I told Sister Stacey that it's not going to be the same message I brought this morning, because she probably wouldn't have come if she knew I was going to do the same thing. I'm not going to repeat what I brought this morning, which would have been easier, but I had time to study and look at something that I think it's a very safe subject to get into. Paul defined the gospel very clearly. The whole book of Romans is The first part of it's a doctrinal book teaching the works of God and how that God, by grace, has saved his people. The latter part, starting about chapter 12, he applies the practicality to the gospel and to the doctrine and how we're to live for Christ. And how we live for Christ is we live in service to one another. And chapter 12, 13, 14, 15. And I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with chapter 16. It's like a genealogy. It's really just a bunch of names. But we'll go ahead and ask the Lord to lead. I've been studying now. I think I've gotten about 100 messages from the Book of Romans. And as we began tonight, turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1. And we'll hear Paul's definition of the gospel, but let's pray first. Heavenly Father, thank you for your watch care over us, and we do pray for the services tonight, and we ask you to bless those that are here. Think of those that would be here if they could. We ask your blessing upon them, those that may be sick or otherwise hindered, and Lord, those on the prayer list, and We pray for our nation. We pray for our leaders. Pray for men and women that are standing in harm's way. We thank you for those who love and cherish this nation and care for it enough to defend us. We thank you for that. Go with us through this service. And may Jesus Christ be lifted up. For it's in his precious name we pray. Amen. First of all, if you were to go out on a street corner, I know it's kind of chilly this time of year, but if you were to go out and ask everyone that passes by, what do you think the gospel is? What's your definition of the gospel? And you go to the doorstep of most any church and you ask the people as they come out, what's your definition of the gospel? And you probably get as many different answers as you talk to people. And most people, believe it or not, they think that, you know, your gospel is as good as my gospel. My gospel is as good as yours. And the vast majority of men and women really are not terribly concerned about what the gospel is, the actual gospel, and acknowledge that one person's opinion and one church's teaching is just as good as another. But the Bible teaches us contrarywise, there is one gospel. And if you open the Word of God and you very quickly will discover that this blessed book everywhere asserts that there's only one gospel. And that one gospel is important because that's the only one by which we're saved. And it has to be, you have to have the right gospel. And Paul spent quite a bit of time, quite a bit of study in this, what the gospel is. And we understand that there are different names for the gospel in the New Testament. It's called the gospel of God, I believe, seven times. It's called the gospel of the kingdom three times. It's named as the gospel of Christ 10 times. It's called the gospel of the grace of God once. It's even called the gospel of peace twice, the gospel of Christ once. The glorious gospel and the blessed gospel. The glorious gospel of the blessed God one time. And it's called the everlasting gospel. It's called the gospel of his son. And the gospel alone, just called the gospel 62 times. So there's but one gospel, no matter what name it goes by in the Bible, it's still just one gospel which we must believe. And we must make sure that we believe that one gospel, because that's how we're saved, is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. All other gospels are false gospels, and therefore no gospel at all. The Apostle Paul tells us plainly that the gospel is the one that we believe, that it is indeed the gospel of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ. He tells us plainly that all who preach a false gospel are false prophets. He says it very clearly. And all who believe a false gospel are condemned by the gospel they believe. There in Galatians chapter 1, 6 through 9, he says, amazed that you're so soon removed from the gospel, which there is only one gospel. So you go to Romans, the first chapter, and you'll find that in the opening words of this inspired book, that what the gospel is. Paul defines it very clearly. And I remind you that this was not Paul's first epistle, and chronologically it was written later on, but it's placed first in his writings because I believe of the importance of it. And we understand that Paul, as one man put it, anyone who gains a knowledge of this epistle, He has an entrance open to him, all the most hidden treasures of scripture. And it's been an interesting study, and I know you all heard a lot of messages from the Book of Romans on knowing your pastor. And in the first chapter, verse one through chapter three, verse 19, Paul teaches about total depravity. in chapter 3 verse 20 through chapter 5 verse 21, the free justification that we enjoy by faith. He also goes into the purpose of God after he talks about sanctification in chapter 6 and that through chapter 8. In chapter 8 through 11, the purpose of God, and then chapter 12 through 16, how we're to be consecrated to Christ. So it's indeed, you could divide the letter up in those terms and study them very carefully and very clearly. So the foundation of the gospel, the foundation doctrine of Christianity is set forth in clear and unmistakable terms. In the light of the gospel doctrine, free justification, you have justification not by nature or by law or by ceremony, you have righteousness of Christ given and imputed to those chosen, redeemed sinners, and that by the grace of God and received by faith in Christ. And you begin here and you look at the apostle's introduction as his servant. And he says, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. He tells us quite a bit about himself here. It's simply Paul. He doesn't take any honor to himself. It's not Pope Paul. It's not Reverend Paul. It is simply Paul. Paul. a servant of Christ, called to be an apostle. And without any flowery pretense or any show of, or even a show of humility, but with an evidently humble man, he shows himself that he seeks nothing for himself, just Paul. He doesn't even say brother Paul, but he says Paul, an apostle. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ. And you see, these men, who are true servants of Christ, they're not fond of fancy titles. They seek no glory or honor of their own. They seek no praise for themselves. And Paul identifies himself here in three ways. First of all, and most importantly, he calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. And what could be more important than that? What could be more, any better than that? That was certainly an expression of humility. But it was more than that. It was a declaration of a recognized fact that he was truly a servant, a true servant of Jesus Christ. Any true gospel preacher is the minister or the servant of Christ. He is a minister, he's a servant of his church and of the Lord's church. He considers himself indeed a willing, loving, obedient bond slave of Jesus Christ. And he's called, he said, to be an apostle. An apostle was a man who was sent by Christ. He was a man that had his authority and his doctrine directly from Christ. He was one that had the special apostolic power to perform miracles. And in confirmation of this mission here on earth, the authority that he had, Paul was the last apostle. He was the apostle born out of due time, distinctly chosen of God, and that to be an apostle to the Gentiles, specifically chosen to take Judas' place. And then thirdly, he describes himself as separated unto the gospel, just like Jeremiah. Paul was separated from his mother's womb, Galatians 115. He expressed this separation that was done to him by Christ to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. And he was separated by God the Holy Ghost to this work through the church of Antioch. But there is more here than just being separated. He's separated by God. This distinctly refers to Paul's own resolve, his own determination to separate himself with a relentless resolve unto the gospel. He was a man that was fully, deliberately dedicated to preaching the gospel. He was determined to be faithful to his calling, and indeed, as you see throughout the New Testament, he certainly was faithful to his calling. 1 Corinthians 1, verse 17 says, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel. not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. He said, I'm determined not to know anything among you, 1 Corinthians 2, 2, except, he said, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. He said to the Corinthian church in chapter nine, verse one, verse 16, he says, for though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for necessity is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel. What a great example Paul is, not just for preachers, but for each of us who seek to be witnesses to Christ, of Christ and his work. He told the young preacher Timothy, chapter 4 of 2 Timothy, verse 6, for I am now ready to be offered the time of my departures at hand. I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day. And not to me only, he says, but all of them, all of them also that love his appearance. So the apostle defines himself in these first few verses. And he gives a five-fold definition. I won't be long, because In Romans 1, he has a definition of the gospel in five easily understood verses and texts, passages you might call them. Because first of all, he says this gospel, first of all, is the gospel of God. And that he is the author of it. God is the executor of it, He is the subject of it, and He is the revealer of it. And the Holy Spirit here defines the Gospel as the Gospel of God. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God. So that's the first definition of it, it's the Gospel of God. And I remind you, I'm talking about the Gospel, and there's only one. It is defined here as the gospel of God. And I think for at least four good reasons. It's called the gospel of God because he's the author of it. He's the subject of it. God is the revealer of it. And he is the executor of it. And we understand that as in Ephesians chapter one, while he speaks here concerning this, Gospel. Verse 3 and 4. He says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, it is God, it's all of God. God, the Holy Spirit defines it as that, the gospel of God. And we understand all the way down through verse 14 of this book, the first letter there, the letter of the Ephesians. And then you look at verse two, which he says, which he had promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. So the gospel of God is no new gospel. It's not a novel doctrine. The gospel of peace is the everlasting gospel. It was conceived in the heart of God from all eternity. Listen, it was ordained before the world was. It was hidden in Christ from the beginning. It was revealed to the sons of men in promise and by the prophets. and pictures, and types, and ceremony, and that throughout the Old Testament. Even in Isaiah 53, you read, and you can almost see Christ there, even though they looked through a glass darkly, even though they didn't really see, they knew a son was given. They knew a child was born, a son was to be given. They knew those things. And they were saved just as we are by looking to Christ, looking to the Messiah, looking to the promised deliverer there through the Old Testament prophets. And things that even the angels dare to look into. It was manifested by our Lord coming, to this earth, born of a virgin, and brought in, being God in the flesh, fully human, yet fully God. And we understand in verse 3, and you want to read verse 1 and 3 together, because Verse two is a parenthetical phrase, it's added in between here in a parenthesis