03:41.340 While listening to the reading of Luther's preface to the book of Romans, 00:03:41.479 --> 00:03:50.460 John Wesley said that he felt his heart strangely warmed in conversation and became the catalyst 00:03:50.460 --> 00:03:54.340 for the great evangelical revival of the 18th century. 00:03:54.340 --> 00:04:02.020 And then there's the great English pastor, John Stott, who had such an enormous impact on the church in the United 00:04:02.020 --> 00:04:09.240 Kingdom, the USA and Australia, and more profoundly, in fact, in the developing world in the last century. 00:04:09.620 --> 00:04:15.640 And he wrote this about his love-hate relationship with Romans. 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:27.639 Because of its joyful, painful, personal challenges, it was Paul's devastating exposure of universal human sin and guilt 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:35.399 in Romans 1.18 to 3.20, which we will be looking at in the coming weeks, which rescued me from that kind of 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:43.000 superficial evangelism which is preoccupied only with people's felt needs. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:52.319 There is no doubt about the power of this book to bring radical change in life. 00:04:53.759 --> 00:05:06.459 The reason Romans has proved to be so life-changing and history-shaping is because fundamentally this book is about the gospel. 00:05:06.459 --> 00:05:15.259 The gospel changes lives, including the author of Romans, the Apostle Paul. 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:26.399 He was formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, a Jewish law-abiding Pharisee famous for his aggressive attempts to put an end to Christianity. 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:34.519 Until that was, the resurrected Jesus appeared to him on his way to persecute some more Christians. 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:49.939 Saul of Tarsus became Paul, known from then on by his Greek name, Paul, as apostle to the Greek-speaking world, to the Gentiles. 00:05:51.079 --> 00:06:03.699 We see that in the very first verse, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:13.120 The gospel, this gospel, which is the foundation of Romans, is what Paul's life is all about. 00:06:13.219 --> 00:06:15.959 In verse 14 and 15, he puts it like this. 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:16.539 He says, 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:32.960 The word obligated there means a debt. 00:06:33.759 --> 00:06:35.160 I've got a debt to pay. 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:38.379 And it's a debt that must be paid to everyone. 00:06:38.379 --> 00:06:48.639 Notice that ultimately, because of the gospel, the debt that Paul has is a debt to God for his grace towards him. 00:06:49.019 --> 00:06:55.079 And yet, it's a debt that he doesn't pay back to God in good works and religion and other. 00:06:55.159 --> 00:06:57.800 It's a debt that he says, I owe to people. 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:00.800 I owe to humanity. 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:06.259 And he's eager to pay this debt. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:12.240 He is a man who cannot rest until all hear the gospel. 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:21.300 The gospel that has so transformed his life, and as we have just sung about, set him free. 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:30.780 Set him free so that he is now, describes himself in verse 1, as a doulos, as a slave of Christ. 00:07:34.220 --> 00:07:41.840 Now, as a brief note here, side note, I received a summary of our NCLS data. 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.139 You know that survey we did, you know, a month or more ago? 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:46.779 Probably longer than that now. 00:07:47.899 --> 00:07:51.039 I received some preliminary information back from that already. 00:07:52.099 --> 00:08:00.879 And it was a huge encouragement for me to read that 29% of those who filled out that survey 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:10.759 self-describe as feeling at ease talking about their faith with others and looking for opportunities to do so. 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:15.259 You know what's so encouraging for me about that? 00:08:15.879 --> 00:08:19.339 Five years ago, 14% of us said that. 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:23.360 29% of us are now saying it. 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:33.340 And even more so, 98% of us said, God is the most important reality of my life. 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:38.580 That's encouraging as a pastor. 00:08:40.759 --> 00:08:50.639 So, Paul was writing this letter to the Christian church in Rome around about AD 57. 