of God's Word and turn to the book of Romans. We're reading through Romans right now. We're up to chapter 8. Today is the 8th day of March. So we read a chapter a day. If you would like for a copy of our reading calendars, there's one up here in the front that you can get and keep up with us. And I believe it will be a blessing to you, no doubt, as you read through the Word of God. You can't read through the Word of God and not be blessed. And we are currently chapter by chapter reading through the book of Romans. There are 16 chapters in it. So it won't be long. We'll be passing right on through. And I pray we soak up everything that we could potentially soak up, that we indulge ourselves in it. There's so many things, so many rich and wonderful heavenly principles that God gives us all the way through this book that it would take us days and months and probably much longer than that if we dissected this book bit by bit as we walked through it. But at the same time I know that as you journey in it from day to day that God will speak and bless you and increase you and multiply what he wants to do in your life it's such a tremendous tool what a promising word all the technical wonders of God working in our life and what he accomplished in Christ that was what we see in this book and if you would just turn to chapter number one seeing that we haven't actually been able to jump off in this since we started I just want to cover a couple things and do somewhat of a of an overview of some of these chapters as we've been reading through it and as we continue on in it. First off that we want to recognize is that Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome which was made up of multinational ethnic groups of people. They were Gentiles and Jews. They were from every corner and facet I would imagine of the known world at that time and where people were gathered at Rome, a central city, a dominant place, the capital of the Roman Empire. and there was all kind of people that were there that he wrote to and it's obvious that he writes to what he believes is the church at Rome that is the called out assembly those who had been set apart in Christ Jesus who were at Rome which would have Jew and Gentile and when he writes to them he writes from Corinth he sends the letter by a lady by the name of Phoebe look in chapter 16 hold your spot there look in 16.1 And we'll see how he says this about Phoebe. 16 once, as I commend to you Phoebe, our sister, where she's from, verse two, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever business she has need of you for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also. So when Paul wrote this letter he sent it by her hand to this church at Rome and we find that he starts out in chapter number one again he says Paul a bondservant of Jesus Christ called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of God which he promised before through his prophets in the holy scriptures which is concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh that is he's describing the humanity of Jesus that Jesus was a man he was a physical man born of the seed of David and then he says in verse four but he was also God he was both man and God and declared to be the son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead so Paul is helping us recognize that Jesus is both man and he is God and because he is man He could be our satisfied covering. He could be our propitiation. He could take on the affirmities of man but be without sin because not only is He man but He's also God. And He came as God's sacrifice that God made for Himself and as our substitute. So Paul is talking about that the Older Testament has been proclaiming all the way up to this point of Christ who he would come, that he would be the seed of David, a son of David, he would be a man born of a virgin, and he would also be, because he was born of a virgin, and therefore was God born of the Spirit of God within the womb of Mary he was conceived by the Spirit in her womb that meant he would be without sin he wouldn't enter into this world with a sinful nature like you and I entered into this world we came into this world as sinners We were born in iniquity. We inherited our sin nature from our parents and our parents from their parents and their parents from their parents. It takes us all the way back to Adam. But because Jesus' birth was unique in the fact that He was the Son of God born of the Holy Spirit but yet a man he lived a sinless sacrificial life and by his life and his shed blood we could receive forgiveness of sin because he was blameless and without sin So Paul is just simply demonstrating to us the fact that this word about Christ has been foretold for years and years and years way before he came. And he's just saying that I'm a messenger of his. I've been separated to this message. I've been called to proclaim this message. And I've been sent by God to help other people with it. And he says in verse number five, he says, through him, that would be through Christ, We have received grace and apostleship for what purpose? Because I think this is very important for us. Why did we receive grace and why did we receive our calling? When he says apostleship, of course, he's applying that to himself, the calling upon his life. But the principle applies to you and me, that if we receive grace, we also receive a calling from God. God's called us to a specific work in the kingdom and we receive this grace and our calling for what? He tells us for obedience to the faith among all the nations for his name among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. I think that that that is very crucial for us to recognize is that you've heard me say this before when Jesus delivers us from something He always delivers us what? To something. He never just takes us from something without delivering us to something. Why? Because God is always intentional in everything that He does. He never does anything accidental. Amen? I mean, God can't do anything accidental. so whenever he does something it's always with purpose and it's always with an intention and one of those purposes, Tabby, that he gave us grace and then put a calling on our life to live for him it's so that we can be obedient to him before the world that we live in so we've been delivered from disobedience and deliver to obedience and we have the power to do that through Christ now he started out the letter saying that but he also closed the letter Uncle Bud he closed it saying the exact same thing and how this happens in our life look in chapter 16 again and watch how he how he closes he starts out the letter with this thought and he wraps the letter up with this thought look in chapter 16 look at verse number twenty-five anytime we see the scriptures repeating a thought, a principle we need to take note of it because it's something important for us to remember because it's easy, I'm going to be the first one to admit it, it's easy to get swooped up in this old world and let the cares of this life distract us from the purpose of God delivering us from a