Go back to Romans 1 with me now, Romans 1. I love the doctrine of the scripture, teaching. Doctrine means teaching. I love the doctrine of grace. I love to hear it. It is the doctrine of Christ, as John said. But I don't want this to just come across as doctrine. I don't want to just teach you. I want to preach or declare Christ.

And I want you to hear and believe and trust. and find peace and comfort in a person. James said this one time. He said, you believe in one God, you do well. There is one God, one Lord, one faith, one hope of your calling. We need to trust, we need to hear the voice of Christ. We need to hear him speak to us personally. We need to trust him. we need to believe him and confess Christ personally.

There are blessed words though throughout this Romans chapter one, blessed words. And look at verse one. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle. Look at verse six. Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ. Verse seven. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. Called. You're gonna look at this, the call of God. For whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate. Romans 8. Romans 8,

28. We know that all things work together for good to them that love God who are called. They were called, called of God, whom he did foreknow, he did predestinate, whom he predestinated.

He called, how's he called his people? Christ said, my sheep, hear my voice. How? The gospel, the gospel, what I'm doing right now, preaching the gospel. Called, so that word we find, he says, Paul says, I'm called, I'm so thankful that he called me. And this Paul's called.

And he said, you were called, talking to believers, the saints, you were also the call. Revelation 17 says, blessed are they who are called, Revelation 19, blessed are those that are called to the married supper of the Lamb. It's not an invite, it's a command, or you wouldn't come. And then Revelation 17, it says, those that are with him, Those who are with God in the end, with Christ, are the called, chosen, elect, and faithful. They're full of faith. They believe, they trust Christ. Are you with me? Or are you? Okay. Listen to this. Listen. So call is there. The gospel. The word gospel is found. Look at verse one. Separated unto the gospel of God, look at verse nine.

God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son. Verse 15, I'm ready to preach the gospel. Didn't he say in Galatians 1, if any man preach any other gospel than that which I preach, there's another gospel. He said, it's not another, it's perversion, another Jesus. The gospel, singular, there's only one, and we're going to look at it. I'm going to endeavor to preach it to you. And if I asked you what the gospel is in one word, you could tell me, because you've heard.

It's not a doctrine, not a creed, it's a person, okay? The gospel, the gospel. Look at that last chapter in Romans. I'm not gonna have you turn too much, okay? I've done all the turning for you. But Romans 16, this epistle begins with the gospel and ends with the gospel.

So does the whole Bible. The whole Bible is the gospel concerning Jesus Christ. From Genesis to Revelation. It's the story of Christ crucified. who put away the sins of his people. So Paul said, I'm separated unto the gospel, and he ends it, verse 25.

Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel. Read on. And the preaching, how are you gonna hear the gospel? How are you gonna believe? You hear it from preaching. The preaching, what do you preach, Paul? Person, Jesus Christ. According to the revelation of the mystery, that's the gospel. which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, revealed by the scriptures of the prophets. What did the prophets preach? The gospel of Christ.

According to the commandment, go into all the world and preach the gospel. And those whom he chose, he commands to come. And that command is the gospel call. Come, and you will, if you belong to him. Read on, the commandment of the everlasting God made known to all nations for, look at this, the obedience of faith.

John, that's how he started, wasn't it? I'm preaching for the obedience of faith. Not your obedience, but his obedience. That you've been given, it's been imputed to your account, the obedience of Christ. This is the faith. This is the faith. This is the good news. It's not up to you keeping the law, because you can't, you haven't, you won't, you didn't, you can't. Here it is. He did. Christ did.

This is the good news. That thrills my heart. I just told you the gospel right there. The good news is not by the law, but the gospel is witnessed by the law and the prophets. Christ who came, his obedience. This is the faith, the faith of Christ. Read on. To God only will I be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Amen. So the gospel, that word is there throughout, the gospel of God, the call of the gospel, the gospel that I preached. Look at Romans 10, Romans chapter 10. And this is what we do, isn't it? This is what you hear, Romans chapter 10. Romans 10 verse 12. There's no difference between the Jew and the Greek. The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. Okay?

Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? I'm getting ready to tell you some more about him. I already have. And how shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach except they be sent? Paul said, I was called to be an apostle. And it's I was called to be a preacher, a pastor.

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. True preachers do one thing, they preach the gospel. One time I went to the bank, a drive-through, and the woman there, I like her a lot, and she said, What are you going to do today? I said, well, I'm going to study to preach the gospel. That's what I am, and that's what I do. So if a man's a preacher, he's been called by God, he does one thing. What does he do? Preaches the gospel. The gospel. We're going to hear it in just a minute. As it said, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things.