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:58.259 He was most likely writing it during his third missionary journey while he was in Corinth. 00:08:59.179 --> 00:09:02.899 He was writing to a group of Christians that he had never met. 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:05.819 But he wanted to meet them. 00:09:05.820 --> 00:09:16.300 And he wanted them to understand the gospel and to experience the gospel that they already knew and had experienced. 00:09:17.580 --> 00:09:20.820 His goal for them was transformation. 00:09:21.800 --> 00:09:26.660 He describes it in verse 13 as a great harvest amongst them. 00:09:26.659 --> 00:09:38.779 He wants the Christians to be encouraged in Rome to apply the gospel into every area of their life so that no area is untouched. 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:41.100 He describes that as a harvest. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:47.480 And he wants the non-Christians to discover the freedom of the gospel for the first time. 00:09:48.079 --> 00:09:49.959 He describes that as a great harvest. 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:56.220 So, secondly, who is the gospel? 00:09:57.440 --> 00:10:05.960 Now, the word gospel shows up more in the first 17 verses here than anywhere else in Romans. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:15.940 In fact, the word gospel appears per phrase in these verses more so than anywhere else in the entire Bible. 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:24.880 The word gospel means good herald or a heralder of good news. 00:10:25.860 --> 00:10:37.480 In the first century, if there's a far-flung battlefield, an emperor wins a great victory, secured peace and establishes authority, 00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:45.280 he would send a herald throughout the empire to proclaim the victory and the peace and the authority. 00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:50.179 That is, fundamentally, what that means is the gospel is an announcement. 00:10:51.339 --> 00:10:53.279 The gospel is a declaration. 00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:02.860 The gospel, the Christian gospel, is not good advice on how to live life. 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:06.279 It is news. 00:11:07.199 --> 00:11:11.879 It is good news about what has been done already. 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:19.019 See, the essence of the Christian message, the Christian faith, is good, joyful news. 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:26.139 And that's the difference between Christian faith and every other philosophy and religion. 00:11:27.439 --> 00:11:29.919 Only Christianity is good news. 00:11:31.700 --> 00:11:35.159 It's not advice about how to get connected with God. 00:11:35.159 --> 00:11:39.139 It's not about how you should live your life in order for God to relate to you. 00:11:40.339 --> 00:11:43.480 It's about something that has already been done. 00:11:43.480 --> 00:11:53.500 Now, I reckon if we went out on the streets and asked the average person what they thought the essence of Christianity was, 00:11:55.100 --> 00:12:00.560 they'd be saying something like, well, you know, like, do what Jesus did, like, live like Jesus, 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:02.960 or, you know, follow the golden rule. 00:12:04.420 --> 00:12:05.539 Live the golden rule. 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:07.680 Do to others as you'd have them do to you. 00:12:07.740 --> 00:12:09.879 That kind of captures Christianity, if you like. 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:13.899 Now, let me just say, that's a great idea, by the way. 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:15.700 You know, I'd encourage that completely. 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:18.480 Go and do to others as they would do to you. 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:21.679 Imagine what good would come of that if we all leave that. 00:12:22.879 --> 00:12:23.919 I'm all for it. 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:26.519 But that's not good news. 00:12:28.919 --> 00:12:30.519 It's not the heart of Christianity. 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:36.320 What is it for you? 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:39.540 What do you think is the heart of Christianity? 00:12:41.060 --> 00:12:44.740 Is it mainly about what you need to do? 00:12:45.720 --> 00:12:51.060 Or is it mainly about what has been done outside of you, but for you? 00:12:53.600 --> 00:13:00.720 What we are told here is that Paul has been commissioned by God 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:07.340 to be the herald of this news to the Gentile world. 