We're going to start in the book of Romans today. And it was interesting, yesterday I was sitting down eating, and I was mentioning, I forgot who was, I was sitting with probably, I think Greg, Jenny, Riri, and Kathy. And I was talking about, I'm getting so beat. I haven't had much time. I don't know. I don't know. I might not be prepared enough to start in the Book of Romans. And Kathy had these words of wisdom. She says, well, I know you'd probably do an introduction anyway, so maybe you can do an introduction to the introduction. Those were words of wisdom. But that's what we're gonna be doing. We're gonna be doing just an introduction. I've tried to, there's so many different viewpoints on the book of Romans from everywhere. I've tried to narrow it down to what does the Bible say? What's in the scriptures regarding this book? And it's just simply a monumental book. There's no other piece of literature in the world secular, spiritual, nothing that can quite match the Book of Romans. It's been said, I've heard this several times, that in order to teach the Book of Romans, you need to read it at least 100 times. I can't guarantee that I've read it 100 times, but maybe close, give or take a few times. But 100 times. Why? I found a great quote by William Tyndale. He's kind of an old guy. His New Testament came out in 1534. So he was around a little bit before us, and he had these words in the introduction to the New Testament in 1534. And if I butcher what he's saying here, because it's written in Old English, or Middle English rather, we can understand that. So it says, no man verily can read it too oft, or study it too well. I like that part right there already. There's no such thing as reading it too often. There's no such thing as studying it too much. I like the old expression is when you think you is, when you think but you isn't. It's so true. So, no man can verily can read it too oft or study it too well. For the more it is studied, the easier it is. The more it is chewed, the pleasanter it is. and the more groundy it is searched, the preciser things are found in it. So great treasures of spiritual things lieth hid therein." Wonderful words by William Tyndale. It's so true. You read it, and just like this little sign up here, when you don't know what it says, it just looks like a Like just a bunch of nothing, but when you understand it says Jesus on it, you can't unsee it. That's the one part I like about that phrase. I can't unsee what I just saw. And that's what happens as you study the Book of Romans. As you study the Bible in general, but more precisely the Book of Romans because it is the cornerstone, the link between Jew and Gentile. It's the theology of sin on the whole world. It deals with what salvation is available for everyone who believes. And it lays out the simplicity of what is expected of us as we grow in that salvation. The problem is that many people have today is they'll go right to the end of the Book of Romans without anything in the first part. The first 11 verses of the Book of Romans are important to the understanding of Romans 12-16. Without that, I can go on a little pet peeve so I don't have to worry about whether being prepared or not right now, but it's amazing how many people go to Romans chapter 12 and try to use Romans chapter 12 as a way to obtaining righteousness. by service, but that service in Romans chapter 12 is based on the imputation of salvation, the giving, the exchanging your sin for his righteousness that's found throughout the rest of the book. I want to look at the timeline. The problem that we have in when we look at the Bible, We look at this linear thing, but it was created over 4,000 plus years by many different authors. And even Paul himself, between his experience on the Damascus Road and when he penned the Book of Romans, is about 25 or 26 years. So it wasn't an overnight thing. Blam, I was sitting under a tree and an angel, Moroni, came up to me and he gave me these scrolls. That didn't happen with Paul. Because Paul was a student. He was a Pharisee of Pharisee. A Hebrew of Hebrews. He knew the law inside and out. And that's when Jesus took him aside and gave him more revelation, the revelation of the mystery, the body of Christ, where the Gentiles in Colossians 1, verse 27, where they had the hope of glory. But without that, us Gentiles would not have any hope. We'd have to belong to the Commonwealth of Israel. And how would that work out now? until when Christ comes again, when they reign supreme. It's interesting, on another side note, I think I'll have several side notes, Heidi, my daughter Heidi went to Boston Baptist College, and she used to see a kid there whose pastor was, I mean, whose dad was a pastor at a place, and I never even looked at it, but he rejects dispensationalism, he rejects any future place for Israel. He says we, the church, is Israel. And so I'm gonna listen to another one of those messages to see where he goes with that. But the amazing thing, the book of Romans addresses it. You know, Romans 9, well, let me start, let me get back on course before I go off course and come back later. No, I'll finish with that. Romans 9, 10, and 11 all deal, they're speaking to the church about what's happened to Israel now that we have the grace of God and people are saved by grace. 