They have not all obeyed the gospel. Isaiah said it, Lord who hath believed I report. Verse 17, so then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Peter said, this is the word which by the gospel. It's preached in here. Not just preaching the Bible, it's preaching the gospel and the gospel is Jesus Christ.

All right, go back to Romans one, back to Romans one. And so, We're called by the gospel, the gospel of God. All right, here it is. Here it is. I've only spoken a few minutes, but I need to get to the gospel real fast. Look at it, it's right here in these first four verses. Brother Walter Groover one time came here to preach and you're talking about we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power might be of God and not of man. Brother Walter went to Mexico.

The Lord called him to do one thing, preach the gospel. And he went down there to preach the gospel. He barely knew the language. He could just stammer and stutter and try, okay? Boy, did the Lord bless him, an earthen vessel. But he preached here one time. I remember him saying this. Romans, he said, if you can't preach the gospel from this, you can't preach the gospel. He loved preaching in Spanish, because that's what he preached in all the time. And he stumbled and stuttered all the time in English.

But it was a blessing, I remember. Here it is. Paul said, I'm separated unto the gospel of God, verse one, called to be a minister, a preacher of the gospel of God, separated from my former religion, from my former idols, unto the gospel of God. It's one thing I do. The gospel is the gospel of God. He's the author of it.

He's the one that purposed it, he's the one that decreed it, God, before the world began, purposed to save a people and made a covenant concerning those people. He made this covenant agreement with Jesus Christ, his son, and the Holy Spirit to save some of Adam's fallen race. That Christ would come and be the covenant head, the second Adam from above.

Adam, the first Adam, fell, and we all, in Adam, all died. But in Christ, according to the covenant, the gospel, the good news, in Christ all made alive. Everybody found in Christ gonna live, gonna have eternal life. Not by anything we do, but completely everything Jesus Christ would do for them. Like it's in Adam all die, in Christ all made alive.

That's 1 Corinthians 15. Good news, if God made this covenant, it's God's gospel. It's the good news that God purposed, and I don't like the word plan, but people use it. God's plans can't be thwarted or changed. He doesn't change. It's purpose, purposed in Christ before the world began. All right, it's the gospel of God. He authored it, and he's gonna finish it. He did finish it. And it's the gospel, verse two, we promised the four by his prophets in the Holy Scripture. It's the gospel that God purposed before the world began. And then when he wrote the book, the Bible, it was all the gospel, okay? Beginning where?

In Genesis 3.15? No, Genesis one. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and there was darkness on the face, and when God said, let there be light, there's good news. That's Christ right there, from the very first, from the very beginning, Christ.

And all the way through, all these stories, all these symbols, all these types and pictures and everything in the Old Testament speaks of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ every morning. Can't wait to, you know, start to stop and bring up a few of these Old Testament types. I won't get very far if I do that. But Wednesday night, we're gonna look at the surety. Our whole salvation depends on the surety ship of Jesus Christ.

And he wrote that in Genesis. God did. And we still say by surety, he ever lives to make you understand. So it's the gospel that God promised. See, all the promises of God, God promised. Come unto me and be you saved, all the ends of the earth. Look unto me and be you saved. Look unto who? Christ, crucified.

Christ said, come unto me, all ye that labor in heaven. Who said that? God did. Who said that? Christ did. He promised. See, all the promises of God are where? In Christ. And they're not, the promises of God are sure or certain. Whatever God says, he means it. Whatever God says, he'll honor them. He'll do it, right? They're yay and amen.

Not if, but, maybe, yes, no, you know, if you, no, it's not, it's not, it's not in any way dependent on you. And this is the good news. This gospel that God purposed before the world began, you weren't around. Now people hate this. I love this. You see, it's not concerning what you do with Jesus Christ or what you believe or what, it's not concerning that.

Verse three says it's concerning his son. The good news is what God purposed, God ordered in all things and gave to Jesus Christ his son to fulfill, to do. for his people. Did he do it? Yes, he did. That's what he said on the cross, his dying word. It is finished.

What? The full, free, final, eternal salvation of his people. Nothing left for us to do, nothing for us to do but just believe. And even that's not of yourself. The gift of God. This is good news. Isn't this good news? What I'm doing is reading the will of God to you this morning. The will of God that's in Jesus Christ. The inheritance, it's yours because of Christ. Concerning his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, his son, which was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. Who was David? Who was David? He was the king. He's the first and only real king of Israel when he came.

