ROMANS 6-10 NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL PART 22014 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Romans 6-10 Not Ashamed Of The Gospel Part 2

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2014.

We are here this evening in Romans chapters 6 through 10, going through the chapters that we read this week as we continue to read the Bible in three years. We started the book of Romans last week and I am titling the series, Not Ashamed of the Gospel.

Because Paul in Romans chapter 1 verse 16 declares, "...I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

And that begins the letter to the Romans that Paul is writing. And the rest of the time, he is really expounding upon and explaining what the gospel is and the core doctrines of the gospel message. And so we're talking about the gospel and Paul being unashamed of the gospel as we all should be as well.

Well, the book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul around 58 AD. He was writing to the church or the believers that were gathered together in Rome for a few reasons. Number one, to prepare them for his visit. He wanted to visit them. He'd planned to visit them. He'd tried to visit them. He'd been unable to, but now he has new plans set to go and visit the church in Rome and he wants to let them know that he is on his way.

He also spends the bulk of the book explaining or presenting God's plan of salvation. And again, that's our emphasis on the gospel message as we've been looking at the book of Romans. And he also explains the relationship between Jew and Gentile.

The church in Rome was, of course, comprised of those who were Jews, descendants of Abraham, and those who were not Jews. That's called the Gentile. So they were together in the church. There was some tension between them. And Paul's explaining the relationship between them and how they work together and fit together as part of the body of Christ.

And so he's writing to them. He's focusing on the righteousness of God. You'll see that over and over again. It's God's rightness or the work that God is doing to make us like him. So Paul wrote this around 58 AD. That doesn't mean a whole lot, but maybe you could fit it into some context in that it was around his third missionary journey, towards the end of his third missionary journey. That's the book of Acts chapters 19, 20, and 21.

He spent three years in Ephesus and then, you know, went over through Macedonia and to Corinth. And it was probably there in Corinth that he wrote the letter to Rome. And so he was in Corinth receiving a collection that they had, you know, set aside for the saints in Jerusalem. And he was going to take that to Jerusalem.

But in the meantime, he sends out this letter to Rome and says, hey, after I go to Jerusalem, my plan is to head to Rome. And so I'm going to go spend some time with you there in Rome. Now, Paul did get to Rome, not quite the way that he was thinking, but, you know, through his arrest and then he appealed to Caesar and

And it was through those means that he was able to go to Rome and remember that he was in a house for two years and he was able to teach and to share with whoever came to the house while he waited to appear before Caesar. And so God did fulfill his desire to go to Rome, just not exactly the way that he was planning.

Now we finished off last week looking at some gospel truths. And these are really summaries of the chapters that we looked at last week. And so Romans chapter 1, we saw the first truth. And I want to recap these because as we go now into chapter 6, it builds upon these things that he has already taught. So first of all, in chapter 1, we saw that there is no excuse for

Paul says,

Paul begins the letter starting with, you know, the worst condition or the bad news, and that is we are all sinful and we are all without excuse because God has revealed himself in his creation. Then in chapter 2, we saw the second truth, and that is that God's law applies to all humanity and he will judge perfectly according to their deeds and heart.

So God's law doesn't just apply to the Jews, Paul explained, but God's law applies to all humanity and he's going to judge all humanity perfectly. And then in chapter 3 we saw the third truth and that is that righteousness cannot come from God's law but only from faith in Jesus Christ.

And so God's law was given, all humanity will be judged by God's law, but God's law will not declare anybody to be righteous. Righteousness cannot come from God's law, but only from faith in Jesus Christ. Then in chapter 4, we saw that righteousness is available to all people because it is offered by grace and received by faith.

So this righteousness comes only by faith and it's available to every person, all humanity, because it's offered by grace. That is, God gives this righteousness to

Because he's good. And because he's loving. Because he's gracious and merciful. He gives righteousness. And it's received by faith. And so those who believe receive this gift of being declared righteous that God offers. And that makes it accessible to everyone. Because it's not that you have to be a certain nationality. It's that you have to be a certain nationality.

It's not that you have to follow, you know, a certain religion or set of rules, but it's that you have to believe in Jesus Christ. And by believing in Jesus Christ, it makes it accessible. There's no, you know, hurdles you have to jump over or tunnels you have to crawl through. There's no special things that you have to do that are exclusive that others cannot do. No, it's something that anybody can do. We can all believe in Jesus and what he has done for us.