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:12.540 This gospel is not Paul's. 00:13:12.920 --> 00:13:13.980 This is not his news. 00:13:14.060 --> 00:13:14.980 He hasn't thought it up. 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:17.940 It is of God, as we are told in verse 1. 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:21.600 Neither is the gospel a new idea. 00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:24.720 We are told in verse 2 that God promised the gospel beforehand 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:27.360 through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:32.600 That is, the whole Bible is pointing forward to this announcement. 00:13:33.220 --> 00:13:35.259 It's a build-up to this announcement. 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:41.659 The scriptures are the platform on which the apostle Paul stands, 00:13:42.100 --> 00:13:46.399 so to speak, as God's herald to the Gentile world. 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:53.980 And it's not until we get to verse 3 that we see that the gospel 00:13:53.980 --> 00:14:00.600 is not an idea per se, but a person. 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:03.699 It's a who. 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:07.299 The gospel is a who, not a what. 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:11.559 The content of the gospel is God's son. 00:14:12.939 --> 00:14:14.679 We never grasp the gospel. 00:14:15.719 --> 00:14:18.279 We never experience the implications of the gospel 00:14:18.279 --> 00:14:24.939 until we understand fundamentally that it's not a message 00:14:24.939 --> 00:14:30.719 about our lives, about our dreams, about our hopes. 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:40.980 The gospel speaks about, and it does transform all of those things, 00:14:41.779 --> 00:14:46.500 but only because it's not about us. 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:52.200 It is a declaration about God's son. 00:14:53.540 --> 00:14:57.120 In verse 3, we are told this son was fully human. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:00.799 He was also the one who fulfilled the promises of Scripture 00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:03.240 as the descendant of David, king of Israel, 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:06.659 about a millennium before the apostle Paul. 00:15:08.159 --> 00:15:12.139 God had promised to David that through his family, 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:17.060 he would produce the ultimate, universal, and final king, 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:20.779 the Christ, the Messiah, who will reign the universe, 00:15:21.680 --> 00:15:23.220 sit on the throne of heaven. 00:15:23.220 --> 00:15:27.840 Verse 4 tells us that his son is not just human, 00:15:27.960 --> 00:15:28.980 but he's also divine. 00:15:29.899 --> 00:15:32.420 The son was declared with power to be the son of God 00:15:32.420 --> 00:15:35.759 by his resurrection from the dead. 00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:39.879 That is simply saying that the empty tomb 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:46.720 is the great declaration of who Jesus is, 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:51.920 and that his resurrection declares his right 00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:56.460 to rule all things as the only one to conquer death. 00:15:58.460 --> 00:16:01.779 But it's not until we get to the end of verse 4 00:16:01.779 --> 00:16:04.660 that we get the name of the who. 00:16:05.560 --> 00:16:08.279 Jesus Christ, our Lord. 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:11.860 That is who the gospel is. 00:16:13.360 --> 00:16:14.779 The gospel is Jesus. 00:16:14.779 --> 00:16:19.519 So thirdly, what is the gospel? 00:16:20.360 --> 00:16:22.079 To get to the what of the gospel, 00:16:22.860 --> 00:16:24.939 we need to skip down to verse 17. 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:28.079 For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed, 00:16:28.199 --> 00:16:30.439 a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, 00:16:30.819 --> 00:16:33.500 just as it is written, the righteous will live by faith. 00:16:34.339 --> 00:16:36.779 Now this is the verse that transformed 00:16:37.399 --> 00:16:41.819 the Roman Catholic German monk, Martin Luther. 00:16:41.820 --> 00:16:46.240 He had been taught, as a Roman Catholic, 00:16:46.400 --> 00:16:49.520 he had been taught that God required him 00:16:49.520 --> 00:16:53.920 to live a righteous life in order to be saved. 00:16:55.020 --> 00:16:58.060 He had grown, in fact, to hate God 00:16:58.060 --> 00:17:03.700 for requiring him to do that which he could not do. 00:17:03.700 --> 00:17:09.660 And, in his own words, for leaving him alone to do it, 00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:12.440 to achieve the thing that he could not achieve. 