Romans chapter 1 Apostle Paul
tells us that he was a man whose whole life, whose whole entire
life was the gospel of Christ. He believed that gospel. He called
it my gospel. He loved that gospel. He said,
if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. He preached that gospel. Woe
is unto me, he said, if I preach not the gospel. But though I
preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of. He lived by the gospel. Listen
to his words in this first chapter. In verse one, he says, I'm a
servant, a bond servant, a bond slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm called to be an apostle and
I'm separated to the gospel of God. I'm dedicated to the gospel of
God, gospel of his sovereign grace. He said, I'm determined
to know nothing, nothing among you, save Jesus Christ and him
crucified. I refuse to be entangled, he
said, in form or ceremony or traditions of religion or even
those things that are good, that may distract from Christ. Because
God sent me, not even to baptize, but he sent me to preach the
gospel. And I'm dedicated to it, separated to it, determined
above all things to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and
him crucified. Then in verse 9 he says God's
my witness. God is my witness. Paul often
called on God to be his witness to what he's about to say. He's not a man who swears, but
is a man of truth who calls upon God to witness to the truth.
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel
of his son. Gospel to Paul wasn't just a
doctrine, a creed. or a system of truth to be set
forth, or argued, or debated, or contrary to error. It was
not only with his mouth and tongue he preached the gospel, but he
said with my spirit. With my spirit. I preached the
whole counsel of God with my whole soul and spirit. bound to the gospel of his son
he said God revealed his son not to me though that be true
he revealed his son in me in me and this is our gospel this
is our message it can only be preached in its
power and truth by those whose spirit and souls have laid hold
upon that gospel. With my spirit, I serve God in
the gospel of his son. And then in verse 3, or rather
verse 15, verse 15, so as much as in me is, I'm ready. I'm ready to preach the gospel
to you that at Rome also. Rome, seat of power, armies,
education, government, power. Paul had one message for all
people. Jew, Gentile, bond-free, male,
female. He believed what Job believed,
naked we came into this world, naked we'll leave it. There's no rich and poor, all
are poor. We talk about the rich and the
poor, there are no rich. He said you say you're rich and
increased with goods and have need of nothing but you don't
know you're naked, miserable, blind and poor. There's no rich. All the poor. There are no wise
and unwise, not spiritually. All are wise in sin and terribly
unwise in spirituality. Ignorant of God and his righteousness. We don't preach to the rich,
there are none. They are all poor and needy.
We don't preach to the wise, there are none. They're all ignorant
of God and His glory. That's true. There are no good
and bad. They're all bad. There's none
righteous, no, not one. There's none that understands
it. There's none that seeketh after God. There's none that's
called upon His name. He said, I looked down from heaven
to see if there was one righteous man. I found they're all at sin
and come short of the glory of God. They're not high and low,
they're all low, they're all fallen and Adam. They're all
dead and sinning. Every son of Adam to whom we
preach is without help, without hope,
without Christ and without God in this world. Shut up to sovereign
mercy. That's the reason he said I'm
ready. I'm ready to preach the gospel in Rome because Rome is
no different from Ethiopia. Ethiopia is no different from
Corinth. Corinth is no different from
Bethlehem. Bethlehem is no different from
Jerusalem. All of sin. And then in verse
16, listen to this. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of a crucified Christ. I'm not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ. We live in a most perverted world,
my friends. I find more every day that the
things that we ought to be ashamed of, people praise. And the things we ought to be
praising, people are ashamed. That's just a fact. He said in verse 29 of this same
chapter, being filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity,
whispers, back biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters,
inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding,
covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful,
who knowing, knowing the judgment of God, That they which commit these
things are worthy of death. That's what the judgment of God
says. The soul that sinneth it will
die. Not only do these things, but have delight and pleasure
in reading about them. In watching others do it on the
screen. And take pleasure and delight
and laud them and praise them. Our heroes are despicable, vile,
covetous, wicked, God-hating people. Did you know that? Our
heroes, our sports heroes, our army heroes and all the rest