You say Saul was king. No, he wasn't. No, he wasn't. That was man's king. They wanted a king, and God said, okay, I'll give you a king. He's gonna take, take, take, take, take. He's gonna put you in bondage. You're a hard taskmaster. And that's a picture of the God of this world in it, that everybody's under by nature. But God gave David. He said, I've got me a king after my own heart. What's he going to do? He gave, gave, gave, gave, gave. Says every man dwelled under his own vine and fig tree that David provided.

David fought all the battles, defeated all the foes, did everything for all of Israel. Brought all Israel together, they were separated. He brought them all together. Those that were in debt and discontented and distressed came to David and he became the captain. What a picture of Christ that is. Made the seed of David.

When Christ was born, he was born king. But he was king long before. Verse four, and he's declared to be the son of God. Who declared him to be the son of God? Well, all the scriptures declared him. All the scriptures from the beginning declares him.

In Genesis 3.15, the woman's seed shall come. Who's that? That's the virgin born in Isaiah. A virgin shall conceive and bear a son. Call his name what? Emmanuel. What does that mean?

God with us. that this one coming shall be God, is God, Isaiah 25. They'll say in that day when he comes, this is our God, we've waited for him, he will save us. He did, he came. Isaiah 9, call his name, wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, who's that?

Jesus Christ, he's God. There's millions of people that don't believe he's God. They just believe he's the son of God. That makes him less than God, doesn't it? He who thought it not robbery to be equal with God took upon himself the form of a servant. Look at this, those of you who are paying close attention.

It says he was concerning his son, Jesus Christ, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. That means he was somewhere before he came, right? He was made of the seed of David. He already existed, but he was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. He who made all things made himself a body, prepared himself a body. The Jehovah Witnesses, the Mormons, all of them say he didn't exist before he came. Right there says he did. And you know he did. If he didn't, he can't save us. He's just a man like us, right? He needs somebody to save him.

I'm here to tell you. I'm here to tell you. This is God who came, manifest. Declared to be the son of God. God said from heaven, didn't he? This is my beloved son. But in Hebrews one, what did the God say to the son? He didn't say this to anybody else. But he said unto the son, thy throne, O God, is forever. A scepter of righteousness is a scepter of thy kingdom. Sit thou at my right hand, equal to, reigning over all things. He is God.

Aren't you glad? That's the good news. Our gospel, the Jesus we believe, is not this other Jesus. We don't believe this God who wants to be God and can't be your Lord unless you let him. You need to ditch that one. God hath revealed unto us his Son, that he is God. God manifest in the flesh, according to the flesh, declared to be the Son of God with power.

How much? Again, I have to contrast the truth with this. You read it with me in Romans 1. They changed the glory of the incorruptible God, not the Creator. Just set in order some kind of evolution. Change the truth of God, that he is God, into a lie and worship and serve man or mother earth and on and on it goes. God gave them over. Reprobate mind, they don't have good sense. They don't have any judgment. They don't have any understanding. Let me ask you something.

Is God God or is he not? It was a man in Roanoke, he wrote an article in a paper, and he said this, and this is supposed to be wise, he said this. He said, you control the one that controls you. Would you please explain that to me? Somebody, I can't, I don't understand what that means. That's utter foolishness. Hold on, who's controlling, who's, there's only one person being controlled, right? Huh? Let God be God. Hold on now.

He either is or he isn't. He is either, according to the scriptures, ordered all things and are sure, known unto God are all his work from the beginning of the world. He's either predestined all things, predetermined all things, purposed all things, and that's what this book says. Or he didn't. He left it to chance, and something is left up for man, for you to do.

That's not God, that's not the God of the Bible, and that's not good news. If there's anything, if we have to depend on man or ourselves, we're in a mess. That's why this world is in such a mess, because it's full of preachers preaching a God who's not God, a Jesus who died for everybody, but it didn't accomplish anything. And it's up to you, and everybody's laughing and scoffing.

I'm here to declare the gospel of God. And it begins with God. That God is God, that's good news. That God sent his son, purpose, to save a people. Did he do it? He did it. And this is, God doesn't ask you. The call of the gospel is not asking you to accept it. The call of the gospel doesn't ask you to do anything. The call of the gospel tells you. And the call of the gospel doesn't invite you, it commands you. The call of the gospel doesn't give you an offer, it tells you about the offer that Christ made to God that God accepted.

And then he says, come. And you will, like Peter, like James, like John, you will come. Why? Because he's God. Because the blood is effectual. Every single one that Jesus Christ died for, he sent the Holy Spirit, said now apply that blood to their heart, their soul, their minds, their everything.