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:15.860 This is how he explains it himself 00:17:15.860 --> 00:17:19.200 in his introductory to the book of Romans. 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:23.279 He says, 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:28.220 He's talking about verse 17 here. 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:30.039 How to understand God's word. 00:17:30.120 --> 00:17:32.220 The expression, the righteousness of God, 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:33.660 blocked the way. 00:17:34.360 --> 00:17:35.700 Because I took it to mean 00:17:35.700 --> 00:17:39.200 that righteousness whereby God is righteous 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:43.539 and deals righteously in punishing the unrighteous. 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:49.879 Although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner. 00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:57.279 Therefore, I did not love a righteous and an angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. 00:17:58.200 --> 00:18:11.740 Then I grumbled that the righteousness of God is that righteousness by which through faith and sheer mercy, God justifies us by faith. 00:18:11.740 --> 00:18:24.019 Thereupon, I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. 00:18:25.039 --> 00:18:28.240 I broke through. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:47.539 The gospel is about Jesus Christ and the achievement of it is that in it, a righteousness of God is revealed. 00:18:47.539 --> 00:19:00.599 Now, we get a pretty good handle on what the word righteousness means by simply asking ourselves, what does right mean? 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:06.399 What does it mean to be right in your school? 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:13.000 What does it mean to be in a right place or right relationship in your workplace? 00:19:13.519 --> 00:19:16.959 What does it mean to be right in a right relationship with the government? 00:19:17.339 --> 00:19:19.779 What does it mean to be in a right relationship with another person? 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:24.879 That is, the word righteousness is a positional word. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:31.960 It means to have a good standing, to be in a right relationship with. 00:19:35.020 --> 00:19:41.120 That is, I'm accepted because there's no record of wrong against me. 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:47.040 I don't have debts and liabilities against my name. 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:56.379 Verse 17 says that this right position before God comes from God. 00:19:57.619 --> 00:20:05.779 That is, God has done something through his son that means that we have a right standing before him. 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:10.639 This is what caused Luther to break through. 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:27.300 In fact, this God regards us to such a degree that in verse 7, he boldly declares that these Christians in Rome are loved by God. 00:20:28.040 --> 00:20:29.320 Loved by God. 00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:30.840 What is that? 00:20:32.540 --> 00:20:38.980 What is it that Martin Luther discovered and caused him, in his own words, to break through? 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.480 He discovered the gospel is more than just forgiveness. 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:48.240 That's what he discovered. 00:20:51.560 --> 00:20:57.259 Forgiveness is one of the huge, enormous benefits of the gospel. 00:20:58.380 --> 00:21:00.960 But it's not the only benefit of the gospel. 00:21:04.220 --> 00:21:08.720 Imagine a person has been in prison all of their life. 00:21:08.800 --> 00:21:09.980 They're guilty of crimes. 00:21:09.980 --> 00:21:10.980 They're guilty of crimes. 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:11.539 They're guilty of crimes. 00:21:11.539 --> 00:21:16.740 How does that person get a new life? 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:20.779 How do they get a new life? 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:26.680 You could say, well, they could break free from prison and then have the authorities continue to chase them. 00:21:27.180 --> 00:21:28.220 Much of a new life. 00:21:30.120 --> 00:21:35.059 That person needs a pardon is what they need. 00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:35.940 They need a pardon. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:38.799 Imagine that happens. 00:21:38.799 --> 00:21:42.839 The governor of New South Wales gifts you with a pardon. 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:51.839 And at that point, you walk out of prison and you have been released from prison. 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:53.779 Front doors are open. 