9 looks at, chapter 9 looks at Israel's downfall in the past, their rejection of God. Romans 10 looks at the present state of mind of Israel. And Romans chapter 11 deals with the future blessings and the salvation of Israel. be in the salvation of all because they were provoked to jealousy by the grace of God given to Gentiles. So that's a parentheses portion in the book of Romans, and I'm going to end that parentheses now by getting back on course. And looking at Paul, the timeline, it was written, the book of Romans was written in 56 or 57 A.D. Some would say year 60, but I wasn't around, neither were they, so I won't argue with those. But the reality, his conversion was around the year 34 A.D. That's when he had the Damascus Road experience a few years after Jesus Christ. So after his conversion, he went to Damascus, where he spent time in Arabia, spent time in Damascus, went to Damascus, went to Arabia, then went back to Damascus again. Then he traveled to Jerusalem. Now, you've got to remember, they couldn't just hop on a flight or a bus or anything like that. They had to go over into Jerusalem. He met with Peter and James there, then went back to Tarsus, where was his home, and he was there about six years back in Tarsus, from A.D. 37 to 43. So when Barnabas got a hold of them, they went to Antioch of Syria, between 43 and 48. So there were four years there in Antioch. So it's not like there was a, just like this sudden thing that God moved him to write this book. So they went out on the first missionary journey, he and Barnabas. They were from the years 48 to 49. Then they went back to Antioch, where God wrote his first epistle to the Galatians. He wrote that from Antioch. And so the Galatians, because if you remember, the Galatians, as soon as Paul had left there, you had the Judaeites coming in, trying to put them back under the law. Then after... After he went back to Jerusalem, after the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, Paul took Silas. And he went on a second missionary journey between 50 and 52 through what's now known as Turkey, through Asia Minor, and went west to Macedonia and Achaia. That's where Corinth and I'm drawing a blank, where Corinth and Philippi were. So then he went by then, he went to Corinth, that's where Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians, around 51 AD. Then from there, he went to Ephesus by ship, and he went back to Antioch from there. And then went through, passing back through, well, he didn't pass through, he went on his third missionary journey, which took place between 53 and 57. And then he went through Asia Minor. Minor, there we go. Speaking like a true Bostonian, yes. He went to Asia Minor. I said it again. Give me that hand. He went to Ephesus, where he was in Ephesus for between the years 53 and 56. So three years in Ephesus. And while he was in Ephesus, he wrote 1 Corinthians. So we know the correction that went on there. And from 1 Corinthians, or from Ephesus, he left and he traveled to Macedonia where he wrote 2 Corinthians. Paul was a very much traveled man, all for the glory of God. He continued south and spent the winter in Corinth between 56 and 57. And it's in Corinth where he wrote to the Romans, and he sent it according to Romans chapter 16, he sent that letter from Corinth to Rome, to the churches at Rome. Another thing, nobody knows, it's the one letter where nobody knows anything about the founding of it. And Paul never actually visited the church at the beginning. He didn't form the church. There were different pictures of what happened. Some would say Jews that were scattered formed the church, and then they brought in Gentiles at the same time, but nobody really knows for sure. But yet, He had a love, his desire. God told him, Jesus Christ told him that one day he would be in Rome. So he went from Corinth back to Troas and took a ship, and then ended up back in Jerusalem again. Then in Jerusalem, he was arrested. Remember when he was taken away in 8057, the same year that he wrote the Book of Romans, he was arrested, and then his trip back to Rome was a memorable trip. He spent years in jail. Again, I hate this one, I lose my... It'll come to me. The Roman governors kept him in prison and forgot him in prison. And so he was kept there and ended up back in Rome. So the Jews arrested him, they imprisoned him. He ended up in Caesarea Philippi, and he remained in prison there. And then he eventually, in AD 60 to 62, he was in Rome as a prisoner. And at that time he wrote the prison epistles, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Then the Romans set free Paul at the same time, and he returned by sea. He returned back into the region of Sancreer on the Aegean Sea, and he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. He was arrested again, and he was sent to prison in Rome, and he wrote 2 Timothy while he was in prison in Rome and died. as a martyr under Emperor Nero in AD 68. So that's a timeline. It's a long timeline. So it was based on about 23 or 24 years that he wrote the Book of Romans. I find, I don't know why I find that pretty astounding, because we think that blammo, the Book of Romans just came to him. So we can see it was written for 23 or 24 years after that conversion, even though Jesus himself appeared to him, he was also the able student laboring in the Word of God that he had. And it's wonderful. So just a quick outline of the book. Again, we just did the introduction to the introduction. And so an outline of it is, Romans 1, verse 1 through 17, is Paul's introduction. Why he wrote it? The purpose, I love verse 11, he says, so I can show you a gift. You can have a gift. And what that gift is, we'll talk about it when we get that. Various things are written about that as well. So the introduction is in chapter one, verse 17, and then chapter one, verse 18 through chapter three is the need for everyone for the righteousness of God. Everyone needs the righteousness of God. But there's a problem that we have. We have the guilt, ungodliness, and wickedness of mankind in the middle of that. And the need of all people is righteousness. The need of righteous people is