If you wish, turn to Romans chapter
1. Romans chapter 1. I will not read anything yet. I now plan on embarking on what
I will call a verse-by-verse Teaching from Paul's epistle
to the church at Rome Now someone may say do or are you able to
do a verse by verse? Yes, I am able But I do not know
that I will comprehend everything that's there This is a letter
Written by an apostle and it's not written in angelic language. I It's written in human language. As a matter of fact, as far as
we know, Paul wrote it, or had someone write for him, as he
dictated to them, these words, and they were penned in the Greek
language. And they are understandable,
and they are real. Now, first things first. We read
the epistle of Paul, the apostle, to the Romans. Now, most probably
already know this, but some may not. All of the titles in all
of the books are not inspired. We have no reason to believe
that they were a part of the original that the Apostle Paul
wrote or had someone write for him. These titles are given by
men, and this title is adequate, but it's can be, it can be a
little misconstrued. Paul did not write this letter
and send it to Caesar at Rome. Paul did not write this letter
and send it to a senator at Rome if they had senators at that
time. I didn't check to see because it don't matter. Paul did not
write it to some high official and say, I hope that you will
make copies of this and publish it to all of Rome. No, this is
Paul's letter, and that's all the word epistle means. It's
an old English word, it's a fine word, but some people think it's
a letter. It's just a letter Paul sat down
to write to these people, but it's Paul's letter to the church
at Rome. And he actually says that in
the book, not those exact words, but he tells us exactly who he
was writing this letter to. It is not Paul's epistle to the
Roman church. There is no such thing as the
Roman church. There may be the papal religion
that calls itself the Roman church, but there is no Roman church.
There is no Thessalonican church. There is no Ephesian church. There is the church at Rome.
There is the church at Ephesus. There is the church at Thessalonica. Just like there are no, I hear
this a lot. You see it on the news, if you
watch the news much, you will hear of, and I don't say this
throw off, but you'll hear of, oh, that's a black church, or
that's a white church. There is no such thing. There
is no such thing. There may be churches that are
predominantly made up of men and women who are Caucasian or
white. There may be churches that are
made up of men and women who are predominantly black or African
in their color. But there's only one church. And they are separated into local
assemblies in certain places. And again, I say, this is not
Paul's letter to the Romans. but as to the church at Rome. I will try to give each one of
these lessons and messages, and it may vary. Sometimes it may
be just a lesson. Sometimes it may be what we might
call a lesson and preaching, and sometimes I may stop on one
word and just preach about that word. But I will try to title
each one because I don't want Romans and then one through 563. Because when someone looks at
that, if I looked at that on the internet, I'd say, well,
I just don't think I'm gonna try to tackle that. Now, don't
get scared, I don't know that there'll be 563, is that what
I said? That just come off the top of
my head. This is Romans. Introduction. Introduction. At first, I thought, well, I
won't even do that, just go to the verses. But I want us to
have some background. Two things stand out in this
letter. And it is, how do I put this? This was not Paul trying to be
theological writing to the Romans. This is Paul writing to the church
at Rome. Some may have been illiterate.