Well then in Romans chapter 5, the fifth truth, we saw that all people sin and die because Adam sinned. But all people can have eternal life because Jesus died for us. We all have this sentence of death. We are bound in sin and there's nothing we can do about that on our own. But we can have life

Because Jesus died for us. And so by believing in Jesus, it reverses what we were under and what we received from Adam. By believing in Jesus, we have life.

because he died upon the cross for us. And so Paul is, through this, explaining the basic elements of the gospel message and where we were and what God has done. And now we continue on in chapter 6, and now he's talking not just about, you know, the cross and what that accomplished for us, but now what that accomplishes for us.

for us in our life in Christ and really how these things ought to impact our lives. And so let's start now in chapter 6. Verse 11 is the key verse. It says, "...likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In verses 1 through 10, Paul explains that we were baptized into his death and burial. Now, Romans chapter 5 ended with Paul saying, where grace or where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. That is, no matter how sinful you were, God's grace abounded much more and is able to save even the worst of sinners.

And then in verse 1, Paul, throughout this letter, he's anticipating some of the objections and concerns that people will express in response to the things that he is teaching. And so in verse 1, he says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Since where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, he says, should we just continue practicing sin? Because grace will continue to abound even more. And Paul answers this in verse 2 and he says, Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? There were some who would teach, hey, if there's grace, then why does it matter if we continue to sin?

Why should we stop sinning? Because God's grace abounds much more whenever there is sin. And Paul's explaining here that that kind of thinking shows that a person does not understand what it means to believe in Jesus. He goes on in verse 3 to say, Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

He's saying, don't you understand? Don't you know? You don't understand. If you think that we should just go ahead and not worry about sin and keep on sinning because there's grace, he's saying, you don't know. You don't understand what believing in Jesus is really all about. He said, those who have believed have been baptized into Christ Jesus. And that means we were baptized into his death.

Now when we talk about baptism, we're going to be having an opportunity for baptisms at the end of July. And when we talk about that kind of baptism, water baptism, we describe it as an outward expression of an inward change.

When Paul's talking about baptism here in verse 3, he's not talking about the water baptism. He's not talking about the outward expression. He's talking about what's changed within. He's talking about the spiritual work of baptism that happens when you believe in Jesus. So when you believe in Jesus, you are born again.

And you are baptized into Christ Jesus. Even if you have not yet been water baptized, you're baptized into Christ Jesus. You're immersed into Christ Jesus. And that means that you have also been immersed into his love.

death. Later on, when you get baptized in the water, you're just demonstrating outwardly that change that happened when you believed in Jesus Christ. And so what Paul is saying is that when you believe in Jesus, when you're baptized into Christ Jesus, you are included in his death, in his burial, and then also in his resurrection,

By believing in Jesus, you're included with him in all of these things. And so it's not just about being justified, that is the sins being forgiven, but believing in Jesus changes your life. You're a new creation, Paul will say later on in 2 Corinthians. There's a change that happens. You are immersed in Jesus Christ, included in his death, his burial, and resurrection, so that he says in verse 4,

that then the result is that we should walk in newness of life. If we were, well, crucified with him, buried with him, and raised with him, then that results in a new life for us. He goes on in verse 6 to explain that that means that we're no longer slaves of sin. And so there's a big change that happens when you believe in Jesus. Before you were a slave to sin, but no longer.

Now that doesn't mean that we are perfect and that we are sinless, but we're not slaves to sin anymore. We're not bound to sin any longer. Notice what he says in verse 7. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

You were baptized into Christ Jesus. That means you were baptized into his death. That means you died with him. And he who has died has been freed from sin. And so what Paul is saying is this is what it means to believe in Jesus. It's not just forgiveness of the past sins, but it's a new life to go forward in. You're a new creation. You've died to sin. You're not a slave of sin any longer. You're a new creation.

And so now, verses 11 through 14, he says, reckon yourself dead to sin, but alive to God. So that's the spiritual reality. You have died to sin. That's the reality. But now, Paul says, you need to acknowledge that. And you need to live according to that truth. He's explaining that sometimes Christians, well, they believe in Jesus, and they're set free from sin, but

but they don't live as if they're set free from sin. They continue to live in sin. And Paul's saying that's not the way that it should be. Instead, he says, here's what you need to do. Reckon yourself to be dead to sin. The word reckon is an accounting term. It means to calculate or to decide. So

calculate this doctrine, you know, do the math, add up the numbers. You were included with Christ in his death, his burial, and his resurrection. That means that you have new life. That means you are dead to sin. That means you don't have to sin any longer.