because he says, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated under the gospel of God, concerning his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh. So we understand that it's about Christ, isn't it? Here we are given the second definition of the gospel. Here we're told the gospel of God is the gospel of God concerning His Son. The gospel of God is all about Christ. It's not about baptism. It's not about morality. It's not about religious reformation. It's not about ritualism of any kind. The gospel is about Christ. Christ is the express and solitary subject of the gospel, you understand. Christ is the gospel. And the gospel concerns his person, it concerns his work, the gospel concerns, it removes If a man removes one step from Christ, if he moves away one step from Christ, he departs from the gospel. And this is what Paul said to the Corinthian church in the second letter in chapter 11, verse 3, but I fear that's by any means As the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. So He who is our Savior indeed is and must be God the Son. The gospel identifies and owns him as such. He is Jesus, the Savior. You call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins, Matthew 121. The gospel we preach is the gospel of Christ, the anointed one. Christ means the anointed, the anointed one of God. The great God, the Son, Jesus Christ, he's our Lord. The gospel declares him Lord and sovereign monarch of the universe. So all these statements refer to our Savior's glorious divinity, his Godhead. But God, absolute God, could never redeem or save a fallen, sinful, guilty, condemned man. Not one could he save. So if he would save, if ever there was to be a gospel to preach, the Son of God must become the Son of Man. Not just the Son of God, but the Son of Man. Therefore, we're told that the Son of God was made of the seed of David, according to the flesh. It's a mystery, I know, how he can be divine, completely God, And the Bible tells us that in Him dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and how He can be God and yet be totally human, yet without sin. It's a mystery to us, but it's so. That's the only way He could be the mediator between God and man. These two things must be found in Christ, in order that we may obtain salvation in and by Him. There must be a deity of God, the humanity of man. He is the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and according to the flesh, he indeed is the seed of David. Not the seed of man, not the seed of Adam, but the seed of David, and born of a woman, virgin birth, without the sin nature of Adam. He is David's son, he is David's Lord. And then verse four, you read, that he's declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ was made a man, but he was not made just the Son of God. He always was the Son of God. He was made to be a man, declared to be the Son of God. You understand the difference? There are some that believe that Jesus Christ is a son of God, just simply the son of God, that he was a created being just like we are. I think our Jehovah's false witnesses, friends, they believe that. But we know that he was always the son of God, declared to be the son of God, verse four. He was declared to be the son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. That resurrection, the apex of his work, after living a life completely devoted to God, consecrated to God, completely fulfilling the law without sin. He died under the sins of his people. He was made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And be sure you get this. Christ was made or became a man, but he never was made to be the Son of God. He was declared to be the Son of God. He was declared to be the Son of God with power. The Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness. And that's why he was justified when he raised him from the dead. He was declared to be the Son of God. by the resurrection from the dead because he raised himself from the dead. He had the power to give his life. He had the power to take it up again. We know that he is the son of God. He is God the son. It is upon this great fact, the fact of his resurrection from the dead, that the whole gospel rests. Read the 15th chapter, the latter part of the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, and Paul there proves the resurrection. Our Lord's resurrection from the dead declares visibly and undeniably that He is all that He claimed to be. His resurrection is the declaration of our justification accomplished. There's a man in heaven, flesh and bone, and if there's one, there can be more. If there's one, there can be two. If there's two, there can be two million. Jesus Christ in flesh and bone sits at the right hand of his father now because of the resurrection. It is declared visibly and undeniably that when he said it is finished, it was finished. He did all the work that needed to be done. His resurrection is the declaration of our justification. Resurrection from the dead guarantees ours. He is the first fruit. Then let's move on to verse 5. By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for his name. As you understand here, it's by grace alone. Paul was teaching us that the gospel of God is the gospel of grace. And that here Paul reveals both his attitude toward the work and the ministry and the character of the gospel. Here he speaks of his call to the apostleship and the purpose of his ministry as matters of great grace. Ephesians 3a says, unto me, who am less than the least of all saints in this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. So it was through divine favor, listen, not his own worthiness, that he was chosen, and that for such a high office, and for the honor and the glory of the name of Christ, in whose name he went, and in whose name he preached, But beginning here we see in chapter in Romans 10 13. He says beginning of the whole matter was grace Received grace all grace. It's all about grace. It wasn't anything in himself He says unto me to him less than the least of all saints. This grace is given All grace was given to us in eternity all this grace all the grace of God was given to us in Christ and And this grace is known and expressed by the almighty, irresistible power and omnipotent, effectual call of the Holy Spirit of God. In verse six and seven, we see there that among whom ye are, are ye also the called of Jesus Christ. To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And he says, first I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all and that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. To understand what Paul thinks of grace. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So this peace here, it's a peace with God. We were alienated, we were enemies of God through the fall, made sinners without hope, that were made nigh by the blood of Christ and given peace with God. What would you do without God's peace? The Bible says that it is the greatest gift we have. For by grace are you saved through faith. That in all itself is a gift of God, not of works. So peace here with God through Christ. Peace in our own hearts. Peace with each other. God the Father is the giver, Christ is the fountain of all blessing in this life and of all blessedness throughout eternity. And then you skip down to verse 16, you see Paul's fourth definition of the gospel, where he says, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. The power of God it is called. Fourthly, the gospel of Christ is the power of God and the salvation. God chose it to be that way. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of the grace of God. Listen, he openly confessed it. He publicly preached it to everyone. He was not ashamed to believe it. He was not ashamed to be identified with it. He gloried in it. And some of those See, some people own these doctrines in private. I've been told to be proud to be a man, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, the preservation and perseverance of the saints. Some people, some preachers I know, know those doctrines and own them, but they don't preach it. They say, well, I would split my church. I wouldn't have anybody. They're ashamed of it. They cover the offense of the cross with the words of wisdom and with human philosophy. They seek to please men. Listen, God's servants preach the gospel boldly and plainly. They're not ashamed of what God has done. So God loved some, but he didn't love others. He said, Jacob, have I loved? Esau, have I hated? I'm not ashamed to proclaim that. God is a God of all, God of all the universe, and he's able to do what he wants. We're not ashamed of the gospel. The gospel of Christ, the preaching of the gospel, that's the means God uses to bring dead sinners to life. That's the means that God uses to bring faith in Christ, to open blinded eyes, to reveal Christ, to edify and to build up and instruct His churches, and to declare salvation through Christ. It's righteousness revealed. And verse 17 says, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. If we would have God's salvation, if we would have life with God, if we would have His righteousness, that must be first. His righteousness must be found. For God is holy, God is just, God is righteous. And without His righteousness, we'll never approach Him. In order to be loved by God, to be accepted by God, and to be justified before God, we must become righteous. Remember, our righteousnesses were told that all of our righteousnesses are just as filthy rats. So where do we find this righteousness? We see it here in verse 18. In verse 17, for therein is the righteousness of God revealed. Because he says in verse 16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. So we find that righteousness by faith in Christ, accepted by God, justified before God, and we become righteous because of God-given faith and repentance granted. So not by our own deeds of righteousness, which are just filthy rags, but by the free grace of God, the gift of righteousness. The Gospel of Christ is a revelation of righteousness of God. We cannot obtain salvation anywhere but through the gospel of Christ. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed. And this righteousness is not known nor understood by the light of nature, but it must be revealed by God. It is a revelation from faith to faith. And what does that mean? Righteousness is secured by Christ. It's received by faith. And from faith to faith means that from one degree of faith to another. For faith, like any other grace, grows. The more we experience this righteousness of God in Christ, and the sweet experience of faith by the grace of God, the more we know, the more we appreciate. We begin with faith as small as a grain of mustard seed. But then as we come to know more about, and we read more about what God has done through Christ for us, and what He expects us to do because of His faith and His goodness toward us, we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from faith unto faith. Like any other grace, faith grows. The more we experience the righteousness of God, the more we know and appreciate that righteousness that is in Christ. The just shall live by faith. This statement is found four times in the scripture. We begin by faith, we continue in faith, and we die in faith. So do you see the gospel now? It's really not that difficult. Do you believe the gospel? Let us preach the gospel to sinners everywhere for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'll finish with another verse, Romans chapter 8. Verse one, because of this gospel, because of what Christ has done, there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law of the grace, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus have made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. Condemned that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. And verse 5 says, for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of flesh, but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Are you after the Spirit? Are you searching to please God through faith in Christ? I pray that you are. God bless you.