of them, and the ones we ought to be ashamed of, we laud and
make wealthy. and watch them perform and buy
their music and make them richer. And the people we ought to be praising and rejoicing in them
were shamed of, shamed of. Paul said to young Timothy, don't
be ashamed of the gospel and don't be ashamed of me, I'm not ashamed, Paul said. Jesus, shall it ever be a man,
a mortal man, ashamed of thee? Ashamed of thee whom angels praise,
whose glory shine through endless days? Ashamed of Jesus, that
dear friend on whom my hope of heaven depends? Know when I blush, be this my
shame, that I no more revere his name. Ashamed of Jesus? Yes, I may, when I've no guilt
to wash away, no tear to wipe, no good to crave, no fear to
quell, no soul to save. Till then, nor is my boasting
vain till then I'll boast and brag and praise the Savior's
name and oh may this my glory be he's not ashamed of me well these verses the reason
I read them and rejoice in them with you they sum up my personal
feelings my purpose in life and in death and all human relationships. I'm dedicated, separated, committed,
as you are, to the gospel of Jesus Christ. There's but one message for all
the sons of Adam. God's no respecter of persons,
any man's person, position, power, nor shall his servants be. In
all seriousness and seriousness and sobriety, Knowing the cost
and the consequences, we preach that gospel from the heart. From the heart. Knowing that
were it not for God's grace, we wouldn't know the gospel,
nor love the gospel, nor preach the gospel. And contrary to being
embarrassed, contrary to being ashamed of the gospel, It's our
glory, is it not? It's our glory. I'm really ashamed
of religion, but not of Christ. I'm ashamed of the direction
that this nation is going religiously. I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed. I'm absolutely embarrassed by
what they call God's churches. Embarrassed. I have several questions to ask
this morning from this passage of scripture. The first one of
which is this, from whom did we receive this gospel that we,
in which we rejoice and that we love? From whom did we receive
this gospel? Well verse 1, Paul says it's
the gospel of God. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ,
called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of God. In Galatians
1, when he was defending his apostleship, he said in verse
11, I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. I didn't receive it of a man.
I wasn't taught it by a man. I was taught the gospel by the
revelation of Jesus Christ. You see, this gospel can't be
of man, it's an everlasting gospel. Man's not everlasting, God's
everlasting. Turn to Revelation chapter 13.
This cannot be, this gospel cannot be of man. Our religion is. We'll see that in a few moments,
but not the gospel. For it says in Revelation 13,
8, listen to this, and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him, that is, Satan, whose names are not written in the book of
life, of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Before there was a world, there was a Savior, there was a Lamb
slain, there was an atonement, there was a sacrifice, purpose. and planned before the foundation
of the world. This is an everlasting gospel.
It can't be of man. Only God is everlasting. Turn
a page to Revelation chapter 14 verse 6. I saw another angel
fly in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel. The everlasting
gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice,
Fear God, give glory to God. This is the everlasting gospel. It can't be of man. He brought again from the dead
that great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting
covenant. Our covenant mercy is the sure
mercy of David are everlasting. Paul said concerning the church,
God elected us in Christ before the foundation of the world.
So this gospel, where did we get it? Not from man, it's God's
gospel. It's everlasting. And then it
can't be of man because it's unchanging. One thing about today's
religion, it keeps changing. It keeps changing. They keep
changing their message, changing their methods, That which they
used to condemn, they don't condemn. That which they used to love,
they no longer love. That which used to be commandments
is no longer commandments. It changes. But the Lord said,
I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore you sons of Jacob are
not consumed. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
yesterday, yesterday, yesterday, and all the yesterdays, today
and forever. The gifts and calling of God
are without change. This gospel can't be for man.
It never changes. I was looking through our hymn
book finding the oldest hymns I could find. One I found written
in the year about 200 A.D. Same message I'm preaching. Another
hymn in the 6 to 700's in the 8th century. Another in the 12th
century. Others in the 17th century, 19th
century, 20th century, all the hymns are the same. The words
are the same. The gospels are the same. The
faith of Abraham is our faith. How long did Abraham live? How long ago did Abraham live?