Now our flesh, our sinful nature, which sticks around even though we've died to it, it screams at us and it tells us, no, this isn't true. You haven't died to sin. You have to do what I tell you to do. You have to engage in this activity. You have to practice this sin. You have to. And Paul says, you need to do the math and account yourself as dead to sin.

Live according to the truth of what the Word of God says and not according to how you feel about it or what you think about it. And so Paul goes on in verse 12 to say, do not let sin reign in your mortal body. Now that's the key there, that idea of letting sin reign in your mortal body. We are still sinners and we are still imperfect. We are going to fall short. There is going to be sin in our lives.

And every time, you know, we encounter that all throughout the day, we need to go to Jesus and trust and know that he forgives us as we confess our sin to him. But what Paul is speaking about is not that you're supposed to be sinless, but that you must not let sin reign. It must not be in charge. You can't let sin dictate what you do. You've been set free. You don't have to live in that bondage anymore.

Now you get to choose, and you should choose, to live a life of righteousness. To let God reign and not sin. In verse 14 he says, sin shall not have dominion over you. Sin shall not have dominion over you. I kind of liken it in my mind to, you know, if we conquer another nation, but we

The king of that nation still has a voice and is able to speak. His armies are defeated, but he can still speak to the people. And he tells the people what to do. And the people are free. They've been delivered from that dictator. But if they keep listening to the old guy, the dictator, then they're still going to be living as if they were under his control.

And that's the idea here is the armies have been defeated. Jesus Christ has won the victory, but Satan, sin, our sinful nature still gives commands. It's still giving orders. And Paul says, don't listen to that. You don't have to give in to that. You don't have to let it reign. You don't have to let that sin have dominion over you. Verse 15 through 18, he says, having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. Right?

And so there's a replacement happening. Instead of being enslaved to sin, you are now to be enslaved to righteousness. This may not be a real exciting subject for us, but we need to be slaves of something. We are going to be servants of something. He says in verse 16, you are a slave of whomever you present yourself to obey.

And so you have two choices. You can present yourself to sin and you'll be a slave of sin. Or you can present yourself to God and be a slave of righteousness. Those are your two choices. You say, well, I don't want to be anybody's slave. I want to be my own boss. Well, then you need to become a God and create yourself and make up your own universe and then you can have it your way. But in this universe, we're God's creation.

And we're going to be enslaved to something, either to sin or to righteousness. And so in verse 18, he says, having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. This is our real identity in Christ. This is who we really are. We're citizens of heaven, servants of righteousness. And Paul's saying, live that way. Show it by how you live, because that is the spiritual reality.

He goes on in verses 19 through 23 to explain that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is life. Now, why should we be slaves of righteousness if that's our spiritual reality, whether we live that way or not? Why not just sin that grace may increase? Well, he explains why here in verses 19 through 23. And that is because if you are slaves of sin...

It brings death. The wages of sin is death. It's destruction. It eats away at you. I really like verse 21. He says, what fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. Think about your life before Christ, Paul says. There's a lot of things that you're ashamed of now. And what fruit do you have from that? What benefit did you get from that?

Destruction, death, misery. Sometimes we play back the tapes in our mind and we, you know, look at the highlights and we think, oh, those days were wonderful. Remember the children of Israel? When they wanted to go back to Egypt, they were like, oh, we had all the food we could want in Egypt. It was so wonderful back there. Forgetting that they were slaves. Don't forget what that was like. No, no, you were slaves before. Slaves of sin. It was miserable.

Paul says, you didn't have good fruit from that. And so why would you continue to live in that when all it does is bring shame and death and destruction to you? Instead, verse 22, but now having been set free from sin and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness and the end everlasting life. And so to be enslaved to God, it produces holiness.

It gives you that promise and that hope of everlasting life. And so there's good things that are in store for those who are the servants of God, the slaves of God who have believed in Jesus Christ. Don't continue to live in sin. Don't let it reign in your body because it will destroy your life. That's what Paul is saying. Well now chapter 7, he goes on in verse 6 is the key verse.