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:55.480 There you are. 00:21:56.579 --> 00:21:57.019 Wow. 00:21:57.839 --> 00:21:58.819 New life. 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:00.220 No. 00:22:01.079 --> 00:22:02.279 No, no, no. 00:22:02.279 --> 00:22:04.759 Half a new life. 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:07.240 Not a complete new life. 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:11.539 All that's happened is you're no longer in prison. 00:22:12.579 --> 00:22:16.420 What you need at that point is a rebuild life. 00:22:16.420 --> 00:22:22.259 If all you get is to walk out of prison, you have got a long road ahead of you rebuilding your life. 00:22:23.660 --> 00:22:24.400 Long road. 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:31.540 The salvation that the Christian gospel brings is not so much a pardon that gets you out of prison. 00:22:31.940 --> 00:22:33.780 It's a pardon that gets you out of prison. 00:22:34.120 --> 00:22:39.060 And when you walk out of prison, you get the Order of Australia dumped over you at the same time. 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:45.659 You get chauffeur driven to your harborside mansion. 00:22:45.660 --> 00:22:54.620 You get your bank accounts filled, your family, your celebration of the community, social life, invites. 00:22:55.140 --> 00:22:57.960 It's incomprehensible what you get. 00:22:59.620 --> 00:23:01.200 That's the Christian gospel. 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:10.100 It's like the richest person in Australia, not just paying off my debts, but swapping bank accounts with me. 00:23:11.660 --> 00:23:13.120 That's the Christian gospel. 00:23:14.120 --> 00:23:17.100 Not just a pardon, but a new life. 00:23:21.100 --> 00:23:24.500 2 Corinthians 5.21 captures it for us. 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:36.240 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 00:23:37.339 --> 00:23:44.019 He who was the righteousness of God became sin so that we who had sinned would become the righteousness of God. 00:23:45.660 --> 00:23:47.359 We've swapped places. 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:59.679 The sinless one took our sin on himself and received the just punishment for our sin so that we might be in God as if we've never sinned. 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:07.000 It's a legal declaration of right standing. 00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:16.779 We are covered, if you like, not just released from prison, but we are covered with all of Jesus' awards. 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:24.699 All of his assets, his friends, his family, all of his worth and his value, so to speak. 00:24:25.819 --> 00:24:27.759 We are covered with his glory. 00:24:28.679 --> 00:24:31.000 All the honour that he deserves is on us. 00:24:33.179 --> 00:24:39.939 The immeasurable, holy, limitless, glorious God delights in us. 00:24:40.419 --> 00:24:43.539 In Jesus, God approves of you. 00:24:43.539 --> 00:24:46.659 And Luther discovered in verse 17. 00:24:47.359 --> 00:24:50.259 It had nothing to do with his religion. 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:53.399 Nothing to do with his obedience. 00:24:54.899 --> 00:25:00.079 It was outside of him and credited to him. 00:25:00.079 --> 00:25:10.960 And that man, because of that, like the Apostle Paul, gave everything that the world might know that. 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:19.840 The power of Romans ultimately is because it's the power of the gospel. 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:27.539 We've touched on who the Christian gospel is and what it achieves, whose it's transformed. 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:30.839 And lastly, it's also important to get the grasp of the power to be transformed. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:34.579 Verse 16, he says, 00:25:34.579 --> 00:25:53.439 Now, this is not saying that the gospel brings the power of God or that the gospel results in the power of God. 00:25:53.440 --> 00:26:02.059 It is saying that the gospel is the power of God for transformation. 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:06.519 It is the power for transformation. 00:26:06.519 --> 00:26:30.680 That is, when we hear it, when we understand it, and when we grasp hold of it and push it down into our hearts to the degree that we get the gospel into our hearts and it shapes our lives to that degree that the power of God is actively working in our lives. 00:26:30.680 --> 00:27:00.660 That's what it means. 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:03.220 And he writes of breaking through. 00:27:05.039 --> 00:27:08.120 He experienced the power of the gospel in his life. 00:27:09.660 --> 00:27:12.620 What might the power of God look like in your life? 00:27:14.580 --> 00:27:20.080 Well, here's a couple of clues in terms of what the power might look like living in our lives at the moment. 