5,000 years? Well, turn to Galatians. Let's see this. It's unchanging
that the faith of Abraham is our faith. The gospel of Abraham
is our gospel. The message of Abraham is our
message. Christ said, Abraham saw my day and was glad. Now
look at Galatians 3 verse 7 and 9. Know ye therefore
that they which are of faith the same are the children of
Abraham. And the scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, Preach before the gospel to Abraham, saying
in thee shall all nations be blessed, so then they which be
of faith are blessed with Abraham. My gospel is Abraham's gospel. Moses' gospel. David's gospel. It's not a new gospel. It's the
everlasting gospel. It's the unchanging gospel. God
never changes. Look at Galatians 3 verse 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many but as of one to thy seed which is Christ. Christ is the
seed of Abraham. The preacher Christ was born
in Bethlehem. Christ the son of man was born
in Bethlehem. Christ the son of God is eternal.
He is the same Christ. He said Moses wrote of me. Abraham
saw my day. The blood of Abel cries out as
a witness. Abel believed Christ. The seed
of woman promised to Adam and Eve is Christ. There are different dispensations
of revelation, but there is no different dispensation of gospel.
Our Lord was pleased to reveal His promises in different ways,
through different men, through different types and pictures,
and finally Christ came! Of whom all the prophets spake,
to whom all the prophets looked, of whom all the prophets wrote,
and whom the prophets preached. To Him give all the prophets
witness. It's not of me, it is unchanging.
And then it can't be of man, It can't be, because it condemns
man's pride. Religious people are proud, did
you know that? They're arrogant. And their arrogancy
is offensive. God tells us to be ready to give
a reason for the hope that's within us with meekness and fear,
not with arrogance and cockiness. But this gospel condemns man's
pride. Who makes you to differ? That's
what God says. What do you have you didn't receive?
Now if you received it, why do you boast? Why do you gloat?
Where is boasting? It's annihilated. This gospel
condemns man's pride. It condemns man's works. It can't
be a man. Religion praises men. Well, I know you're saying that. It condemns man's works. It says,
not by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. And yet
religion operates on praising the flesh that praised people. By the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified. It condemns man's religious duties. Our Lord said in the judgment,
many people are going to say to me, Lord, we preached in your
name. We performed the glorious duty of preaching in your name.
We cast out devils in your name. We challenged hell in your name. We built many wonderful buildings
and glorious works in your name. And he said, depart from me,
I never knew you. You workers of iniquity. How
can How can good works be works of iniquity? When they're done
in order to gain God's favor. When they're done in order to
impress people. When they're done in order to
build a righteousness for ourselves. And they're done in order to
gain rewards and glory. When they're done for any reason
but out of love for God, they're works of iniquity. The plowing
of the wicked is abomination to God. That's right. A man who goes
out and plows a field, and works hard, clears the new ground,
and digs out the stumps, and plants, and grows, and reaps,
and harvests, and works with the sweat of his brow is an abomination
to God, if he doesn't do it out of thanksgiving to God, giving
God the glory, and for God's praise. It's an abomination. Now that wasn't written by a
man. That was not written by a man.
that which condemns his pride, which condemns his work, and
which condemns his duties, and shuts him up to sovereign, particular,
effectual mercy from the hand of a holy God through the death
of his son. Is that right? Man didn't write
that. It can't be of man. This gospel
can't be of man because it's free. That's right. It's free. It's
free to all who believe. Turn to Romans 3, just over a
page. Romans 3, verse 23. All have
sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely, freely by His grace through the redemption that's in Christ
Jesus our Lord. The religion of men always has
strings attached. God will if you will. God's done
all he can do and it's up to you. You take the first step
and God will meet you. Every proposition, every invitation
has strings attached. Something left for you to do.
Christ died for all men's sins, but it's up to you. This gospel
is free. It can't be of men, it's free.
It's without any works, deeds, or effort on your part. It's
the gift of Almighty God. The gift of God. God who spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for all of his people,
how shall he not with him freely give us all thanks? No strings
attached. Come to Christ, but don't move
a hand nor a hair. Don't reach for your pocketbook.
Don't reach for your family tree. Don't reach for your record in
faithful attendance. Don't reach for your tithe. Don't
reach for anything, but reach to Him. In my hands, no price
I bring, except it is thy cross. O Lord, I cling. Could my tears
forever flow? Could my zeal know respite? No. These for sin could never atone. Christ was saved and Christ alone.