Others may have been well-educated. Paul's not trying to impress
anybody. He just sat down and wrote this letter to these people
whom he loved very much, but had never, at that point when
he wrote this, had not yet been able to see them in person. And
he longed to be able to come to them and preach the gospel
to them. Paul's not trying to impress
anyone. Now, I will not burden you with the pros and cons. A
lot of great things and a lot of bad things have been said
about Paul and his epistle to the church at Rome. And I will
not burden you with all of those. This is a literary masterpiece. But that has nothing to do with
it. So is Paul's letter to Philemon. And it's just a little, brief,
short letter. It's a literary masterpiece because
God Almighty moved this man to write these words. And Paul deals
mainly with two things. And I am sure, especially as
we go through this epistle, this letter, that I'm sure there are
words that I probably should have chose, better words I probably
should have chose, but my vocabulary only goes so far. And again,
I am not here to impress. Two things, gospel doctrine,
the gospel doctrine of salvation. is, and dare I say it, but I
will say it, is more clearly explained. in Romans chapters
one through 11 than in anywhere else in the Bible, Old Testament
and New, because Paul deals in detail with the gospel doctrine
of salvation. Other letters, he speaks of the
same thing, but not the expanding upon it as he does in this letter. So first of all, in chapters
one through 11, we have the gospel doctrine of salvation. Then,
in chapters 12 through 16, we have the gospel doctrine of conduct. Conduct. Does that word scare
you? Scares some people. Even people
who profess to believe in grace. They think, well, you're talking
about works now. Yes, I am. Yes, I am. So you have Paul presenting clearly,
precisely, and in a lot of detail, the gospel doctrine of salvation
in chapters one through 11. Then the gospel doctrine of conduct
in chapters 12 through 16. And it is amazing, he goes into
detail. Now he is not exhaustive, of
course, and no man could be. Even, Mason, even a man inspired
of God, there's not time in a man's lifespan to really explain everything. I think that's one of the reasons
that God broke this Bible up into so many men over so many
different ages. Plus, I know that God has been
pleased to reveal certain aspects of this more and more as time
goes along until this full book was written. and now it's done. We have, in this book, everything
we need to know. For faith, that is what we believe,
who we believe in, and practice. That is how we think, how we
live, how we walk, how we speak. This book. Now, when I say that,
I say gospel doctrine of salvation. and gospel doctrine of conduct. This is not a strict separation
of subjects as distinct as you would often find in some theological
treaties. They deal with eschatology and
ecclesiology. Paul just puts it all together.
But the first 12 chapters establishes the gospel doctrine of salvation
in no uncertain terms. and in the gospel doctrine of
conduct in chapters 12 through 16 in no uncertain terms. And there are times we will come
to a passage, and I understand I've had some of you, not because
we're going into Romans now, but at other times in different
situations, ask me questions. How shall we that are dead to
see and continue any longer therein? And you look within yourself
and you say, but I continue in sin every day. Not in the sense
in which Paul's talking about, you do not. The problem is, this
is just a letter. But it's a letter that God the
Spirit moved this man to write infallibly. And let us just take
it as it says. Apply it to us as we are. If it puts us low, so be it. If it makes us wonder, maybe
even doubt ourselves, so be it. But if it lifts us up, if it
encourages us, so be it. And if we are the children of
God, it will do both. It will do both. So again, this is not a strict
separation of subjects like some theological treatise. Because
the two things, salvation and conduct, They go together. They go together. In other words,
salvation and service, or we could say conversion to Christ
and conduct thereafter, both are equally valid phrases. People
like, you know, we can become so picky. You ever been that
way? You're jaundiced at someone before
they even begin to speak because you don't like the way their
hair's parted. Or you don't like that they ain't got no hair. No, salvation and service, or
we could say conversion to Christ and our conduct to Christ thereafter,
they go together. They go together as cause and
effect. Something can't be a cause if
it don't have an effect. I mean, if it don't affect something,
then it's not a cause. It's just a blah. It's just a
blob, it's nothing. Cause and effect, but if there
is an effect, then it demands that there is a cause. A cause,
or we could say a fountain and a flow. Right? A fountain and
a flow. Every river we know has a fountain. Comes from somewhere. Flows into
the ocean or the sea. goes back up into the clouds
by God's marvelous work, and clouds come back over, drop that
rain. Tim James mentioned this once. You realize that the water
that's on this world is the same water that was here when God
created this earth? And I never even thought of that
before. And I've been preaching for 37 years. You think about
that? God's not creating new water.
I mean, not that we're aware of, not that we see. I mean,
even that water that gushes out, there's a place down there where
I live, and you walk up this little stream, and they used
to stock it with trout, so it's a fairly good-sized stream, and
you walk up to this hole, and here's gushing out this clean,
pure water. But that water's not being made
down in yonder. It's flowing through the processes
and working its way down into the ground, and then it gushes
out. So it's flow, fountain, and flow, and you can't ever
reverse the order. The flow is never the fountain.