It says, Paul goes on in verses 1 through 6 to explain that the law has dominion over a man as long as he lives. We talked about the law quite a bit last week and now he picks up that subject again and he's explaining here that

The law only applies to those who are living. And we can recognize that, right? Those who go to court, those who are taken to court, are those who are alive. Dead people are not put on trial. Dead people are not required to pay fines. They're not required to do community service. It's only for those who are alive.

In the same way, Paul says, God's law applies as long as a man is alive. He gives an example of a husband and wife. If a wife sleeps with another man, aside from her husband, that's called adultery. It's against the law. But if her husband dies...

then, well, that law she's free from and she's able to be with another man, to get remarried and to be with that man. And that's not adultery because, well, there's a death that has occurred. And he's continuing on that idea that we've died with Christ to now in chapter 7 say, we've been delivered from the law. That's what he says in verse 6.

So he's explaining things have changed because when you believed in Jesus, you died with Christ. And that means you're not bound to sin. It also means you're not bound to the law because you have died.

Now he goes on in verses 7 through 12 to say that the law is holy, just, and good. So talking about being delivered from the law might make us think, well, is he saying that the law is not good? And so, you know, we're free from the law. Praise the Lord. Because the law is a bad thing? Is that what he's saying? And he goes on here in these next verses. He says, no, the law is good.

The law is not sin, he says in verse 7. He says, on the contrary, I would have not known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law said, you shall not covet. And here's something very important that we need to understand. The law was designed by God for a specific purpose.

And it's not the purpose that most people think that it was designed for. Most people approach the law as if that's what's going to present them righteous to God. That's the way the Jews thought. And those who practice legalism today, we all can have that tendency to get caught up in legalism. And we think that by our laws, we're able to present ourselves as good people to God. But Paul says, that's not the point of the law. That's not what it's for.

The law is not bad, but it needs to be used as it was designed. It works perfectly for what it was designed to do, and its purpose was to reveal that we are sinful. The law, the point of the law, the purpose of the law is to reveal sin.

to declare us sinful, to point out that we are fallen. That's the whole point of the law. And so when we try to use the law to present ourselves righteous, it's like, you know, using a glass as a hammer. It's like, it's not going to work. It's just going to break down. It's going to make a mess. The law was designed to reveal sin, not to

declare people righteous. And so there's problems when we try to use the law for what it was not designed to do. If we use the law to be declared righteous, you're going to fail. If you try to use the law to justify yourself, well, that's not going to work. It will fail. If you try to use the law to earn God's love...

Or favor or blessings. Look God, I've been so faithful. Look at how many laws I keep. Now you'll really love me. No, that will fail. That's not what the law was designed to do. The law was designed to show that you can't keep it. And you need a savior. You need to believe in the righteousness that God has provided. The real problem with the law in verses 13 through 21, Paul says, is that the law is spiritual.

But I am carnal. The real problem with the law is not with the law at all. The real problem is with me. The law is spiritual and I am carnal. I have a sinful nature. And that's the real problem with the law. If I was perfect, the law would be fine because I would keep the law. I would not have any problems with the law. And the law would declare me righteous if I wasn't carnal.

But because I have a sinful nature, because I am a descendant of Adam, well, there is this sinful nature. And so the law cannot declare me righteous because I'm carnal. And Paul describes this battle here in chapter 7. It's one that we refer to often. I know you're familiar with it. And Paul says, look, I want to do these things, but even though I try, I find that I can't do them.

and then I don't want to do these other things and I try real hard not to do them but then I find myself doing them so the things I want to do I don't do and the things I don't want to do that's what I end up doing he's describing this battle why is there this battle because the law is spiritual and I am carnal because we have this sinful nature and we're not perfect we're not even close to perfect

And there's going to be this kind of battle for the rest of our life on this earth. Now, the great news is that in eternity, this battle is done. When we have our new bodies, we don't have this sinful nature any longer. And so it's done. The battle is done. But for now, there is this battle. The law is good and it reveals that what I do is not good. That I fall short.

And Paul exclaims in verse 22 through 25, who will deliver me from this body of death? As he's talking about this battle, describing it, he says in verse 22, I delight in the law of the Lord. I like God's law. I want to follow it. I want to do good and do what's right. But then in verse 23, he says, I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.

And there's this battle. I want to follow God's law, but I have this war that's going on in my mind. I have this battle that's raging. And he says in verse 24, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Who will deliver me from this? Because I've got this battle. I'm stuck in this. I love God. I want to follow God. And yet I still find myself doing things that are not of God.

