Romans intro Study(The Greatest Gift of all)
Notes
Transcript
Opening Verse:
King James Version Chapter 6
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Ever since the Garden of Eden, where Eve was deceived by the serpent to eat of the knowledge of good and evil, we have always been fallen. Fallen means that humanity is now a sinful people who are indebted to God. We broke our covenant with God by rebelling and disobeying His Word. None can escape the grasp of sin. The Bible says in Psalms 51..."
King James Version Psalm 51:5
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
And in sin did my mother conceive me.
What this means is that we are born into a sinful world. You may question why God keeps creating people and putting them into this sinful world, and that’s because He has given us all that we need in this life to overcome the sin of this world. He has given the greatest gift of all. In this Christmas season, it is not about the presents, the hot chocolate, the snow, but it is about the Savior. I’m not saying those are bad things—believe me, I love all of those things—but we must never lose focus of the gift God has given us. Jesus was born into this world as a servant to give Himself up for this world so we have a way to overcome sin.
One of the biggest issues in our country is debt. Even our country itself is in debt. For a country as profitable as we are and as blessed as we are with resources, there should be no reason for the debt we have.
- According to Dr. Google, close to 80% of adult Americans are in debt.
- The average American debt is $60,000. Of course, this is something that some people cannot control, but it cannot be ignored as a major issue.
There is one category that about 100% of Americans are in debt. Can anyone guess?
The whole world is in debt to sin, and it is a price that no one can pay because the price is your life. Sin leads to death and destruction, and all of humanity is in debt to sin.
Knowing all of this, imagine receiving a handwritten letter from God, saying, 'I’ve paid your debt, and now you are free to live in joy!'
There was one man who did not make it into that number of people indebted to sin, and that was Jesus, who was God manifested in flesh.
God made a decision not to send someone to do the work on the cross, but to come Himself. What God did on this Earth was Him saying that every person who is born into this world of sin is worthy of His life. I am thankful that God cared that much about me, that He was willing to humble Himself to come and die for me. It’s pretty incredible when you think about it! He came here knowing that not everyone would accept Him, but still chose to die for them. This is why Christmas is so special to Christians because it is the birth of the Savior who has come to save His people.
I never want to take for granted what God did for humanity. We are all sinful by nature and are in need of a Savior.
King James Version Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Through the work that He performed on this Earth, God has made a way for humanity to form a relationship with the Creator that was stripped away in the Garden of Eden at the fall of man.
This is what we see Paul address in the book of Romans. In this book, he is addressing salvation and humanity's need for a Savior.
In this class, we are gonna address what Paul deals with in the first chapter of his letter to the church in Rome.
The Apostle Paul was a murderer of Christians, a member of the Jewish religious group known as the Sanhedrin, and was converted by the Lord in Acts 8. If you haven’t learned about him yet, I would recommend reading the book of Acts and learning about how he turned his life around and started planting churches all throughout the ancient world. He is one of my favorite people in the Bible because of his testimony. His life is a testament that no matter what condition you are in, or how far you are from the Lord, He can still use you.
Paul was used to write 13 out of the 27 books of the New Testament. In many cases, he was addressing churches that he started, such as the books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians. That wasn’t the case with the book of Romans. The church in Rome was actually not formed because of the ministry of Paul. It is believed that this church was formed directly because of the Day of Pentecost. Many who were saved on that day are believed to have returned home and started this church in Rome.
When Paul wrote this letter, it is said that he wrote it in 56-57 AD in the city of Corinth. Paul had not visited this church at all but was planning on visiting it. Paul knew that a church in Rome had a lot of influence, and that was part of his motivation to write to and visit this church.
The structure of Romans is built similarly to a case. Paul begins this book by addressing the sinfulness of man, and we will see this throughout the first chapter."
Can I have someone read from Romans 1:1-7?
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7 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.
A customary formula for the introduction of ancient letters included: 1 Naming and identifying the author, 2. Naming those who are receiving the letter, and 3. then a word of salutation, which are words of greeting and blessing.