The fountain itself is not the flow, but they are vitally connected. They're vitally connected. For
instance, Paul's great doctrine of salvation is salted with service. a servant of Jesus Christ. That's the first words he writes,
doesn't he? Isn't that it? Paul a servant. We will look
at it a little later. Not Paul an apostle who is a
servant, but Paul a servant of Jesus Christ. So immediately
he mentions servitude, does he not? Service. Honoring someone,
right? Working for someone. Working
to their honor, their glory, their praise, whatever. Working
because they said so and they deserve it. As a matter of fact,
working in such a way that they deserve it and you know it even
if they don't say it all the time. They don't have to say
it, they simply define to you who they are and you think, I
need to serve somebody like that. A lot of us husbands would probably
be a little bit better off if we viewed our lives that way,
would we not? Paul's great doctrine of salvation
is salted with service. Chapter one, verse nine, and
I'm not going to rush through this. When that time quits, I'm
quitting where I'm at. It won't be all, you know, like
I'm normally, when that time quits, I'm done. We'll start
there, God willing, next time. Verse nine, for God is my witness,
whom I serve with my spirit. So service is not just, that's
service. He started in this great doctrine
of salvation. Chapters one through 11, but
he's still whom I serve, but notice, not just out here, but
in here. And we are not immune to this,
but religion is full of this, but we're not immune to this.
I'm not saying there is no service out here. There is. But if it don't start from in
here, it's just a duty. It's just going through the processes. And I fear that many, I fear
that many professed Christians in this day serve God only out
of a fear of hell, They just think it'll help keep them out
of hell. Or just because other people do it and they don't want
to look the oddball. God's people want to serve even
if everybody else around them quits. And don't. And you're the oddball. Because
you do. So another one, let's look at
chapter four, verse 12. and the father of circumcision
to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the
steps. Do you see that? Walk in the
steps of that faith. So there he connects. We know
faith is connected to salvation and Paul's doctrine of salvation,
is it not? But here, faith and walk are connected together,
are they not? But you walk in the faith, which lets me know
you got to have the faith first before you can walk the walk.
And if you can't walk the walk, what does that say? Equals, figure
that out in your own mind. No faith, no works. No works, no faith. No walk, and it is, as Earl once
pointed out, it is a walk. Our works are not just a little
thing we do here, a little thing we do there, and sometimes we
may not even know we're doing them. But it's our walk. It's a part of what God's made
us to be in Christ. It flows from God through us,
because truly it is God that works in us, both to will and
to do of his good pleasure. Look at chapter six, chapter
six, verse one and two. What shall
we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? You see that? Somebody
says, what's that mean? Ain't gonna tell you yet. We
ain't got there. But it means exactly what it says. It means
exactly what it says. Now our minds often confound
this, but it means exactly what it says. But look, also, if we
look at chapters 12 through 16, we see Paul's detailed conduct
doctrine. It's continually reinforced and
undergirded with the cause, with the fountain, with the foundation,
chapter 12. And of course, at the end of
what we call chapter 11 is this great praise of God because of
this salvation he's talked about, basically in chapters one through
12. Then immediately, and if you go and read 12, 13, 14, you
see conduct, walk, service, right? And details of detailed. I beseech
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. That's the only
way this is gonna be true for us. By the mercies of God that
you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, and that's your reasonable service. That's not even going
above board. That's kind of what, that's reasonable,
serves. And be not conformed to this
world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God, but it's based upon what? I beg you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God. He said, if the mercy of God
is real to you, it will affect the way you think. It will enable
you in the way you think. Now, that doesn't mean every
thought's gonna be right, but there are going to be right thoughts
even right alongside the wrong thoughts. And we'll, like I said,
I don't have time to get into all that yet, but that is just
so. So, we see that these things
are there. 13 and verse 14, chapter 13,
verse 14. But put ye on the Lord Jesus
Christ, you see it? and make not provision for the
flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. Based upon the person and work
of Jesus Christ. Chapter 14, verse nine. For to
this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might
be Lord both of the dead and the living. Do you see it? The
dead and the living. Now what does a living person
do? Physically they breathe. All right? They think, under
normal circumstances, they work, they pay bills, right? What's a dead person do? Nothing. Nothing but rot and stink. Now if you're alive, there's