Now he's not saying he's letting sin reign in his mortal body and he's, you know, living a lifestyle of sin. He's saying he still falls short. Who will deliver me, he says, from this body of death? And then he says in verse 25, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's through Jesus Christ our Lord that we can be delivered from this body of death. And we have this hope of a new body.

The day that we will be set free through Jesus Christ. I like what Warren Wiersbe has to say about this. He says, Keep your love relationship with the Lord alive and exciting and you will have righteousness instead of wretchedness. He says, Focus on your relationship with the Lord. Sometimes whenever we're looking at this battle that's raging within, we focus on the sin and we get consumed with the sin.

And we try to think of laws that will help us, you know, break away from the sin. We try to think of systems or policies or procedures or accountability. And if we get these fences in place, then we'll finally be free of that law. But the real way to tackle sin and address sin is to focus on your loving relationship with Jesus.

And he replaces that wretchedness with righteousness. He does the work of setting us free, delivering us, growing us and developing us. He does that work as we walk with him. So who will deliver me from this body of death? It's through Jesus Christ. And so we need to make sure that we pursue him. And that's the focus. That's the goal. That's our objective. That's what we need to be concerned with.

Well now as we go on into chapter 8, we are looking at now an amazing chapter. Where Paul will talk about, he's been talking about the struggles, the battles, death, the law. Now as we go into chapter 8, it's like a whole new book. He's talking about life in the Spirit. You might refer to it as victorious Christian living. He describes now the life that we can have by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In verse 1, the key verse, it says, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Think about that. He's talking about the struggle with the law and this conviction and this battle. And I still fall short. But even though I still fall short, there's no condemnation.

Even though I break the law, there's no condemnation. That's a big change. Outside of Christ, when you break the law, there's condemnation. But by believing in Jesus Christ, you're set free because you died with him. You're set free from the law. There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Now, the enemy will still try to condemn us. And sometimes we will condemn ourselves. But we need to go back here and remember the truth again.

There's no condemnation. God doesn't condemn you if you're a believer in Jesus Christ. For those, he says, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. When you're walking in the Spirit, there is no condemnation. In verses 1 through 11, Paul explains that what the law could not do, God did by sending his own Son. He says this in verse 3.

What the law could not do. The law could not present us righteous or declare us righteous. Why couldn't it do that? Well, because of our flesh. And so instead, God accomplished this by sending his own son. And because of what Jesus did for us, taking our place upon the cross, he accomplished for us what the law could not accomplish. And that is why Jesus is the only way of salvation. Because he accomplished what nothing else could.

And so Paul goes on in verse 8 to say, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. It doesn't matter how hard you try to keep the laws. In the flesh, the law is not able to present you to God in a way that is pleasing to God. The law cannot do that. It's only by faith in Jesus Christ.

And so in verse 9, he says, if anyone does not have the Spirit, he is not his. He says, when you are born again, you receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in you. And so you're walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. But he says, hey, if you don't have the Spirit, then you don't belong to Christ. Because everyone who believes in Jesus has the Holy Spirit.

Whether you feel like you have the Holy Spirit or not, if you believe in Jesus, if you've been born again, you have the Holy Spirit. He kind of reiterates this in verses 12 through 17. He says, as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. He says, if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if you live...

According to the Spirit. Or if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, then you will live. And so going back to chapter 7 and the struggle between what I want to do and what I can't do and what I don't do and what I should do and all of those struggles and battles that we have. Now in chapter 8 he's saying, by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit enables you to put those things to death. And so you can grow. You can develop. You can grow.

You can become more like Christ. We refer to this, it's the doctrine of sanctification. That when you believe in Jesus Christ, you're justified and God relates to you as if you had never sinned. But he then begins the sanctification. It's a process where he's cleaning up your life. He's developing you and strengthening you and dealing with issues in your heart. And it's a process that we're going to go through until we stand before him. And so he's going to be by the Spirit,

putting things to death and continuing to work in us and change in us and cleanse us that we would be more like him. And that happens as we are led by the spirit of God. And so he says, if you're led by the spirit of God, you're a child of God. And if you don't have the spirit, you're not a child of God. Every child of God has the spirit. So let the spirit lead you. Let him put to death those things of the flesh that you might have the things of life.