This gospel's for the poor. He could not meet your requirements. He couldn't walk down the aisle. He could not meet your requirements.
He couldn't work. He could not meet your requirements.
He couldn't be baptized. He could not meet your requirements,
he couldn't win a soul. He could not meet your requirements,
he couldn't wait for the next meeting. He's dying. There's nothing he could do but
look to Christ. Was he saved? My Lord chose him
to go with him into glory. And that's the way you're going
to be saved and I'm going to be saved. without work, without
walking, without washing, without witnessing, without waiting.
Oh, now is accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.
Look to Christ. It's not of man. It's not of
man. It's of God. What is this gospel? Look back at my text. Verse 1 says, Paul, a servant
of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separates of the
gospel of God. God's gospel. Which he promised
the foe by his prophets in the holy scriptures. Which he, it's
the gospel of God, in which every attribute of God is glorified. Our Lord prayed Father glorify
thy son that thy son may glorify thee. And Christ glorified God's
wisdom. Christ crucified is the wisdom
of God. Christ glorified God's love.
Nothing can separate me from the love of God which is in Christ.
Christ glorified God's righteousness. He is the righteousness of God
by, through the faith of Christ Jesus. He glorified God's justice,
enabling God to be just and justify us. He glorified God's sovereignty,
I'll be merciful to whom I will be merciful, I'll be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. And this gospel of God is the
only gospel there ever has been, is now, or ever will be. The only gospel. Look at verse
2. It's the gospel which he promised. What was the first gospel promise?
The first gospel promise in the Bible. When Adam and Eve sinned,
and God killed the animal and clothed them. That was a picture
of Christ. Blood was shed in order for the
naked guilty parties to be clothed. They tried to clothe themselves.
They got fig leaves, but their their fig leaf clothing would
deteriorate and rot and vanish away and could not cover but
God killed an animal and took it's skin and with it's skin
he clothed Adam and Eve that's a picture of the gospel but then
he said to Satan I'll put enmity between you and the woman between
your seed and her seed the woman's seed the virgin seed. You bruise his heel, his lower
part, his humanity, he suffered on that cross, his body was bruised
and bleeding and broken, but he'll crush your head. That's
where the power is, that's where the reign is, that's where the
government is. You bruise his heel, he'll crush
your power, he'll destroy you. When you crush a man's head,
you destroy him. When he breathes, he'll limp. But he won't die. That's the seed of woman. That's
the virgin. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bring forth a son. He promised it in the scriptures.
He promised it in the Passover lamb. He promised it when Abraham
said, my son, God will provide a lamb. He promised it in Isaiah 9, 6,
a son is given, a child is born. He promised it in Micah 5 when
he said, Bethlehem, you're little, you're small among the thousands
in Judah, but out of you shall come he whose goings forth have
been from everlasting. The Lord Jesus Christ, God promised
it. And look here, he says, it's
the gospel of God which he promised Verse 3, it's concerning his
son. I hear people say this is a gospel
quartet. There's no such thing. The gospel is Christ. The gospel
is concerning Christ. The gospel is not concerning
what you do, or I do, or anybody else does. The gospel is done. It's finished. It's complete. The gospel is the personal work
of Christ. Who He is, what He did, why He
did it, where He is now. That's the gospel. It's concerning
His Son. It's not concerning our response
to His Son. That's not the response to the
gospel. It's not concerning our duties and deeds for the Son.