going to be some evidence of life. That's just the way it is. But
it's based upon what? For to this end, Christ died. My ability to live in the sight
of God is based upon the person and work of Jesus Christ. Because
even when God works in me, both to will to do of his pleasure,
my flesh is working in me to do of my own will and my own
pleasure. And it's a constant battle. Now, let me give you this. Don't
look like we're even gonna get to, actually, chapter one of
verse one. But I want to give you this,
and I got just enough time, I think, to do it. A salvation which produces
no service is no salvation at all. It's not God's salvation. It might be the salvation of
religion. It might be the salvation that man has concocted, that
man has come up with. But a salvation which produces
no service is no salvation at all. That truth applies to me
and to you And anybody out there, I don't care who you are, I believe
in grace. Yeah, do you abuse that grace too? Do you live in
sin thinking that grace will abound? Grace was given so you
don't have to live in sin. Now you're gonna have to live
with it. But you don't have to live in it. Somebody says explain
that, can't do it. That's just the way it is. It's
just the way it is. A salvation which produces no
service is no salvation at all. A service that does not flow
from a God brought salvation is no true service to God. A
lot of people are out here serving God. Right now there are congregations
that are far more, far larger than we are. Far much more going
on, far more service to God going on. But if that service is not
flowing from a God-wrought salvation, it is no true service to God. Off time, sadly it is. As our
Lord said, these people, they draw nigh unto me with their
lips. But the heart, down in here,
the heart is where? Far from me. And folks, I know
a lot of people. I know one. I gotta beware of
that. I gotta beware of that. I'm not
above that. I'm not above that, but I know a lot of people out
there, their Christianity is just that, it's lip service.
And everything else is about them, except for maybe Sunday
morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday night or something.
Maybe going practicing for the choir, or going out for soul
wedding night. All the other time, Mac, it's just for them. It's almost like they believe
not only in tithing of their money, but tithing of their time
and efforts. I'll give God 10%. You see, we
are to present our bodies, our bodies. I mean, even this corrupt,
hip replacement, teeth, few teeth missing, huh? But I am to present
this body, a living sacrifice unto God. And that's just my
reasonable service. That's just my reasonable service. Such, just this service, service,
service. It's nothing more than duty.
And it's rarely based upon true love for Christ. And there is
the moniker. Do I live like I live out of
love for Christ? You know, there's a lot of people
think, well, I've become a little better Christian. You know, this
problem don't bother me like it used to. I'm growing, you
know, maturing. No, you're probably just getting
too old to do what you used to do. You ain't got the money,
the time, or the strength to do some of the nonsense you used
to do. And we think it's spiritual growth.
No, it's actually aging. Right? And sometimes it's just
age, it ain't spiritual, it ain't sanctification. It's just you're
getting old and you ain't got the power to do. But when service flows from love,
because God, you know God plucked you as a brand out of the fire.
And you deserve not just hail. It's almost cliche today, but
I deserve hail. It's more than that. I deserve
for God to hurt me, shame me, turn his back on me forever,
and make me wail because of the corruption that's in this man. All of Paul's letters, that is
his epistles, except maybe one for Laman, kind of follow this
similar path, don't they? Paul will begin to deal with
the truth of salvation. And then he goes and speaks of
serf. Almost every one of them. Almost every one of them. But listen to me. Never separating the two. We
must never separate the two so as to denigrate one or the other. but never so mixing the two so
as to make the cause the effect or the effect the cause. No one is ever converted to Christ
by service. Now my time went. No one is ever
converted to Christ by service. So I will begin with this, God
willing, next time. Equally, no one is ever converted
to Christ who does not serve Christ as a result. Period. Even Lot served Christ, quite
miserably at times. Lot of his flesh shines through,
but so does ours. But Lot served Christ. Abraham served Christ. to equally
no one has ever converted to Christ who does not have served
Christ as a result. In other words, service never
merits salvation. Never. Never. Never, never, never,
never, ever. Service doesn't make your salvation
any more secure. But salvation, a God brought
salvation, always, always results in service. and there are no
exceptions. Even that thief on the cross,
though his time was but brief, once God had converted him, because
he was railing just like the other thief at the time, turned
and said, don't you fear God. We're getting what we deserve.
But this man has done nothing amiss. Mason, that's service
to Christ. That was honoring Christ, and that's about all
he could do. Cry out for Christ to remember him, rebuke his own
self and his buddy. Rebuke his own self and his buddy,
and cry out for mercy from Christ. Mack, will you close us in prayer,
please?