They see, open their blind eyes, open their deaf ears, raise them from the dead, give them light, give them knowledge, understanding that I'm God, there is none else. That Jesus Christ is God, there is none else. Salvation's in Christ, Christ is all. You're nothing at all, but Christ is all.

Tell them, and bring them, and they all do. It's like they're alive from the dead. That's exactly what the gospel does. And you have to be quick to walk according to the course of this world, according to the God of this world, believe in all this crap, believe in everything you see and everything you hear. But God, rich in mercy, said, open that person's blind eyes, open their deaf ears, bring them to me. I'm going to show them my son. And from then on, They don't believe anything else but the truth, the gospel. And they see through everything, clearly, what the world can't see. Doctors, lawyers, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but you see your calling, brother.

How'd you hear the gospel? This is what I want you to come to the conclusion. Have you heard this gospel? Where did you hear it? How did you hear it? Were you sitting on a mountain one day reading the Bible and calling on God? No, you were not. You heard a preacher. God sent a preacher, didn't he? And you may have been in religion under a preacher, but it wasn't a preacher of the gospel. Because you believe this same false gospel, this same Jesus that's standing outside your heart's door. Don't let him in.

And you hear about the Jesus Christ who's Lord over all, who created you, who did everything he came to do for his elect people, and you find out he's letting you in. You find out he's the door, and he's come to open it to let you in. You don't let him do anything. Bless God, here's the good news. He purposed to let you in. I've decided to let you in. You say you're reducing man to a nothing. That's exactly right. That's what this book says. You're a worm, Jacob. You're just nothing but a worm. There's billions more just like you. God doesn't need you, doesn't need me. We need him. With power. How much power? How much power did Jesus Christ have? What did he say? All power is given unto men in heaven and earth. Isn't that what he said? Does that mean all? Does all mean all? Well, he can't do it. Well, hold on now. All power.

Show me one time the scripture where he went somewhere and said, well, I want to save you if you just let me. No, he never asked anybody anything. He told them. Be healed, open your blind eye, follow me. Raise the dead, live. Power. He said in John 17 too, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, That's everything that lives. Brother John Chapman said, now this is power. He controls the gnats that fly through the air. He purposed where they land. He said, I don't believe that, I do. That's what this book says.

He said, as thou hast given him power over all flesh, now listen, John 17 today. That he, Jesus Christ, should give eternal life. It's up to him. It's his to give. Not offer, give. That he should give eternal life to who? Who accepts, mm-mm, that's not what it says. That he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. That's election. That's what this book says. Any man doesn't preach that, not preaching the gospel. This is the gospel, an eternal election. I knew I wouldn't get very far, very fast. What else do you want to hear?

Declared to be the son of God with power. I'm so thankful, brothers and sisters. Aren't you thankful? Those who've really heard the gospel, who belong to Christ, are so thankful that salvation's over the war. According he's declared verse 4 to be the Son of God by the Spirit of holiness the Holy Spirit Descended on Christ at his baptism Didn't it and landed on his shoulder and John that God said to John upon whom you see the Spirit of God landed That's he that Lord.

That's the Lamb of God. That's my son Honor him. He's the Savior. He's the one you've been looking for. That's him. Don't need to look any further and According to a holy life, the only man ever lived truly was holy without blame, without sin, he knew no sin. And by the resurrection from the dead, how much power does Jesus Christ have, all power? He said, I have power. He said, no man taketh my life from me.

They tried many times. I love that, don't you? They tried many times to grab him and to take him. They all said, you got him? I got him. You got him? Let's take him now. He passed through. You got it? No, I ain't got him. They want to cast him off a cliff. You got it? I got it. Let's throw it. Let's be done with him. You can't, you can't. The whole world has tried to do away, the unbelieving world tried to do away with Jesus Christ. You can't. Michael, he ever lived, all power.

And by the resurrection from the dead. So he said, no man takes my life from me. I lay it down. I have that power, he said, to lay it down. He didn't die of natural causes. He didn't die because he lost all his blood. You understand me? The life of the flesh is the blood. That wasn't his life. It's ours. He lost all his blood the first hour or two. Right? They cut his wrists. No blood in there. Feet, his hands, all the blood gone. That's not why he lives. In him is life. When he purposed, when it was all over, when everything needed to be done was done, he said, it's finished. When he said everything that scriptures say, he would say it. And he said, now it's finished.

And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost, walked out of his body. And then they put his body in a grave. They said he's dead. For three days, his body lay in that grave. He's dead. No, he lives. You can't kill the Lord of life. He walked back into that body, a glorified body, and walked out of that grave. He said, I'm alive forevermore. That's God, isn't it? That's right. That's declared to be the Son of God. All power over life, death, heaven, hell, everything is his. And I look at it, and I'm gonna close it. And that resurrection proves who he was, who he is.