It's the Son. If the Son makes you free, you're
free. He made Him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him. And that's what it says here
in verse 3. This gospel is concerning His
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made. He was made what He
was. He was made of the feet of David
according to the flesh. He was made a man. He wasn't
a man. He's God. But he became a man. God became
a man. The man didn't become God. God
became a man. God was made flesh and dwelt
among us. He was made what he wasn't in
order that we might be made what we weren't. He the son of God
was made the son of man that we the son of men might be made
sons of God. He was made flesh and dwelt among
us. And this in verse 4, he was declared
to be what he is. He was made to be what he was
and he became a man. Flesh and blood. To obey this
law made of a woman. Made under the law. To redeem
them that were under the law. to fulfill the law for us, to
have a body in which to die, to have blood which to shed,
he had to be made a man. But he was declared to be the
son of God with power, unlimited power. He quickens whom he will. He has all authority over all
flesh, over all creatures, that he might give eternal life to
those the father gave him. And he was declared to be the
son of God with according to the spirit of holiness by the
resurrection of the dead. He's the first begotten from
the dead. He's the first man to die and rise to die no more. Lazarus was raised but he died
again. Don't you know as Lazarus was
sad when they were a little bit sad when he raised him. He got
to die again. Christ rose to die no more, because
he lives, you live. It's the gospel concerning his
son. It's the only gospel. And then,
verse 17 of Romans 1 says, for therein, in that gospel is the
righteousness of God revealed. The holiness of God. You see,
the holiness of God Number one, his essential holiness. Holy
and reverent is his name. God is holy. Immaculately, infinitely,
unchangeably holy. There's a righteousness God requires
of us, which we can't produce. Be ye holy as God is. Can't do
it. Be ye perfect, your father in
heaven is perfect. Can't do it. Cursed is everyone that continues
not in all things written in the law to do them. But then
thank God there's the righteousness of God, which he purposed, promised,
and provided for us in Christ. Who came down here in the flesh,
born of a woman, made of a woman, to whom God said be ye perfect,
and he was. Be ye holy, and he was. Do not sin, and he didn't. Love
God with all your heart, and he did. Himself and all forces
we are, charged, tried, tested, without sin. And he did that,
not for himself, he already had a righteousness. He already was
holy. But he sanctified himself that
we might be sanctified. He did that for us. See Adam's transgression was
charged to me, imputed. Christ's righteousness was charged
to me, imputed. In Adam I die, in Christ I live. In Adam I was made sin, in Christ
I am made righteous, by faith, by believing. So where are you
going to find that righteousness? That God requires. In the gospel
is the righteousness of God revealed. What's that from faith to faith,
from one degree of faith to the other? We all don't have equal
understanding and equal faith and equal knowledge, but it grows,
grows in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. We grow from faith
to faith, but that gospel is still the same source of information
and instruction and inspiration for the old man and for the new
man. young man. In the gospel is the righteousness
of God revealed. Now the word of men don't come
to Christ for salvation and go to Moses and the law for sanctification. The righteousness of God is not
revealed in the law, you can't find it in the law, not in the
law. The righteousness of God is in
Christ and you stay at the cross That's where you grow, that's
where you learn, that's where the gospel, where the grace of
God, the righteousness of God is revealed. Don't get beyond
Calvary. You'll be in never never land
if you do. Don't get beyond the gospel,
for therein is the righteousness of God revealed. Last question,
what is it to believe? Abraham believed God. He said
he believed God was counting to him for righteousness. Well, turn to Romans 4. Romans
4. I think I can help define faith. I can't define faith. But I can help define it. It
says here that Abraham, verse 20, Roman's poet. He staggered not at the promise
of God, through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised, what
God said, he was able to perform. Abraham's faith rested in two
things, God's word and God's power to do what he said. Now
that's where my faith rests. God's word, God's is life in
Christ. Redemption in Christ. Righteousness
in Christ. A hope of heaven in Christ. That's
God's promise. I'm going to look to Christ because
God's got the power to do what he says. He's got the power. Believe in God. Just believe
in God. Believe in God. You need not fear the law, Christ
honored it. You need not fear judgment, Christ
satisfied it. You need not fear death, Christ
conquered You need not fear the grave, Christ arose. You need
not fear condemnation, Christ is your advocate. You need not
fear eternity, your forerunner is already there. He's reserved
a place for you. We went to a gathering yesterday. And that bunch of people there,
and I got in there, not early but not late, but not early as
I used to do. And I looked around for a seat,
I looked over there and I saw Adam. And he motioned and said,
I saved you a seat. So I went over and sat down.
And my Lord Jesus Christ, it might sound common and vulgar,
but he's saving me a seat. That's right Richard. He'd gone
before and reserved, you got there, saved me a seat. Had my
name on it. And there's no vacancies in heaven,
but there's plenty of room. And there's a name on every seat. All right, let's sing a song.