also righteousness. Amen. Wouldn't that be, isn't that true? What do we have? We tend to have self-righteousness, but we need to have is the righteousness of God. And then the end of chapter 3 talks about the guilt. of all humanity. Many people would separate chapters 1 and 2 as being about sin, and then chapters 3, 4, and 5 being about salvation. I think they go together. Because without the knowledge of sin, you don't have salvation. So we have through the five chapters, we have that being the salvation chapters. Then at the end of chapter 3, starts with the imputation of righteousness. The gift of salvation, the righteousness that's given to us by Jesus Christ, and in return, he was imputed unto himself our sin. That's taken care of in chapter three. And then the end of chapter three, justification by faith alone, without the works of the law. And then chapter four, it's largely about Abraham. Abraham's justification was by faith. It was by faith he did the things that he did. And then in the middle of that is David's testimony of justification by faith. And then faith over any works of the law, especially circumcision in this part. Then chapters six to eight deal with Us growing in that likeness of Christ deals with the imputation or impartation of God's righteousness. Imputation is given, impart something's given to you. There's a lot of people out there running around imparting some kind of spiritual gift. Yeah, we can impart. Paul and the others would impart wisdom through what they said, but today there are people running around imparting some spiritual blabber and stuff to people, but that's not the truth. So we have God's righteousness through chapter six through eight. Chapter six deals with our identity in Christ. Seven deals with our relationship between sin and faith. Oh, what a wicked man we are because we have faith, but yet we still put ourselves under the law. The answer is to put yourself in Christ, well you can't put yourself in Christ, I stand corrected, to be in Christ and to grow in that because the law is unable to do those things. And then chapter eight is the believer's relationship to God through Christ. Again, it's the power of the Spirit that has delivered us from From the flesh, my favorite verses for the believer is Romans 8.1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the spirit. And that's part of our walk. This isn't a salvific. area, this is part of your walk, part of sanctification. We, by nature, we tend to get down on ourself, right? We tend to say, oh, we blew it, we didn't do enough. I have a new worker that's with me over the past several days, and he's a new worker. Right? But he's condemning himself. I'm not as fast as you. I'm not as good as you. I can't do this. I'm like, relax. You've been on the job for two days. You have no expectations of being that way. Believers can get that way too. I'm not like the person next to me. I'm not like this. Well, there's no condemnation under God already because you're in Christ. We need to stop trying to line ourselves up with the actions of others and comparing ourselves. Always look at our identity in Christ. And then the ending of chapter 8, again, beautiful. You want to talk about verses that we're secure in? No matter what happens, no matter what happens, God is the victor. We're more than conquerors through Him that loved us. And then we look at, then we go from there, then again, the parenthetical verses, chapter 9, chapter 10, and chapter 11, say to us, well, what about Israel? This is addressed to the church. But yet, the church has given all these promises of salvation, but what about Israel? God is going to have his way. God is not done with the nation of Israel. As a matter of fact, he's got many blessings to come. You know, it's interesting because there's a lot of confusion even today about how come the judgments of God aren't happening now, even though the Bible says they're going to, right? Think the day of Pentecost. Right? Peter, when all the things were happening, said, this is a fulfillment. This is that which Joel has spoken. Right? This is the end. This is the judgment of God. The tribulation period is about to happen. But yet, Several years later, the stoning of Stephen, there comes Paul being taken out of the way, and he has the revelation of the church right then. As long as the church is around and not raptured, the return of Christ will not happen, the tribulation will not happen. It's a mystery. But as soon as the body of Christ, as soon as the church gets called up, all of the prophetic program, all the judgments will begin. Amen? I'm glad to be around now and not have to take part in what happens after the rapture of the church. That's why the rapture's a mystery, because it's all based on a mystery. And any kind of predictions for the return of Christ, They fail. Because you can't have any predictions, at least, until the church is gone. So chapters 9, chapters 10, and chapter 11 deals with Israel. Chapter 9 shows Israel's past. The blessings, the freedom, Thank God to elect his people, Israel again, and also their rejection of that mercy and grace he showed them. Then chapter 10 deals with the rejection and the fact the beginning of the chapter, why God has rejected, not completely as some people would say, but he set Israel aside for a time. It's kind of like, did you ever have something that you really love so much and you say, I'm gonna put it aside? for a time when it's more convenient. God has put his beloved nation, his elect nation, his elect people, he's put them on the shelf during this time. I'm so glad for that. The remedy for that rejection is to believe the gospel today. Amen. That's how Jew, Greek, Anybody on earth, no matter what, the