00:27:20.200 --> 00:27:30.120 First of all, the first thing that happens when the power of God is working in your life through the gospel is that the gospel becomes offensive. 00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:33.820 That's the first thing. 00:27:34.220 --> 00:27:35.640 That's unusual thing to say. 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:37.940 It becomes offensive. 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:40.519 You start wrestling with the gospel. 00:27:40.519 --> 00:27:51.500 Notice that connected to the power of God in the gospel in verse 16 is Paul's statement that he's not ashamed of it. 00:27:53.059 --> 00:28:01.139 That means that there are people ashamed, or another word for ashamed, in fact, in the original Greek is offended. 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:03.220 I'm not offended of the gospel. 00:28:03.220 --> 00:28:15.720 Everyone who hasn't experienced gospel transformation finds the gospel crazy. 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:18.519 It makes no sense. 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:25.359 But it's, in fact, one of the necessary steps to experiencing the power of the gospel. 00:28:26.180 --> 00:28:31.639 It's offensive because it tells us that salvation is free and undeserving. 00:28:31.640 --> 00:28:42.380 It tells us that we are such spiritual failures, and we're going to discover this in the next couple of weeks, so get ready for that. 00:28:43.420 --> 00:28:53.420 That we are such spiritual failures that the only way to gain salvation is for it to become to us as a complete gift. 00:28:54.520 --> 00:28:56.040 You can't do anything for it. 00:28:56.039 --> 00:29:02.259 It also tells us that we are so wicked, so wicked. 00:29:02.359 --> 00:29:03.480 We're not just flawed. 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:09.440 We are so wicked that only the death of the Son of God could possibly save us. 00:29:11.480 --> 00:29:22.420 That's offensive to the modern self-expression and to the belief of the innate goodness of all people. 00:29:23.599 --> 00:29:24.859 That's offensive. 00:29:26.039 --> 00:29:32.920 The gospel in its foundation declares people are not innately good, but they're innately evil. 00:29:35.819 --> 00:29:40.659 Which, frankly, in our world is much easier to prove than the innate goodness of people. 00:29:40.660 --> 00:29:56.800 It's also offensive because it says that the so-called good people, whether they be good because of good works or good because of religion, cannot possibly be saved. 00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:03.319 The nice person can never find their own way to God. 00:30:05.419 --> 00:30:14.279 It's also offensive because the gospel tells us salvation comes through suffering and serving, not through conquering and destroying. 00:30:14.279 --> 00:30:21.799 That's offensive to the person who wants a life of comfort and ease. 00:30:21.799 --> 00:30:31.700 That is, this gospel is offensive to conservatives and to progressives, to the east and the west, to the male and the female, to the rich, the poor, the wise, the foolish, the young and old. 00:30:31.700 --> 00:30:33.539 It's offensive to everyone. 00:30:33.539 --> 00:30:37.100 At one level, it will be offensive to you. 00:30:37.099 --> 00:30:47.219 And if you don't feel the offense of the gospel, you don't know what it claims. 00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:56.460 If you've never felt the offense of the gospel, you don't know what it claims. 00:30:59.980 --> 00:31:04.160 And so, therefore, you can never experience its power in your life. 00:31:06.579 --> 00:31:13.519 When you start to wrestle with the gospel, as I said last week with Charles Simeon in his life, 00:31:13.519 --> 00:31:19.700 when you wrestle with the gospel, it unsettles you, it disturbs you. 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:31.200 The second way, the second evidence that we are breaking through and the power of the gospel is at work in our lives is in verse 7. 00:31:32.779 --> 00:31:38.799 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people. 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:44.579 The gospel declares that we are loved by God in Jesus Christ. 00:31:46.119 --> 00:31:48.519 Jesus has gone to death row for us. 00:31:49.700 --> 00:31:57.460 And if we are loved and we know that we are loved and we will know that we are loved with the power of the gospel is at work in us, 00:31:57.460 --> 00:32:08.220 we are called, we are invited, dare I say we are attracted to be his holy people. 00:32:09.740 --> 00:32:11.180 His holy people. 