Verses 18 through 30, he says, our present sufferings cannot be compared to the future glory. Verse 18 is one of those amazing memorized verses, right? For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Paul says there is an incredible exchange rate. The sufferings that you go through, well,

They're cashed in at an amazing rate. So much so that it doesn't even compare to the glory that shall be revealed in you. In this life, in the midst of suffering, we're pretty focused on the suffering. We can't imagine anything worse or that it would be worth anything. But God says, or Paul says, no, there's something far greater in eternity. When you look back at the suffering, you'll be like, it was worth it.

Doesn't even compare. There's so much better things that God has in store for me in eternity that he's working for me in eternity through the suffering that I'm going through now. And so he uses the things right now to accomplish things in eternity that are, well, it's an amazing exchange rate. It's worth it. And so he says in verse 23, until then we groan, eagerly awaiting the redemption of our body.

He says in verse 26, in the meantime, the Spirit helps us to pray according to God's will so that when we suffer, that the Holy Spirit is able to help us pray. And he prays according to the will of God.

Then in verse 828, another of those classic verses, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose. So that when we're suffering, we can remember, we know that all things work together for good because God is at work. He's given us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is praying according to the will of God on our behalf. And we know that God's big enough to work all this out for our benefit so that in eternity...

We can look back and say, worth it, totally. God, if I was in control and had to do it again, I would do it the same way. Now there's some things in your life that you can't imagine saying that about. Going back in your life, you might say, well, yeah, you know, I'd probably do some things differently if I were God. But in eternity, you'll have his perspective and you'll see the realities and what he's able to accomplish through the things that we are going through here.

And so Paul says in verse 31 through 39, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Verse 31, another classic verse. What shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? If God, the supreme being, the creator of the heavens and the earth, all powerful, all knowing, if God is for you, who can be against you?

There's nobody that can outsmart him. There's nobody stronger than him. There's no plans that can succeed against him. Yes, Satan hates you, but he cannot do anything without the Lord's permission. And just like we saw a couple Sundays ago where Jesus told Peter, Satan has asked for you, Peter, to sift you like wheat. Satan had to ask permission. We see that in Job as well. Satan had to ask permission. God is for you. So who can be against you?

Even Satan can only do what God allows. There's nobody who can be against you when God is for you. And then verse 32. He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? This is an amazing verse. It blows my mind every time I think about it. Paul says, God already gave you the most costly thing.

There's a song that we sing. I forget the name of the song, but one of the verses or the bridge says, I'll never know how much it costs to see my sin upon the cross. He already gave the most costly thing in giving his own son. So why do you think he would withhold little things, the things of this life? That's what Paul is saying. It's like if, you know, you meet a billionaire and a billionaire says,

gives you three million dollars and you're like wow thanks but then you're with him at 7-11 and you're three cents short for a slurpee how much more will the billionaire who gave you three million dollars be willing to give you those three cents so you could have your slurpee it's like nothing right i mean he's got all the resources that's the idea god already gave the thing of infinite value jesus christ his own son to die upon the cross so the things that you need in this life

The help that you need, the strength that you need, the provision that you need, everything that you need in this life, it's minuscule compared to what he's already done. Now that doesn't mean that he says, look, I've already done so much, so now you're on your own. No, that means he's willing to give it all and yet we stress out about these little things as if like God's not willing to give it to us. No, no, God's got you. He's got you. He's with you. He's for you. He's going to give you everything that you need. He demonstrated that by sending his only son to die upon the cross.

In verse 34, he explains that the one who condemns is the one who died for us and intercedes for us. Continuing on, who can be against you? Who can condemn you? Listen, the one who has authority to condemn is also the one who died for you. He's also the one who intercedes for you. It's like if you go to court and you have your defense attorney, but that defense attorney is also the judge.

And so the defense attorney says, I got the perfect argument. I know exactly what he needs to hear to get you off on this. And then he goes and sits up on the bench. Jesus is the one who condemns. He has the right to judge. He declared that. All authority has been given to him. All judgment has been entrusted to him. It's Jesus who judges. And if you believe in Jesus, well, he died for you. He intercedes for you. So there's no one left to condemn you.

Because the only one who can condemn is Jesus. So God is for you. Jesus is for you. He says in verse 38 and 39, nothing can separate you from the love of God. Height, depth, whatever you want to think about, nothing can separate you. God loves you. He's with you. He's for you. We better keep going. Chapter 9 now, verse 3. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen, according to the flesh.