By whom, verse five, we have received grace and apostleship. Salvation's a gift by grace. Even faith is a gift, isn't it? And it's, Paul said, we preachers have received this grace, this gift of preaching, and you hear this blessed gift of the gospel, preaching the gospel, it's a gift. And it's concerning his son. And he said, an apostle ship, the apostles were just messengers of Christ.

For obedience to the faith, the faith among all nations for his namesake, the faith. To go out and preach the gospel among all people. And God has a people out of every kindred nation and tongue under heaven. who all believe the faith. Look at verse 12. He said, the mutual faith of you and me. Verse eight, he says, your faith. This is your faith. It's precious faith. It's a gift and God gives it to all his people.

They all believe the same thing. Over in Jude, it says that the faith wants delivered to the saints, the common faith. Mutual means this, mutual means two people have the same thing. If they experience the same thing, they possess the same thing. Mutual, that's what it meant. And Paul was comforted that people believed, he found people that believed just like him. Well, how did he believe? Did Paul make a decision? Ask him.

He said, I was a blasphemer and persecutor. I thought I was righteous according to the law. He said, I was zealous and I didn't even know God. I hated those that did. He said, I was this and I was that. But God called me by his grace, he said, and revealed his son in me. Not just to me.

In man, Christ in you, the hope of the Lord, with the heart man believed. He must know in his head, Paul didn't just come to the doctrines of grace and say, I believe God's sovereignty, yes, I believe Jesus died for the elect, no, no, no, no, no. He found out, he met Jesus Christ. Now, Paul didn't just renounce free will.

When Christ came to him on that road to Damascus, The light shone round about him, apprehended him, put him in the dirt. And Paul said, this is what I'm gonna do with Jesus. And when he met the Jesus Christ of Scripture, he hit the dirt, laid in the dirt, and Christ blinded him to everybody and everything. And he said, this is what I'm gonna do with you. And Paul said, what will you do? You're my Lord. He didn't make him Lord. He found out he was. You say, Paul didn't hear a preacher. Well, hold on now.

What did Jesus Christ come to do? Preach. The apostles all heard the preacher, didn't they? They sure did. And then Saul of Tarsus, when he was blinded, God said, I'm gonna send you a preacher. And he did, Ananias. And he preached it. God has chosen you. Isn't that the first thing he said, John? Ananias to Paul. Paul, God hath chosen you to know his will, to see the just one. Paul wasn't looking. Salvations of the Lord. He received this. And verse six, among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ. All in Rome, they're called to be saints. Have you heard this gospel?

I tried my best, but you know what? Here's my good news for me. It's not up to me doing my best. My best is bad. I've already confessed to you the other night that I don't like the way I look. I don't like the way I sound. I don't like anything about me. And I can't believe you do. But it ain't about me, is it? Why I'm standing here, why I'm here, Paul said, I'm called to do one thing, separated unto the gospel, and that's what I do. Now, you tell me if that's not what I do.

Well, that's who he sends, and it's a treasure in earthen vessels. But if God sent him, he's preaching the gospel. He's separated unto the gospel. Sold out unto the gospel. He said, I'm a bond slave, a servant of Jesus Christ. This one thing I do. He said, I'm determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

And he preached Christ. Oh my, and after preaching Christ, God called His people everywhere. His elect. And they heard and they believed. It's not up to the preacher, it's up to God. But they've got to hear this gospel call. And they do, and they all. And they all believe the same God, the same Christ. They believe the same thing about himself.

I'm a nothing. I can't do nothing. I'm a guilty sinner through and through. I was, I am, I ever shall be until the day I die, just a sinner saved by grace. That if I'm kept, Jesus Christ keep me. Kept by the power of God. Who's the power of God? We've already discussed that. Jesus Christ is the power, kept by the gospel.

How do you know you have heard this gospel call? Because he keeps calling you, and keeps calling you, and keeps calling you, and you never get tired of that call, because you're prone to wander. And if you're one of his sheep, he keeps calling you back by the gospel, and you thank him to high heaven, but keep calling you. Don't quit calling me, Lord. If I ever get tired of hearing this gospel, I'm not one of his sheep.

Have you heard through this earthen vessel? Maybe not me, but another earthen vessel. Have you heard this gospel? The gospel of God concerning his son, who he's declared to be, what he did, where he is now, what he did for you. Is that your hope? Is he your hope? Amen. Okay, let's sing a closing hymn, John.