00:32:13.120 --> 00:32:19.180 See, if we think that the gospel is just about sin management, dealing with my need for forgiveness, 00:32:19.180 --> 00:32:28.460 then we entirely miss that God's purpose in sending his son was to forgive people, 00:32:28.660 --> 00:32:35.100 to make them his so that he can build a new community, new humanity made in the image of his son. 00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:38.400 A holy people. 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:41.759 A people set apart for himself. 00:32:41.759 --> 00:32:41.980 A people set apart for himself. 00:32:42.980 --> 00:32:51.500 We never have the righteousness of God put on us in Jesus without holiness. 00:32:52.779 --> 00:32:54.559 It never comes. 00:32:54.759 --> 00:33:01.500 You never get the righteousness of God in the gospel put on you in Jesus without holiness. 00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:10.839 That is, without it at the same time starting to develop holiness within you. 00:33:10.839 --> 00:33:20.559 And so, again, I would make a bold statement and say that if holiness is not developing within you, 00:33:21.399 --> 00:33:25.419 then you have not received his righteousness upon you. 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:35.359 If holiness, if the spirit of God is not working in you and bringing transformation in your life, 00:33:35.359 --> 00:33:40.819 then you have not received his righteousness upon you. 00:33:43.119 --> 00:33:48.359 If you are loved, you are called, and you are attracted into a life of holiness, 00:33:48.539 --> 00:33:52.819 a life of being shaped into the likeness of his son, Jesus Christ. 00:33:53.379 --> 00:33:55.379 More than that, you long for that. 00:33:56.139 --> 00:33:59.619 You want to look like the one who has loved you. 00:33:59.619 --> 00:34:02.099 You want to please him. 00:34:05.099 --> 00:34:06.599 So think of it. 00:34:07.379 --> 00:34:16.500 Think of how the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ has changed so many lives throughout history. 00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:25.420 It is possible, amazingly possible, because of this righteousness in the gospel, 00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:28.280 to stand sinless before God. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:33.900 It is possible to know that you have life for all of eternity, 00:34:34.840 --> 00:34:41.820 apt to stand as I do now today and have absolute confidence of eternal life. 00:34:41.820 --> 00:34:49.420 It is possible to be free from all the frustrations of trying to earn a right standing before God, 00:34:49.500 --> 00:34:53.340 the uncertainty, free from the pride of religion, 00:34:54.340 --> 00:34:57.880 to have purpose and a good name for yourself, 00:34:58.220 --> 00:35:00.440 to know for certain that you have a legacy. 00:35:02.220 --> 00:35:08.360 It is possible, like Martin Luther and Bunyan and Wesley and Calvin 00:35:08.360 --> 00:35:10.680 and countless of other people, 00:35:11.680 --> 00:35:12.800 to break through. 00:35:14.500 --> 00:35:15.640 To break through. 00:35:17.180 --> 00:35:21.500 And the sole requirement of that breakthrough is faith. 00:35:21.700 --> 00:35:22.240 Not effort. 00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:23.640 It's faith. 00:35:25.220 --> 00:35:30.920 Faith that the gospel is the power of God for everyone who believes. 00:35:30.920 --> 00:35:33.360 And so let me pray. 00:35:34.559 --> 00:35:40.079 And may this be a prayer that you might echo for the next two terms 00:35:40.079 --> 00:35:42.380 as we go through this series. 00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:50.559 Father, we know that a humble spirit is indispensable to you. 00:35:51.159 --> 00:35:53.860 You do not despise the humble in heart. 00:35:54.639 --> 00:35:56.599 And it's indispensable to learning. 00:35:56.599 --> 00:36:04.319 And we pray that as we consider the message of Romans in these coming two terms, 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:11.099 so great, so history-changing, and yet sometimes so familiar to us, 00:36:12.019 --> 00:36:16.659 that through the study of this book, you will give us a spirit of humility. 00:36:16.659 --> 00:36:25.920 We pray that the power of the gospel that has been exhibited in the lives of the Apostle Paul 00:36:25.920 --> 00:36:32.319 and Augustine and Luther and Calvin and Wesley and Bunyan and Stott and so many others, 00:36:32.799 --> 00:36:36.239 that power which comes from grasping the gospel 00:36:36.239 --> 00:36:41.559 and appropriating it in all areas of life by faith, 00:36:41.559 --> 00:36:45.360 may it be seen in us. 00:36:47.219 --> 00:36:51.820 Give us, we pray, a continued spirit of humility. 00:36:53.460 --> 00:36:57.940 May we continue in prayer throughout this series 00:36:57.940 --> 00:37:02.400 that each one of us may break through. 00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:05.280 And we pray it. 00:37:06.720 --> 00:37:12.440 We pray it in the glorious name of Jesus Christ, our Savior, 00:37:13.160 --> 00:37:14.460 the righteousness from God. 00:37:14.980 --> 00:37:15.320 Amen.