He says in verses 1 through 5, I have great sorrow for my brethren. You can see here Paul's concern for the Israelites, the Jewish people. He has a great heart for them, a heart for the lost because, well he explains, they have zeal but it's not according to knowledge.

And so Paul has this desire, this intense desire for them to be saved. So much so he says, I wish that I could offer myself and say, hey, I'll be accursed. Send me to hell so that all of Israel could be saved. If that were possible, he says, that's what I would want to do. Man, what a great heart that he expresses here. Now what's interesting to me about that is that Paul had this amazing heart for his people and God sent him to the Gentiles. You know, God's ways are not our ways. And sometimes...

What we have the biggest passion for, God wants to use us in a different area. And that's what he did with the Apostle Paul. Verses 6 through 13, it says, Now, he goes on to say in verse 6 that they are not all Israel who are of Israel. And it sounds a little bit confusing. But what he's explaining is that the Jewish people counted themselves of Israel because of their genetics.

We descended from Abraham. We can trace our heritage back there. We have his blood in our veins. We are Israel. And that's true, of course. They're descendants of Abraham. But Paul is explaining that when God is talking about Israel, the thing that he valued wasn't the genetics. The thing that he valued was Abraham's faith. He says in verse 8, "...those who are the children of the flesh..."

These are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. He gives the example of Isaac. Remember, Isaac was the son of promise. Abraham actually had a son before Isaac because he tried to fulfill the promise on his own. But then Isaac was the son of promise. And it's the sons or the descendants of Isaac that are Israel.

Now what that means is it's the promise that God is focused on, not the genetics. Otherwise it would have been through Ishmael the firstborn. But it's the promise. It's Abraham's faith. God valued Abraham's faith and Abraham believed God at his word. And so God is saying, or Paul is saying here, those who believe God at his word are the children of Abraham. That's the point that he is seeking to make.

Well then in verses 14 through 29, he says, God has mercy on whom he wills. He gives the example of Pharaoh. And it says that God raised up Pharaoh that his name might be declared in all the earth. And so he raised up Pharaoh to let everybody know that he is God. And again, he's anticipating some of the challenges here. In verse 19, he says, so why does God still find fault in

If God raised up Pharaoh that his name might be known and Pharaoh hardened his heart, didn't receive the mercy of God. So why does God hold Pharaoh accountable for that? Well, Paul answers a question with a question in verse 20. He says, who are you to reply against God? Now he's not just trying to avoid the question. He's highlighting the thing that people think that they are more fair than God. Why would God do that? I don't think that's fair.

Because we have better perspective on what's fair, what's right. No, God does what's right. But we think, hey, if I was God, I would do it better. And that's what Paul is highlighting here. God gets to choose what he does. But keep in mind, he knows best. He does what is best.

And because he gets to choose, he chose to bring salvation to Jews and Gentiles. And so we're benefits of God's choice and him showing mercy to whom he wills. But then we challenge him, I don't know if you're really right and fair, God. That's what Paul is highlighting. You're like, you know, taking advantage of it, but then challenging him and you're receiving the benefits of it.

Then he goes on in verses 30 through 33 to explain the real problem. He said, Israel did not seek righteousness by faith. You see, the real issue is faith. And again, talking about the law, Israel tried to achieve righteousness by the law, verse 31. And so they didn't attain righteousness because they were trying to use the law in a way that it wasn't designed. But Gentiles received righteousness.

In verse 32 he says, talking about Israel, They stumbled at Jesus Christ. And so they didn't attain to righteousness because they tried to get righteousness by the law.

Chapter 10 now, verse 3 is the key verse. It says, For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. In verses 1 through 4, he explains that Christ is the end of the law to everyone who believes. He expresses again his desires for Israel is that they would be saved. He's passionate about his people.

He says they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. And then he explains it's God who sets the terms. He's made salvation available through one way. That is a righteousness that's attained by faith. And he says they've not submitted to that righteousness. They don't approach God by faith. They approach God by their works.

Verses 5 through 13, he says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Here he explains how to be saved. Verse 9, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. He's describing here two things, internal and external. You confess with your mouth and you believe with your heart.

When you confess with your mouth, the idea is saying it out loud, but the idea of speaking it out or conversation was a way that they would also refer to lifestyle. And so confessing it with your mouth is not just saying the words, but it's living it out.