lifestyle of disobedience to a lifestyle of obedience we just get caught up in doing routine things and fail to remember hey God gave me grace Miss Pat to be obedient he gave me the calling on my life to be obedient and that obedience is to be lived out among the nations before the world that he places so on the job he's called me to be obedient in my home he's called me to be obedient In the church, He's called me to be obedient. Wherever I go, whatever I do, I have a calling on my life and the power for obedience because God delivered me from a lifestyle of disobedience to a lifestyle of obedience for His glory. Notice, though, how these things are worked out. He says in verse 25, Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching or the teaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now has been manifested by the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations according to the commandment of the everlasting God for what? for what? for obedience to the faith. I mean, he started the letter out this way, Mr. Norman, and he closes the letter. He says, we've received grace for obedience. Now, how are we going to be established? How are we going to walk in that obedience? That is going to come through the revelation of the knowledge of Christ through the Scriptures, through the prophetic Word of God, through learning more about Jesus. See, even though God has taken us from a life of disobedience and brought us into a life of obedience we're not going to actually fulfill that obedience unless He establishes us in the Word of God. It's not going to happen. That's why it's fundamental for us to continue to indulge ourself in the word of God for example turn to turn to second Peter chapter number one second Peter chapter number one turn there second Peter chapter number one notice if you would in verse number two second Peter one two says grace and peace be multiplied to you in what where is grace and peace multiplied to us where is it poured out on us not just added to us but multiplied to us in what in knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. That's what Paul said as he closed out the letter of Romans. That's how he's going to establish us for obedience to the faith is through knowledge of him. Look at verse number three. As his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, in essence his divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. But that power, what does it flow through? it flows through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue by which that is his power his knowledge knowledge of him by which it's a plural form there by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises that through these those exceedingly great and precious promises we may be partakers of what the divine nature of God having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust so all this Tommy flows through growing in our knowledge of the Lord we have divine power that's the source to live a life of godliness before God but that power will not be transferred any other way except through the knowledge of Him who called us unto His glory and virtue God has a means matter of fact I got something in my pocket here if I can find it somewhere in here I think I did Stuff falls out of y'all's pockets every once in a while? Oh, yeah, I got it. I got it. I got my pacifiers, too. I keep them in my pocket as well. Y'all know about them pacifiers, right? How they work. I got this, so it's probably hard for y'all to see. What is this, Mr. Bud? It looks like a peel, don't it? But it's actually a little bean, a little bush bean is what it is. And this bean, remember what Jesus said in John chapter, I think it's 12, verse 24. And verily, verily, I say unto you, unless a corner of wheat fall on the ground and die, it remains in and of itself. This bean right here, Who knows the potential in this bean? How many beans are in this bean? Anybody have an idea? Is there more beans in this bean than we can probably count or fathom? But this bean will never ever be any more than what it is by itself unless it goes through a process. What kind of process does it have to go through? Well one, it has to be It's got to be planted. It's got to be put in the ground. It's got to be buried in the ground. Now when it's buried in the ground, what happens to this bean? This bean has to go through a a process where it actually dies as being single it breaks apart opens up and then shoots out of the ground and upon that bush bean that grows out of this how many stalks or how many beans can we pull off of this thing? And then if we took every bean off of it and then replanted it how many beans are going to come off of it? We have no idea. God knows. We don't know. But this being will never be any more than this one being unless it goes through a process. Well, you see, God has a process for us to grow. and we'll never grow in that process and take on that divine nature and manifest that godliness in life without the source number one the power source God himself but he works through his word for that to take place And Paul says, hey, that word comes into us so that we can be obedient to the faith. And when we're obedient to the faith, his divine nature comes out and it has an influence. It has an impact. It touches people's lives. But we have to die. We have to die to who we are. And that's what Romans is helping us with, to recognize we died with Christ. We've been buried with him. We've been resurrected to new life. And who knows the potential fruit that is in each one of us until we go through the process. only God knows that's up to him amen and he the one who said some produce thirty fold some sixty some ninety some a hundred that's totally up to him brother Shannon ain't up to us that's up to him but he's got a process that every one of us goes through so for us to be established He's going to do it through the prophetic scriptures of the Word of God so that we can be obedient to the faith. And when that happens, God transfers His nature through our lives to have an influence and impact on other people. That's why Paul would say this. Look, go back to Romans. Go back to Romans. I've been carrying this bean to remind me that I can't do anything outside of going through God's process. Look in Romans 1 again, I like what Paul says because this ought to be our thought process. I've got to think this way. I want to do what I do for these reasons. He says in verse number 9, I'm just going to start reading there. For God is my witness, whom I serve, chapter 1 of Romans 1, 9. God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers, make and request, by some means now at last i may find a way in the will of god to you paul wanted to go there and he eventually did verse eleven for i long to see you that i may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established that is that i may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me now i don't want you to be unaware brother I want you to be ignorant of this that I often planned to come to you but was hindered until now why did I want to come