We see this letter’s introduction demonstrate this formula.
Verse 1:
In Verse one Paul describes himself as separated for the gospel which can also be translated as set apart for the gospel.
Paul is demonstrating his credibility in writing this letter. He is also showing that he has sold himself to the call of God. His purpose in life is to share the gospel with all. This world needs people like Paul who are going to deny themselves and carry their cross to spread the good news that their is a savior and He want’s relationship with His creation.
Verse 2-3:
Paul is saying that this gospel message is nothing new but it is what the prophets of the Old Testament prophets had been warning people about. The OT prophets were prophesying about the coming messiah who we know is Jesus Christ.
Paul through these two verse was reminding people that their faith is not in something new but it is in something that is yielding to the law of Moses and the prophets. The work of Jesus is what the Law and the prophets were setting up.
Paul reminds the people in verse 3 that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.
Verse 6-7:
In Verse 6 Paul says that all are called of Jesus Christ. Paul’s use of the word “Ye” communicates that it is intended for all. This letter isn’t just for those of the Roman church but this letter is inspired God to communicate to everyone who reads it’s pages.
Alright lets move on to next section: Verses Romans 1:8-15
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 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;
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
Just a few things:
In verses 9-11:
Paul may not physically be there for the church but he reminds them that he is always interceding for them in prayer.
This is something that we must embrace in the modern church and take away from the elders. We must never forget the power in prayer. I know for sure that Pastor and every other saint of this church has spoken your name in prayer. I know when I am having a bad day I remind myself that I have a church that is praying for me. We are called also to intercede for one another and even for our loved ones who may not pray at all. God is calling us to stand in the gap for somebody. I feel like a lie that the enemy likes to put in your head is that you have nothing to pray for. This world needs apostolic young people who are willing to stand in the gap and pray for them. We have a high calling and you can start this today.
Verses 13-14:
Again Paul demonstrates his longing to be with the church in Rome but reminds them that his focus and priority is to go to places without the churches. He is called to church plant and this is proof to verse one that he is a servant to Christ. Wherever God leads him is where he goes no matter what he wishes to do. My question to you all is whether we would have this same sensitivity in our life. If God asked you to talk to a loved one, or maybe a friend at school or even someone from work, would you listen? We need to be careful not to elevate the Biblical characters so high that we can’t compare to them. They are as much human as we are today. God can use us in the same way as he used Paul but it’s up to us to say yes. We gotta ask God everyday to help our unbelief.
Can someone read verses 16-17 for me?
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Verse 16:
We need to have this same mindset in our life that I will never be embarrassed or ashamed of this gospel message. it is that same message that has changed my life and can change the lives of all who accept it. It’s this message that bring hope to all and gives the satisfaction that our heart longs for. It is the power of God!
It is through this God given method that all will be saved. There is no other method of salvation but through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Verse 16 mentions that it shall be given to the Jews first because of the promise that God made with the Israelites. The Jews are God’s people and this messiah was intended to save them but ironically they were the ones who rejected Jesus. I am thankful that God’s grace wasn’t just for the Jews but it also extends to us as Gentiles.
Verse 17
It is through the gospel only that we can become righteous in this life. There are no amount of self help book or methods of discipline we could fulfill to reach righteousness. It is only through the grace of God and obedience to his gospel that we can achieve true righteousness. As we put our trust in Christ we begin to conform to his image and that is how we become righteous. We cannot boast at all that it is through our ways because it all comes from God.
This next section is a transition into Paul talking about Man’s need for this righteousness because of their sinfulness.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For 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:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Verse 1:18
The wrath of God is referring to God’s holy displeasure and righteous vengeance against sin. God hates sin because of it’s impact upon His people. He knows how much hurt and destruction it brings. I thank God that he doesn’t let us just sit in our sin but instead he loves us so much to correct us. This displeasure that God has is revealed through conviction and through the moral compass which is another way of deciding what is right and wrong.