And so when you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, he's not talking about just saying words that you don't mean. He's talking about saying words that you back up with the way that you live. And confessing the Lord Jesus with your mouth is saying that you live after the Lord Jesus, pursuing the Lord Jesus. And then believing in your heart, that's the internal, believing God at his word and trusting him and receiving that righteousness that comes by faith.

And so he says, if you do these two things, it's internal and external. You believe in your heart, you confess it with your mouth, then you are saved. But you have to have both. If it's external only, that's legalism, it's rituals, it's religion. You're just saying words that you don't mean. If you just have the internal, well, I believe in Jesus, but I live in sin. Well, Paul's explaining that's not genuine. That's not real salvation.

they go together, the internal and the external. You confess with your mouth. You believe in your heart. You live out that obedience to the Lord Jesus. He says in verse 12, this is the same for Jews and Greeks. So there's not different ways to be saved for different groups of people. This is the way of salvation. Then in verse 14 through 17, he explains that faith comes by hearing the word. And so if this is the case, that

You confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart and you are saved. He goes on now to talk to those who are believers and he says, so we need to get the word out. How shall they call on him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching to them? So we need to get the word out. He says, not everybody has believed.

Because, well, we need to get the Word out. Verse 17, he says, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. This is why, by the way, we spend so much time focusing on the Word of God. This is why when we approach those who do not believe, we refer to the Word of God because it's the Word that's living and active. And faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. The Word is, of course, the Gospel message and all the rest of the Scriptures.

It produces, it develops faith in us. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word. Well then verse 18 through 21 he says, Israel has heard but is disobedient. So if faith comes by hearing...

Then hasn't Israel heard the word? Again, he's anticipating some of the arguments back. And he says, yeah, indeed, they have heard the word. But in verse 21, he says, well, to Israel, he says, all day long I've stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. Paul says, look, Israel gets to choose. All people get to choose. Faith comes by hearing, but that doesn't mean that everybody who hears will receive it. There's a choice that must be made.

And God has been stretching out his hands. He's been speaking his word to a disobedient and contrary people. They've been fighting against God for a long time. And there's many people like that because God allows them to choose. People get to choose to be contrary, to be disobedient. They get to choose to not believe. But if they choose to believe, then they will be saved. And that's the choice that is presented. That's the gospel that Paul is declaring here through the book of Romans.

And so we have this amazing work of God by which he has made righteousness available by faith. Not by works, not by keeping some religious system, not by jumping through some hoops. We are subject to sin, which means we are going to die, which means we deserve judgment. But if we believe in Jesus Christ, we can be set free from all that.

But from the beginning to the end here in the chapters we've been looking at, Paul's point is, these are the realities, the truths that have taken place because you've believed in Jesus. Now your life needs to demonstrate that. And so I want to encourage you this evening to confess the Lord Jesus with your mouth and believe in your heart and to demonstrate that. Don't let sin reign in your mortal body. And if you've got sin issues, of course,

We all stumble and fall. And so I'm not talking about, you know, you should be distressed about whether or not you're saved if you've sinned today. No, you sinned today. That's the reality. But if you're choosing to live in sin and you're just counting on the grace of God, like, well, there's grace. You need to repent. If you feel like you're bound, you're stuck in some sin, the reality, the spiritual truth is you've been set free, but you're living as if you're enslaved and

And so you need to get some help. You need to cry out to the Lord. You need to walk in the Spirit and live out the reality that is because you have believed in Jesus Christ. Don't buy into the lies of the enemy in your flesh. Believe in Jesus and let your life show it. Let's pray. God, I pray that you would help each of us to demonstrate, Lord, the life and the reality that you have accomplished for us as we have put our faith and trust in you.

Lord, I pray that you would help us to live changed lives, set free, delivered, not letting sin reign in us, not bound to legalism any longer, not trying to use those things to present ourselves as pleasing to you. But Lord, that we would approach you by faith. And Lord, that we would pursue right relationship with you, that you would accomplish in us all those things, Lord, that we want to do by legalism, Lord.

You accomplish those things in us as we pursue right relationship with you. And so, Lord, help us to stay focused on that, to walk with you, to love you, to know you. And I pray as we do that you would transform our lives and that by the Spirit you would put to death the things of our flesh, knowing all the while, God, that you work out all things together for our good and so we can trust you and we can rest in you. And because of your for us, who can be against us? In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.