that I might have what some fruit among you also just as among the other Gentiles now that's that's understanding that you have something to invest in other people I need this mindset. I need to realize that one, God saved me by His grace. Number two, that God's got a calling on my life. Number three, that grace and that calling is so that I can be obedient to Him and that God has a process, Karen, of how that's going to take place. And when I allow that godliness to work out of me, His righteousness working through me, I then understand that I have a spiritual gift that I can impart to other people. And when I invest that in spiritual gift in other people, I can have fruit among them under God's glory, under His praise, eternal fruit. And we all, we have to take on that mindset that I realize that God has done such a work in me from delivering me from disobedience to obedience to get involved in His process of how He works so that I can impart life to other people. His life. And therefore plant seeds, eternal seeds in other people so that I can have fruit among them as well. that ought to be why we do what we do when we come here in our homes with our grandchildren and children with our neighbors with our co-workers with our social media buddies whatever it may be everything we do we ought to have the mindset that I have something eternal to give away and I can plant seeds of righteousness And I can have fruit in all places around the world under God's glory. Amen. I just got to know I'm a planner. I've been given a heavenly mission to work the fields that God has given me to impart his truth to people I come across. You, we need this way of thinking to live out what God's called us to live out. And then what we find in the book from there on out, which we'll cover more tonight as we come back, as we just journey from chapter to chapter and look at it from an overview of what he's helping them with. He simply starts out with the factor. He said, he says these things. This is, this is fundamental. Look in verse 15. This is important. to have this mindset it goes along with this he says in verse 15 so saying all that knowing who I am knowing what he's called me to knowing what he's given me knowing I want some fruit among you as much as is in me I am ready to preach the gospel to you in Rome also as much as is in me as much as is in me I am ready you know that applies to all of us if I find myself not proclaiming the gospel or preaching the truth or taking the seeds of God and giving them away the reason that is I don't have much in me because as much as in me is going to come out of me amen so that's important for us if this is not something that just easily flows out of us I can't give away what I don't have amen We can't plant, Greg, what we don't have. If we want to plant beans or if we want to plant whatever it is, we've got to have the seed to plant it. And I can't give away what I don't have. So when I understand who I am, what He's called me to, why He's called me, and that I have eternal seeds of righteousness to impart and give to other people, And I'm letting him just continue to plant those seeds in me. As much as is in me, I'm ready to give it away. When I was down there with my brother, staying with him in this last revival, he's got a bunch of chickens. And I think they got about six roosters running around there. And you know, them old roosters can't help themselves. They just got a crow. And they crow all day long. Just non-stop. When you have that many, you know, that's how it works. They just go at it. But a rooster can't help himself. That crow's in him. And when the urge comes and he fills up with that, he's got to let that crow out. As much as is in him, he's got to let it go. It's a natural thing for him. And I want to tell you it's a supernatural thing for us. As much as is in each one of us, the truth that's in us is what we've got to get out. So here's the big question. How much is in me? How much is in me? How much is in me? How do I know how much is in me? it's what's coming out of me it's what's coming out think about that ponder that now what Paul does in the rest of the book is that remember he wants fruit among them right he wants to impart something to them so now what he's fixing to do by the power of God's spirit he's fixing to unleash what's in him and he's writing it down in this letter and he's letting it out why so that they can get in them Because once it gets in them and it takes root and plant, they're going to start going from there and they're going to start letting out what's in them. And I want to tell you what he writes about, what he lets out of him, as much as is in him, he lets go. He gives away some really good stuff. Stuff that changes lives. Amen? stuff that transforms people and churches and I want to be one of those transformers I want this in me so that I can get it out of me amen for God's glory and be obedient to his faith so it's important it's significant get it out let it go but Bill you can't get it out unless it's where it's in you And I want to tell you, God's got some principles. You can't never give more than what he can give in return. Amen? You give it, he says, I'll just keep giving it to you. and I'll pour it on you and I'll press it on you and I'll use people to sow into you and it'll just flow off of you it'll just roll off your cup will be overflowing in full if you'll just take what I give you and start going and giving away what's in you I'll keep pouring more on you to him be the praise amen amen so if you receive grace what does that mean you receive grace for what obedience to the faith. You have a calling on your life. If you receive grace, you also have a calling, a ministry. God has given you to accomplish and do for His glory. And it is for obedience to the faith. But that is not going to work out unless we go through the process of being established by the Scriptures, the knowledge of Him who called us by His glory and virtue. The truth is fundamentally important. for me to have something in me so they can get out of me to have an influence on other people. I want to impart spiritual things. I want spiritual fruit. And I want to examine what's in me by what's coming out of me. And I believe God will use that in our lives. Amen. Father, we thank you. We bless you today. We pray as we continue to travel through this book that you would impart revelation to us that will not only transform who we are as your creatures and make us more like your Son, the Lord Jesus, that you would also, Lord, that we would begin to recognize your mind your thoughts, your ways taking over not only in our mind and how we think but how we effectively communicate that to people that we know and love and care for to see them be transformed by your ways as well so we just praise you, thank you, feed us, nurture us Thank you for loving us the way that you do and we rest assured as as Romans 8 would say there's not one thing that's ever been created that can separate us from your love in Christ. So we praise you this morning and thank you for his blood in Jesus name.