answer is to believe the gospel, while it's still called today to believe that gospel. And then the end of chapter 10 deals with the continuing unbelief. They will unbelieve right to the tribulation, and still, even desire death rather than to trust the Lord. It's so tragic. And verse 11 deals with the future salvation of the nation of Israel. So anyone that would say that God is done with Israel, the church is the new Israel, they're full of beans. No other way around it. It's amazing. I mentioned that person. And right in their statement for salvation, they quote out of Ezekiel 36, a new heart will I give to you. Well, look at those new heart and who that's addressed to in the prophets. They're addressed to the nation of Israel. I like the concept is there about having a new heart. It's there. But guess what? We have more than a new heart. We're totally new creatures in Christ Jesus, right? No new heart or anything, totally new, brand new, like brand spanking new at that. So that's 9, 10, 11, dealing with Israel, and then chapter 12, through 16, or through 15 actually, 12 through 15 deal with sanctification. In answer to justification. That's why to, in Romans chapter 12, one, to give your body for service. It's your reasonable service. I like that. Not your religious services, some translations would say, but it's reasonable. The word logosima, to do with logos, deals with logic. You think it out, you don't serve in order to get something, you serve because of what's been done for you. It's logical. It's logical for us as mere mortals, when somebody does something nice for us, we return the favor, right? Well, hasn't God done something nice for us? He's only given up his life. He's taken our sins away and made us whole new creatures. So it would be nice, not mandatory, but we serve him because of what he's done, because of the thankfulness that we have. So it's the identification of God, Romans chapter 12 deals with the order of the church as well as the giftings in the church. Romans 13, a place where so many people like to avoid, it's our duty towards government. And verses 14 through the middle of chapter 15 deal with our liberty we have in Christ Jesus. What we eat, what we drink, what we do, all the so-called gray areas that we have in life. It's not everything is written. All things are lawful. but not all things are expedient. That's where that comes in place. And I used to be bad at that because on like Good Friday, while my Catholic friends were eating tuna and not having meat, I'd take out my roast beef sandwich and go. I'd make noises just like that as well. Say, look, I can eat meat, and you can't, na-na-na-na-na-na. That's the wrong approach, even to fellow believers that have different dietary restrictions and the like. And then, chapter 15, verse 14 through chapter 16 is the conclusion. conclusion takes a lot of space up. Paul's looking at his ministry and his past and present things that are going on, his future plans, and then chapter 16 deals with the personal matters, the accommodation of the laborers like Phoebe. And greetings to the people in Rome. Then a warning in verse 16 to 20 to mark those that cause divisions among you. And greetings from Paul's companions to the church in Rome. And then the end is a doxology or prayer at the end. So that's a quick, real quick introduction. But it's a lot as we go through it, verse by verse, we'll see a lot more. And as was already mentioned, the more you read it, the more you study it, the more you understand it. And the more, the amazing thing is that it never gets old. I mean, I don't think I could go back and read my Hardy Boys mysteries today. I think those don't test the test of time like the Book of Romans or the Bible does. These are ever-present truths that we have. And we get to take them in and get to chew on it. I used that word ruminate on it a couple weeks back. We get to ruminate on what the word says for us. Meditate on those things. And the things become clearer. And the more clear we are with who Jesus is, what he's done, the more we can be clearer on ourselves as well. That's the beauty of the book of Romans. No condemnation. to those in Christ. We're more than conquerors through Christ that loved us. All these things become truer and truer as you grow in grace. You know, what's an amazing thing too, especially when we get to chapter 14, is those that have the dietary restrictions biblically are called the immature ones. Right, they're the immature believers. The mature ones know that everything they eat is okay, but be wise with who you're eating with. That's the case there. So growing in that, you understand the true liberty that you have in Christ Jesus through salvation. And you understand the restrictions that don't appear good to others to stay away from, avoiding all appearances of evil, et cetera. Amen. I hope I, any questions about anything? I just went through so much at one time, but like I said, it's an introduction, and it ended up being more than the introduction to the introduction, but it's just a brief synopsis over what's to come. As we get the magnifying glass and the periscope out and all these different things, as we look at the scriptures and look at the context, we'll understand more. Sounds like a song. We'll understand it better by and by. Amen? The more you see, the more you understand. Just like anything. You know, anything you do in life that The more you do it, the easier it gets, right? Your jobs. First day, you're not expected to be a master carpenter until you've been at the job for several years. But growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ is the most important thing we can do. And I think that's where to end that summary up right there. Amen.