Paul is trying to demonstrate how humanity is plagued by sin and how sin destroys the spiritual man as a believer. When we allow sin in our life we are quieting the voice of the Lord in our life. We must live a life of repentance because the longer we let the sin sit the more it spreads and grows in our life.
Verse 19-20
These verses are used a lot to prove the existence of God. There will be none without a excuse on judgement day because even the invisible things of Him are revealed through creation. The world around us shows evidence of a creator and of intelligent design. There’s been so many moments in my life where I just think to myself ‘how could anyone not believe in a God created all of this.’ A huge example of this is the distance between the Earth and the sun. If the distance was any closer or any farther away from each other the Earth could not be inhabitable. We would not be able to live here because the temperature and other conditions could not support life. There is no way that chance could factor the amount of space needed. The world may deny this but it doesn’t make the evidence less true.
Verse 21:
Paul is saying in this verse that while people still retained some real knowledge of God people did not yield the adoration due to himself nor recognized Him of who He really is. They were not thankful for the work he has done in their lives.
The Apostolic study Bible says that the first sins were refusal to worship and unthankfulness.
I pray hat we never lose our thankfulness for all that God has done in our life. When we lose thankfulness and worship we start to believe that we have what we have because of what we have done. We don’t truly realize all of what God has done for us until he takes a step back and lets us do what we desire. We must always live a life in thanks.
Verse 22-23
Humanities wisdom is foolishness. This world believes that we can make it through life on our own. As the world goes on, the farther we get from the design that God put into place from the creation of the world. This is where mens wisdom has led us.
In Verse 23 Paul demonstrates the foolishness of men as they make things gods in their life of things that the true God created. Paul is telling them their gods are nothing that is new and are a product of the almighty God. We must be careful that we are not doin this in a modern sense. We may not worship statues of baal or of Ra or Zeus but are we worshiping our phones, celebrities, entertainment of all kinds. Worship is what you spend most of your time with. Are we raising these idols up to a place in your life that God should only inhabit. This brings confusion into life. Idolatry is still a massive issue in 2024. Whether we like to ignore it. I just ask that we become more aware of where our idols may be built up in our life. We must allow God to tear those idols down in our lives.
Verse 24
As a product of turning away from the things of God, God gives us up to our own desires in which we indulge in. This is righteous retribution which mean it is consequence that we rightly deserve for our disobedience to the Word of God.
We may look at this in a negative light but God is always reaching for us. When we are given to our desires we always come back to Him because we realize that our desires cannot keep us in our life but will instead bring us down. Like I said earlier, God is not going to allow us to stay in our sin but he is also not going to force us follow Him.
Verse 25:
We tend to separate the truth of God’s word from the truth of life. We can make ourselves believe that we can do it on our own and that Christianity is just a path. It is not just one path of many paths but instead it is the only path. The truth of Christianity is the truth of this world because God created this world and His truth tells us how to live within it. We changed God’s truth into a lie , we have made what he designed to be beneficial to us a consequence. God designed us to worship. for the purpose to worship Him but because He has given us the opportunity to choose humanity has chosen to make their own gods. We have decided to serve the creation instead of the creator of all things.
Conclusion:
God has laid out the path for us, and now it’s up to us if we are going to live in our sinfulness that Paul described in this first chapter of the book of Romans. God was not surprised by what occurred in the Garden of Eden. He knew that humanity would need a Savior to save them from their sins, and we can see all throughout the Old Testament where God is setting up His plan. I am thankful for God, who didn’t forsake His people when they forsook Him. I know this lesson was kind of a lot, but I believe God wanted someone to realize that yes, you may have sin in your life, but that He didn’t leave you empty-handed. He came to this Earth and died for every single person in this room today, whether you feel worthy of it or not. For that, I thank Him, and for that, I give my life to Him to use.
Can we just pray for the rest of this day and that Lord would speak to us and work in our hearts? Can we also just thank Him for the greatest gift that we can receive which is His salvation?
